ESU to Host Discussion Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Rolling Stones

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Posted by: admin on April 10, 2013, No Comments

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania will have its own unique celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones on May 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Room 117 of Stroud Hall.  Rob McKenzie, Ph.D., ESU Distinguished Professor of Communication Studies and host of the “The Stones Hour” on WESS Radio (90.3 FM), will lead a discussion about the Rolling Stones, showing concert footage and playing songs and unique song versions from the past 50 years. There will be a special focus on Keith Richards.   The event is open to the general public at no cost and audience participation will be invited.

“The Stones Hour” airs Tuesdays from 6-7 p.m. on WESS, a student operated, non-commercial, FCC licensed radio station located on the ESU campus. A faculty member of the ESU Department of Communication Studies since 1992, Dr. McKenzie has served as the university adviser to WESS since his arrival.  As host of the “The Stones Hour,” McKenzie has offered a model for integrating a professional focus on broadcasting with his personal passion for the Rolling Stones.

McKenzie has attended 12 Rolling Stones concerts and two Keith Richards solo performances. He has also looked at Redlands, Richards’ home in England. McKenzie has also delivered academic conference presentations about the band.

McKenzie recalls going to a record store in 1978 after hearing the song Gimme Shelter. He bought a Stones album but later found out the song wasn’t on it.

“After buying six albums I finally found the song on ‘Let it Bleed,’ and I was hooked for life,” said McKenzie. “When you find something that moves you, why should you change if it makes you happy?”

The Rolling Stones began the 50th anniversary tour with a series of “pilot shows,” including one that McKenzie and his family attended at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.  The main nine-city tour includes a stop in May in Toronto, a show that McKenzie will also attend.

McKenzie is also host of “The Talk Show” broadcast on WESS for the last twenty years, on which he has interviewed more than 300 guests.

Since the fall of 2011, McKenzie’s newspaper column, “Rounding Some Corners,” has appeared weekly in the Pocono Record. McKenzie often offers thoughtful commentary on a wide range of current issues.

For more information, please contact Dr. McKenzie at 570-422-3886 or by email at mckenzie@esu.edu.