MICHAEL TURNER REMEMBERED:

Today (Sept 13th, 2008) we said goodbye to a friend...Michael Turner, broadcaster...
He did not survive cancer..he apparently died the night he came home from the hospital,
after having 14 inches of his colon removed...

On his way home from the hospital, Michael said "It sure is good to be back HOME..."...
He moved up here to the Redwoods of northern California after spending a lot of time in
San Jose in the SF Bay Area...

We're all DJ's in my circle of friends...We're old "OUTLAW Radio DJ's", and every year
our circle of friends gets smaller and smaller...and depending who you talk to, some of us
are minor celebrities (which means nothing on payday)...and for those on the "fastrack"
of a broadcasting career, you move around the country alot, changing jobs every few
years, to get enough resume experience to try to upgrade to a higher pay check...

Micheal was a force in radio on the East Coast, but is also known for giving well known
KMET, Los Angeles a shot in the arm at a time when it was floundering, and one of our
friends, Larry Yurdin, was a good friend of Michaels...Larry was like a Pied Piper of
alternative FM broadcasting, often being involved in the genesis, or reincarnation, of
many noteable radio stations...

Another good friend of Michael Turner was Marty "Dale Evans" Manning, who is also a
part of our circle of friends...and Marty has known Micheal Turner for several decades,
and he would've liked to have been able to come up here today, but was not able to...
So we gathered under the redwood trees today, and we went around in a circle, talking
about Michael...

So I, as an ordained Universal Life Church minister (Church Of The Perpetual Question),
talked with those gathered under the redwood trees, and this group included friends,
family, and fellow broadcasters...I usually officiate at weddings, not friends funerals...
And I talked about how we are not measured in the end, by the material stuff we leave
behind, but by the MEMORIES we leave behind...

After a few minutes of eulogy speach-a-fying, I pulled out some paper with a message
from Marty Manning ... It is as follows:

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Marty Manning here...
Michael Turner got his start in radio at a party in his hometown (I believe) of Detroit.
He was seen chatting with Mick Jagger, and the owner of a radio station thought "This is
a guy who I need to get on the radio" The fact that he looked a bit like Chip Monck and
even sounded a bit like him, didn't hurt.

Through the magical travel agency known as Larry Yurdin, Michael gravitated to Houston
where a number of us were involved in an experimental free-form non commercial radio
station called KPFT, part of the Pacifica group.

My favorite recollection of Turner from that period was his blow-by-blow description of
a charity boxing match that we staged in Houston's 5th Ward. Michael's call of the action
was equally as colorful as the bout itself, which featured yours truly as "The Golden Boy of
Houston Boxing" ending the 3 round epic battle with a Bang gun! I shot my opponent,
Terrance "Ali" Garrick (Jr Olympic Lt. Hvwt Champ!) to end the fight,
and Michael made the event come alive for listeners gathered around their radios across
the broad expanse of the world's most air-conditioned city. Of the Bang gun ending, Michael
intoned "A seldom seen ploy, and it rarely works", a phrase that I stole from him and have used
countless times, never without thinking of Michael Turner.

It was in Houston that he met Niki Mosberg, and the two later moved to Los Angeles and lived
a. just above Tower Records on Sunset, and
b. in those little cottages on the beach just north of the Santa Monica pier.

Friends in those days included George Clinton and yes, Larry Yurdin. In the early 80's
the LYTA (see above) was back in biz, luring me to Gilroy for a second stint at KFAT, this time under the
direction of Harvey Levin. Niki stayed in LA to begin a prosperous career importing textiles from China, which has
eventually led to an even more promising career as an author, with three wonderful books in stores and
libraries (Lost in Translation, A Cup of Light, and The Last Chinese Chef ... just out in a beautiful trade paperback
edition) Michael had decided to become a sportscaster, and he had the first requisite; he got along
well with athletes, especially really famous ones. During the '49ers magical run to their first Super Bowl
victory in the '81-'82 season, Michael paired on air with #58, the super young '49ers linebacker Keena Turner, for the
(hang on) Mike & Keena Turner Show" It was a Bay Area exclusive! Every Monday morning after
yet another '49ers victory, Keena would either call in, or actually join Michael in the KFAT studio. I believe
Keena's mother also became a figure on the show. That was the type of rapport he brought to these endeavors.

The last time I saw Turner was at one of those KFAT reunions in either Gilroy or Morgan
Hill or both in the early 90s. I've lost touch with him since then and others can fill in those blanks. I
can however also tell you that he had at one time been a Marine and in that capacity was training as a boxer. He
had a promising career until he woke up one day, on his back, in the middle of the mat. "You're done as a
boxer" his coach said, "You can't take a punch" So he quit the fight game, but he didn't stop fighting. He
just thought he could get more done with words. And music. It was a seldom seen ploy, but this time it worked.
And we were all the better for that.

Marty Manning aka "Dale Evans", KEZ, Pheonix, AZ

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(Michael had most recently done some radio on KMUD-FM, up here in the redwoods)...
I then asked those gathered to take a last toke of the holy smoke with Michael's spirit, and
the herbal plume wafted up into the redwood trees, to help Michael on his journey...
We then ate Michaels favorite flavor pizza, and then jumped into our cars & drove away,
each to a different destination on the road called reality...

** Vox Populi **

PS from WEBMASTER: Michael was here at the beginning of the KSML experience.
He and Nikki moved down to L.A. about six months after we went on the air, but both of
them were crucial in the forging of our station style. I was fortunate to hang out with
Michael in the late ‘70s and ‘80s when I first moved to Los Angeles. He left town for a
while and we fell out of touch.