Art Bell

[Mops]

"Art Bell Sings Art Garfunkel" is probably on page two of his Bucket List, but another book could possibly be in the works.  He must have thousands of strange and funny fan letters to publish along with answers to old questions like, say:  Who was the little old gray-haired lady who used to contact him if the guests or callers got too militant or whatever?  Or how did he compare having a theme song written by Crystal Gayle as opposed to Noory's "UFO Phil?"  (Sorry, that was more of a statement than a question.)

Anyway, a book with so much potential could land him on Letterman and/or Piers Morgan.  (Larry King might have been an interesting pairing.)  But with or without a new book, Bell deserves a victory lap on prime time.  This is the most interesting person most people have never heard about.  A letter writing campaign directed at all levels of the major broadcast networks is a good place to start.  People will want to know more about Art Bell, and he might be inclined to return to the air.  However, the untold hours he spent on preparation for the nightly shows would seem to preclude a return to full time.  One of the things that bothers me most about Noory is the false claim that loyalty to Bell is the only reason so many listeners dislike him.  I personally don't respect him because he is lazy and walks in cold every night.  He doesn't even put in a four-hour day, much less the hours of preparation Bell did before every show.  And Bell was airing for years from his own radio station.  The amount of paperwork, transmitter readings, testing, etc., required by the FCC alone is a full time job.  Which is why I think everyone understands Bell's desire to just sit down, rest and bounce his kid and grandkids on his knee.

But he does deserve a big, prime time parade.  If that's not his style, then I reckon we'll be seeing him riding stolen horses in the sky, bye and bye.


                 

[Marc.Knight]

"Art Bell Sings Art Garfunkel" is probably on page two of his Bucket List, but another book could possibly be in the works.  He must have thousands of strange and funny fan letters to publish along with answers to old questions like, say:  Who was the little old gray-haired lady who used to contact him if the guests or callers got too militant or whatever?  Or how did he compare having a theme song written by Crystal Gayle as opposed to Noory's "UFO Phil?"  (Sorry, that was more of a statement than a question.)

Anyway, a book with so much potential could land him on Letterman and/or Piers Morgan.  (Larry King might have been an interesting pairing.)  But with or without a new book, Bell deserves a victory lap on prime time.  This is the most interesting person most people have never heard about.  A letter writing campaign directed at all levels of the major broadcast networks is a good place to start.  People will want to know more about Art Bell, and he might be inclined to return to the air.  However, the untold hours he spent on preparation for the nightly shows would seem to preclude a return to full time.  One of the things that bothers me most about Noory is the false claim that loyalty to Bell is the only reason so many listeners dislike him.  I personally don't respect him because he is lazy and walks in cold every night.  He doesn't even put in a four-hour day, much less the hours of preparation Bell did before every show.  And Bell was airing for years from his own radio station.  The amount of paperwork, transmitter readings, testing, etc., required by the FCC alone is a full time job.  Which is why I think everyone understands Bell's desire to just sit down, rest and bounce his kid and grandkids on his knee.

But he does deserve a big, prime time parade.  If that's not his style, then I reckon we'll be seeing him riding stolen horses in the sky, bye and bye.


               

Needless to say, Michael V. has more than enough material in this forum to compile a book for publication.  It just needs categorization and editing.  "George Noory Sucks" is befitting.  Publishing houses may require that the forum be taken down (or sections removed) so as not to reveal the contents of the book, but another option would be to self-publish and put it on Amazon. 

The book could focus on the George Noory debacle, in the light of Art's success, and the impact on fans.  Sprinkle in a little history of talk radio, and a thematic commentary about current talk radio in general and you might have a successful product.

That certainly would capture Art's attention, and make some money.

[ourobouros2k2]

Hell, this thread alone is quite legendary and book worthy.

[MV/Liberace!]

Hell, this thread alone is quite legendary and book worthy.

agreed.

[Weirdoradio]

Hey all,

I'm a longtime lurker but this thread has forced me to register and make my first post.
To everyone involved in this thread: Thanks for the hours of entertainment. The endless speculation, as well as some of the more... far-fetched... conclusions being drawn have made boring work days go by a lot faster.

Honestly, I do not know if Art will return. A large part of me hopes he comes back and takes back the late-night airwaves in such a manner as he will obliterate Noory and his overly-political, overly-boring broadcast (as many here have already said, so it's nothing new). A part of me thinks that the "official" end of his tenure at C2C (his last Ghost-to-Ghost broadcast) was an ill-fitted tribute to a man who has built a literal radio empire and I hope that it somehow gets rectified. How? I'm not quite sure yet. Tribute shows are not forthcoming given the rather strained relationship Art has with his former properly at paresent, but I hope that something can be arranged. Also tribute shows are tacky if the subject is still living, I feel.

