02/26/25 Show 248 : (My) Mourning Flak Jacket

Surely it is possible to eulogize a cultural icon with some measure of accuracy?  Like many of you, I read the many tributes to the Roberta Flack and her unworldly talent last week and was troubled by how many of them (perhaps byproducts of A.I. or non-extant copy editing) credited her with the innovation of the flak jacket, as popularized by Houston’s Dan Pastorini.   In fact, the flak jacket was invented by the late Byron Donzis (above), a lifelong Roberta Flack fan who tried to license her surname for the product and upon failure to come to an agreement, had to opt for the alternate “f-l-a-k” spelling. I mean, you can look all of this stuff up, I don’t see why I always have to be the one to explain this stuff, particularly as I’m already busy enough programming the greatest radio program of all time.   For the record, this week’s inclusion of Flack Blag was not intended as a tribute to Roberta Flack.  It’s a (very) unfortunate coincidence.