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.\u00a0 Rob McKenzie, Ph.D., ESU Distinguished Professor of Communication Studies and host of the \u201cThe Stones Hour\u201d 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.\u00a0\u00a0 The event is open to the general public at no cost and audience participation will be invited.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Stones Hour\u201d 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.\u00a0 As host of the \u201cThe Stones Hour,\u201d McKenzie has offered a model for integrating a professional focus on broadcasting with his personal passion for the Rolling Stones.<\/p>\n
McKenzie has attended 12 Rolling Stones concerts and two Keith Richards solo performances. He has also looked at Redlands, Richards\u2019 home in England. McKenzie has also delivered academic conference presentations about the band.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t on it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter buying six albums I finally found the song on \u2018Let it Bleed,\u2019 and I was hooked for life,\u201d said McKenzie. \u201cWhen you find something that moves you, why should you change if it makes you happy?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rolling Stones began the 50th anniversary tour with a series of \u201cpilot shows,\u201d including one that McKenzie and his family attended at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.\u00a0 The main nine-city tour includes a stop in May in Toronto, a show that McKenzie will also attend.<\/p>\n
McKenzie is also host of \u201cThe Talk Show\u201d broadcast on WESS for the last twenty years, on which he has interviewed more than 300 guests.<\/p>\n
Since the fall of 2011, McKenzie\u2019s newspaper column, \u201cRounding Some Corners,\u201d has appeared weekly in the Pocono Record. McKenzie often offers thoughtful commentary on a wide range of current issues.<\/p>\n