Episode 27 of RFC

From September, 2007, comes RFC 27 “Trust Me I’m A Doctor Shirt.” Highlighted by music from Comparsa, Doctor Senator and Stephanie Deskins, this show also features animation by Stephen Beckner and a creepy toy commercial.

RFC 27: Production Notes For A Music-packed Show

September 26, 2007 by rudy panucci

Episode 27 of Radio Free Charleston is online now! This installment, titled “Trust Me I’m A Doctor Shirt,” is crammed full of a diverse assortment of excellent music, plus just a dash of animation and mind-hurting weirdness. We’re all over town in this show, at LiveMix Studio, The Sound Factory, The La Belle Theater, and on the South Side Bridge!

We have great songs from Stephanie Deskins, Doctor Senator, and Comparsa, plus a cartoon by Stephen Beckner and a really creepy toy commercial (about which we will not speak again). Hosted by yours truly from the South Side Bridge, the iconic gateway that leads from downtown Charleston to up where all the user fee money goes to pave roads.

Episode 26 of RFC

In episode 26, your host was knocked unconcious by then-twelve-year-old Cadance Young, who took over the show and introduced music by Whistlepunk and Sean Richardson, plus a short film by Audrey and Mia Beckner, animation by Rudy Panucci and a cameo by Mad Man Pondo. Tofujitsu fans should take note that Sean and Karen are both in this episode, peforming separately. From September, 2007, it’s “Back To School.”

RFC 26 from RFC Archives on Myspace.

Behind The Scenes At Radio Free Charleston 26

September 5, 2007 by rudy panucci

“Back To School” is the title of the latest episode of Radio Free Charleston, and it’s appropriate because this installment of RFC is hosted by 12-year-old Cadence Young (right), a student at John Adams Middle School, and the daughter of RFC Big Shot Brian Young. That makes this our second consecutive show with second-generation RFC contributors, following Joe Slack’s performance in episode 25. Cadence graciously agreed to step in and host after I was mysteriously injured during the “Hello” segment. She did a great job, introducing our musical guests,Whistlepunk (with her dad on drums) and Sean Richardson.

We also have a short film by Audrey and Mia Beckner, ages 10 and 9, who are also second-generation RFC contributors. Their dad, Stephen Beckner has been on the show as a solo performer, a member of Go Van Gogh, and an animator. Stephen and his wife, Amee, have these really cool movie nights in their front yard in Elkview and showed “Chins” at one of them. I quickly asked if I could use it for the show.

Episode 25 of RFC

The accompanying notes for this show may include deadlinks or embeds.


RFC 25 from RFC Archives on Myspace.

RFC: “Flaming Skull Shirt” with The Amazing Delores and Much More!

August 21, 2007 by rudy panucci

The brand-spanking-new episode of Radio Free Charleston, “Flaming Skull Shirt,” is online for your viewing pleasure now! This episode features a video by the late, legendary darling of Dunbar, The Amazing Delores.  You’ll also get to see a performance by Joe Slack, our first second-generation guest on RFC.  Over the end credits we play one of the most-requested songs from the old radio incarnation of RFC.  We have a very special movie trailer, and animation from Frank Panucci’s movie, “Reperkussionz.”   The host segments were shot at the Charleston Town Center, just two days ago. 

The host shoot was noisy but uneventful.  It was as though Delores herself was looking down when I did the show intro, since you can see the lights coming on behind me as I say her name. Actually, it was because we were shooting right at noon, just as the stores were opening, but it’s nice to pretend. We shot in a few recognizable places around the Town Center Mall, and we may go back later and do another show from there.  Heck, we might even ask permission next time.

Episode 23 of RFC

Production Notes, RFC 23: The Feast Of Stephen

July 30, 2007 by rudy panucci

Episode 23 of Radio Free Charleston,The Feast Of Stephen Reunion Show, is online now!  This is a document of one truly amazing night of musical magic at LiveMix Studio.  On May 12, members of a band that hadn’t played together in fourteen years gathered at LiveMix to kick out the jams one more time. Radio Free Charleston was on hand, and here’s the story behind the music.

Episode 22 of RFC

RFC 22" Shark Boy Shirt from RFC Archives on Myspace.

The Rock Video Show Continues…

June 12, 2007 by rudy panucci

Episode 22 of Radio Free Charleston is online now!  Follow that link and you can see a wild music video from Voices Of Anatole, a breezy acoustic duet from Aurora, brand-new computer animation from my brother Frank Panucci, and The No Pants Players eat a watermelon.

RFC 22 is called “Shark Boy Shirt,” named after the shirt I bought from Shark Boy himself at the IWA East Coast show, “Skate Or Die” a few months ago. It’s a cool-looking tie-dye job, and it doesn’t make me look too fat (not as fat as the stomach does, anyway).  The host segments were shot on the banks of the mighty Kanawha River, near the Dunbar bridge.

Episode 21 of RFC

This is an experiment.

We are re-posting this classic "lost" episode of the show directly from MySpace.

It has not been remastered, and it has not been re-uploaded to YouTube.

There is a chance that this episode might disappear at any moment. If it does, rest assured that we will do whatever possible to restore it as soon as possible.

In the meantime, enjoy the show and don't be surprised if the links in the original production notes below the video are defunct, decrepit, deceased and/or demessed up.


RFC 21: Yellow Submarine Shirt from RFC Archives on Myspace.

