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Rick Shannon #1
Radio Activity
Looking into the mysterious disappearance of a once-famous rock DJ, radio program director Rick Shannon finds himself unwittingly embroiled in an investigation involving arson, missing persons, hit men, FCC violations, and the sexual habits of a prominent businessman. By the author of Heart Seizure. Reprint.
354 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
9 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Bill Fitzhugh
23 books110 followersBill Fitzhugh worked at several FM rock radio stations in the 1970s and 1980s. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, he prefers The Band, Little Feat, and Van Morrison to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Iron Butterfly. The author of numerous screenplays and five comic novels, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and his record collection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 3, 2021
I enjoyed Radio Active, as I have all of Bill Fitzhugh’s books. This one does have some flaws, but it’s still an involving and amusing read.
Rick Shannon is a jobbing radio DJ with a passion for classic rock. He accepts, out of necessity, a job on a local radio station in a small Mississippi town, run by a thoroughly dodgy slimeball. Here he comes across a hidden tape, leading to clues about some possibly serious crimes, which he begins to investigate out of fascination. A tangled and colourful web of intrigue and suspects emerges in a well told, amusing and rather gripping story.
Fitzhugh is really good at this sort of thing; he tells a very well-structured and involving tale peopled with well drawn characters and with observations on all sorts of things including small-town politics, the corporatisation of local radio and lots about classic rock music. I’m keen on classic rock and found a lot of the references and discussions entertaining and amusing, but the lengthy monologues about music inspired by Patty Boyd or involving Todd Rundgren, for example, got a little much even for me, so if you’re not into 60s and 70s rock music this may not be the book for you. Also, having really enjoyed the book, I found the ending a little rushed and unsatisfactory – but only a little.
Those small reservations aside, I can still recommend Radio Active as a very enjoyable and entertaining read.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
Rick Shannon is a jobbing radio DJ with a passion for classic rock. He accepts, out of necessity, a job on a local radio station in a small Mississippi town, run by a thoroughly dodgy slimeball. Here he comes across a hidden tape, leading to clues about some possibly serious crimes, which he begins to investigate out of fascination. A tangled and colourful web of intrigue and suspects emerges in a well told, amusing and rather gripping story.
Fitzhugh is really good at this sort of thing; he tells a very well-structured and involving tale peopled with well drawn characters and with observations on all sorts of things including small-town politics, the corporatisation of local radio and lots about classic rock music. I’m keen on classic rock and found a lot of the references and discussions entertaining and amusing, but the lengthy monologues about music inspired by Patty Boyd or involving Todd Rundgren, for example, got a little much even for me, so if you’re not into 60s and 70s rock music this may not be the book for you. Also, having really enjoyed the book, I found the ending a little rushed and unsatisfactory – but only a little.
Those small reservations aside, I can still recommend Radio Active as a very enjoyable and entertaining read.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
April 17, 2011
I picked this up because it looked like ideal beach reading for me: A light mystery set in the deep south, with a lot of references to classic rock. Well, I can't tell if this is an inept attempt at a semi-humorous riff on the themes of Hammett's Red Harvest or just plain inept, but it's terribly dull as a mystery and a flat failure as a social commentary mystery.
The main character is a whiny, self-indulgent middle-aged man having the least interesting midlife crisis in literary history. The first woman he meets in a new town becomes his lover for no particular reason but that Fitzhugh seems to think a mystery's lead needs a lover, and the first person he takes a dislike to is, sure enough, one of the main bad guys. There's never any mystery about any of the crimes described, nothing interesting is revealed about any of the characters, and there's an especially annoying 'where are they now' bit at the end that reads like a not-particularly-talented middle-schooler's attempt at sly literary humor.
Leave it on the shelf. You have better things to do.
