The Presidents: A Friday Tradition with Pierre Robert
Happy Presidents Weekend, Dear Citizens!!! Pierre Robert here.
It’s funny how traditions start and how they continue, if you think about it. The example that ties into this weekend is is the 1996 film My Fellow Americans. It stars two legendary Hollywood actors, Jack Lemmon and James Garner. They play former presidents of the United States from different political parties who never liked each other, but get stuck on an adventure together to expose the corruption of the current president, played by Dan Ackroyd. Okay, it may not be Gone with the Wind, but it’s still a great film that I highly recommend. It’s got so many funny little moments. These two former presidents end up getting chased by the bad guys and end up in some hysterical situations. One of those is the moment when they have no money and there’s certain a coffee reference… it may sound familiar to the WMMR family.
To set the scene: Jack Lemmon is the more conservative of the two former presidents; he’s very cheap and hates spending money. James Garner is more of the Bill Clinton-type playboy character who has definitely messed around over the years. They end up with only enough money for one cup of coffee, which is where the scene unfolds.
It was because of the coffee reference that I started using it in the Coffee Break Music Marathon on my show, and then somehow it evolved into being a special moment during the Friday coffee break just after 11am. I play the “Presidents” clip, and then go into the Dave Edmunds song “Here Comes the Weekend”. John DeBella used to play that every Friday, back in the Morning Zoo days on WMMR. Between the two pieces, it’s a nice kick-off to the mix of music I do each Friday which I call the sweat set (also borrowed from John DeBella, with his blessing). The sweat set is an upbeat series of songs to give people energy and get them moving in anticipation of the freedom of the upcoming weekend.
All of this has morphed into a weekly tradition that’s been going on for a number of years now. If you’re ever looking for a fun movie to watch, check it out – it has a little bit of political unity at the end, which we could certainly use more of these days. Happy Presidents’ Day weekend to one and all!
Cheers,
Pierre Robert
23 Albums That Turn 30 in 2024
Many of the albums that turn 30 in 2024 are considered classics. Honestly, it’s rather overwhelming to look back at all of the gold that came out in 1994.
To begin with, 1994 saw the release of Green Day’s mainstream breakthrough Dookie. The album has sold over 10 million copies in the United States along. Then again, when your album features hits like “Longview,” “Basket Case” “Welcome to Paradise” and “When I Come Around,” the success isn’t terribly shocking.
Alice in Chains had a major hit with their EP Jar of Flies. Released in January, Jar of Flies was the first EP to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The EP features classic tracks “No Excuses,” “Don’t Follow” and “I Stay Away.”
Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nail found themselves releasing future classics on the same date. March 8, 1994 saw the release of Superunknown and The Downward Spiral, respectively. As far as who ranked where on the Billboard 200 album chart, Superunknown debuted at No. 1, with The Downward Spiral coming in at No. 2.
The world met Weezer in 1994 with their self-titled debut album (aka: The Blue Album). That LP featured a number of gems including “Say It Ain’t So,” “Buddy Holly” and “Undone — The Sweater Song.” Also making their debut in 1994 was Oasis with their classic LP Definitely Maybe. The album is chock-full of hits including “Live Forever,” “Shakermaker,” “Supersonic” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.”
Believe it or not, we’re just scratching the surface with the above titles! Other acts to release major albums in 1994 include Nirvana, Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, Hole, Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam, Beck, Pink Floyd, The Cranberries, Korn, Stone Temple Pilots, Pantera and more! Keep scrolling to see the other albums that turn 30 in 2024!
From roughly 10:30am to somewhere around 3 (we call it Pierre Standard Time) weekdays Philadelphia rocks with (and loves) Pierre Robert on WMMR. Pierre Robert began his illustrious career at the pioneering progressive rock station KSAN, in his hometown San Francisco, but it’s through his uninterrupted 42-year tenure at Philadelphia‘s legendary WMMR that he’s made his mark. One of the city’s most recognizable celebrities will write about being at the center of its live music scene and greeting his legions of fans as if personal friends in the smallest clubs and largest stadiums.