Good morning, Station Manager Ken. If I recall correctly wasn't Wm. Berger the first DJ you brought in when you took the job? Sorry for your loss. A quiet day in the castle, indeed.
@BnowB, it was the Upsala Era, but that is somebody's apartment
9:18am
Morphe:
I do not think it overly morbid to ask.... How did William leave the planet? I could not find a reference on line? My favorite memory of him was his "FAMOUS" line??? IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE MUSIC - CHANGE THE STATION - That was indeed him, yes?
9:18am
Your Ace From Exchange Place:
Been longing to hear Ecstasy Party ever since I heard the news.
Still in awe from last night - Wm. was always beyond kind to me and extremely supportive. I will miss him forever, what an incredible outpouring of music his show was.
good morning, Ken and everyone
sad day -- heard about William's passing last night, like an hour before his show
awful news
i miss William terribly, so many of us do
9:28am
wfmu listener phillip:
am i still sleeping? did i somehow fall into a parallel universe. william burger the man i listened to for 10 years? is gone?
9:29am
Morphe:
No one has answered my question so I am assuming he went the way of The Bean? No disrespect intended - just forthrightness... "What's the matter with Billy?"
@KEN Thats such a sweet young photo pf WB . Cant imagine your feelings. Take care of yourself and let people help you today. WFMU staff I'm so sorry for your loss. ((((ken)))
@krsO Im 46 listening since i was 16.. math.. uhh.. about 30 years.. montclair about 10 years.. Picture is so sweet. WB is handsome young man looking a little like Tom scharpling. Sigh... MISS YOU WB
Ken, I listen to some other college radio station also, but I must say that the level of computerized excellence here it WFMU is a shining standard hard to match. The instant playlists, the show archives, the FMA, its all pretty impressive. You have really brought WFMU into the 22nd century....
A couple years ago, Wm. was on a mic break and wheeled the chair across the room to fetch the albums he had played. Some rando on the board called him unprofessional for that. Wm. really let him have it!
I was going about my day with sadness, but OK until you played that stupid fucking bed music. Then I the tears came. RIP Wm. Berger I'm so sorry Ken hugs to you.
Im so out of it racing to download each track. Just realized I can download it later. Out of sorts.. wb you bugger no fair.. Need my BMX soon and more Ganja.
@md don't feel bad. I heard at 4am I'm never up that early .. i have to get up by 5 but How would you know. He giving you a sky hug. ha
@Ken playing music thats too perfect as always, you just have no choice sir but to live forever!!! ya bugger !!
@Krys, true, I mispoke, he was the first paid Music Director
9:54am
Adam from Vancouver:
A really, really beautiful and complex man, Wm Berger. The missing is heavy over here, but this is helping. Thank you, Ken, and WFMU'ers. (Sigh) I am going to go back and listen to his voice at some length today.
9:54am
cat:
the real kurt weill has some songs about nj. "the jersey plunk" and "way out west in jersey" excellent tunes
Good morning Ken and everyone. Sad day today. I didn't know William well but we met once, spoke on Facebook a few times and he seemed like such a good guy. My condolences to everyone who knew him better. His show was awesome.
I listened to Berger for the black metal and noise, but one of the best shows he did was a fill-in or random slot? He played a bunch of roots reggae, and it was really great. Guy knew his stuff.
9:55am
Susan C.:
I'm so sorry. When you spend your entire adulthood as am FMU listener it's like losing family. Sending love to all, listeners, DJs, and staffers.
"whats the matter with billy... he looks a little spaced out... " ... yea that DJ that show...
9:57am
ray zinnbrann:
hey everyone, just want to take this time to acknowledge and thank bill berger for his profound and tremendous influence on my life. without him, so much would not have happened. love to all.
realized i was wearing my FMU Day of the Dead t-shirt... no better day... will definitely be lifting one in wm's honor and listening to some Castle archives.
My first psychedelic concert: Group Image at Rutgers, Newark, 1968. Band's drummer was Leon Luther Rix, who later played with Dylan, Labelle, Buzzy Linhart, Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Dylan, and Dylan.
I said earlier this morning some of my favorite moments with him was his HOOF AND MOUTH shows after marathons!!!! He always brought it!!!! NO JOKE! This song is LIT!!!
Is there a chance of a listener meet-up after things are settled down? Just to hang out at a bar or someplace to tell stories and celebrate Wm's life. Not sure if I'd make it myself, but could be nice for those nearer JC.
@ Ken From Hyde Park -- yes, that sounds like an excellent idea!
would be good to know for everyone in the WFMU family to know of any memorials/services too
10:40am
ami ad:
S.M Ken,sad sad news.WM Berger will be missed .Rest In Power kind sir.Thank you all
I think one of the greatest tributes to Bill will be to help WFMU say around and alive...This station was the world to him....THE FAMILY WE HAVE IN LIFE...IS SOMETIMES THE FAMILY WE CHOOSE...RIP WM..Long live WFMU...
So Sad about the news. I loved his show, especially the intro. It was great to listen to when having bouts of insomnia.
10:53am
Tom L.:
PLEASE, if anyone has any contact with Wm’s son Sidney, DO NOT divulge news of his dad’s passing to him. We’re working with counselors to prepare him for this later today. No text condolences, emails, etc. Thank you, Sid’s step-dad.
10:59am
rw:
Ken, I'm so sorry about the loss of your good friend Wm. I'm glad I had a chance to become a fan of the Castle. We will miss him.
Tom L, I know that William loved his son very much. It was clear in the way he talked about him and their relationship on air. When the time comes please give our deepest condolences to Sidney.
same name on insta anyone need to talk.. Just message me to talk
on playlist more lately... for how long? nice to get courage to say hi and how much i love you crazy buzzards
'Si, Senor' was in a car advert for sure. If there got the Levi's advert as well, then that's what turned them in multi-millionaires (including the one member that converted himself into a religious nut).
WB latestest profile picture he is literally a clone of my late partner. I cried seeing it. He musta been a great dude. Pic captures a soul? Going outside with WMFU... gutted. ahhh. Ken hugs and love you amazing dude
My sincere condolences to all of Wm.'s friends and station-mates. What a shock. I just learned the news early this morning. I've always enjoyed his show and chatting with him on the board.
Peace, all.
I just wanted to thank everyone for the kind comments, thoughts and remembrances about Wm. (I'm his son's mother) And please respect our wishes to not contact his son. Thank you!
I asked my bagpiping cousin if he knew of the RHCPipers, and he said, "Yes. They are actually very good. I think most of them were competitive pipers."
Who needs back-announcing? We've got the web... I'll never remember more than four songs back anyway or will get confused about which was the track I was interested in
11:40am
cat:
sometimes its better not to speak their name, like the tetragrammaton