Production Notes Du Jour: RFC 21

June 5, 2007 by rudy panucci

Episode 21 of Radio Free Charleston, featuring Under The Radar, The Ghosts Of Now, a short film by Sean Richardson and Alon Kutchinsky, and vintage beer animation is online now!This episodes is called “Yellow Submarine Shirt.”  In a bit of kismet, we shot the host segments right after I ran into Guy Parker from the band Rubber Soul at the Blue Parrot.  Rubber Soul just performed side one of the Yellow Submarine album last week at Beatlefest in Louisville.

Episode Twenty of RFC

RFC 20: "Carmen Shirt" from RFC Archives on Myspace.

Cool Thing Of The Week: We’ve Done Twenty Already!

May 23, 2007 by rudy panucci

Hard to believe, but the twentieth episode of Radio Free Charleston is online now!  This was an amazing show to bring to fruition.  At times it was like giving birth to a spiked watermelon, but the end result has us all basking in the glow of a show well done. 

This episode is “Carmen Shirt,” and the host segments were shot in the White Room at Radio Free Charleston Manor, tucked away in a nearby undisclosed location.  Wearing the Carmen shirt was probably the only way we’ll get the lovely Cristina Nassif, who played Carmen last week for the WVSO (Scroll down for photos),  to appear on the show. But you never know.

Episode Nineteen of RFC

This is the  nineteenth episode of Radio Free Charleston, “Ian Rotten Shirt,” from May 2007, with music from Go Van Gogh and The Ghosts Of Now, plus   a Pentagram Flowerbox cartoon, which has been restored to its original place in the show. This show marks the RFC debut of Lee Harrah, who is still a frequent guest and a valued production team member.

The Mystery cameraperson who shot the original footage of Go Van Gogh turned out to be none other than Melissa Beezley (now Melissa Beezely Johnson) who has been a friend of RFC since the radio days.

This show is not 100% as it was when first posted, though. The original version included a commercial parody created by someone who later turned out to be, well, let's just say "a criminal."  On top of that, it was very poorly done and not very funny.  Newly-created animation takes its place, and is much, much better, despite being slapped together in less than ten minutes.

You can read the original production notes below the show, but don't be shocked if most of the links are dead.

Production Notes For RFC 19

May 8, 2007 by rudy panucci

After many delays and shifted gears, Episode Nineteen of Radio Free Charleston is online now!

This episode features the web debut of The Ghosts Of Now, vintage psychedelia from Go Van Gogh, a crappy devil cartoon, a commercial parody, and more, all hosted by yours truly, at Coonskin park.

Where to start the story of the production of this  much delayed, and some would say “cursed” episode of RFC?  How about we start with the mistakes?

Episode Eighteen of RFC

This vintage April 2007 episode of Radio Free Charleston features a road trip to Parkersburg, West Virginia. Shot at a "Songpull" event at John Radcliff's house, this episode marked three appearances in a row by Rad, and also featured music from Don Baker, Deron Baker and Josh Buskirk, plus there's a special rendition of the RFC theme song by John Radcliff and Jerry Fugate.

You can read the original production notes below the show, but don't expect all the links to work. You may also note some frustration on my part that we shot and edited the show in 24 hours, but it sat around at the Gazette and didn't get uploaded for over a week. This is a problem that went away when we started uploading the show and embedding it in PopCult-- instead of using the Gazette servers for our show-- with episode 77. Seems like ages ago.

Finally: Radio Free Parkersburg!

April 16, 2007 by rudy panucci

Shot and edited in a record less-than-24-hours, the latest episode of Radio Free Charleston is now online…ten days later.

That doesn’t make it any less cool, though.  This show is a departure in many ways.  First, it’s a road trip show.  Melanie Larch and I drove to Parkersburg and taped at John Radcliff’s house.  John was hosting a Songpull event, where songwriters gather and perform tunes that they’ve penned within 30 days of that event.  Visit the Songpull.com website to see and hear the results of these songwriting exercises held all around the country.  Later this week the Parkersburg Songpull tunes should be online. We’ll post an update when they are. 

Aside from the brand-spankin’ new Songpull tunes, we managed to finagle some older songs out of the participants, and that’s what you get to hear on the new RFC.   We have great songs from brothers Don and Daron Baker.   DonBaker is from Belpre Ohio.  His brother Daron is from Columbus, and performs with the band Rustic Bucket.  Each Baker boy gives us a terrific song.  We’ll have more from them on future episodes of RFC, and special apologies to Daron, whose name we mis-spell throughout the show. Them’s the hazards of editing a show in 24 hours.

Episode Seventeen of RFC

 Episode 17 of Radio Free Charleston saw your host, Rudy Panucci, sporting a "Kung Fu Grip" Shirt, and was loaded with all sorts of cool stuff. We had RFC Diva, Melanie Larch in a wrestling ring, cutting a promo. Music from John Radcliff and Under The Radar, recorded at LiveMix Studio, and we had an episode of Pentagram Flowerbox and our end credit repurposed a Stan Freberg commercial. Go back to March, 2007, for "Kung Fu Grip Shirt."

Production notes follow the show, as always, don't be shocked if many links are dead.

RFC 17: The Story Behind The Show

March 28, 2007 by rudy panucci

Time again for the untold story behind the production of the latest Radio Free Charleston.  This episode is titled “Kung Fu Grip Shirt,” named, as always, after the shirt I’m wearing.  Kung Fu Grip is the famous GI Joe action figure innovation from the 1970s, and you can find this shirt at Hot Topic.  Kung Fu Grip will return on the modern GI Joes this summer.