Wfmu Plea

[Weingarden]

Friends, colleagues, soul aficionados, music geeks, vinyl freaks, "Downtown

Soulville" listeners:

It's that time of year again, that annual fortnight when I come to

you, faux-fur Alpine hat in hand, to beg you for money for the great radio

station that I am privileged to have been able to call my base of operations

since 1994: WFMU.

WFMU is a listener-supported gem of a station with lots of life-alteringly

fantastic programming (have you followed my advice to check out

Kevin Nutt's "Sinner's Crossroads," Thursday nights at 7, or Rex's

"Fool's Paradise," Saturday afternoons at 1?). Every March, we ask our

listeners to give something back. Think of it as a simple symbiotic

relationship: We offer you amazing programming all year

long; you fork over a little bread to keep that happening. The money

we raise covers our operating costs. Our goal this year is $1.2 million.

And we make it worth your while by giving away all kinds of cool prizes

and premiums. This year I'm offering a CD I've assembled called

CATS GOT THESE CATS' TONGUES: 26 WORDLESS OBSCURITIES

FROM MR. FINE WINE'S VAULTS.* Get it? It's all instrumentals, those

tracks that I'm always talking over--to the annoyance of a lot of you,

judging by your e-mails. Well, here they are without the chatter, yours

for a tax-deductible pledge of $75 during my show. At the risk of sounding

immodest, I'd say this CD is essential listening for all residents of the

greater Soulville area.

Do you listen to podcasts of my show? Those are available thanks to the

generosity of WFMU's listeners. Has a song you've heard me play on the radio

made you bounce around in your car seat or take your toddler for a twirl around

the kitchen? Your pledge pays for our transmitter upkeep and makes that

possible. Are you a record collector in a foreign land who's heard me play

something obscure via our live stream or our archives and subsequently

decided that you simply must add that 45 to your collection? Please consider

making a donation--and I'll do my best to ensure that you add a zillion more

items to your wants list in the coming year!

Please bear in mind that as of this June, I will have been providing you with

soul for SIXTEEN YEARS! Care to offer the station, say, a hundred bucks a

year as thanks? Don't worry: We're happy if you can spare just $15, too.

Thank you for all past and future pledges.

Your soul-slinging vinyl fetishist whose life runs at 45 revolutions per minute,

Mr. Fine Wine

SEE MUCH MORE INFO AT WWW.WFMU.ORG/MARATHON

PLEDGE ONLINE ANYTIME AT WWW.WFMU.ORG

or call 800-989-9368

My Marathon shows:

Friday, March 5, with cohost Michael Shelley

Friday, March 12, with cohost Laura Cantrell

7 to 8 p.m. U.S. Eastern time

(I'll also be cohosting Kevin Nutt's gospel show Thursday, March 11, from 7 to 8 p.m.)

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*Track listing:

1 Cozy Cole - Cozy and Bossa (Bethlehem)

2 Tim Whitsett and the Imperials - Monkey Man (Ace)

3 Sir Stan and the Counts - Soulin' (Magnum)

4 Les De Merle - Bulldozer (Tournament)

5 The Night Hawks - Rockin' Hawk (Alon)

6 Jimmy and the Groove Boys - Headin' South (Spino)

7 Mario and the MDs - Duck Soup (Venture)

8 Twistin' Kings - Congo Pt. 1 (Motown)

9 The Jaybees - Jaybee (Soul Bros)

10 Chip and Dave - Seventh Round (Sure Star)

11 The Sounds of Jack Downes - Monkey Mash (D'lux-Char Burger)

12 Toussaint McCall - The Monkey People (GRC)

13 The Moroccos - Muzik Megaton (Greenstar)

14 Noble Watts - Teen-Scene (Clamike)

15 Guitar Murphy - Sufferin' Soul Pt. 1 (Emerson)

16 Nip and Tuck - Breakout (Brownfield)

17 Cold Water Army - One Time Around (Iron Beat)

18 Frankie Luv - Frankie's L.A. Stomp Pt. 1 (Chancellor)

19 Natural Resources Band - The Joker (Way Out West Ltd.)

20 Johnny Guitar Watson - South Like West (Okeh)

21 Booker T. Averheart - I Wanta Be President (Soultex)

22 Soul Chargers - In Between (American)

23 The Chocolate Glass - Joseph Holly (Judnell)

24 The Tears - 1808 East Broad (Chord)

25 Stone Love - Stone Spanada (Lofton)

26 The Knights - Tipping Strings (Tragar)