In the spirit of the Whupass Man

Most younger folks might not now it, but the Whup-Ass Man is a local treasure. Years ago I read an article by Betty Bean (I think) who revealed that WAM was a relative of hers. Apparently he died of cancer before he won international fame through a simple audio tape exchange. Back in "those days" you had to dub cassettes and pass them around to distribute music files. It was called a "sneakernet" because we all wore sneakers.

Anyway, the venerable crank caller did some brilliant performances, annoying the old and near-deaf, and poor Eddie's Auto. If you can find any of those tapes, let me know. The first one I listened to (in the dorm naturally) had to be turned up to 10 on my roommate's gigantic stereo just to hear it.

Well in the fine tradition of the Whup-Ass Man comes Crankcasting, a crank call meets podcasting venture. I've spoken with the guy doing this, and they seem cool. You can actually send in your own crank calls to have them put out there. He said search on iTunes music store for the show, but so far I can't find it. No surprise, because sometimes the podcasts on iTMS don't get up quickly (or have the proper tags). Check out the site for info though... Good times... Bonus points to anyone who crank calls the mayor!

(Just joking, don't forget unsolicited crank calls are illegal kids)

Save the Sunsphere!

The most excellent Fred Brown had a great article on the Sunsphere in the Aug 21, 2005 issue of the Knoxville News Sentinel. I doubt it'll work for long, but here's the link (copy and paste it):

DEAD LINK HERE
UPDATE: this link is dead, because old school companies like Scripps don't quite get the value of new media (like blogs, the internet, etc.). Sorry folks. I have a PDF version if anyone is interested.

Anyway, I agree with his contention that the Sunsphere is a unique identifier to Knoxville, and should be spared the threat of the wrecking ball. It's a pity and a shame only ONE developer who submitted proposals to the city included saving the 'sphere... That shows you the limited imagination of the bidders IMHO, but I'll save that soapbox for another day.

Doesn't it make sense to bring the Sunsphere back? The foot traffic down there has dramatically increased. The convention center, while not a whizzing success, makes a perfect compliment to the old revolving restaurant in the upper deck... And while I'm not the biggest Haslam fan, I say kudos to him for not selling or scrapping the great phallic symbol of our scruffy town.

But here's the big point: it's our brand. Know what brand identity is? It's probably the most important thing in marketing and advertising these days. When trying to get people to remember your company/service/whatever, you try to simply build a BRAND awareness. Apple has been doing a great job with the iPod. Just a few years ago they might have disappeared forever. And now they are doing double-digit growth, quarter-to-quarter, all because their brand is hot.

So how is the Sunsphere our brand? Well, like it or not, it's unique. As original as the Nike Swoosh or the Apple uh, apple. It's our frickin' logo, and we would be damn stupid to get rid of it.

For a better understanding of brand awareness and management, check out Seth Godin's blog.

Shoot my foot?

I've been debating whether or not to really post what I think on here. That is, do I call people out? I mean, Knoxville is a pretty tiny town... Despite the fact that my circle of friends has extended WAY beyond here (thank you Internet), and I pretty much don't have any friends in town, it can be dangerous to "name names" in a town this size.

Case in point:
Several months ago I started a podcast. I thought podcasting was going to be big, and I wanted in on the ground floor. Unfortunately, at the time the burden of producing said show was too much for me. Lately I've learned to manage my time better and I think I'm gonna start again... But the point is, I also told a number of "media mavens" here in town about podcasting. I really never heard back from any of them. Who do I mean? Well, without "naming names"...
1. A couple of radio people
2. A marketing whiz

Now if they ever read this I guess they'll be pissed. Wah wah. Cry me a river. You missed the boat becuase you thought poor little victor's tiny brain is just fluttering about looking for work. Well guess what guys? You missed the boat, and I have a great job. I merely thought we could team up and bust the thing wide open. Guess I'll just have to do it myself. And don't bother calling/emailing for advice later on, because I will kindly remind you that I TRIED to get you involved way back when...

Names aren't necessary. Only the truth. Anyone who won't hire me in the future because their ego has been bruised probably isn't the kind of megalomaniac I'd want to work for anyway. I've done that already (here in town).

But if any of you smarties out there still want to let me tell you too can make a lot of money off of podcasting, or any of the other things I've been getting into, let's talk. I don't really hold grudges. I just think it's disappointing when Knoxville acts like it wants to be "high-tech" and "internet savvy" but when it comes down to it most of our population still doesn't know what the hell email really does...

What is Knoxville?

I once heard of Knoxville described as a "scruffy little city." And so, that is the name of this Knoxville blog. More to come...