"It was kinda like a black American Bandstand..."
May 9, 2008 1:29 AM Subscribe
The Scene. Detroit. Channel 62. One of the hottest TV shows in Detroit between 1975 and 1987. "Here for us with The Scene, you got to see people you knew from school or there was a chance you'd run into them at the mall." "It had a lot of impact on me as far as being a deejay and being exposed to music that I wouldn't ordinarily be exposed to." "I got two left feet; I'd just make a fool out of myself. And you'd have some people down there that would do that, but the energy was - you didn't care." [Previously on MeFi.]
it seems to me that this may have been syndicated to at least one other michigan station for a bit - i swear i saw it on ch 47 in lansing once - either that, or reception was really, really good
posted by pyramid termite at 1:48 AM on May 9, 2008
posted by pyramid termite at 1:48 AM on May 9, 2008
Channel 62! Home of old reruns, religious fanatics, and The Scene! (My mom helped run one of the religious fanatic shows, and eventually hosted her own show for a short time.)
At my high school, Cass Tech in Detroit, I would often overhear kids asking, "You on The Scene last time?" or, "You gonna be on The Scene, man?" My whiteboy brain interpreted "on the scene" as meaning being wherever it was that the cool kids were hanging out that week. Finally someone asked me if I was going to be on The Scene. I asked what that meant, and it was finally explained to me. I burst out laughing! But asker was serious. My school friends somehow thought I bore a passing resemblance to John Travolta, and Saturday Night Fever was a huge hit, so the idea that I would be there was not out of the question. To them. Of course I could never dance a step, and "a passing resemblance to John Travlta" only meant that I was white and skinny, and had dark hair that was kinda stacked up and combed back, but it was closer to a bushy jewfro than to the slick 'do Travolta sported.
Ahhh, yes, The Scene. Thanks for the post.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:41 AM on May 9, 2008
At my high school, Cass Tech in Detroit, I would often overhear kids asking, "You on The Scene last time?" or, "You gonna be on The Scene, man?" My whiteboy brain interpreted "on the scene" as meaning being wherever it was that the cool kids were hanging out that week. Finally someone asked me if I was going to be on The Scene. I asked what that meant, and it was finally explained to me. I burst out laughing! But asker was serious. My school friends somehow thought I bore a passing resemblance to John Travolta, and Saturday Night Fever was a huge hit, so the idea that I would be there was not out of the question. To them. Of course I could never dance a step, and "a passing resemblance to John Travlta" only meant that I was white and skinny, and had dark hair that was kinda stacked up and combed back, but it was closer to a bushy jewfro than to the slick 'do Travolta sported.
Ahhh, yes, The Scene. Thanks for the post.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:41 AM on May 9, 2008
Ah, the Scene. Right after Kimba, the Rocky Bullwinkle show, The Arab Voice of Detroit and all the other odd programing on WGPR (WHere God's PResence Reigns), the first black owned television station in the USA. This is where I learned about surrealism.
posted by mert at 11:21 AM on May 9, 2008
posted by mert at 11:21 AM on May 9, 2008
I remember New Dance Show fondly, too (I grew up in Sarnia, Ontario, where we received most of the Detroit stations), and some of the religious broadcasters were a hoot...there was one dude named "Bishop Nemo" (he wore a blue, sequined bishop's hat and robe, but I don't think he was Catholic) that I've scoured the web looking for, but he appears to be lost to history.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:40 AM on May 10, 2008
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:40 AM on May 10, 2008
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