The main character is a whiny, self-indulgent middle-aged man having the least interesting midlife crisis in literary history. The first woman he meets in a new town becomes his lover for no particular reason but that Fitzhugh seems to think a mystery's lead needs a lover, and the first person he takes a dislike to is, sure enough, one of the main bad guys. There's never any mystery about any of the crimes described, nothing interesting is revealed about any of the characters, and there's an especially annoying 'where are they now' bit at the end that reads like a not-particularly-talented middle-schooler's attempt at sly literary humor.
Leave it on the shelf. You have better things to do.
September 20, 2013
I really wanted to like this book. I used to work in radio so was excited about reading it. However there was waaaaaaay to much description of classic rock. I ended up just skipping some of those parts.
The book is also told from a very male perspective and the female characters are mostly very flat and stereotypical. The mystery is okay, though a bit convoluted. I wish I could have liked it more.
The book is also told from a very male perspective and the female characters are mostly very flat and stereotypical. The mystery is okay, though a bit convoluted. I wish I could have liked it more.
July 7, 2009
Literature always runs into trouble when it tries to capture the essence of rock radio, because the inner world of the airwaves is so cloistered off from all but industry insiders. The realities of running a commercial radio station are also about as mundane as -- well, the sound of commercial radio stations. After the morning zoo is done for the day, it's basically just a small office that happens to be connected to a transmitter. With Clear Channel taking over just about every local radio station with a blip, it gets even less interesting. Bill Fitzhugh, a former DJ, knows his stuff all right, and in Radio Activity he reads as if he's trying to impart a well-meant manifesto on what constitutes classic rock, and more specifically classic rock radio, in the context of an amateur private-eye story. It's not as horrible as Jim Ladd's Radio Waves, which spoke with the voice of an audio engineering intern who finished Ayn Rand's Anthem on a lunch break. But it's not a success, although it is a snappy read.
After unemployed journeyman DJ Rick Shannon sells his old vinyl to a Bismarck, North Dakota used record shop, he receives a call from station manager Clay Stubblefield from WAOR in McRae, Mississippi, inviting him to take over for a DJ who's suddenly gone missing. We learn in the second section of the first chapter that the missing DJ, Captain Jack Carter, has been shot and haphazardly buried. Shannon takes the job and relocates to his old home state, only to find that Stubblefield misled him about the job duties: He wants Shannon to be program director and turn the station into a "classic rock" station. Shannon accepts, but since Stubblefield is generally a hands-off manager with far too much going on outside the station, he tries to carve a unique niche for the station, conspiring with the other on-air staff to "redefine classic rock." Less Led Zeppelin, more Nazz is a good way of putting it.
Shannon also gets possession of a dilapidated trailer that used to be Carter's before his mysterious disappearance. This includes a treasure trove of old records that are right up Shannon's alley. But in the book's best in-joke, Shannon discovers a hidden reel-to-reel tape inside the empty box of Chicago's overblown, 4-record live album from 1971, Chicago IV. The tape features a lurid conversation with Stubblefield and an unidentified other man, describing perversions Stubblefield had enjoyed with beauty pageant contestants and associates, and some other snatches that may or may not lay out some sort of illegality. Shannon figures the tape might have something to do with Carter's disappearance and begins playing private detective -- using the alias "Buddy Miles" -- to find out what.
The rest of the book intercuts Shannon's investigation, negotiations with the staff over the classic rock format, and an affair with the much-younger receptionist. All three feel like separate components and never correlate in the way Fitzhugh must have intended.
The radio station reads like an amalgamation of WKRP and the radio station from the lousy flick FM, with overwrought depictions of cliched figures, like the Johnny Fever type who chortles and quotes song lyrics as conversation, or the overnight, aging DJ whose quiet approval is the best accolade anybody at the station can hope for. At first Fitzhugh's obsessive detailing of rock and roll theory is amusing, but before it can become revelatory it's negated by the criminal plot, which never becomes as salacious as we'd like it to be.
Also: A station like WAOR could never happen here, not in a commercial sense. It certainly wouldn't happen in backwoods Mississippi. It sort of happened with Tom Donahue's legendary KSAN in the '60s and '70s, but that was San Francisco and it died out when corporatization took over radio. It's hard to take the radio content seriously when it's obviously being presented as a wish fulfillment on the part of the author. Fitzhugh scores some sentimental points about commercial radio's homogeny and over-reliance on business intelligence, but that's all.
On the positive side, it's a zippy read. I polished it off over one 3-day weekend, so if you're into summertime potboilers it may work for you. There are also enough specific references to artists and songs that one could go back and fashion a pretty good playlist from the citations in this book. But High Fidelity had an arguably better playlist and a much better result integrating the music into the story. Too much of my time with Radio Activity was spent wincing at dialogue for me to hear the music.
After unemployed journeyman DJ Rick Shannon sells his old vinyl to a Bismarck, North Dakota used record shop, he receives a call from station manager Clay Stubblefield from WAOR in McRae, Mississippi, inviting him to take over for a DJ who's suddenly gone missing. We learn in the second section of the first chapter that the missing DJ, Captain Jack Carter, has been shot and haphazardly buried. Shannon takes the job and relocates to his old home state, only to find that Stubblefield misled him about the job duties: He wants Shannon to be program director and turn the station into a "classic rock" station. Shannon accepts, but since Stubblefield is generally a hands-off manager with far too much going on outside the station, he tries to carve a unique niche for the station, conspiring with the other on-air staff to "redefine classic rock." Less Led Zeppelin, more Nazz is a good way of putting it.
Shannon also gets possession of a dilapidated trailer that used to be Carter's before his mysterious disappearance. This includes a treasure trove of old records that are right up Shannon's alley. But in the book's best in-joke, Shannon discovers a hidden reel-to-reel tape inside the empty box of Chicago's overblown, 4-record live album from 1971, Chicago IV. The tape features a lurid conversation with Stubblefield and an unidentified other man, describing perversions Stubblefield had enjoyed with beauty pageant contestants and associates, and some other snatches that may or may not lay out some sort of illegality. Shannon figures the tape might have something to do with Carter's disappearance and begins playing private detective -- using the alias "Buddy Miles" -- to find out what.
The rest of the book intercuts Shannon's investigation, negotiations with the staff over the classic rock format, and an affair with the much-younger receptionist. All three feel like separate components and never correlate in the way Fitzhugh must have intended.
The radio station reads like an amalgamation of WKRP and the radio station from the lousy flick FM, with overwrought depictions of cliched figures, like the Johnny Fever type who chortles and quotes song lyrics as conversation, or the overnight, aging DJ whose quiet approval is the best accolade anybody at the station can hope for. At first Fitzhugh's obsessive detailing of rock and roll theory is amusing, but before it can become revelatory it's negated by the criminal plot, which never becomes as salacious as we'd like it to be.
Also: A station like WAOR could never happen here, not in a commercial sense. It certainly wouldn't happen in backwoods Mississippi. It sort of happened with Tom Donahue's legendary KSAN in the '60s and '70s, but that was San Francisco and it died out when corporatization took over radio. It's hard to take the radio content seriously when it's obviously being presented as a wish fulfillment on the part of the author. Fitzhugh scores some sentimental points about commercial radio's homogeny and over-reliance on business intelligence, but that's all.
On the positive side, it's a zippy read. I polished it off over one 3-day weekend, so if you're into summertime potboilers it may work for you. There are also enough specific references to artists and songs that one could go back and fashion a pretty good playlist from the citations in this book. But High Fidelity had an arguably better playlist and a much better result integrating the music into the story. Too much of my time with Radio Activity was spent wincing at dialogue for me to hear the music.
May 24, 2008
If you're looking for a fun Summer beach read with a mix of Hiaasen and rock music, then this is worth picking up. The book was sent to me by friend who knows my interest in both thinking I'd enjoy it. He was right. Rick Shannon is an aging DJ (now Program Director) who decides to play PI when he stumbles upon some evidence buried in the box set of Chicago and Carnegie Hall. Great hiding place. I used to have that set and the poster inside could cover the side of a city building. I digress. Various characters come in out of the story but most of the focus of the plot is driven by Rick and the station admin (Traci). Additional color is added with music references throughout, each very fitting for the scenes created. Fitzhugh has a great natural storytelling rhythm and his love for music shines throughout the book. Fun stuff.
