barbara katz
, Massachusetts |
Joined: December 24, 2004 |
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Shep fan since: 1957
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1399
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Comments:
would judge everyone on whether or not he listened to Jean Shepherd
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stuart midler
adams, Massachusetts |
Joined: October 12, 2003 |
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Shep fan since: 1973
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1066
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Comments:
i used to listen to his radio program at night, until i fell asleep.
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Randy Williams
Amesbury, Massachusetts |
Joined: December 03, 2008 |
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Shep fan since: 1972
Discovered Shep: Read his Playboy short stories
Guest No: 2799
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Comments:
Actually, I first came upon Shep in Car and Driver magazine. It's great that this site has all of those archived. I'm watching A Christmas Story with my 16 year old son at this moment and we're both reveling in his wordplay.
I vividly remember an episode of Jean Shepherd's America that's not listed at this site. It's about fishing. It starts with the show's logo and Jean saying the word "Maine" like an incantation. Then it opens with him casting into the Kennebec River as he thinks about his father fishing in an algae-choked pond in Indiana with Gertz and Ernie. Does anyone else recall this one--am I missing it on the list of 13?
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Tom Warger
Amherst, Massachusetts |
Joined: July 27, 2005 |
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Shep fan since: 1968
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1501
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Comments:
Followed link from Garrison Keillor's "Writer's Almanac" page.
Hadn't thought much about Shepherd in recent years but listened to him regularly when I was in high school and living within range of WOR.
We were living in NY because my father had a college-teaching job there, but the extended family were all in the mid-west. Shepherd was a connection to those roots.
I see the same dynamic at work with regard to Garrison Keillor: academic nomads like the "feel" of a story-teller whose theme is "how it is back home." That home doesn't suffer at all from being imagined; we'll never live there.
I guess Johnny Carson, too, had that appeal for a lot of people.
H. L. Mencken, George Ade, Jean Shepherd, Garrison Keillor... Interesting company.
Tom Warger
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Ray Hender
Andover, Massachusetts |
Joined: December 16, 2003 |
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Shep fan since: 1958
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1141
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Comments:
I grew up in Glenside, PA and WOR was an easy find on AM radio. I listened to Shep every Sunday night (1st-generation transistor radio under my pillow in the later hours)and most Sat. mornings. I became a fan of R.W.Service, and now my son is, too. One summer (1961?)Shep starred in a summer stock production of "Destry Rides Again" and seeing him on stage was a real treat. Another special memory was when he autographed my first edition copy of "In God We Trust ..." at Wanamakers in Philadelphia (1966). The inscription reads: "to an ex.kid-Ray Excelsior! Jean Shepherd".
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Howard W. Cohen
Ashland, Massachusetts |
Joined: December 01, 2000 |
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Shep fan since: 1984
Discovered Shep:
Guest No: 319
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Ted Colocousis
Avon, Massachusetts |
Joined: February 22, 2001 |
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Shep fan since: 2001
Discovered Shep:
Guest No: 458
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Derrick Vannoy
Barre, Massachusetts |
Joined: November 21, 2001 |
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Shep fan since: 1972
Discovered Shep:
Guest No: 744
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Mike Sylvester
Boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: March 14, 2000 |
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Shep fan since: 1970
Discovered Shep:
Guest No: 59
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Jim Ohm
Boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: December 12, 2000 |
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Shep fan since: 1970
Discovered Shep:
Guest No: 340
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Ron & Joyce Della Chiesa
Boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: February 24, 2001 |
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Shep fan since: 1960
Discovered Shep:
Guest No: 461
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Pamela Siska
Boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: April 16, 2004 |
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Shep fan since: 1980
Discovered Shep: Read one of his books
Guest No: 854
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Comments:
Your site is terrific. What a treasure trove. Keep up the great work.
Pamela
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JJ Rassler
Boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: August 04, 2003 |
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Shep fan since: 1963
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1030
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Comments:
I was born in '51. My old man used to love those 'family drives' on the weekend. My older brother was a DJ on college radio in the early 60's and could talk the old man into turnin on Shep Live from the Limelight. This got to be a regular thing and the rights were a little more bearable. The fits story to hit me was teh Great Ice Cream War he told about on the 4th of July. And then all the Army stories. After awhile, I knew Shep's childhood and Army buddies. A guy I met who is a few years older, my brothers age, and I started talking humor and I took a shot..."Ya ever hear of Jean Shepherd?" His eyes lit up like Roman Candles. The stories came racing back and it was like discovering the Ark.
