The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 62

3 fter a long absence, the Honey Lounge is back In business. And the good news is that the "n.C) m-m. m. -v a tet basement club is still as committed to local music as it was before it closed in confusion two years eighth. Let's take a gander at those traditional format AM stations that come closest to an all-things-to-all-people approach.

They depend primarily, but not exclusively, on older listeners, those 35-plus. In this survey WHDH and WBZ are in a tie for first in the 35-64 age group, for example, but WHDH is ahead overall because of its greater popularity with younger listeners, particularly those 18-34. At night, when the 35-64 group wants talk shows, WBZ's Dave Finnegan pulls a commanding 22.6 percent share of that audience, with Hubert Jessup on WHDH in second with a 10.3 share and David Brudnoy already one of the bright spots for WRKO's new all-talk format with a strong 9.6 share in third.D Jeff McLaughlin A HIVE OF ACTIVITYREVEALING FIGURESSELLING SLEAZE ost exploitation films are designed to make a fast buck and zip out of town before word of mouth stops them in their tracks. Fueled Nightlife: The Sex Execs (from left, Ted Pine, Dan Johnson, Walter Clay, Andre Barnaby and Sean Slade) in performance at Honey Lounge rbitron's detailed survey of radio listenership arrived late last week, and I spent the weekend poring over the numbers, which are far more ago. Vowing not to make the same mistake twice, the new wave rock club (909 Boyl-ston across from the Prudential Center) now has the entertainment license it lacked in January of 1980 when it was shuttered by city authorities.

The problem then was the naivete of owner Michael Lastoria. For nearly 20 years Lastoria ran the Honey Restaurant upstairs, but had never before booked music. Lastoria, 66, admits he made a mistake in not following through on the license. His case wasn't helped when the police arrested a youth on drug charges in a back dressing room. The lounge was shut down.

After that Lastoria was also slapped with a one-week suspension for his restaurant upstairs. It has been an uphill battle since, but after attending repeated hearings and promising the licensing board he wouldn't book "punk rock," Lastoria is back on track. The basement room is still tiny, dark and unprepossessing, but Lastoria has made significant improvements a new bar, new restrooms, a new house PA system and new acoustic ceiling tile by the stage. He also hopes to buy five or six video screens to be placed upstairs, so patrons there can view the bands. The lounge itself retains the potential for becoming a vital underground center of local rock.

The unpretentious feel of the small space (only 100 capacity) recalls the undersized performing room of the now-defunct Underground in Allston. But posters or some kind of color are needed for the walls. Bartender Joe Trovalto plans to hammer hubcaps onto one wall to indicate the garage-like nature of the room; other perky gestures are desperately needed. Visiting the lounge last Sunday, I caught two bands, the Solicitors and the Sex Execs. The Solicitors have an appealing nas-tiness (a wild, mutated version of the Beatles' "Hey but limited talent.

The Sex Execs are much more interesting. They are fronted by Walter Peyton, former lead singer of the Peytons, the '60s-based rockers who were semifin-alists in WBCN's Battle of the Bands two years ago. The Execs explore and trash many styles (oblique covers of Hayley Mills' "Let's Get Together" and Annette Funi-cello's "Jo Jo the Dog-Faced while their originals range from basic pop to a jazzy dissonance. The intrigue, however, is lessened by too many overeducated in-jokes references to Greek battlefields, no less and an English pinhead mentality that gets annoying. The band needs to make its sound less stiffand busy.

Now that Streets the club that was supposed to replace the Underground in Allston is booking more national acts, the Honey Lounge stands ready to pick up the local slack. Thje club has already booked some well-knon local bands: The avant-garde Native Tongue tomorrow night; the Sex Execs on Saturday; Junk Mail, which will soon do a tour of Venezuela, next Thursday; Harlequin and Leper next Friday; and the Young Snakes and Zodio Doze next Saturday. In addition, a Boston Rock magazine party is planned Feb. 20. Not bad for a club that's touting Itself as "The World Famous Honey Lounge WBCN-FM (104.1) and WXKS-FM (107.9).

