1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: Podcast play around celebrating the holidays with the Taken a 2 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: Walk podcast and celebrating are radio friends. It's a beautiful 3 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,960 Speaker 1: day in Central Park to take a walk with a friend. 4 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: A radio broadcast legend, Mark Chernoff, give me your best 5 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: Scott Muni story that typifies what a grand persona mister 6 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,239 Speaker 1: Muni was. Fats was, well, it was just it was 7 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: really just truly amazing learning all the stuff I learned 8 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: from him, getting to spend the time with him. He 9 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: was a real character and he would tell stories that 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: I really can't tell about some of the record guys 11 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: he hung out with, and about the people he knew, 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: and just you know, he and John Lennon had their 13 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: last child. Tiffany was Scott's last kid, and obviously John 14 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: Yoko had shown and they were at the same hospital 15 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: at the same time, and the two of them, Scott 16 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: would tell stories about, oh, yeah, the two of you 17 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: are smoking in the hallway waiting for the birth of 18 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: our kids, because in those days they didn't let the 19 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: men in. So the kids were born I think on 20 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: the same day or within a few hours. I don't 21 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 1: know all the timing of the day, but you know, 22 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 1: after John was assassinated. The way Scott remembered him was 23 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: every day when he signed on in those days he 24 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: was doing two to five, it was always started the 25 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:36,759 Speaker 1: show with a couple of either Beatles tracks or John 26 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: solo tracks. And you know I gave Q one O 27 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: four the rock station New York for a lot of credit. 28 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: Maria Malito does the midday show and they and Scott 29 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: went for the last year that he was working because 30 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: anyw had changed by then he was over Q and 31 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: O four and they still to this day remember Scott 32 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: and played a couple of Beatles tracks they do and 33 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: at noon every day. I love that Ken Da Buzz. 34 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: It's great to see you again. Brings back so many 35 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: great memories of working with you. My first job my 36 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: friends were delivering pizza in Brooklyn, getting three dollars an hour, 37 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: And at nineteen I got my first radio job, doing 38 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: weekends at Excel Country in Newton, New Jersey, which was 39 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: seventy six miles away. So in my sixty nine cutlass 40 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: whose phenometer had broken it a quarter of a million 41 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 1: miles and burned about fifty to fifty gas and oil, 42 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: I got a dollar seventy six an hour for a 43 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 1: five hour show. So I don't know about these youngsters 44 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: today buzz, but if you've totally gas tolls and if 45 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: I bought a sandwich, I was pretty much losing five 46 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 1: dollars a show. But I'm nineteen and I'm in. I'm 47 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,519 Speaker 1: on the air, I mean paid to be a disc jockey. 48 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: I don't know anything about country music, but I'm cousin 49 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: can excel country and I did. Please welcome Greg Hill 50 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 1: that it was great to see you. Yeah, thanks for 51 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: taking a look. I loved Larry Glick. I loved radio. 52 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: I loved I listened to WBCN. I was really into music. 53 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,399 Speaker 1: I was into the music that BCN played, not necessarily 54 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 1: into the music that AF played at the time. And 55 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: so we had a room off my house in Stowe 56 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: where I grew up, which was like an old garage 57 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: room essentially, and I went out at paper Root. I 58 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: went out and saved all my paper Root money bought 59 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: myself two turntables, and I would go out and buy 60 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: I went to the the Woolworths which was in Maynard 61 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: every week and bought the top twenty forty five's, the 62 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: songs that were that were popular. And I would go 63 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: every day after school and legitimately do a radio show 64 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: in that room which no one was listening to, and 65 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: it was a great place to make mistakes, figure out 66 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: kind of what my like, you know, what my style 67 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: was going to be when nobody was listening. Yeah, and 68 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: you know, as I at times during my career there 69 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: were only two or three more people listening that were 70 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: listening in the garage. So the one the only Matt 71 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: Siegel Charles Lockwidera, So, do you remember the first time 72 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: that you interviewed for a radio job and where was that? 73 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 1: I never interviewed for a radio job. Never. No, I 74 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: don't think so. I think when you got your first job, 75 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 1: did you you didn't have to