I Can Take a Joke Review
by Joe Viglione [-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-can-take-a-joke-mw0001184544
Comedian Michael Fremer was a staple in Boston on the radio airwaves and in the club scene. Those who were fans of radio stars Charles Laquidara and Little Walter DeVenne no doubt heard these insightful and ridiculous skits when their popular programs aired on a once alternative Boston station, 104.1 FM. The reenactment of Mayor Kevin White's "My City's in Flames" speech is hilarious. In 1972, Mayor White had to appease fans at the Boston Garden, who were on the verge of rioting after the Rolling Stones had been arrested in Rhode Island. The parody on this disc and a tape of the show that Stones fans have traded over the years are evidence of a magic moment in rock, and make this classic collection all the more special. Some of these advertisements were specifically for record retailer New England Music City and legendary weekly news source The Real Paper. If you never realized how close Dylan's 1976 hit "Hurricane" is to his 1968 hit (via Hendrix) "All Along the Watchtower," Fremer makes it painfully clear. Lou Reed's Transformer image gets raked over the coals in a takeoff on "Walk on the Wild Side," and Neil Old's "Hopeless" is Neil Young's "Helpless" upside down. Fremer was allegedly bounced off of the radio station for making fun of the commercials that were themselves walking parodies. It made no sense, and it was an unpopular move by the station, but this excellent recording preserves some of the majesty. The comedian MCed some of the major concerts in Boston during this period, 1970-1976; some of the material was recorded at 104.1 FM's studios, some live at the Inn Square Men's Bar, some at various recording studios -- and portions were probably taped in Fremer's bedroom! His contemporaries like Paul Lovell (aka Blowfish) took their cues from Fremer, who was last found in the 1990s publishing a magazine.
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