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Story By Kyle Nicholas
Special to the Collegian
Determined to stay on the air desp«eF.C.C. pressure, the Black Ro^ feels his ^<»m Black M
"1
resent thai! I resent those kind of
words," said 190 lbs. of black sarcasm
JL as it boomed off the walls of the cram¬
ped studio, pegging the sound meters into the red
"Well," I said, trying to regain control of a show
that had already skidded recklessly off course, "the
FCC makes the laws and you refuse to obey
them."
That," said .Rose, speaking deliberately now,
"is a matter of opinion."
Rose is "the Black Rose," — founder, operator
and principal record-spinner for Zoom Black
Magic Radio, an unlicensed radio station aimed
directly at the heart of Mack Fresno.
Sitting next to him in die airless box that
serves as a production studio for KFSR is
"Rappin' Rodney Lee," his sly. white cohort and
resident straight man. Lee's aging dimples and
thinning blond cutis put him somewhere near 40.
The hardness in his voice bellies his otherwise
sherubic countenance as he explains the legal
position of what I have just described as "renegade
radio".
"We are outside of (FCC) jurisdiction. We have
rescinded all our ties with the de facto
government. You have a choice to operate as a
matter of right, or a matter of privilege. We
operate pursuant to our rights under the U. S.
Constitution."
To emphawe the point, Rose waves a
dilapidated copy of the 1937.text "The Bulwark of
the Constitution." It is a gesture which stops
Rappin' Rod in mid-sentence and sends me
ducking for cover. Rappin' Rod smiles. The Black
Rose has regained the stage.
He is a presence. Tall, handsomely featured, his
dark brown face framed by a neatly cut natural,
graving at the temples. He has eyes that know
you, instantly. He speaks in a voice that rattles
the Richter scale. A deep, gravelly, a voice
cultured by years of use and little formal training.
He launches into a patient discourse on the
legality and morality of his defiance. The Black
Rose has decided not to play by the rules. He
harbors no resentment toward the FCC, but he
cannot respect their right to control the airwaves.
He feels what he is doing is perfectly legal. He
feels if he gets to talk to enough people he can
eventually convince them that what he's doing
isn't really hurting anyone, it should be okay. I,
for one, want to believe him.
If this was^i years ago, Hollywood would
make his story the movie of the week. We'd all
be wearing bell bottom jeans and the Black
Rose's hair probably wouldn't fit in the studio.
Central casting would feature Isaac Hayes as the
Black Rose (with the appropriate wig, of course)
and probably the fading Dennis Hopper as
Rappin' Rodney Lee. A young Paul Michael
Glaser would play the honky-liberal reporter.
Something Rose said jerks me back to the
present. This isn't 1972 and this sure isn't
Hollywood. Dennis Hopper has made a comeback
and nouveau-Iiberals are about as welcome in
Fresno as a bolo tie at a bar-mitzvah.
The Black Rose isn't rapping about civil
rights, but rather about the inherent incongruity
of the dejurer and the de facto governments. It's
time to raiUe his cage some more.
1 look up and down the dial and, with the
exception of KFSR, I don't find any black
music," I said, throwing him a lob.
Tm not calling any names," he says, a
mischievous smile creasing brown leather, "but
we all know who the big boys are. What they're
calling soul is a watered-down version . . .just
enough to please the big money boys coming out
of New York. They call it 'crossover- urban
contemporary" which -to us, is saying really
nothing."
He's rolling now, and Rappin' Rod is laughing,
as. he recites the artists he offers to Fresno
listeners as a labor of love.
"Denise Lasell, Johnny Taylor, Margie Evans,
the Dramatics..."
Rappin' Rod recalls with pride that Zoom
Black Magic Radio "broke" the Rose Brothers in
California.
This is, essentially, what Zoom Black Magic
Radio is all about Black Rose and Rappin'
Rodney Lee are not rebels without a cause. They
really feel a need to play good music to an
audience which is dramatically underrepresented in
Fresno radio.
It is apparent to almost everyone, they have no
legal legs to stand on. But it is equally clear that
the FCC has become increasingly vague on the
enforcement of many standards during the Reagan
administration, and has relaxed regulations to the
point where they are frequently abused.
A few weeks ago, federal marshal Is strode onto
Rose's property and confiscated his broadcasting
equipment. It could have been the end of a three-
year venture in bootleg broadcasting.
"We've received donations (we could still use a
good mixer) and we're going back on the air,''
Black Rose says defiantly. ■ •'
But now they're operating out of a mobile unit
"We're going out into the neighborhoods, into
the communities. We're going to Washington,
DC. We're going to sit out in front of the White
House and fire up, and let President Reagan hear
what the commotion is all about"
These guys just may be wiley enough to pull,
it off. Besides, we all know what a big "rap" fan
Reagan is.
Rod and the Rose just completed a publicity
tour which took them through Sacramento and
the Bay Area.
For now. Zoom Black Magic is back in
Fresno. The guys have found a hole in the
cultural and electromagnetic spectrum and they
aim to fill it
If you search your radio dial, you may be lucky
enough to hear a true original trying to "liberate"
the airwaves.