interview. No. My buddy 76 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: owned a theater in Hollywood, and he was he had 77 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: a part time job as a disc jockey at KPPC 78 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: in Pasadena, California, And this was I was in We 79 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: were in Hollywood with and he said, Hey, Charles, do 80 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: you I want to come into the station with me? 81 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,479 Speaker 1: And I was doing some work with I was writing 82 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 1: a play at the time. I said, no, Dave, I'm 83 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:09,920 Speaker 1: really He said, come on, take a break, come on 84 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: with me. So I went into the station with him. 85 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,720 Speaker 1: He was playing jazz. I was watching him, and he 86 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 1: had me sit in at the console with him and 87 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:21,360 Speaker 1: do that stuff. And he said, by the way, he said, 88 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 1: they're they're looking for somebody to do a classical music 89 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: piece called the Sunday Night Opera of the Air. Do 90 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: you know anything about opera? And I said yeah, I said, 91 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: I like classical music. I said, I don't know you 92 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: know that much about it. But he said, anyway, you 93 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: should just brush up on your opera and I'll tell 94 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:44,080 Speaker 1: him I've got somebody to do a thing. So I 95 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 1: just went in and one night and the engineer showed 96 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 1: me how to work the pots. I think they called 97 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: him the sliders or whatever those were. Then I got 98 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: to write up in the passing in the Star News 99 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:58,280 Speaker 1: by their music critic. He says something like I still 100 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 1: have a copy of it, something like, you know, in 101 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: this world of classical music, when the announcers are so proper, 102 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: along comes an aspiring actor named Charles Lacuedera, who talks 103 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: like somebody you'd know on the streets, somebody who finally 104 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: we have an ordinary human being, you know, one of us. Anyway, 105 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: he gave me a great write up, and so there 106 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 1: was that, and then the station I was working at 107 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 1: changed from classical to rock and roll. That was when 108 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: the underground stations took over all the classical stations YEP, 109 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: back up in San Francisco, in LA in Boston, so 110 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:36,880 Speaker 1: here I was. Now the station that I was working 111 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: for was a classical station changed to a rock and 112 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: roll station, and they kept me on because I was 113 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: you know, I was cheap labor. I was two bucks 114 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: an hour, so I would and I didn't know that 115 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: much about rock and roll. I didn't know that much 116 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:51,119 Speaker 1: about classical music. I was trying to be an actor, 117 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: so I just mixed it up together, you know, mixed up. 118 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 1: I play rock, mineing off and just you know, follow 119 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: that with the Beatles or something like that. And then anyway, 120 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: when I came from California, I came back here to 121 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: my home in Milford to take a few weeks break, 122 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: and I heard this station called WBCN. I called him 123 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: up and I said, hey, you guys are great. What's 124 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: going on me? And he said, oh, well, you know 125 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 1: and I and you know, he asked me who I was, 126 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: and I said, Charles, Oh, you're the crazy bastord that 127 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: plays rock and roll in classical music. He said, come 128 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 1: on into the station, and in BCN was looking for 129 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: somebody because Peter Wolfe was there. I guess mid morning 130 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: DJ or night GJ, and he was leaving and they 131 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:37,760 Speaker 1: needed somebody to play him. So I lucked out and 132 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: I got a job. I'm Richie Ballsba. I started Kiss 133 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: one to Wait in Boston in nineteen seventy eight, the 134 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 1: founder of Pyramid Radio. I've been in the radio business, 135 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 1: or was in the radio business for a long time. 136 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: I wanted Luther Vanrows more than anything for the Kiss concert. 137 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: So I meet Luther and Luther's got right away. He's 138 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: got such attitude. So I said, Luther, look, what would 139 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: it take for you to play the Kiss concert? And 140 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 1: he said, I'll play the kids concert if you get 141 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: the Boston Pops to be my backup man. I went 142 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: into the lobby and I called Keith Locker and he goes, 143 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: when is the date of it? And I tell him. 144 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: He goes, well, we'll do that. So I walked back 145 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: to Luther with the phone and I handed the phone. 146 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: It's Keith Lockhart saying that they'll play the kids concert. 147 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: Luther could not get out of it, taking a Walk 148 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:26,239 Speaker 1: with Buzznight is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 149 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts.