Art Bell

[Renaldo]

Is it really!?!

It would have to be. From what I understand the calls go directly to him again, he's doing the show from home, wouldn't it be ringing in his home studio?

[IcicleTrepan]

Perhaps someone should say hello to him then from coastgab

[Morgus]

It would have to be. From what I understand the calls go directly to him again, he's doing the show from home, wouldn't it be ringing in his home studio?

But Art said Sirius is setting up a new computer controlled phone system for him that could put callers on hold in a queue, so it wouldn't be like the old days where each number would ring until Art himself picked it up.
Most likely its a Sirius employee testing the lines?

[Renaldo]

Most likely its a Sirius employee testing the lines?

You make a good case for it to be going to Sirius, but from the reported responses, and that it's Sunday, I don't see how it could be. I'd think if it was a line at Sirius, it would just ring, or get picked up by something automated. Of course I have no idea where it actually goes to.

I think someone should call and ask.

[Nighthawk]

Just call and say, "Oh hi is Art there please?"

[SaucyRossy]

My suggestion is to stop calling for now. I emailed Keith about it, I am sure he will figure it out.

[Renaldo]

Good idea. Keith will tell us what's up.

[starrmtn001]

I just tried it and some one picked up and I said hello and I heard a bunch of noises like they dropped the phone then they hung up.

Yeah, weird.

Perhaps the number is a typo.  This poor lady may suddenly be getting a lot of calls about Art Bell and UFOs.  If she doesn't know who Art is (she may not listen to radio), these calls may be freaking her out.  Just sayin'.

[SaucyRossy]

Perhaps the number is a typo.  This poor lady may suddenly be getting a lot of calls about Art Bell and UFOs.  If she doesn't know who Art is (she may not listen to radio), these calls may be freaking her out.  Just sayin'.

Oh totally!!!!

"I'm looking for Mel's hole. WHERE IS MEL'S HOLE!?!?!?"


poor lady.

[Renaldo]

hahaha  It's a toll free # though, so it's not going to go to a regular person. Since it seems to be being answered by one, that's kind of what made me think it's going to Art's house.

[SaucyRossy]

hahaha  It's a toll free # though, so it's not going to go to a regular person. Since it seems to be being answered by one, that's kind of what made me think it's going to Art's house.

I know a few people who have toll free phone numbers.....

[lonevoice]

Oh totally!!!!

"I'm looking for Mel's hole. WHERE IS MEL'S HOLE!?!?!?"


poor lady.

LOL!

"Do you have an alien in your freezer?!?  I HEARD YOU HAVE AN ALIEN IN YOUR FREEZER!!11!"

[Nighthawk]

But the guy on the line saying, "bye" really does sound typical of Art. Remember the way he would react on the air when he would have a call with no one there? Sounds very much like Arts character to me. And the lady of course, well that could be Arts wife.

[Renaldo]

I know a few people who have toll free phone numbers.....

Do they answer the phone normally, or do they pick it up and some guy shouts BYE from across the room? 

[onan]

The internet was everywhere then. The mid to late 90's was when AOL was sending out discs everyday to everybody in the US. But I digress....

It sounds like you're saying you don't believe anything you hear on Art Bell, but you believe everything you read online.  Hope that works out for you.

Although the internet was gaining ground, it was still a dial up world for most that were connected then. I was still using a 56k modem in the late 90's. In the mid 90's the number of subscribers was around 150,000. The internet was making strides into homes but most people were still without internet access.

[Renaldo]

Although the internet was gaining ground, it was still a dial up world for most that were connected then. I was still using a 56k modem in the late 90's. In the mid 90's the number of subscribers was around 150,000. The internet was making strides into homes but most people were still without internet access.

His point was that the internet wasn't widely available, my point was that he was wrong as AOL discs were taped to boxes of cereal. Availability was there. Also, AOL had 2.5 million subscribers in 1995 (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.09/aol.html). At the time I worked for Compuserve, and we had more than that, but I don't remember the number.

[onan]

His point was that the internet wasn't widely available, my point was that he was wrong as AOL discs were taped to boxes of cereal. Availability was there. Also, AOL had 2.5 million subscribers in 1995 (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.09/aol.html). At the time I worked for Compuserve, and we had more than that, but I don't remember the number.

I remember before moving to NC, that was in "94, there was a story on cnn stating AOL they had 100,000 members, I joined that day. I had been with Compuserve... perhaps I remember wrong, don't think so.

[jazmunda]

Ah the internet in the mid to late 90s was just great. It really was the wild wild west back in those days. I used to love the sound my 28.8K modem would make when it made the connection. I wish by super fast cable connection would make that sound everytime I sat down at my computer.

