Doug Thompson:“I’M AS MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!”

Anyone who knows their movie history, knows that rant comes from Peter Finch’s newscaster/commentator character Howard Beale in the movie “Network”.  Credit where credit is due.  Those words actually were written by the author of “Network”, Paddy Chayefsky.  Where am I going with this you may well ask?  Well, see I LOVE A GOOD RANT!  And that “Network” rant is one of the very best.  There are plenty more out there.  Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly trying to record a quick promo and not having the time…or Orson Welles losing his patience with a British director on a series of TV voice overs.

Doug Thompson: Confessions of a Professional Rock and Roll Interviewer – Ringo Starr

Filling in for Cam Carpenter (who is busy with the NXNE Film Fest this week) is Legendary radio and television producer and writer, Doug Thompson. Cam will be back next week, but look for Doug to be popping up again soon. 

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

John Lennon wrote that lyric for the song “Beautiful Boy”.  It works for this column as well.  When Bob Segarini and I first discussed my writing this, I thought I’d tell some funny stories about some of the interviews I’ve done since 1964 (my first year in radio).  There’ve been over a thousand in total with everyone from ABBA to Frank Zappa and all the letters of the alphabet in between.  I thought I’d start with one of my favourites, Ringo Starr and a couple of thousand words later, there was no room or time for anyone else.  That’s why this is only one of many.