Casey Kasem signs off

I didn't listen to it, and maybe this is the reason why after almost 40 years, Casey Kasem finished his run broadcasting "American/Casey's Top 20" radio show yesterday. I don't mean to imply that I, personally, had anything to do with Casey ending his 39-year run. But perhaps, ratings-wise, people just aren't listening or care very much about what the top 20 "songs in the land" are.


It could also be that Casey is 77 years old, and he just can't generate the enthusiasm for the show anymore.

Kasem said he wants to move on to other projects, but after nearly 40 years of doing anything, even something as seemingly easy as being a DJ for Top 20 show, it can get kind of tiresome.

Whatever the reason, the fact that Kasem has ended his weekend morning radio show is significant in American culture. Despite the numbers of radio listeners who may have tuned in for each show, you have to think that Kasem (who was also the voice of Shaggy on Scobby Doo - Zoinks, Scoob!) had a huge influence on pop music during his lifetime. He was passionate about it, or at least his voice seemed to indicate that, and he was truly an entertainer and understood the concept of timing when speaking publicly. (Ever listened to a "Long Distance Dedication?" Dear Casey, my girlfriend of two months just left me... so can you please play...)

I first remember Casey Kasem doing his weekly TV show, America's Top Ten and waiting to see if my favorite band at the time, Hall and Oates (this was like 1983) would have one of the top ten hits. Back then, musicians' videos were featured prominently - people actually talked about them. Hall and Oates' "Private Eyes", my favorite song at the time, was nothing more than the band playing the song/lip-syncing in a black-walled room.

Casey's voice became synonymous with Sunday mornings, and though I don't really listen to Sunday morning radio (when I do, I tune into "Car Talk" on NPR), I will miss hearing Casey introduce the Number One Song in the Land on those few occasions that I do happen to catch the weekly countdown.