the Big Mattress - Freeform Interactive Radio on the Net

Charles, tell us the story of you and Jesse Colin Young when you knocked over guitar.

Thank you Trax for the most eloquent eulogy to date.

Hey I still have a WBCN Rock of Boston,with the big rock face on it, hat in pretty good shape!Got it at the rock festival that was at the Bayside Convention Center when I think it was Meatloaf or Styx was the headliner oh those many drug addled years ago.

Charles, I am almost willing to bet the "Dead Frogs" piece is an early one by Orchestra Luna. I've sent a link to Rick Berlin (nee Kinscherf, of OL fame) so we shall see.

Hey Chuck! That's my shirt! And it still fits...

I've been reading all of the excellent articles. I think Lisa Traxler's is my favorite to date. Great writing.

Charles, Celebrate the death of BCN. Be glad that it isn't ALL about YOU going 6 feet under. Matter O'Fact, last time I saw you, you very well could have been dead on the Medway/ Bellingham line. The creek is rising and the good lord...well phuck... I gave up believing in zombies a loooong time ago.

Chuck now that BCN is dead ( well it died some years ago) its brought back a lot of old memories.
I remember myself you and Tank going into the woods to cut trees for your duel burning fernace , oh and remember your electric car?
30 years later they are still trying to make an elecric car work

oh the good ol days

hope all is well

“Hiya, Chuck!
I am one of the many folks who listened to you on WBCN long enough to believe and act like I really know you. I moved back to Boston in 1977 and in '78 a friend of mine put on a Saturday show by someone named Duane Ingalls Glasscock. Many good laughs and some good music, too.

I will never forget the early morning, years (ok...like 12?) later, I'm driving to Boston from home in now NH and yes, listening to 'BCN. You were lounging on the big mattress, phone in hand, calling up a guy as you often did. When the guy answered the phone you got his name, and he was kind of irate.... you identified yourself as a college campus police officer and told the guy his daughter had been arrested.... and Heaven and Earth broke loose. The guy got extremely pissed off and started yelling, 'who are you really? My daughter died on this day a year ago!' You tried to smooth it out and get to a commercial and the guy caught on that he was on the radio and really went nuts. Then, I heard a commercial.

I thought the next voice I would hear was station management. But it turned out someone had pranked you for your birthday. First time I'd heard anyone turn the tables on you. Great stuff.

Anyway, I was thinking of you this morning because of the upcoming changes at that station. True, it changed personalities like my wife changes underwear (more frequently than necessary) but the next iteration is going to become some sort of ..... I don't know what. The shock jocks are all gone, the last pair being turned into sports talk guys on another station. In a way, Duane kinda led the way for them. You could argue Howard developed in a parallel universe I guess, but I really think Opie and Anthony (gone) were more like the psychotic but ultimately loveable Duane.

Best regards,

I am 24 years old. My father was a big fan of your show and remember listening to it while he drove me to school. My most vivid memory of BCN was listening to Mark Parenteau's Elevator from Hell on my Walkman while I did my paper route everyday. I was very upset that they would not allow him back this week. I think you did a great job today at honoring him while still acknowledging your fans and going on BCN. I wish I was a little bit older because after hearing you today I feel could have enjoyed The Mattress better. But thank you again for your service on BCN/ZLX and honoring Mark Parenteau.

Hello Charles,

When I was about 15 my brother told me to stop listening to the crap on WCOZ and switched the dial on my Realistic stereo to WBCN - and I never changed it back. (That, and taking me to see Springsteen at the Garden in 1980 were the only good things he ever did for me) When I heard Duane take over the station one day I was hooked. When I was in high school I worked in a local hospital on weekends and they would not let me listen to the radio. So I brought in a boom box and two 120 minute cassette tapes every Saturday, tuned in, turned off the volume and recorded Duane. I would listen to the show later in the week.

The music and fun of Big Mattress, mishigas, Captain Ken, the lunch songs and Mark Parenteau were such a big part of college life and beyond. Brutal commutes to Boston University and then work in town were made somewhat enjoyable because of WBCN. The variety of music was outstanding. Witchi Tai To was a great choice today. The irreverent humor was hilarious.

After hearing the replay of the Big Mattress on Saturday I went down to the basement and dug out the box labeled "The Duane Tapes". I have most of the shows and they still sound good. The one I pulled out from 1979 was cued up to a call to Tokyo when Paul McCartney was arrested. Duane pleaded with them to keep him in jail to protect American music. To this day I still can't hear Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" without chuckling. My 15 year old son laughed when he heard the tapes and I think that he would be a fan if that kind of radio was still around today.

Thanks for the years of great music and great memories.

A grateful listener.

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond!" I was never a huge fan of that song but I think Bradley Jay nailed it on the head. If I ever hear it on the radio again it will always remind me of BCN. Rest in peace!

Charles, can you please post the audio clip of when Bubbles gets venereal disease.

From Adam 12's twitter page last night at 1:00 AM.

"driving home listening to static on 104.1 realizing Boston just lost a piece of it's soul"

Are there any BCN archives from 1976-1979? Peter Wolf's shows?

I've changed my e-mail address. I thought you may have flushed me & then I realized the prob. Tanks God!!