December 30, 2014
If you're a classic rock aficionado, or have even listened to classic rock... heck, if you recognize the name Duane Allman you should read this book. A quick, fast read, you'll laugh at the characters and the hilarious hijinks that ensue when a down on his luck FM DJ relocates to a rural station and, big surprise here, he discovers a mystery. Unstrap your suspension of disbelief and just go along for the ride. You'll probably find a new favorite song you didn't know existed. I recommend reading with YouTube nearby for listening to the obscure tunes.
May 27, 2016
If you like classic rock... I mean if you really like classic rock, including some of the more obscure stuff, then this may be the mystery novel you're hankerin' after. This was fun beach-style read-- realistic characters quirks and all, a fairly simple who dunnit and why, and a quick read. It got bogged down with classic rock descriptions for a bit there, but once I waded through those it was free sailing.
Read
August 7, 2011Rick Shannon, AKA Buddy Miles, comes to McRae, Mississippi to take over as program director for a radio station switching to Classic Rock. Sleazy station manager, missing and presumed defunct DJ's and a receptionist with a whole lotta love and makeup constitute the cast of another hilarious book by Fitzhugh.
September 10, 2014
Bill Fitzhugh is always funny. I admit he isn't quite as laugh-out-loud in this one as he was in Pest Control or Organ Grinders, but I always enjoy his work. And I am a music fiend so the music he infuses into both Radio Activity and Highway 61 Resurfaced is fantastic. I've made some play lists based on both of these books.
July 19, 2013
Bad guys easy to spot and the rest of the book spends too much time on the day-to-day of the protagonist, who might be an idealized version of the author. Lots of chatter about the heyday of radio, golden oldies, super playlists, etc. I'm not interested enough to go on with this series.
September 27, 2013
Not as funny as some of Fitzhugh's other book, but it was ok. This on is more of a mystery. They also refer to a lot of music from the 70's that I am not familiar with so that part didn't hold my interest.
November 11, 2015
I confess, I skipped most of the rock music descriptions, skimming the debates and blanking at every intricate musing about how radio works. I did, however, enjoy the mystery, the characters and the comedy.
January 13, 2014
Not quite as much fun as the later Highway 61, but a thorough inside view of the workings of a Delta radio station. And a nice little mystery to boot. My favorite line from this book? "You can't fake that sort of narrow-mindedness."
July 24, 2015
Start This One When You Can Read ItThrough!
I chose this rating because the characters were "real" and likeable--- or not. The plot was imaginative and well written. I hope that there are many more novels featuring Rick Shannon.
I chose this rating because the characters were "real" and likeable--- or not. The plot was imaginative and well written. I hope that there are many more novels featuring Rick Shannon.
August 28, 2007
i loved the main characters definition of classic rock and his music commentary. decent story line
January 12, 2009
Decent comic novel about FM Disc Jockey turned private eye. Fast read with some laughs. Will look for others by him.
April 16, 2009
It was a murder mystery thing. It was all right. Gave me perspective on how radio djs live but ya know whatever.
April 4, 2012
Easy going take on the detective novel
May 24, 2013
I have enjoyed Fitzhugh books, usually funny and entertaining. Someone said this is a good beach read, and that kind of sums it up. Weak ending, interesting music history, so so plot, eh...
December 11, 2013
Great music trivia, good story
November 21, 2015
This is really a 3.5. The mystery was so so, if you're a mystery fan. But the music trivia was amazing. Thinking about radios and playlists and genre choices caught my attention.
February 17, 2016
lots of fun rock and roll history; not much plot.
May 10, 2009
(First Edition)
April 1, 2014
3.5 stars. 2 stars for the pedestrian murder mystery; 5 stars for the rock and roll memories.
