The Professors return to the stage at Pratt Institute, 144 West 14th St. in Manhattan, to celebrate Marie Radford leaving the position of Dean of the Library School to become an Associate Professor in the Department of Library and Information Science at Rutgers University. Gary Radford's daughter, Meg, joins the band on lead vocals, and Marie Radford plays keyboards on four numbers. Meg and Marie also sing an unforgettable rendition of the Untenured Blues, in celebration of Marie's return to untenured status. Meg Radford, at 13 years old, sang lead and back-up vocals on a number of songs, including the Barrows/Radford classic, Dreading the Dawning, John Gorka's "I'm From New Jersey," and Hawkwind's "PSI Power." Gary and Meg also reprised their ECA performance of Roger Waters' "Amused to Death." Many classic Barrows and Barrows/Radford songs return to the set, including The New York City Sidewalk Blues, Peer Review, and Sunday Night at Kenny's. New songs included Crisis of Confidence, written by Barrows/Radford and performed live by The Professors for the first time, Old Devils Running, a new song by Barrows/Wallinger, and To Hear You Say It, a brand new Barrows/Radford tune addressing the angst of academic life. The gig was a wonderful success and the fans are thrilled that The Professors are back at last!

THE PROFESSORS

John Barrows - Harp/Guitar/Percussion/Vocals
Jonathan Millen - Drums
Gary Radford - Guitar/Vocals
Nick Romanenko - Bass Guitar

GUEST ARTISTS

Marie Radford - Keyboards
Meg Radford - Vocals

THE SET

1. Sick of Goodbyes (David Lowery/Mark Linkous - Sparklehorse)
2. Dreading the Dawning (John Barrows/Gary Radford)
3. I'm From New Jersey (John Gorka)
4. New York City Sidewalk Blues (John Barrows)
5. Weird Sisters (Mark Linkous - Sparklehorse)
6. Untenured Blues (Gary Radford/Marie Radford)
7. Take Sick and Die (Muddy Waters)
8. Spirit of the Age (Robert Calvert/Dave Brock - Hawkwind)
9. Psi Power (Robert Calvert/Dave Brock - Hawklords)
10. Old Devils Running (John Barrows/Mark Wallinger)
11. Peer Review (John Barrows)
12. To Hear You Say It (John Barrows/Gary Radford)
13. Sunday Night at Kenny's (John Barrows)
14. Crisis of Confidence (John Barrows/Gary Radford)
15. Psycho Killer (David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Tina Weymouth - The Talking Heads)
16. Amused to Death (Roger Waters)
17. (Nobody Likes) Happy Songs (John Barrows/Gary Radford)

Former Dean Marie Radford rocks - both literally and figuratively. On July 25, 2004, Pratt SILS said goodbye to Dean Radford with a Sunday afternoon party in the 2nd floor conference room at 14th Street in Manhattan.

The sentiment was mixed; everyone was sad to see Radford leave Pratt, but was also happy for Radford and her move to Rutgers University. Dr. Radford's party struck the perfect note; since Dr. Radford is known as a communications expert in the library field, we didn't expect any less. Half a dozen speakers praised Dean Radford's work at Pratt, but the most touching words came from Sharon Linder, Assistant to the Dean, SILS. Describing Dean Radford as an avid listener and peacekeeper, Linder stated, "Marie likes to plant seeds everywhere. She has more energy than anyone I know."

What we didn't expect: the plastic chicken taped to the speaker, the lit candle perched on top of the amplifier, the talented rock band, and the excellent food. The Professors, a band formed by Dean Radford's guitar-playing husband Gary (a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University), played two sets of rock and roll, featuring keyboard and tambourine stylings from Dean Radford herself and the debut of the Radford's daughter Meg on vocals.

The Professors are influenced by rock, blues, and folk music. Half of the songs were originals, and the rest were diverse in origin: Muddy Waters' "Take Sick and Die," Roger Waters' "Amused to Death," and the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer"(!) were all performed. Appropriately titled, Sparklehorse's "Sick of Goodbyes" started the set. "Untenured Blues," written by Gary and Marie Radford, was a humorous, biographical highlight. Band member John Barrows' harmonica playing was wonderful, and the guitar definitely wailed during The Professors' Hawkwind cover "Spirit of the Age."

But goodbyes are never fun, and The Professors last song served as a reminder of the afternoon's main purpose. "(Nobody Likes) Happy Songs" finished off the second set. The words were written on the wall: "Nobody likes happy songs / Nobody lives in a world where nothing's wrong / If you think your life is perfect / You can keep it to yourself / Because nobody likes happy songs." We'll miss you, Dean Radford.

Source

"Dean Radford's Going Away Party Rocks Pratt!"

by Gayle Snible

Keyword, the Newsletter of the School of Information and Library Science Student Association
Pratt Institute, New York City
Volume 1, Number 2, Fall 2004