Art Bell

[HorrorReporter]

Ah hell... the RV theory was right...

That is what I am worried about..

[Fly By Night]

I saw that picture on FB and thought Art probably had too much Stoli while listening to Jethro Tull. Just start your damn show

[George Drooly]

HERE IS...  MY ...RUMP!

fixed

[b_dubb]

On Twitter, Art has 1000 followers but is following ONE guy. Who is that ONE guy? Maybe that's part of the answer?

[UnscreenedCaller]

Art's following this guy:


Paul Bowman ‏ @prbowman

Interests inc. Space & Comm, WX, R/C-FPV, Amateur Radio (W7MAG) and all things Tech.

You gotta love it - Art's not following C2C.  

[Eddie Coyle]

I saw that picture on FB and thought Art probably had too much Stoli while listening to Jethro Tull. Just start your damn show

Really do mind if he sits this one out...(again)

[Fly By Night]

        Really do mind if he sits this one out...(again)

I'd sit out Tull after what they did to metallica, and I'm not a flute guy. I'm just saying, stop the theatrics and step up to doing the new show.

[activenets]

Clearly Art still has a great following. Frankly, after Art left I caught a few shows here and there, but NONE of them are as good as Art. I have listened to him for many years and he is a hard act to follow. I have a large library to listen to of Art from the past, but it would be great if he returned to ANY show of his own! C2C lost me as a listener when Art left. "Maybe one day I shall return! Yes, but until then there must be no regrets! Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me I am not mistaken in mine!"

[misssirveaux]

I joined this site a couple of years ago because I grew up loving Art Bell and considered him one of my idols.  Now, I haven't listened to Coast in a year and I just don't care about any of it anymore.  Coast is a dying show and it deserves to be put out of its misery, though I doubt it will be soon enough.  I got an e-mail from the admin here today about yet another of Art's secret messages, so I came here to see what the big deal is this time, and I've realized I just don't care.  If he starts a new show, I doubt I will listen.  I've accepted the fact that the '90s are long dead, and the best I can do is listen to classic recordings of the "good old days."  If Art gets a new show, it is never going to be the same, and how long will it be until he decides he wants to retire again?  At this point I listen to Ground Zero occasionally, and consider talk radio in general to be floating in the toilet.

[nooryisawesome]

Has the art bell website changed again?

[heater]

morse code:
.-- .- -. -. .-      - .- -.- .      .-      .-. .. -.. . ..--..

translated:
WANNA TAKE A RIDE?

[Usagi]

Here's a question... did it always have the morse code sound, or did I just not have my speakers on before?  Hrm...

[dan7800]

I will believe it when I see it.


Art clearly lost his zeal for radio in the early 2000's. All those retirements and comebacks. This is indicative of someone whose heart is no longer in it. If he does come back, it will not be for long. Maybe a year?


With that said, I do hope he comes back. I'd love for him to come back to night time radio with a free stream. (No more of this paid garbage)


Strange timing with the way the fineartstream was taken down, and Art makes this post. Maybe premeire knows something?

[coaster]

Art Bell is the Brett Favre of radio.

[RealCool Daddio]

... had too much Stoli while listening to Jethro Tull...

Been there.

[jazmunda]

Here's a question... did it always have the morse code sound, or did I just not have my speakers on before?  Hrm...

Yes it did. Scared the shit out of me the first time as my speakers were up full blast.

[Fly By Night]

Been there.

Me too. That's why I'm giving AB the benefit of the doubt. Make it happen Bell, cause I'm thinking of Bell Bottom Blues right now when I think of you. Sort of.

[raistlin]

The thing that has always and will always set Art Bell apart from everyone else is his passion.  He never just phoned it in.  Night after night he had interesting and entertaining shows.  He was a forward thinker, mixing things up trying new things.  He devoted his life to his craft like no other in the business.  Just let us know the time and station Art, your fans are waiting.