I can't believe I was able to convince my parents to get a second phone line just so I could use the internet. Well it was either a second line or they forfeited their line to the outside world at night.

I used to have to fight my sister for online time. We would even trade things between ourselves for a few extra minutes or hours.

IRC and bulletin boards.

Ah the memories.

[ziznak]

quake2... my first online game addiction.

[CampsieNP]

Ah the internet in the mid to late 90s was just great.

I can't believe I was able to convince my parents to get a second phone line just so I could use the internet. Well it was either a second line or they forfeited their line to the outside world at night.

Oh my, I FORGOT about the second phone-line. We did that too. Everyone who was trying to call the house would get a busy-signal all night long! We got a second phone line too. And when was the last time you heard a "busy-signal".
Geesh, I guess things have changed a lot and much I have forgotten.

[PB the Deplorable]

Oh my, I FORGOT about the second phone-line. We did that too. Everyone who was trying to call the house would get a busy-signal all night long! We got a second phone line too. And when was the last time you heard a "busy-signal".
Geesh, I guess things have changed a lot and much I have forgotten.

I didn't have the internet for most of my life, now I can't imagine being without it.

[Ravenna]

Oh my, I FORGOT about the second phone-line. We did that too. Everyone who was trying to call the house would get a busy-signal all night long! We got a second phone line too. And when was the last time you heard a "busy-signal".
Geesh, I guess things have changed a lot and much I have forgotten.

I remember those days, and how exciting they were.  Internet was such a new, novel and thrilling thing in those days.  The ability to connect with fellow fans (of a band, of a radio show, of an author, etc.) within a matter of seconds.  Suddenly it seemed like I had a bunch of new friends in my house, back in those days, and some of those people I'm still in touch with and I've actually met some of them in person and got along with them great that way, too (although the opposite could occur as well).  I have two close pals I email (yes, I'm Old School) with daily that I met on two separate bulletin boards back in the day.

To bring the topic back to Art and his new show, do we have any clue as to who is going to be the weekend host or even if there will be one?

[Sardondi]

I remember those days, and how exciting they were.  Internet was such a new, novel and thrilling thing in those days.  The ability to connect with fellow fans (of a band, of a radio show, of an author, etc.) within a matter of seconds.  Suddenly it seemed like I had a bunch of new friends in my house, back in those days, and some of those people I'm still in touch with and I've actually met some of them in person and got along with them great that way, too (although the opposite could occur as well).  I have two close pals I email (yes, I'm Old School) with daily that I met on two separate bulletin boards back in the day.

To bring the topic back to Art and his new show, do we have any clue as to who is going to be the weekend host or even if there will be one?

That reminds me of the absolute delight I felt when I stumbled across Art's show. It was soon after Art returned after Mike Siegel I believe. It was like winning the lottery. I had had some retina surgery and couldn't watch tv, so anything on the radio was a godsend. But to discover Art, it was like I had been adrift on the ocean, bereft of hope of rescue, and then I see this glorious ship in the distance, coming to save me! I'd never heard a host like him - so calm, prepared, intelligent and engaged. And then there were the topics. How cool was that! Some guests were absolute loons, some made you think, some made you mad. But it was all wonderfully diverting, and it saved me form going crazy. So I'll always be grateful to Art Bell.

[ItsOver]

..To bring the topic back to Art and his new show, do we have any clue as to who is going to be the weekend host or even if there will be one?

Not that I've seen unless I've missed it in the sea of Bellgab.  I'd really love to see Knapp hop from the sinking ship of C2C to at least pick-up all the Sunday nights.  I wouldn't mind it one bit, either, if Art would try out a number of hosts for the weekend gig.  It couldn't hurt to have a competent heir-apparent at some point.  Anybody still remember the disaster of a host that stepped in the last time Art retired?   

Enough of that, though.  I'm going to relish Art for as long as he blesses us with his presence.  We've all found out just how good we once had it, if we didn't really appreciate it at the time, and it's not too often one gets a second go-round for anything. 

[rangerdavid]

Not that I've seen unless I've missed it in the sea of Bellgab.  I'd really love to see Knapp hop from the sinking ship of C2C to at least pick-up all the Sunday nights.  I wouldn't mind it one bit, either, if Art would try out a number of hosts for the weekend gig.  It couldn't hurt to have a competent heir-apparent at some point.  Anybody still remember the disaster of a host that stepped in the last time Art retired?   

Enough of that, though.  I'm going to relish Art for as long as he blesses us with his presence.  We've all found out just how good we once had it, if we didn't really appreciate it at the time, and it's not too often one gets a second go-round for anything.

