Before we get started here, the audio from this video is NOT SAFE FOR WORK, unless you work as a fishmonger or a truck driver. Also, it’s not meant as a commentary on the man’s work. I wish these bloopers had been aired rather than what was thought acceptable for his regular Top 40 countdown broadcasts. Had that been the case, my “appreciation” of Casey Kasem would have been more glowing.
Yesterday, my son said to me, “Did you hear that the voice of Shaggy died today?”
Funny, I never thought of Casey Kasem by that role first, but it might be his most worthwhile piece of work. Even as a little kid I found his Top 40 countdown show to be the nadir of music business hack activities. It was a drag when regular broadcasting on my favorite AM station was interrupted by that guy and his info-babble. His show was the human supermarket CNN scroll of rock, long before there were monitors in public places running a constant stream of obvious and useless information.
I don’t mean to detract from Casey Kasem’s achievements as a human being, because he was likely a fantastic person to those who loved him, but I question whether his loss was in any way a significant loss to rock ‘n roll. Honestly, beside his work as the voice of Shaggy on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, did Casey Kasem add anything positive to your life? As a music lover was Kasem anything more than a corny guy you tolerated until regular programming resumed?
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I listened to American Top 40 on Sunday mornings from roughly 1974 to the late 1980s & I always found it entertaining, especially hearing the songs from the 40th to the 20th positions that you didn’t hear sometimes on the regular radio rotation. Of course Casey was a bit corny, especially w/those Long Distance Dedications, but I did enjoy listening to American Top 40, especially this time of year when it would have those Ban du Soile (sic!) suntan lotion commercials. So I do feel that it was part of my musical education, as well as a childhood memory.
Cool, thanks for offering a contradictory perspective. I was curious to know whether he played better in “middle America” markets, which may not have had as much regional biases, but knowing where you grew up, maybe his appeal wasn’t as limited as I would have imagined. For me, it seemed like his show was getting in the way of me enjoying my local DJs and our city’s regional spin on the charts.
I agree with diskjoe — the fun for me was deeper in the charts. KDWB and WDGY — our top 40 stations in the Twin Cities had very tight playlists growing up, so American Top 40 had stuff, especially soul hits, that we wouldn’t hear very much — if at all. For instance Twins Cities stations wouldn’t touch Prince, until Purple Rain exploded. It was a lousy radio market back then, so American Top 40 was almost progressive in some ways.
It was also kind of cool (to me) when some of my offbeat tastes at the time showed up on the charts — Roxy Music with “Dance Away” or Ian Matthews with “Shake It” or Bram Tchaikovsky with “Girl of My Dreams.”
Some of the back stories of the bands or artists were good too, because I didn’t have any older siblings to let me know what was what. Joe Walsh was in the James Gang? The Eagles used to be the backup band for Linda Ronstadt? Gary Wright is from New Jersey and was in a band called Spooky Tooth?
I’m going to “third” much of the same comments from diskojoe and funoka. Not only did listen to AT 40 I remember listening to the year end top 100 songs.
I clearly remember rooting for some of my fave songs to chart higher from the previous week and consequently booing the songs I hate when they would crack the top ten. Inevitably, once we got into single digit positions the songs would be less interesting, unless it was oddball new wave rock songs like Greg Khin’s Jeopardy, The Romantics Talking In Your Sleep or Adam Ant.
Whether, I like the songs or not I was still absorbing. It went a long way in developing my ability to sort the wheat from the chaff. It also made me realize that because a song was mainstream it could still be worthy.
Man, Kasem’s cartoon Robin stands the test of time. Think of how easily he could have been upstaged by the Wonder Twins.
Count me in as another AT 40 listener. I am not sure that makes me a big fan of Casey Kasem per se–I supposed I would have listened when I was a kid whether it was him or Howard Cosell doing the countdown–but as it was, it was him; so his voice and that show are part of my 70s childhood.
The part in the bloopers video–towards the end–with the long distance dedication for the dead dog is absolutely priceless, a classic, and hard to believe it isn’t made up; and Kasem’s comedic timing on the bit just before that (around 5:10) about AT 40 being on at a new time, “this Saturday morning and every Saturday morning at two–TWO!?!” I never get sick of that, it makes me laugh every time. RIP.
I’m feeling like a major crank. Am I the only Townsperson who found him highly annoying in his prime?
You’re not the crank. I hated that show and I didn’t like anything about it. Why listen to 38 songs you can’t stand and some dude babbling about 38 artists you don’t care about just so you can hear two songs you don’t hate? I’d rather listen to Dr. Demento, and there are solid reasons for not liking him, too.