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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>OK so this one will take a short introduction.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For those born in the early 1960s in the USA, no explanation is necessary, for you already know the toxic wasteland that was children’s TV back then, so when Scooby Doo showed up in about 1969, it was a blessed relief. It was a cartoon, but not as brainless as the usual alternating 6 minutes of coyote chasing road runner interspersed with 9 minutes of commercials, repeat. The Scooby Doo show was a half hour, and was an actual story which required at least a modicum of attention span, a detective mystery, where the bad guys were always trying to take advantage of the superstitious nature of the dumb guy (Shaggy) and the dog (Scooby.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The other three meddling kids were smart and not superstitious. They always caught the bad guy.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Shaggy’s voice was Casey Kasem, who is now missing in action. Kasem also did Americaaaaannnn Top Fortyyyy the weekly radio show countdown of that week’s most popular rock and roll songs, a three-hour vaguely-disguised commercial for album sales, interspersed with commercials. We always pictured Shaggy, who was stupid but a kind and gentle soul, a hippie kid would wouldn’t harm a flea in the process of biting him even if it carried the plague, a likeable dunce. Likewise Kasem came across as a kind and gentle avuncular type on his radio show, introducing songs and offering fan dedications to sweethearts and such. I liked his show.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Kasem is in the news today because he has been ailing (he’s 82) and has disappeared. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Some yahoo released a tape they made of Kasem in the studio where he was doing the top 40, a long time ago, and had just finished a jumpy happy dance tune, then read the dedication for the next song. It was a touching weepy account of the death of the family dog, a good story but it didn’t belong sandwiched between these two particular songs. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>They played the tape on the radio today as I was coming home from an excellent lecture at SETI in Mountain View. The song was over, he read the solemn tearjerker dedication, and as soon as his mike cut off he started abusing the fool who arranged the show in that order. It was the voice of gentle Shaggy, “…our broken hearts go out to you, Rover; you are gone but not forgotten in our loving memory…” {Song starts} “WHO in the BLEEPing BLEEP is the BEEPing idiot who arranged that, and what BLEEP-BLEEP planet did the BLEEB…” etc, on and on he went, completely shattering the carefully-crafted illusion. Here was kind, sweet, loving Shaggy, shit-heading this, goddamming that, fucking the other thing, oh my, I got to laughing so hard I had to pull over and stop. I started choking it was so funny, and I thought oh dear, this is it, I am going to die laughing right here right now, so tragic is this, I have been slain by tenderhearted Shaggy, I was such a nice guy too.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Fortunately I survived.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Casey Kasem, may you be found alive and well, and may you live another 82 years.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>