Since then, I've tried aquiring what I can and me and my buddy sit in a car and listem to Shep like we'd done 40 years ago, and it's aged like floor varnish. Thanx for hostin' this site..."Oh I'm the Sheik...the Sheik of A-ra-by"
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anthony marchesani
boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: October 26, 2003 |
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Shep fan since: 1958
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1083
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Comments:
great memories
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James Whynot
Boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: November 11, 2003 |
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Shep fan since: 1966
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1092
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Comments:
A very influential person in my childhood. I listened to him every night while in junior high and high school...
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Steve Koroskenyi
Boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: July 24, 2007 |
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Shep fan since: 1968
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 2318
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Comments:
Bernard - ARE YOU OUT THERE? You turned me on to the genius of Jean Shepherd when I was only 10 years old. What was I thinking? While my friends were out in the dark getting into trouble, I was glued to my radio. I've been hooked on radio ever since. Today, my kids are all in college, and they can't get enough of the Christmas Story every year, and when I hear his narration in the film, it takes me back to being ten years old in the magical city of New York. It was a simpler time, but guess what everybody - IT REALLY EXISTED! IT WAS FOR REAL. I LIVED IT. THE WONDER YEARS? IT HAPPENED. and BERNARD my Pittsburg Pirate fan for a friend who moved to Brooklyn... I miss you. Where are you? We have a lot of catching up to do.
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Joel Miller
Boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: April 26, 2009 |
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Shep fan since: 1958
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 2854
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Phil Redo
Boston, Massachusetts |
Joined: July 28, 2010 |
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Shep fan since: 1967
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 2900
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Tony Shalna
Braintree, Massachusetts |
Joined: June 15, 2003 |
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Shep fan since: 1956
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 867
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Comments:
Shep's ham radio career paralleled my own, with many of the same experiences. My most enjoyable memories were his "hurling of the invective." He had a radio silence of 30-45 seconds which gave you time to put your radio on the (open) window sill and turn up the volume to full blast. He would then hurl his invective and then hav emore radio silence to give you time to remove the radio and turn the volume down. The neighbors would then wonder what the hell happened.
One of his better invectives was "It's up to me bloomin' knickers!
Incidentally, I still have a copy of his "I, Libertine" by Frederick R. Ewing. The bio on the cover was worth the price of the book.
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Andy Tannenbaum
Brookline, Massachusetts |
Joined: October 14, 2000 |
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Shep fan since: 1970
Discovered Shep:
Guest No: 260
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David Fried
Brookline, Massachusetts |
Joined: February 26, 2004 |
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Shep fan since: 1964
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1229
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Comments:
I was just one of the thousands of young teenagers you mention who spent many nights, from the ages of about 13 to 15, listening to Jean Shepherd, in bed, with my transistor radio pressed to my ear. I particularly loved his Army stories, for some reason. When I eventually saw the Christmas Story, I unfortunately felt that I had heard it all before. I've always wondered if any adults were even aware of Shep's existence--they were watching television. Radio was like an alternate universe for the young then, with people like Shepherd and Long John Nebel, usually with the Amazing Randi.
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Robert Muellner
Cambridge, Massachusetts |
Joined: August 14, 2003 |
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Shep fan since: 1960
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1041
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Richard Cook
Cambridge, Massachusetts |
Joined: August 20, 2003 |
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Shep fan since: 1973
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 1045
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Comments:
Thanks much for this web site! When will someone put all of Shep's shows on CD and offer them for sale? Shep was on in Boston in the 70's followed by a blind talkmaster named Kenny Mayer, who had a talk show where you could not hear the caller; you could only hear Kenny...and it was great!
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Tony Cortizas Jr.
Cambridge (formerly of Bridgewater, NJ), Massachusetts |
Joined: November 18, 2009 |
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Shep fan since: 1965
Discovered Shep: On the Radio
Guest No: 2880
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Comments:
I grew up in New Jersey in the '60s and listened to JS when I got my 1st transitor radio, in the mid-'60s. I think I stopped listening once I hit highschool ('67) and got more interested in music (great year, '67). I remember liking the Limelight shows best, probably I was a little too young to appreciate the sometimes more philosophical weekday shows. I got and read In God We trust when it came out and saw him live twice at local NJ highschool performances. My memory is that his live performances were great. I moved to Boston in "69, but by then had forgotten JS and didn't realize he could be heard here.
Now I collect his shows from the web (1,600+) and listen to them incessantly. I am amazed that he could do a show every night.
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Barbara Katz
Centerville, Massachusetts |
Joined: May 22, 2001 |
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Shep fan since: 1955
Discovered Shep:
Guest No: 576
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