[Designx]

I wouldn't want to come back - having explored the vast array of topics on a show only to find that most everything was a work of fiction and this was continued on with Noory with many of the same guests espousing the same junk. It was exciting back then because it was the first time many of these topics hit the masses. For all the years Noory has been on, he has been unable or unwilling to challenge these same guests leading them to become even more daring in their line of BS. What is worse now with Noory is his herbal/medical shows with guests who are probably some the biggest frauds around.

[Morgus]

morse code:
.-- .- -. -. .-      - .- -.- .      .-      .-. .. -.. . ..--..

translated:
WANNA TAKE A RIDE?

Art said years ago that one day he may ressurrect the artbell.com website as a HAM radio site.
His use of morse code on his website now may indicate that he finally is going to follow thru on his longtime plan, to get more people interested and take "the ride" to become a HAM radio operator...

[ringthane]

Gang, registered here back in 2010 but didn't remain active that long -- it was fun/cathartic bashing Noory for a few months, but it really became too painful. I even quit listening to Jorge altogether; giggling at his cue card 'what's the most surprising thing you've learned while researching this?' questions just lost all appeal. Still tune in regularly for Wells and Knapp, occasionally for Ian and sometimes for Simone.


The morse code has brought me out of exile (unlike the last few dick tease false alarms).


A few questions tho, as I really have quit following C2C with any hope of Art's return -- what are the shows ratings/affiliate status? Has Noory driven the numbers into the ground yet? I remember a few years back when Noory constantly trumpeted new affiliate numbers/expansion, and his self-aggrandizement made me throw up in my mouth a little.


And what's Noory's contract status? Isn't it up soon?


One thing someone mentioned up-thread that I agree with -- Noory may have more to worry about from Wells than Bell. Something that's caught my attention the last year or so is Wells filling in much more frequently on Fridays... at first it seemed like it was for the occasional 'George can't be here because he's pimping his latest oeuvre, "Imbecile in the Light", at the blah blah blah expo', but then it seemed like Wells' fill-ins were more frequent than just convention appearances. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part that corporate was giving Wells more at bats to see if it had any affect on ratings.


I gotta wonder if ratings are an issue for Premiere, would they actually wanna bring Art back? Too renegade-surly-curmudgeonly-screw-you-bean-counters attitude?


Jeezus H., Art on M-T, wells Fri and Sat, Knapp covering Sundays... almost too perfect for me. Art on Sirius, or a subscription podcast thingy, ditto. Wells replacing Noory outright? I'll take it.


Listening to Noory? I'd rather eat a bag of hair. I gave the guy a fair shot from 2003-10 but just can't hack it no mo'.

[ringthane]

I wouldn't want to come back - having explored the vast array of topics on a show only to find that most everything was a work of fiction and this was continued on with Noory with many of the same guests espousing the same junk. It was exciting back then because it was the first time many of these topics hit the masses. For all the years Noory has been on, he has been unable or unwilling to challenge these same guests leading them to become even more daring in their line of BS. What is worse now with Noory is his herbal/medical shows with guests who are probably some the biggest frauds around.

The thing with Bell though was he understood he was a bit of a carnival barker and did it straight-faced, without all the modern wink-wink nudge-nudge 'I don't really believe all this bullshit but I'm just playing along' affectation. And when he did believe it, he believed it with earnest conviction. And sometimes he bought BS hook, line and sinker and got bit in the ass. That was part of what made the show classic for me.


One thing I think that may want to bring Art back is that I never sensed that he felt he had 'exhausted' different areas or topics to explore. Yeah, he had his regulars like Michio and RCH and LMH, but I remember hearing Art talk about how he and Ramona vetted/pre-screened guests... he always came up with some off the wall guests. If you had some crappy page on earthlink and a weird self-published book but could hold an interesting conversation with Ramona for an hour over the phone, you'd get a shot at the show. Art used to dig up some the weirdest, coolest guests out there.


