the other press Culture March 19, 2003 http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca iasco Bros. Recording Studio THE i aA Lp ty WHITE I slipped into the control room unnoticed, liking the idea that any sounds I made were being absorbed into the dark corked walls. For a few minutes, I had the opportunity to be invisible, enveloping myself in this surreal place, the hub of Black Op Radio. Five computer screens. Hundreds of buttons, levers and switches on mysterious panels performing unknown tasks. A window between this room and another allowed me to look beyond the electric atmosphere generated by Len Osanic and Anita Langley, co- hosts of Black Op, and into the eclectic body of the studio itself. I glanced at drums, an electric guitar mounted high on a wall and my eyes wandered along the fake greenery climbing over murals. A couple of young guys busy setting up equipment for a practice. An alarm buzzed, announcing that someone had walked through the unseen front door, next to the arcade games. Beside the shingled bathroom, tea was being brewed in the coffee pot. Then the phone rang, Len turned, and I, the peeping tom, was discovered. Black Op Radio, in its fourth season of interviewing and archiving discussions with both well-and lesser-known researchers and authors, has gained a solid, world-wide rep- utation with its mandate to shed light on truth no matter how murky the trail might have become. On this particular Thursday, Walter Bowart, author of Operation Mind Control is being interviewed over the phone from his home in Encino, California. “The more danger there is in times,” he is saying, “the more accurate the rumour. Use your BS filter to deci- pher fact from fiction.” Sounds like a good mantra. Is this how they keep the open forum they have created in Black Op Radio from disintegrating into an idiosyncratic nightmare? Len, is a renowned authority on the subject of President John F. Kennedy's assassina- tion. A brilliant musician and the owner of Fiasco Bros. Recording Studio, Len’s insa- tiable curiosity and eye for discrepancies led to exposing important details overlooked by other researchers. This attracted the attention and respect of Col. L. Fletcher Prouty, who, at the time of the assassination, was the Focal Point Officer for Special Operations between the Air Force and the CIA. Back in 1991, in Washington, DC, Len and the Colonel met, beginning a staunch friendship that continued to grow throughout the remainder of the Colonel's life. One of Len’s many interviews with the late Col. Prouty can be viewed on Oliver Stone's newly released, director's cut DVD: JFK. With well over 100 shows now archived, Len and Anita never run short on guests. They cE eT keep a running list of three to four people they would like to interview, sending out query cM aleauen MMMM nT RT letters along with the suggestion to check out the website. Once people see the depth of their work, the guests they have interviewed and the subject matter they have covered, it’s usually just a matter of scheduling them in. Len also receives at least one unsolicited Opens on March 28th, 2003 book a month, deciding after he’s read it whether to contact the author for an interview. Subject to classification Black Op Radio is broadcast live, in the midst of this busy recording studio, over the internet each Thursday, 6-7p.m. PST. This presents certain unique challenges that are untangled and dealt with without so much as a hiccup. A scheduled guest postpones two minutes before airtime. No problem. During the commercial break, Lens calls the previ- ous guest asking if the interview can be extended for a few more minutes. While listen- ing to his guest and interjecting questions, Len checks to be sure that every screen is flick- ' ering the right information and the internet stream is steadily flowing ' Len cannot be defined by his show alone. A self-taught engineer, mixer, producer, com- puter whiz; this guy also takes the time to mentor an array of student engineers and ' young musicians who look to him for practical advice and professional support. Back on the phone, Len sets up the postponed guest, who's now ready to roll, while admonishing a drummer to lay off the drums for a day or two in order to form calluses. 1 ' ! 1 : ‘ The OP has free tix. Fill out this form and drop it off in the OP mail slot in room 1020. With the show over and the studio emptied, we sit and talk for hours. I’m struck by how Len has created his environment, how he continues to evolve this to adapt to an ever growing litany of interests. Len runs his studio, writes, researches, interviews, maintains websites, archives shows, produces, and markets CDs and DVDs...it’s impossible to get a handle on everything he does. Any question answered raises ten more. As I leave, I touch the walls. To listen to any of the archived shows or to tap into the live feed, Thursdays from 6- 7p.m. PST go to: . ‘ wee ewww ee ee eee ee eee ee ee ee eee ee ee eee ee ee eee ee eee eee eee? Phone: Email: 1 i { i ' Name: : i i ' ' ' i i