A second chance at anything in life is rare indeed.  I loved knapp's interview/report that was posted.  I hope he is at least an occasional anchor on the new show. 

I just really, REALLY LOVE ART BELL!!!

[Ravenna]

That reminds me of the absolute delight I felt when I stumbled across Art's show. It was soon after Art returned after Mike Siegel I believe. It was like winning the lottery. I had had some retina surgery and couldn't watch tv, so anything on the radio was a godsend. But to discover Art, it was like I had been adrift on the ocean, bereft of hope of rescue, and then I see this glorious ship in the distance, coming to save me! I'd never heard a host like him - so calm, prepared, intelligent and engaged. And then there were the topics. How cool was that! Some guests were absolute loons, some made you think, some made you mad. But it was all wonderfully diverting, and it saved me form going crazy. So I'll always be grateful to Art Bell.

It's interesting how so many of us have a story of how we discovered Art during a time of need.  When I discovered Art in March of 1997, my boyfriend of two years had just left me for another woman (and someone in our social circle that I didn't like very much, which somehow made it even worse) and was in a torture chamber of heartbreak.  One night, unable to sleep, I was tuning through the radio stations, hoping to find something to take my mind of my troubles and stumbled across Coast to Coast AM.  Almost immediately, I was fascinated.  Art's voice, intellect, and the topics the show covered were exactly what I was looking for to divert me at the time (still are, in fact), and from that point on I made a point of listening to the show every night when I went to bed (usually at about the time the show started).  The fascination factor of Art, and the topics and the guests, was so strong that it was completely able to take my mind off my heartache, and I believe I recovered much more quickly from that personal blow than I would have otherwise.  Art seemed like a friend, almost, in short time, and the people who called in so often sounded like my kind of folks and made me feel less alone in being into all that I was into (as the rest of my family are all quite normal, the poor dears).  When something has that kind of impact on your life, and is such a hugely valuable tool in both bringing you a weird kind of solace and in making aspects of life itself seem even more fascinating than you'd already had an inkling they were, it's priceless. 

When Art was no longer on the air, it was as if my best friend had moved to another state; even worse coz I couldn't keep in touch with Art by phone or email.  So, I'm so glad he's back.

[Ravenna]

Not that I've seen unless I've missed it in the sea of Bellgab.  I'd really love to see Knapp hop from the sinking ship of C2C to at least pick-up all the Sunday nights.  I wouldn't mind it one bit, either, if Art would try out a number of hosts for the weekend gig.  It couldn't hurt to have a competent heir-apparent at some point.  Anybody still remember the disaster of a host that stepped in the last time Art retired?   

Enough of that, though.  I'm going to relish Art for as long as he blesses us with his presence.  We've all found out just how good we once had it, if we didn't really appreciate it at the time, and it's not too often one gets a second go-round for anything.

I'm one of those who realized what Art and the show meant to me at the time, so to have that back again when I nearly thought it was gone forever has really given me a lovely vitality jolt.  The best news that's happened to me in quite a while, as I'm in a wee bit of a rut in life right now (job I dislike, living situation that's not ideal, etc.).  Once again, Art and his show will be a kind of solace for me.

I do hope that Art has a weekend host; that would be better than re-running shows that have already aired during the week.  If it was an Art-picked host, as I presume it would be, I would tend to have trust in his choice.  (Knapp would be ideal, but I don't know if he can wriggle out of whatever contract he has with Clear Channel).  I love the idea of a rotating line-up of guest hosts, so that you never quite know who you're going to get each weekend (although I'd need to like the entire rotating line-up, which would be quite a trick indeed).  I do like the idea of Art presenting the weekend host(s) as a kind of test drive; maybe even acknowledging that he is looking to feedback from the listeners as who to keep on permanently.  That would be cool.

[ACE of CLUBS]

Really hoping that George Knapp will be involved with Art in some way.  They are both professionals, have an inherent enthusiasm, and above all - are intelligent.

There was such an air of anticipation when you heard 'The Chase' start, and then Art ..... "From the high desert and the grrrrreat American Southwest" .......

Let's take a ride with Art ......

[PB the Deplorable]

...  Art seemed like a friend...

That is a huge part of this, I think everyone felt it to some extent.

[PB the Deplorable]

... There was such an air of anticipation when you heard 'The Chase' start, and then Art ..... "From the high desert and the grrrrreat American Southwest"...

Oh man.  It's not going to be the same without The Chase.  I'm sure Art will choose something that will have that same feel to it after awhile. 

I personally wouldn't mind if he said screw it and used The Chase anyway.  It's not like I'll be listening to George's show too, and be confused.