Records Truly is My Middle Name
By John Records Landecker with Rick Kaempfer
Eckhartz Press
277 pages
277 pages
As a kid in Chicago in the early 1970s, I listened to Larry Lujack and his Cheap Trashy Showbiz Report, Klunk Letter of the Day, and sourpuss
meanderings. In college in the early '80s, the irreverent banter of Steve Dahl and Garry
Meier kept me entertained between classes. During high school in the mid '70s, my radio go-to guy was John Records Landecker, of Boogie Check fame.
In Landecker’s autobiography "Records Truly is My Middle Name"(Eckhartz Press) Landecker explains
that, yes, Records is his real middle name, not a stage moniker. He even includes a
photo of his selective service card in the book to prove it. John's mother, Marjorie Records, married sociology professor Werner Landecker, so yes, his mother's
maiden name truly was Records, and John incorporated that in his on-air persona.
Of course, it sounded too good to be true and
many fans, myself include, surmised it was a stage name.
When your Mom’s maiden name is Records, a career in radio is
your destiny. Landecker's first radio gig, in Flint,
Michigan in 1965 on a station that required all DJs to use the last name Jones on-air. Naturally, John
chose the name Dow Jones. He made his major market debut at WBIG in Philadelphia
from the late ‘60s to the early ‘70s, with fellow DJs Jerry Blavat (The Geator with the
Heater), Hy Lit and Joe Niagara.
1974 Boogie Check
1974 Boogie Check
Landecker begins each chapter with a round-up of the top
events of each decade, setting the backdrop for the revelations to follow. The book is an engaging read that isn't just for radio buffs. It's a rollercoaster ride through the prime decades of rock 'n' roll, told from the POV of someone who was well-known enough to glimpse the inner workings of rock's hedonistic years, but down to earth enough to retain a realistic attitude for most of the ride..
Landecker’s autobiography entertaining is just as much fun
when he focuses on his personal life as when he writes about his radio shenanigans. Many times, readers of pop culture autobiographies complain about the
author including too many personal anecdotes that aren't as interesting as events in the author's professional life. Landecker’s life out of the broadcast booth is just
as interesting to read as his DJ exploits.’’John's
father Werner Landecker, was the last German
Jew to earn a law degree in Germany
before World War II. Werner immigrated to the United States and married Indiana farmgirl and 4H winner Marjorie Records.. The story of how, they met, stopped
at an intersection in separate cars, is a cute meet worthy of a romantic novel. Werner
and Marjorie married, and their first child John was born on
March 28, 1947.
Landecker’s childhood and adolescence mirrored that of your typical Baby Boomer He writes about playing football in high school, being in class when a student-teacher tearfully announced President Kennedy’s assassination. Other, less serious, rites of passage included discovering that the lyrics to Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen were dirty, (The lyrics weren’t actually dirty. It was an urban legend), and watching the Beatles - and Mitzi Gaynor in a low cut dress - on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. As the book moves on, we learn about Landecker's tumultuous second marriage to a hellion named Paula and his financial victimization at the hands of a once-trusted manager.
Landecker’s childhood and adolescence mirrored that of your typical Baby Boomer He writes about playing football in high school, being in class when a student-teacher tearfully announced President Kennedy’s assassination. Other, less serious, rites of passage included discovering that the lyrics to Louie, Louie by the Kingsmen were dirty, (The lyrics weren’t actually dirty. It was an urban legend), and watching the Beatles - and Mitzi Gaynor in a low cut dress - on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. As the book moves on, we learn about Landecker's tumultuous second marriage to a hellion named Paula and his financial victimization at the hands of a once-trusted manager.
Landecker’s halcyon
years at WLS in Chicago from 1972 to 1981. During his signature bit, The Boogie Check, he fielded calls from
listeners unafraid to be goofy. Landecker outdid them at their own game with
glib comments. Spinning Seasons in the
Sun, Eres Tu and other cheesy Top 40 songs would bore
anyone, so the DJs had to be wacky to keep listeners interested – and keep themselves
from falling asleep! Personality based
radio flourished at this time, featuring bits that entertained in a
wink-wink-nudge-nudge way; shock jocks had yet to take over the airwaves. Landecker’s
fellow DJs at WLS included Larry Lujack,
Fred Winston and Bob Sirott.
Studio A: Profile of a Disc Jockey
Studio A: Profile of a Disc Jockey
Landecker recorded two comedy singles, Make a Date with the Watergate and Press My Conference, poking
fun at President Nixon and the Watergate scandal. Make a Date was a parody of Lou
Reed's Walk on the Wild Side. Despite being big hits with listeners, the songs were temporarily shelved when an ABC affiliate in Florida, up for license renewal, freaked out over their (relatively innocuous by today's standards) content.
During Landecker’s tenure at WLS, other highlights included
a personal appearance with John Travolta (then a teen idol as Barbarino on Welcome Back Kotter) at a suburban Chicago
shopping mall. The promo drew 30,000
screaming teenage girls. I remember hearing the broadcast live that night. It
sounded like a 747 taking off. Many of the bands of the time stopped by, co-hosting and commenting on
records, and Landecker premiered Lady by Styx on his show, the song that propelled the band to stardom.
Like many other DJs and musicians, Landecker fell prey to rock ‘n” roll excess.
He woke up one day on a flight over the Grand Canyon
with no recollection of how he got there. His drinking escalated to the point
where he drank vodka openly in the studio. He divorced his first wife (his high
school sweetheart), married a trophy wife, then a much younger woman, before
marrying his fourth wife and soulmate Nika.
After leaving Chicago
for a gig in Toronto,( followed by
an unsuccessful return to Chicago
radio) Landecker hit rock bottom with alcohol and drugs. After conquering his
demons, he reemerged on Chicago
radio, settling in with a well-received shows on WJMK, a band and a syndicated show called “Into the 70s” for TKO Networks. He
is currently broadcasting on WLS-FM (Chicago’s
Classic Hits) weeknights from 8pm to 11pm.
Records Truly is My
Middle Name is sure to stir great memories for Chicago
radio fans who grew up in the 1970s, or any Baby Boomer who grew up on AM radio.
Press My Conference and Make a Date with the Watergate
Press My Conference and Make a Date with the Watergate