Drunk At Spring Break.....Don't Say You Weren't Warned

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville.

Tens of thousands are right now at an American beach celebrating Spring Break. Music acts and radio stations are right alongside. It is a tricky call for corporate America. Why? All those great demos in one place?

By my count today, three have died at 2011 Spring break with booze in the death report. Key West, Destin and Near St.Pete. An Auburn coed, one from Univ. of Florida and one from Georgia State.

A college fraternity guy and two co-eds, both well known. A tragedy. A warning this snake may come back to bite you if your company is hanging with a bunch of drunks.

I witnessed some amazing 1a binge drinking at a Spring Break event last week. Several days of seeing college guys drunk by 1p. Real drunk. Accidents ready to happen.

Last year I watched a steady parade of drunks going to jail at a stadium show. The perp walk right by the act on stage

From Country music sponsors of concerts to booze nights at clubs and events, the drinking style of this crop of young people is ugly. Some drink until they fall down.

Remember a few got killed DUI at a stadium concert outside Boston a year or so ago. These "drink all you can events ... then leave drunk and go kill somebody" are atom bombs ready to go off. Some already have gone off.

Some folks are more Teflon than others. I have a colleague whose daughter talked to the 31-year-old man who got drunk, drove the wrong way down the road in San Antonio and killed himself and a cop.

We are very close to a booze reaction from lawmakers and parents. The acts and radio may be guilty by association and maybe even legally liable. Bet against me on this one. It's coming. The next ONE might just be the one that blows the doors off you! Sleep with a snake long enough.

Now to social media: I can't read one more expert who claims to know what is going on. It's BS! Rupert Murdoch and his brains sunk with My Space and the winds change faster than a Bieber hairstyle. Social media is here to stay like the cell phone. Or maybe that will be a time piece with a Bluetooth phone. Nothing will stay the same. One thing we do know ... Facebook could leave as fast as it came. Vince sang about it: Everybody's talking about the next big thing.

Radio has to jump in and try to regain its leadership. Consolidation has stopped innovation of the creative. What's creative or interactive about a voicetracked morning show?

I do see several on-air folks making an effort. It's a start, twittering teases of upcoming show benchmarks. It's a start. The station websites are still boring. And works in progress.

I did run into some folks trying to help "unbore" the radio websites. The phone apps are good. But the bottom line: Who wants to go fishing for a tire? Pandora has better music than you do, so give the folks content. Contests, information, weather bulletins ... all the things Pandora can't. Common sense.

How about that Sara Evans getting a #1 album CDountry and Top 10 Pop? That's what you call a comeback.

The reviewers were pretty vicious at Rodeo Houston this year. Be glad if you favorite act survived. With the Net, those past reviews are now worldwide search subjects and content. Another good and bad thing about the Internet.

Miranda remains the darling nearly a quarter-way through 2011.

Shania going to Vegas like Elvis and Cher. Looks that way.

Taylor Swift the belle of the international pop scene. Barbie with no Ken. Her look is the subject of more than a few websites. All favorable. She's like an international icon with a new movie gig on the horizon. Universal hired her for a 3D animated Dr. Suess movie.

If only Billy Ray and Ms. Rimes could get hit music to go along with their Platinum news coverage. They get more coverage than even Miranda.

Concerts are going to need air traffic control this Summer. Rascal Flatts going out, as is Charlie Sheen. It's crazy.

Ferlin Husky was 85 when he passed away this week. He outlived his fame. He was one of the great Country entertainers. Sad that he is gone. Sadder that this crop of entertainers can only watch the rare video. He was a star of stage and screen. Elvis opened for him ... Zsa Zsa starred in a film with him. Godfrey gave him a Summer TV show. He was a big deal. And a nice man.

Glad Ferlin was there when they put him in the Hall of Fame. Great thing!