Radio Maverick

So with a new batch of new artists, who’s gonna be the next Alan Jackson? How about another Jackson? As in Jackson Dean. Last year, the 22 year old Jackson Dean exploded out of nowhere, taking listeners of Kissin’ 977 by surprise with a rockin’, fist pumpin’, toe tappin’ jam that everyone turned up loud in the car to sing along with, Don’t Come Lookin’.

Leavenworth is a great place Hollywood has often visited. They’ve been bringing their cameras to our quaint little German theme town as far back as 1925 with the movie, The Ancient Highway.

Well, here we go with a fresh new list of the five most liked songs of the week, to kick off the new year of 2023! All thanks to the requests from the listeners of Kissin’ 977. Keep them coming!

When I first moved to the PNW from my home on beaches of Southern California, My friends back home were deeply concerned when I accepted a job in Oregon. “How are YOU gonna survive the dreary sky in Eugene?”

Back in the day, Johnny Carson mentioned on the Tonight Show that it was against the law to ride an ugly horse in Wilbur, Washington. Apparently, it’s true. It was signed into law in 1894. But it was repelled 100 years later.

A couple of months ago you might remember that NASA was able to successfully crash their DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos, which deflected the 530 foot rock off its course. The NASA scientist cried (with joy) like I cried (like a baby who needed their diapers changed) watching the Steve Carell/Keira Knightly romantic/drama, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.

If you were to google search Grace, Washington, two things are gonna happen. You’re gonna find 30 stories about someone by the name of Grace Washington or Nancy Grace is reporting on something bad that happened in Washington, long before you find something about this tiny town. Grace sits just off route 522, where if you slow down enough to where the car behind you honks their horn, you’ll see a sign that reads, "Town of Grace. Established in 1906. Population 12".

There have been a few songs in the history of hits that if you were to start listening to for the first time, you’d wonder, ‘oh my gosh, where are they going with this story?’ There was the pop song, Clair by Gilbert O’Sullivan is one. Another song from back in the day was from country artist Jim Stafford called, My Girl Bill. Then by the end of the song, you get the joke.

Yeah. National Nerd Day is a thing. When we were kids, that may have been an insult. But as an adult, for me at least, I’ve embraced the status. Perhaps maturity. Or perhaps the opposite, as it brings out the kid in me. And that brings us back full circle. lol.

I was chatting with a listener on the request line who was heading home from work, looking forward to more snow to fall in the Wenatchee Valley. “Really?”, I asked. “Yes! The snow is beautiful!”, she replied. “I love it!” My jaw dropped, stunned. “Well…ah…ok.”