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Name: Matt Hanlon
Age: 48
Occupation: General Manager, Citadel Broadcasting West Michigan
Last Seen: Grand Rapids, MI
Bee-otched For: hiring another has-been
Age: 48
Occupation: General Manager, Citadel Broadcasting West Michigan
Last Seen: Grand Rapids, MI
Bee-otched For: hiring another has-been
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It's been 10 years since Citadel Broadcasting hired former AOL executive Matthew Hanlon to take over their Grand Rapids cluster, and talk about disaster.
Not only did he screw over Howard Stern by moving his show to what is now 1340 WJRW - and eventually Citadel corporate out of Las Vegas was the ones who gave him the ax on all their stations - but good 'ol Matty Poo decided to get the best of the worst to work for him. Over the years, he's hired the likes of failed Seattle jocks Ron and Don, ousted WGRD wuss Michael Grey, failed Chicago Sports dweeb "Huge" Bill Simonson and his biggest hire, Kevin Matthews, who came BACK to WLAV by way of Chicago.
But now, Hanlon's made another hire, and talk about laughable: Brian Vander Ark.
Yep! The Brian Vander Ark, aka the lead singer of washed-up 90's rockers The Verve Pipe.
Vander Ark is a local boy, born and raised in Holland. But it was his East Lansing-based band The Verve Pipe that made him a star. It was their 1996 major label debut Villains that was the group's only major hit, spawning several rock radio hits such as "Photograph", "Cup of Tea" and the title track. But it was their one and only pop hit "The Freshmen" - released when I was a Sophomore in high school - that catapulted them into the hearts of eventual soccer moms.
Of course, like many other post-grunge bands like Everclear, The 'Pipe ended up in an identity crisis, especially for their self-titled second major label album. It only produced one single "Hero" which was only a modest rock hit in the sea of metal bands such as KoRn, Rage Against the Machine and Limp Bizkit. Their 2001 album Underneath didn't fare any better and was dropped by RCA Records.
Oddly enough, The Verve Pipe are still together, although Vander Ark and drummer Donny Brown are the two sole members from their original lineup. Their last album, A Family Album came out two years ago, and it was a children's album.
Vander Ark does record as a solo artist, but with a local indie label called Second Motion. So far, he's released two albums.
But now, the Verve Pipe frontman has a new gig: he's the new midday guy at classic rocker 97 WLAV. His show shares the last hour of Kevin Matthews' morning show at 9 a.m. (also heard in Lansing on 94.9 WMMQ) but from 10 a.m. til noon, he flies solo on WLAV only.
Now, I'll admit that some of the songs from Villains are good (and I'll admit to having the album), but working for a doofus like Hanlon and working alongside the likes of Bill Simonson and Michael Grey will further damn his reputation as a serious rock artist. Hell, I read about a country artist named Kenny Roberts aka "The Jumping Cowboy" who was signed to Decca in the 1950's but was dropped by the label. One of his problems was the fact that his records didn't get much promotion, and one reason why was because he was stuck doing a kids show on what's now WWTV 9&10 in northern Michigan. In a way, going to work in local radio's a white flag for any rock artist; just ask Greg Kihn or even that Canadian dude who did "Go For a Soda".
Plus, do classic rock fans like the Verve Pipe? If there's any radio station in Grand Rapids that wouldn't have a problem playing their music, it's Channel 95.7. I just don't see a station playing Eric Clapton, Journey and Foreigner spinning "The Freshmen", especially since The Verve Pipe was booed to tears when they opened for KISS back in the 90's.
In all, this is another way Hanlon wants to kiss the ass of Grand Rapids, only to fall flat on his ass. Hell, look at his retarded New Years ball drop: thousands of people loitering downtown Grand Rapids, mostly little girls with no pubes yet and their moms listening to emo rock. Thanks, but I'd rather be inside and warm in a bar. To me, having Brian Vander Ark doing a show on WLAV is like Art Alexakis hosting a metal show.
Everclear, on the other hand, is another story in itself.
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