December 19, 2021
What a fun book!
Fm DJ Rick Shannon is living the life his career has created for him, traveling from city to city, station to station, playing music until the next format change sends him on the road again. This time he ends up in small town Mississippi where he stumbles on a lost tape that he can't help investigating. Before you know it, he's surrounded by corruption, greed, and possibly his very own "Last Waltz."
It's a fun romp, Fitzhugh always makes me laugh and once again, the plot moves along at a good pace and there's even a little romantic tension.
And if Rick Shannon were a real person, I'd give him access to my Spotify account so he could curate my playlists, the songs referenced along the way brought back some fun memories
As always, a big thank you to Net Galley and Farrago books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Fm DJ Rick Shannon is living the life his career has created for him, traveling from city to city, station to station, playing music until the next format change sends him on the road again. This time he ends up in small town Mississippi where he stumbles on a lost tape that he can't help investigating. Before you know it, he's surrounded by corruption, greed, and possibly his very own "Last Waltz."
It's a fun romp, Fitzhugh always makes me laugh and once again, the plot moves along at a good pace and there's even a little romantic tension.
And if Rick Shannon were a real person, I'd give him access to my Spotify account so he could curate my playlists, the songs referenced along the way brought back some fun memories
As always, a big thank you to Net Galley and Farrago books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 31, 2021
I've read a few books by Bill Fitzhugh, and I've enjoyed them all. They are light, enjoyable, entertaining, and funny, and this one was no exception. I have to admit, the classic rock bits got a little old for me, but if you were into classic rock, you'd probably really like that aspect of the book and know more than half the songs mentioned.
My one nitpick is why oh why did the receptionist have to be in her 20s? Rick was described to be middle aged, so I mean, couldn't the love interest be somewhat age-appropriate? Besides, Traci spoke and acted like someone older anyway, so just make her late 30s. See? Automatically less icky.
That said, I still enjoyed it! And I'd recommend it if you were looking for something light and funny with good banter. The banter was great. And.....if you didn't mind a middle-aged dude hooking up with a 20-something year old and solving a mystery with like, no wrong guesses or anything.
Thanks NetGalley for the reading copy!
My one nitpick is why oh why did the receptionist have to be in her 20s? Rick was described to be middle aged, so I mean, couldn't the love interest be somewhat age-appropriate? Besides, Traci spoke and acted like someone older anyway, so just make her late 30s. See? Automatically less icky.
That said, I still enjoyed it! And I'd recommend it if you were looking for something light and funny with good banter. The banter was great. And.....if you didn't mind a middle-aged dude hooking up with a 20-something year old and solving a mystery with like, no wrong guesses or anything.
Thanks NetGalley for the reading copy!
January 29, 2022
A hilarious fictional journey through Dixie with a large cast of oddballs and larger than life weirdos, lots of verbal pyrotechnics and laughing out loud situations, welcome to
the dysfunctional world of Fitzhugh, one of the best voices in comical fiction and one of my favorite literary addictions (sadly, an incurable one as far as I'm concerned👍)
So don't wait, take a dive into the looniest fictional pool ever and let yourself go totally bonkers!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Farrago for this terrific ARC
the dysfunctional world of Fitzhugh, one of the best voices in comical fiction and one of my favorite literary addictions (sadly, an incurable one as far as I'm concerned👍)
So don't wait, take a dive into the looniest fictional pool ever and let yourself go totally bonkers!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Farrago for this terrific ARC
February 26, 2017
The story was lost amidst Fitzhugh's annoying tendency to show off how much he knows about classic rock. Ugh. It's like being in high school and listening to your dad trying to act cool in front of your friends. Too torturous to finish.
September 16, 2023
Initially this book dragged on a little, s it developed characters, but I grew to like the narrative as I got further into it. A satisfying ending and some really interesting facts tying together various groups in the segues where Rick went on the air was the saving grace for me.
September 6, 2017
Liked the story and the classic rock references. Lots of great lines, too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews