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(Added image of the postcard Joe sent me in 1990)
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I am Richard Looney. For reasons I won't go into here, "Rash" has been my nickname since High School. I started the Joe Frank FAQ on Usenet in the very early days of the internet, based on notes I'd been taking since the late 1980s, when I lived in LA and Joe was on KCRW.
I am Richard Looney. For reasons I won't go into here, "Rash" has been my nickname since High School. I started the Joe Frank FAQ on Usenet in the very early days of the Internet, based on notes I'd been taking since the late 1980s, when I lived in LA and Joe was on KCRW.


I first heard Joe Frank on Halloween, 1979, when I still lived in my hometown of Washington DC. There were two public radio stations serving the area then, and I knew All Things Considered was repeated on the one, 90 minutes after the other. On this date they played something remarkable, at the end of the news: The Night Watchman, from [[Lies]]. It was so weird, well-done and thought-provoking, I  readied my cassette deck an hour later, and recorded it during the repeat. Unfortunately I wasn't in time to catch the preceding, explanatory comments so I had no idea about what I'd captured; but it was a favorite in my audio collection.
I first heard Joe Frank on Halloween, 1979, when I still lived in my hometown of Washington DC. There were two public radio stations serving the area then, and I knew All Things Considered was repeated on the one, 90 minutes after the other. On this date they played something remarkable, at the end of the news: The Night Watchman, from [[Lies]]. It was so weird, well-done and thought-provoking, I  readied my cassette deck an hour later, and recorded it during the repeat. Unfortunately I wasn't in time to catch the preceding, explanatory comments so I had no idea about what I'd captured; but it was a favorite in my audio collection.


Eight years later, I had moved to Southern California, still getting used to the public radio out there.  KCRW was playing in the other room, late one afternoon in October, when I was stunned to realize I was hearing a familiar voice! It was the premiere of [[At The Border]], and I was amazed to learn the Night Watchman had a radio show, with new material, every week! So naturally I started recording his shows, logging details as they were broadcast. At the time, KCRW sold audio cassettes of his shows, and I mailed to them for details. The listing they sent me, which labeled each show as either a Drama or Monologue, was the basis and origin of the FAQ.
Eight years later, I had moved to Southern California, still getting used to the public radio out there.  KCRW was playing in the other room, late one afternoon in October, when I was stunned to realize I was hearing a familiar voice! It was the premiere of [[At The Border]], and I was amazed to learn the Night Watchman had a weekly radio show! Naturally I started recording his shows, logging details as they were broadcast. My reaction to [[Perfprmer]] was so strong I was compelled to send Joe fan mail, and he responded, eventually.


I'm no longer clear on the development details but eventually, Henry Lowengard found it on The Well and posted [http://wfmu.org/JF/joe_fran.html the FAQ on WFMU's website], where it still lives today (but hasn't been updated since '04, sorry). Early on, many forgotten contributors helped identify the music Joe used, which I added to each program's details, along with the credits given at the end of each show. About the time Joe went commercial and started up [http://joefrank.com/ joefrank.com], I was finding his material repetitive, and I lost interest. I did meet Joe twice, however - at his [[Live At Market Street|performance at 72 Market Street]] (where a friend was a waiter, so I had an "in") and later, at his book-signing for [[Queen_Of_Puerto_Rico,_The_(Book)|The Queen of Puerto Rico]], at Book Soup on the Sunset Strip, in 1993.
[[File:Postcard-from-joe-frank.jpg|center|300px|Postmarked Feb 1990]]
 
At the time, KCRW sold audio cassettes of his shows, and I mailed a request to them. The chronological listing they sent back, which labeled each program as either a Drama or Monologue (or, confusingly, both), was the basis and origin of the FAQ. I'm no longer clear on the development details but eventually, Henry Lowengard found it on The Well and posted [http://wfmu.org/JF/joe_fran.html the FAQ on WFMU's website], where it still lives today (but hasn't been updated since '04, sorry). Early on, many forgotten contributors helped identify the music Joe used, which I added to each program's details, along with the credits given at the end of each show. About the time Joe went commercial and started up [http://joefrank.com/ joefrank.com], I was finding his material repetitive, and I lost interest. I did meet Joe twice, however - at his [[Live At Market Street|performance at 72 Market Street]] (where a friend was a waiter, so I had an "in") and later, at his book-signing for [[Queen_Of_Puerto_Rico,_The_(Book)|The Queen of Puerto Rico]], at Book Soup on the Sunset Strip, in 1993.


So many thanks to the newer generation of Frank-o-philes for updating this Wiki!
So many thanks to the newer generation of Frank-o-philes for updating this Wiki!
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