The fact that Clear Channel/Premiere has handed down a list of directives for the show(ie. forced screenings of calls) goes against the total freedom Art had during his years to broadcast and structure the show as he saw fit. 9/11 changed the tone of the show forever (as another thread here has mentionned) and I tend to agree with that assessment. Going back and forth in-between pre- and post-9/11 shows you can hear a marked difference. That, and the death of Ramona, I think has led Art to wind down and dip in and out of a regular broadcasting schedule. That and his desire to start a new family definitely factors in. It's a different radio landscape out there and I think the only logical decision for Art would be satellite, though he had seem rather opposed to that option while he was still regularly hosting.

I won't give up hope, but I'm not as optimistic as others concerning the return of the Almighty Art. Just because there's silence doesn't mean that something's being covered up - a lot of the moves and unavailable people mentionned occured during the holiday period, and traditionally people peace out and take vacations and the like. I know I ignored my work-related e-mail for a while.

If he does come back, though, I will offer get him an interview with a real life gray*



*gray not included

[Agent : Orange]

Of all the theories I've come across, I think a weekly podcast is probably the most likely and least invasive.

Did Art make a comment about not being interested in broadcasting over the internet or something similar? I might be wrong about that since he was such a huge techie in days past.

[fromwomewhere outthere]

This thread kind of reminds me of a protest thread. IOW, were not going to stop talking about  this until Art comes back to the airwaves.

Come on Art; you know you can do it.

[EvB]

agreed.

I say GO FOR IT!

[SillyFruit]

I've been to Pahrump several times and it's a nice place. Surrounded by mountains and the sky is endless. The people are friendly and there is a small town atmosphere, even though most of the population is from somewhere else. And guess what? Las Vegas is right down Hwy 60, less than an hour away. I vote to have our meetings in Pahrump - no other place would be "right," IMHO.

[Marc.Knight]

[Marc.Knight]

[Marc.Knight]

[Mops]

Needless to say, Michael V. has more than enough material in this forum to compile a book for publication.  It just needs categorization and editing.  "George Noory Sucks" is befitting.  Publishing houses may require that the forum be taken down (or sections removed) so as not to reveal the contents of the book, but another option would be to self-publish and put it on Amazon. 

The book could focus on the George Noory debacle, in the light of Art's success, and the impact on fans.  Sprinkle in a little history of talk radio, and a thematic commentary about current talk radio in general and you might have a successful product.

That certainly would capture Art's attention, and make some money.

Hahaha.  "George Noory Sucks" by Art Bell.  That would be priceless on a public library shelf.  Noory would write a book in response called, "Nuh-uh! Stop It!"

[Agent : Orange]

I had to drive a friend home and caught the last part of the show tonight on the drive. George shooed a caller off the air to play the Area 51 pilot classic Art Bell clip at the tail end of the show. It really came out of nowhere and was quite out of place.

If I was Art and had my differences with the show it would totally burn my ass that they were still playing those old clips...

Just sayin'.

Stranger and stranger...

[awguy]

Haha! That word bubble totally captures the look on Art's face... priceless!

[aldousburbank]

Is it just me, or can anybody else not tell which of George pictures are 'shopped and which are just the way he looks/dresses?  Hey, I'm not one with room to question people's looks, but has anybody ever seen a movie called Frankenstein?  George, Lurch called.  He wants to know if you're still on for synchronized swimming classes this Tuesday.

[Fly By Night]

Looking at that picture I can only assume that George is telling Art how many times he poops in a day. I will also assume that Art vomits on George seconds after that picture is taken. Finally, I shall assume that Art takes that hideous purple hankerchief from Georges JC Pennys suit and cleans the puke from his mouth with it. I will check with Ed Dames to see if my assumptions are correct.

[HorrorReporter]

I heard the show last night too. I heard the Art Bell clip (one that took up a majority of the end of Noory's open lines).. And I don't quite know if I get it. Was it the anniversary of the call? .. Noory said he was receiving emails in the last month to play this clip.. which I also don't get why. Why this clip? Why now..

I think there may be some type of hope that Coast to Coast  wants Art Bell back. So this may have been sucking up. I really don't think it was a purposeful insult.

And finally, I wonder how many people were randomly changing dials last night when they heard Art Bell's voice on the radio again and thought, just for a second, "Maybe he's back! maybe this is live!"

