Don Kirshner: “I Want a Band That Won’t Talk Back"

Don Kirshner: “I Want a Band That Won’t Talk Back"

Between the ages of 13 and 20, yer usually date-less blogger spent many a Saturday night with an impassive middle-aged man sporting plastered hair, leisure suits, gold chains and the occasional sweater vest. His name was Don Kirshner, and he brought the top rock acts of the day into my living room with his syndicated late-night TV show. For many of us growing up in the 1970s, pre-car and pre-cash, the closest we came to attending an actual rock concert was staying up late to hear this pathologically unhip music impresario kick off 90 minutes of authentic live-on-tape rock performances.

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Another Dick-less New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

Another Dick-less New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

Throughout my teenage years (and for a good part of my 20s) the only date I ever had on New Year's Eve was with Dick Clark. His New Year's Rockin' Eve TV specials provided me with a way to see the big acts of the day in the comfort of my living room. (You know the story: "Last night I saw a rock star in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I'll never know.") Tonight marks the third year the show will be broadcast on ABC without the presence of its creator and long-time host, who passed away on April 18, 2012. Dick conceived the special in 1972, hoping to give viewers a hip alternative to the bland Guy Lombardo New Year's Eve program that had aired every year since 1956. Here's a look at those early shows.

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