E, Dee and Q

(May 31, 2006)

Oh man. FIVE DAYS with no email. Five days! That's the same as, like, nine days! Not only the email servers, also the Low Budget Superhero site and any images in this diary that are hosted at BlazerNetworks. When I called Blazer tech support on Monday, instead of a help line there was an awesome automated voicemail message. Made me laugh. I wonder, at what point did they stop answering their phone? It basically said, in so many words, "Um...hi...we're the new management guys? And um, yeah, your site is down because the old management guys left everything a bloody mess and we had to start over. Somebody unplugged something, we think, so like, our site is down, your site is down, everybody's site is down. Soooo...when we come back from our long weekend on Tuesday we'll take a look. Good luck though!"

So the whole enchilada just came back online, and so I just downloaded the five days of email. It was only a hundred. Well. Not a hundred. Eighty pieces of spam, some announcements and like four actual emails I wanted.

*sigh*

Right now it's Wednesday night and I'm streaming WMFO. It's On The Town With Mikey Dee.

You know something. I think about Mikey so much. Every time I walk into a rock club and all the people are clinging to the edges of the room, back in the shadows where the band can't see them, I go right to the front of the stage. I got that from Mikey, he did that every time he walked into a club. And you know, the same thing happens for me that used to happen for Mikey -- people eventually fill in around me, and the band gets to have some audience to play to, and it's awesome. Every time a little Mikey tear wells up in my eye. Every, every time.

In case you aren't a Boston music local: Mikey Dee was a promoter, writer and DJ in Boston with an enormous enthusiasm and good attitude. He had a debilitating stroke six years ago, which took his life three years ago. He was only 40. It was devastating, we lost a local hero in that man.

I knew Mikey; Mikey was a realist and a cool, smart dude. If Mikey could communicate with the living, I am really really sure he would say "You dumbasses! WHY is the WMFO show still named after me?"

Of course the studio room should still be called Studio Dee, and of course there should be a memorial tribute in the station, and we should still have a Mikey birthday party every year. But the title of the local radio show? I get that they want to memorialize Mikey and he did start the show in 1985, I'm pretty sure.

The problem is that this music scene turns over every two years or so. If you listen to the show, whatever DJ is hosting says "This is On The Town With Mikey Dee." Tonight, I've been listening since 9:30, the show is almost over and whichever DJ this is has not said her own name. Just "this is On the Town with Mikey Dee." (I think it's JoEllen, I can ask her tomorrow. But anyone new listening is going to assume this is Mikey Dee.

It's confusing. And sad. Like a few years ago when I worked the Specimen 37 campaign (they were the ones who, among other things, didn't have a band photo but hired me to get their picture in the paper anyway), they were like "So could we meet Mikey Dee?" Um...no, you can't? Because he died. It makes me sad to have to keep explaining it.

I'm sure they find it emotionally hard to change the name, but at this point it's just causing more confusion than fond remembrance. Imagine if they went on calling it At The Movies With Siskel and Ebert six years after Gene Siskel died.

I can just see Mikey rolling his eyes.

I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong.

I'm also a little worried that it's like midnight and I'm not AT ALL TIRED. This could mean I'm going to be up all night. I would take NyQuil but I don't think I can handle it. Blech. See, it's my sleep aid on those insomnia nights. But when I ran out, Joe got me a new bottle. But I forget that when Joe buys it, he somehow always goes right for that putrid green death fucking flavor, which tastes like a battery wrapped in black licorice.

Big fucking Q.