As much as part of the appeal/nostalgia of Art's coast was a late 90s vibe that may not work in a Clearchannel-dominated 2013, the core of his show is probably even more relevant now than it was back then (the Obama fatigue now is different than the Clinton version was ca. 1998).

[fromwomewhere outthere]

If Art does indeed come back, he will do a week-end show only. That way, he can still maintain a high quality of life and can be there for his family. No way he will do five shows a week again. I would be satisfied with one show a week. Art has don a lot of things to piss off a lot of people, but he is the beast of the airwaves.

[RealCool Daddio]

Welcome, Ringthane.


Regarding whether Noory has driven the Coast ratings into the ground, as much as it pains me to say this, I don't think that's the case. His numbers are way below Art's were back in the day, but the fragmention of the market, and the general decay of Terrestrial radio, is likely more to blame.  If Noory's ratings were consistently down, he would be fired.  Clear Channel is publicly traded, and the board of any entertainment company must generate shareholder value in these times.  It's a business, and at the end of the day George brings in enough ad revenue to hang on to his job.

[ringthane]

Welcome, Ringthane.


Regarding whether Noory has driven the Coast ratings into the ground, as much as it pains me to say this, I don't think that's the case. His numbers are way below Art's were back in the day, but the fragmention of the market, and the general decay of Terrestrial radio, is likely more to blame.  If Noory's ratings were consistently down, he would be fired.  Clear Channel is publicly traded, and the board of any entertainment company must generate shareholder value in these times.  It's a business, and at the end of the day George brings in enough ad revenue to hang on to his job.

Yeah, I dig... that's why my question re: ratings was almost rhetorical; we know that bottom line, if ratings cratered and CC even had a whiff of Noory's ineptitude being a factor, they'd put a syphilitic orangutan behind the mic if it meant a ratings increase. Look at Siegel. He got yanked pretty quickly. But I think back then Art still might have had some say/pull (I think that was pre-Clear Channel, memory is foggy right now).


RE: Art only doing weekend shows -- I agree completely, but I'm going to play devil's advocate with your/my theory. Asia is probably school age now. Art, if he did come back, would only do the show from his home. The guy's a talker, and he has pride. I do remember Art mentioning many times how much of a drain doing the production was, but I have to wonder how much of that was him just getting hit with everything that happened (his back pain, his son, lawsuit, Ramona et al).


I'm naive enough to believe that his daughter's earliest formative years are mostly over, she's off to school, he's bored with retirement and wants to fix his baby. I don't know if 'weekends only' is enough to scratch the itch.

[Morgus]

Look at Siegel. He got yanked pretty quickly. But I think back then Art still might have had some say/pull (I think that was pre-Clear Channel, memory is foggy right now).

that was post the Clear Channel sale.

[Jackpine Savage]

on the contrary... i've spent all of coastgab's google revenue to purchase norton's anagrammy blocker for the server.

haha, yeah, god she was obnoxious.

[onan]

haha, yeah, god she was obnoxious.

Funny, I thought she at times made some of the more intelligent conversations we had.


She did look down her nose at times... but so do you guys. And so do I. For the people that have left here due to uncomfortability she is one I miss the most.


Yeah I thought some of her points were silly, but I am sure many here feel that way about me. I am just to obtuse to notice.

[MV/Liberace!]

Funny, I thought she at times made some of the more intelligent conversations we had.


She did look down her nose at times... but so do you guys. And so do I. For the people that have left here due to uncomfortability she is one I miss the most.


Yeah I thought some of her points were silly, but I am sure many here feel that way about me. I am just to obtuse to notice.

My problem wasn't with her points, ideas, or opinions. It was with her snarky, self righteous approach to everything. She also suggested I should keep my opinions to myself since I am a forum administrator. That I can do without.

[onan]

My problem wasn't with her points, ideas, or opinions. It was with her snarky, self righteous approach to everything. She also suggested I should keep my opinions to myself since I am a forum administrator. That I can do without.

I completely agree with you about her statement requiring your self censorship.