Snyder Daily News
January 26, 1976
Bette Midler recently proved how much she appreciates good, honest criticism when she inserted her fist into a Los Angeles radio promoter’s eye.
What provoked the one-sided fisticuffs was his confession that he did not personally care for her latest album but would not object to airplay.
The record world is spinning over tales of how Bette Midler punched RKO radio programming chief Paul Drew in the face after a party in LA. Seems the divine Miss M “insisted””˜ Drew tells her his opinion of her new album and there are several versions of his reply
(1) He said he didn’t personally like it but wouldn’t keep it from airplay; (2) he said he didn’t like one specific song on it that Bette adores. Anyway, she didn’t like the reply, and ZAP!
(Mister D: I had always heard the story that the promoter disliked the song “Strangers In The Night” and laughed in her face and said how horrible it was. This debacle led to her songs being banned from RKO radio stations across the US. At the time, RKO owned about half the radio stations. I’m not sure how long the ban lasted, but it could explain why she had a hard time getting a hit for years to come.)