But in general, of far more interest is how stations rate within age groups, by music genre, and time of day. Let's start with WCOZ-FM (94.5), the hardest rock station, that is on top of the heap overall. It is WCOZ's overwhelming strength with the youngest listeners in the survey, those 12-17 years old, that carries it. Just under 50 percent of that group favor WCOZ, with WXKS-FM (107.9) far back in second with a 13 percent share, and WBCN-FM (104.1) even further back, in sixth place with a 3.1. If we eliminate the 12-17 age group, and look instead at people 18-and-older, WCOZ slips back into the pack.

On top overall are three AM stations, WHDH (850), WBZ (1030). and WEEI (590). WBCN-FM (104.1) then is the top-ranked FM station, in fourth place, and beautiful music WJIB-FM (96.9) is tied with WCOZ for fifth. Let's narrow our gaze further and look now at the people 18-34, the rock 'n' rolling Baby Boom folks and their younger siblings. WBCN is the most popular station among people in that older group, with a 14.2 percent share to WCOZ's revealing than the overall popularity figures for all 2.9 million people aged 12 and over in the metro Boston area.

The reason is, of course, that very few stations actually try to be all things to all people. Instead, most carve out a target audience and program for them. A station that focuses on talk and information, for example, doesn't expect to draw listenership from young teenagers; and conversely, a hard rocker doesn't look to grandfathers and grandmothers for fans. The overall popularity numbers, therefore, which lump all ages together, are really a value only to national advertisers of mass appeal products soft drinks are the classic example. Perhaps the only time of day when overall popularity really matters to us listeners is 6-10 a.

when we all have to cope with weather, traffic and MBTA a need to know how the Celtics by extensive advertising campaigns, these cheaply-made movies usually depend on cheap thrills and cheap gimmicks to sell a sordid product. Sam Arkoff, former president of American International Pictures and the master of manipulating the motorcycle gang and beach party movies of the '60s, always claimed his films were "junk movies for kids who don't care what they see so long as they see it in a The mood has changed since Arkoff day. Today, some exploiters think they're artists. Take "Vice Squad," one of the sleaziest junk movies to hit Boston in years. The story's about a cop chasing a pimp on the streets of Los Angeles.

That's it. Yet, the publicity material Insists that "not since 'Midnight Cowboy' has a motion picture tackled such a devastating and controversial subject matter." The filmmakers here exploit women but producer Sandy Howard puts it differently, "Once I heard the stories, met the pimps, hookers and cops Damn, I knew we had more than a documentary! We had a human drama that had to be told." In other words, nothing sells worse than documentaries and nothing sells better than sex and violence. The remainder of the publicity material is filled with the self-serving, hypocritical pronouncements of terrible filmmakers trying to make their junk movie seem like a national treasure. For example: "We wanted the project to have a purpose," said Howard. "Young girls throughout this country see a glamorized concept of the Hollywood hooker.

(But) with the harsh authenticity of 'Vice Squad' we hope to discourage them from coming here and pursuing that type of life." Why did they make the film? "The reason is simple, yet complex." said Howard, without explanation. Apparently, the simple reason was money and the complex reason was lots of money. V. "If this, film can give just one young kid second thoughts about turning to such a life, we will have accomplished our purpose." Howard must be a charter member of the "Light Just One Little Candle Film Fraternity." Their motto Is if everyone lit Just one little candle and went to see their movie they'd all be rich. Next time you make a sleazy movie, Sandy, don't give us any of your moral junk.

Just leave it up on the screen with the prostltutei who's killed with a coat hanger.tr'' Michael Blouien 00 04 a 8 05 Sw mi in i i ift Miimiiiiwii iiMMimi)iiiiiiirawwifflii'tirtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiff JAMIE HOGAN 12.4. WXKS is in third at 11. And if we break down the ratings for that age group by time of day, we find WBCN building a substantial lead all day. while WCOZ beats WXKS by a whisker at night with WBCN a close third. WROR-FM (98.5).

WEEI-FM (103.3) and WVBF-FM (105.7) follow, with the top-rated AM station being WHDH in seventh in that-age group, significantly ahead of WBZ In did, or whether the nation's any closer to war or the city to bankruptcy or whatever. In this survey, WBZ-AM (1030). which spent a lot of money advertising Dave Maynard's "Mayriard in the Morning" show, edged past Jess Cain on WHDH-AM (850) in that time slot for the first time in a year. All-news WEEI-AM was-third, imti tfietf 'further Ba'ck' and close together, were WCOZ-FM (94.5), bottom pf Jh.e-.Hub. ffyeAlarse.