*
The "2
.
Object Description
| Title | 1987_04 The Daily Collegian April 1987 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1987 |
| Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
Description
| Title | April 3, 1987, Page 8 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1987 |
| Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
| Full-Text-Search | Story By Kyle Nicholas Special to the Collegian Determined to stay on the air desp«eF.C.C. pressure, the Black Ro^ feels his ^<»m Black M "1 resent thai! I resent those kind of words," said 190 lbs. of black sarcasm JL as it boomed off the walls of the cram¬ ped studio, pegging the sound meters into the red "Well," I said, trying to regain control of a show that had already skidded recklessly off course, "the FCC makes the laws and you refuse to obey them." That," said .Rose, speaking deliberately now, "is a matter of opinion." Rose is "the Black Rose," — founder, operator and principal record-spinner for Zoom Black Magic Radio, an unlicensed radio station aimed directly at the heart of Mack Fresno. Sitting next to him in die airless box that serves as a production studio for KFSR is "Rappin' Rodney Lee," his sly. white cohort and resident straight man. Lee's aging dimples and thinning blond cutis put him somewhere near 40. The hardness in his voice bellies his otherwise sherubic countenance as he explains the legal position of what I have just described as "renegade radio". "We are outside of (FCC) jurisdiction. We have rescinded all our ties with the de facto government. You have a choice to operate as a matter of right, or a matter of privilege. We operate pursuant to our rights under the U. S. Constitution." To emphawe the point, Rose waves a dilapidated copy of the 1937.text "The Bulwark of the Constitution." It is a gesture which stops Rappin' Rod in mid-sentence and sends me ducking for cover. Rappin' Rod smiles. The Black Rose has regained the stage. He is a presence. Tall, handsomely featured, his dark brown face framed by a neatly cut natural, graving at the temples. He has eyes that know you, instantly. He speaks in a voice that rattles the Richter scale. A deep, gravelly, a voice cultured by years of use and little formal training. He launches into a patient discourse on the legality and morality of his defiance. The Black Rose has decided not to play by the rules. He harbors no resentment toward the FCC, but he cannot respect their right to control the airwaves. He feels what he is doing is perfectly legal. He feels if he gets to talk to enough people he can eventually convince them that what he's doing isn't really hurting anyone, it should be okay. I, for one, want to believe him. If this was^i years ago, Hollywood would make his story the movie of the week. We'd all be wearing bell bottom jeans and the Black Rose's hair probably wouldn't fit in the studio. Central casting would feature Isaac Hayes as the Black Rose (with the appropriate wig, of course) and probably the fading Dennis Hopper as Rappin' Rodney Lee. A young Paul Michael Glaser would play the honky-liberal reporter. Something Rose said jerks me back to the present. This isn't 1972 and this sure isn't Hollywood. Dennis Hopper has made a comeback and nouveau-Iiberals are about as welcome in Fresno as a bolo tie at a bar-mitzvah. The Black Rose isn't rapping about civil rights, but rather about the inherent incongruity of the dejurer and the de facto governments. It's time to raiUe his cage some more. 1 look up and down the dial and, with the exception of KFSR, I don't find any black music," I said, throwing him a lob. Tm not calling any names," he says, a mischievous smile creasing brown leather, "but we all know who the big boys are. What they're calling soul is a watered-down version . . .just enough to please the big money boys coming out of New York. They call it 'crossover- urban contemporary" which -to us, is saying really nothing." He's rolling now, and Rappin' Rod is laughing, as. he recites the artists he offers to Fresno listeners as a labor of love. "Denise Lasell, Johnny Taylor, Margie Evans, the Dramatics..." Rappin' Rod recalls with pride that Zoom Black Magic Radio "broke" the Rose Brothers in California. This is, essentially, what Zoom Black Magic Radio is all about Black Rose and Rappin' Rodney Lee are not rebels without a cause. They really feel a need to play good music to an audience which is dramatically underrepresented in Fresno radio. It is apparent to almost everyone, they have no legal legs to stand on. But it is equally clear that the FCC has become increasingly vague on the enforcement of many standards during the Reagan administration, and has relaxed regulations to the point where they are frequently abused. A few weeks ago, federal marshal Is strode onto Rose's property and confiscated his broadcasting equipment. It could have been the end of a three- year venture in bootleg broadcasting. "We've received donations (we could still use a good mixer) and we're going back on the air,'' Black Rose says defiantly. ■ •' But now they're operating out of a mobile unit "We're going out into the neighborhoods, into the communities. We're going to Washington, DC. We're going to sit out in front of the White House and fire up, and let President Reagan hear what the commotion is all about" These guys just may be wiley enough to pull, it off. Besides, we all know what a big "rap" fan Reagan is. Rod and the Rose just completed a publicity tour which took them through Sacramento and the Bay Area. For now. Zoom Black Magic is back in Fresno. The guys have found a hole in the cultural and electromagnetic spectrum and they aim to fill it If you search your radio dial, you may be lucky enough to hear a true original trying to "liberate" the airwaves. * The "2 . |