[anagrammy]

I'd love that for my desktop---:)

Anagrammy

[awguy]

I'd love that for my desktop---:)

Anagrammy

Yeah me too, is there a higher resolution version somewhere?

[Marc.Knight]

Yeah me too, is there a higher resolution version somewhere?

You can work with this one.

[FortRock]

I have seen the Bell/Noory photograph! What Art is saying with those eyes would fill the Encyclopedia Britannica! But mostly "HOW DID THEY EVER ALLOW THIS BRAINLESS IDIOT TO RUN MY SHOW"!

[timincal]

Just joined to respond to this debate.

Art's issue is with Premiere/Clear Channel not as much with George.

Art was not happy with the connectivity issues with guests and callers and was frustrated.

I think he just said screw it.

He still does a short wave type show and has many friends in the pacific.

He also spends time in Hong Kong.

He is fairly well off so I don't think he needs to work.

If you listen to C2CAM George always includes him at the end of the Friday show of those who is part of the show.

On a side note in May George is moving to Kona.Hawaii and will broadcast from there!

The studio is being built now and will be ready in May.

It will allow him to do the show at a decent time and he always talked about wanting to live in Hawaii.

[koquinn]

Yes I read on wikipedia that his name had been removed. I just have never understood this whole deal with Art. I only know that I heard him on Friday & Sat nights sometimes. Then I happen to stumble across CaostGab.

[Brianthomascox]

Someone has to define “Quit” to Art because he shows up every once in a while? I think his fan base is vast enough to start a new show with no problem!

[awguy]

On an unrelated note, can people please select a unique display picture? There has to be at least 10 people now using the "I  forgot to select an avatar" picture and it's getting really confusing... to me anyway.

[anagrammy]

Hey all,

I'm a longtime lurker but this thread has forced me to register and make my first post.
To everyone involved in this thread: Thanks for the hours of entertainment. The endless speculation, as well as some of the more... far-fetched... conclusions being drawn have made boring work days go by a lot faster.

Honestly, I do not know if Art will return. A large part of me hopes he comes back and takes back the late-night airwaves in such a manner as he will obliterate Noory and his overly-political, overly-boring broadcast (as many here have already said, so it's nothing new). A part of me thinks that the "official" end of his tenure at C2C (his last Ghost-to-Ghost broadcast) was an ill-fitted tribute to a man who has built a literal radio empire and I hope that it somehow gets rectified. How? ......

If he does come back, though, I will offer get him an interview with a real life gray*

*gray not included

Thoughtful first post, Weirdoradio.  You definitely belong here-- one thing, could you maybe stretch that gray interview to include George Knapp, if he takes over when Noory finally overinflates and bursts?

Anagrammy

[anagrammy]

I had to drive a friend home and caught the last part of the show tonight on the drive. George shooed a caller off the air to play the Area 51 pilot classic Art Bell clip at the tail end of the show. It really came out of nowhere and was quite out of place.

If I was Art and had my differences with the show it would totally burn my ass that they were still playing those old clips...

Just sayin'.

Stranger and stranger...

AgentO-- I think that piece of business was a panic situation because there were NO CALLERS!  And we noted here that a parade of ass-kissers preceded the Art Bell clip.  This is all good news to us because why would the "Greatest" the "Immortal" Noory need to play clips of his nemesis, his predecessor, a legend.

To top this disgusting proclamation of self-importance, Noory will have to announce that he will die but be resurrected in three days (apologies to Christians) and will keep his promise to be there for us during our empty holidays.

Anagrammy

[Agent : Orange]

AgentO-- I think that piece of business was a panic situation because there were NO CALLERS!  And we noted here that a parade of ass-kissers preceded the Art Bell clip.  This is all good news to us because why would the "Greatest" the "Immortal" Noory need to play clips of his nemesis, his predecessor, a legend.

He was kind of in the middle of a call when I guess he noticed his time was up and just shuffled this caller under the rug.

I felt simultaneously dirty and anxious to see what kind of gab this would generate.

[Scully]

I had apparently zoned out on the scintillating Noory/"yeehaw callers" conversations when I suddenly realized it was Art's voice I was hearing.  After a moment of total twilight zone confusion, I realized Noory was pulling one of his Friday night "I'm leaving early" stunts.  This brought on the realization that his closing credits are almost certainly canned.  Amazing that for once at least we got a great clip and not the horrible "woman passes gas" and "woman moves tables at the wrong meeting" clip that George has played at least twice so he could  leave to tend to more important matters.

He was kind of in the middle of a call when I guess he noticed his time was up and just shuffled this caller under the rug.