There is an old saying that goes “All good things must come to an end”. This is also the case for things that are beyond good. It counts for things that are incredible, extraordinary, stupendous, and yes…even awesome. At high noon on Thursday August 29th, Professor Pierre began a beloved annual musical tradition that celebrates everything alphabetical. And as bittersweet as it is, at 530pm on Tuesday September 17th with Brent Porche the Back to School A to Z finally concluded.
The rock and roll masterclass started with an appropriate starting song #1 Crush from Garbage and finished with the title track of U2’s 8th studio album Zooropa. The 19 day journey that took place between those two songs is where the magic happened. According to Pierre “This is the longest one that we’ve had since we moved to Bala from downtown…And i love it!”.
Now that the journey has indeed come to an end, its safe to say we as the dedicated MMR pupils have graduated! To celebrate this momentous occasion, here are some highlights from Professor Pierre for the 2024 yearbook.
Starting With The Numbers
An interesting fact about the A to Z is that it doesn’t actually start with the letter A. We consider it a bonus letter here at MMR as it actually starts with songs with numbers in their title’s. It was a bit of foreshadowing of how long the alphabetical feature would last as Pierre spent his first day of the A to Z playing nothing but number songs. Starting with #1 Crush from Garbage and going right into 2 Minutes To Midnight from Iron Maiden it was also proving our “Everything That Rocks” mantra. The ultimate finale for the letter songs required 2 disc jockeys to pull off as during the crossover between Pierre & Brent’s programs the started with the entire 20 minute opus from Rush 2112.
Guest Professor Charles Barkley
Sports Up! Philadelphia Sixer’s legend Charles Barkley was in town as a guest host on The Mike Missanelli Show on our sister station 97.5 The Fanatic during the Back to School A to Z. Pierre had an opportunity to have a quick chat with the “Round Mound of Rebound” which you can listen to here. When asked about his favorite rock band, Chuck proudly professed his love of the Eagles. “One of my prized possessions in this world is a signed guitar from the 4 guys” says Charles. Pierre promised Mr. Barkley that he would dedicate an Eagles song for him during the A to Z and delivered during the O songs with One Of These Nights
Shine On You Crazy Vinyl
During the A to Z we try to sync up the music at the moment with what we have available for the Vinyl Cut. During the Letter S, Pierre hit the motherload when he was scheduled to dive into the 9 part epic sage from Pink Floyd Shine On You Crazy Diamond. So he played it in its entirety on vinyl… all 25 minutes! That amazing left turn also coincided with the anniversary of the record it could be found on, Wish You Were Here, so the synchronicities really were in full force!
YOU!
The most meaningful part of the A to Z is without question how much you, our listeners, enjoy it. So many texts, calls and social media messages exclaiming how this event is your favorite part of the year. And truthfully it is for us here at MMR as well. Not only do we get to honor so many of these great rock and roll songs, we get to celebrate what makes this radio station so special. Point in case is the story of Carol from Levittown, who called in after Pearl Jam night number 2 while Pierre was playing Porch. She told Pierre how she was so inspired by his pre show broadcast she got her husband into the car and drove down to South Philly on a whim to see Pearl Jam and wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. She also explain what being a live and local radio station means to her. You can read the full story here.
Its moments like these that make it all worthwhile. So we thank you for being a part of the MMR family and can’t wait to bring this musical adventure back in 2025!
