Posted on 06/25/2006 11:33:48 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
I agree
what is that german word that means to enjoy the misery of others?
Schaedenfreude?
I don't get the 'Kenneth' bit? Who is 'Kenneth'?
Dan Rather was once attacked and beaten while walking down a street in New York City. His assailant was heard to yell, "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" repeatedly.
Ever since then, that nickname has stuck. REM did a song with that as the refrain that has since immortalized the incident.
Tuesday June 19, 2001 Previous | Next
Dear Yahoo!:
What's the story behind R.E.M.'s song "What's the Frequency, Kenneth"?
Dana
Nashua, New Hampshire
Dear Dana:
CBS News anchor Dan Rather, renowned for his unusual expressions and sayings, has led a colorful life. However, one bizarre event really takes the cake.
One night in October 1986, Rather was walking down a Manhattan street when he was punched from behind and thrown to the ground. His assailant kicked and beat him while repeating, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"
No one could explain the event, and the rumors flew fast and wide. Some speculated the assailant was a KGB agent, while others claimed the attack was the work of a jealous husband. Rather himself couldn't shed any light on the subject. His explanation at the time?
I got mugged. Who understands these things? I didn't and I don't now. I didn't make a lot of it at the time and I don't now. I wish I knew who did it and why, but I have no idea.
Apparently the strange event moved R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, who said of the incident:
It remains the premier unsolved American surrealist act of the 20th century. It's a misunderstanding that was scarily random, media hyped and just plain bizarre.
The attack inspired the 1994 R.E.M. hit "What's the Frequency, Kenneth." Being a good sport, Dan Rather even accompanied the band when they performed the song on a Late Show with David Letterman appearance.
In 1997, based on a tip from a psychiatrist, Rather's attacker was identified as William Tager. According to the psychiatrist, Tager, who was currently serving time for killing an NBC stagehand, blamed news media for beaming signals into his head, and thought if he could just find out the correct frequency, he could block those signals that were constantly assailing him. Hence the enigmatic inquiry.
Thank you. I was not aware of that incident.
Not that there is a lot to like in this article. This line really says a lot.
is =isn't
It mut be to late to be posting on FR.
The jerks should have left Coulter out of their stooopid reporting. Again, rthey shot themselves in the foot with their dopey sensationalism on Ann's book.
"what is that german word that means to enjoy the misery of others?"
der Analhusten?
[ROFLMAO]
bttt
also the phony dan would end his broadcast with courage or some other nonsense each nite; and always inferred that he was a marine, come to find out he never made it out of basic and I believe it was w/i the first 2-3 wks, he is nothing but a punked out wussie
Very good article! Thanks for posting.
In the mid-1980s ('86?), Dan Rather was mugged in NYC by guys who, while beating him, repeatedly yelled, "Kenneth, what's the frequency?" As far as I know, no one was ever arrested and the surreal utterance was never explained.
REM referenced the incident in the song "What's the frequency, Kenneth" on the 1994 album "Monster." It was a pretty decent song, but I liked REM a lot better when I couldn't understand a word Stipe was singing.
A sideline burst of joy is the news that Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann each have national TV viewership numbers about equal to the population of Lubbock, Texas (take note Dixie Chicks). I am hoping the numbers equal the population of the President's hometown of Crawford in another year (assuming they even have shows of MSNBC by then).
This is a great op-ed and I think it speaks volumes about what is really going on between the two political parties today. Americans are recognizing the left more and more as being the party of fakers, liars and thieves.
And that is simply unAmerican.
"Somewhere along the line, liberals got the impression that their views and opinions are actually taken seriously by most Americans."
That sums it up completely.
Schadenfreude (sp?)
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