WEBVTT - Cousin Brucie 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:12.280 Welcome, Welcome, Welcome back to the Bob left That's Podcast. 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:16.960 My guest this week is truly alleged the soundtrack of 0:00:17.040 --> 0:00:22.040 my growing up, the one and only cousin Brucing. Thank you, 0:00:22.079 --> 0:00:26.120 what a lovely introduction. Well so nice to not only 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:29.640 hear you, right, but also to see you. A pleasure, 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:32.080 and thank you so much for the invitation. Really do 0:00:32.159 --> 0:00:34.880 appreciate it. I gotta tell you what a huge influencial. 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:36.360 I mean, I'm sure you know you hear this all 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:39.159 the time, but when I went to college, I had 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:42.560 a radio show and I immediately called myself cousin Bobby. 0:00:42.880 --> 0:00:46.000 And there are people to this day who say, hey, couse, 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:49.800 so this is not something you know that I'm blowing smoke. 0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:53.040 This is a real thing. So were you always Brucy? No, 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:57.440 My parents at time, especially when they needed a babysitter 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:01.080 I couldn't get one, had other names for me. I 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:03.279 don't want to say what they were, but yeah, it's 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:06.720 my name is Brucey. It's always been brucy. Yeah. And 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:08.640 so when you've been on the radio, from the moment 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:12.240 you're on radio, was also brucy. Yeah. Well no that's 0:01:12.240 --> 0:01:16.200 not true. No, my real name is Bruce Morrow. Most thing, 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:19.440 most people think my name is Bruce Cousins. You see, 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:22.200 they think my last name is Cousin. Uh No, it's 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:26.440 but it's Bruce Morrow. I got my name actually. Uh. 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:28.479 I was on W Y and S in New York City. 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:30.360 Were like, here a nice story. It's kind of a 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:33.280 fun story. It's it's fun. Uh. So I'm in the 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:37.280 studio and uh security guarden. Those days we were allowed 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:39.320 to have people come up. We didn't think they were 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:43.400 gonna come inteer the radio station. So so he brings 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:46.640 in this a little silver haired lady. She walks and 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:48.600 he says, Mr Tomorrow, is this all right? To bring 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:52.000 her in? I said this, pre cousin Brucy, and uh, 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:54.040 I said, please bring her in. I love people. I 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:56.480 like people. She owed me open the door and it's 0:01:56.520 --> 0:02:00.960 little silver haired, twinkly eyed lady walks in. She locks 0:02:01.000 --> 0:02:03.920 on my eyes immediately, Bob cousin, Bob, if i'm me, 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:08.160 when somebody locks on eyes like I'm doing to yours 0:02:08.480 --> 0:02:12.960 right now, whether we're we're on the screen, um, they 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:16.000 get you. That's the big secret of life. When you 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:18.880 want to talk to somebody, you want something luck on 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:21.720 their eyes, not they knows, not them. I'll hit the 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:24.240 eyes immediately. So she locks on my eyes and she 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:27.720 says to me, quote, excuse me, uh, sir. And I 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:30.360 knew she didn't know who I was. She wasn't sitting 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:33.880 hearing Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis or anybody else. She 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:37.760 said to me, do you believe her overlated? And I said, oh, 0:02:37.840 --> 0:02:42.400 I'm a Brooklyn kid, so I know somebody's after something. Money, money, money, money, 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:45.160 So I said, yes, I do believe her overlated. And 0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:48.080 I do believe that Bob all right somewhere along the line, 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:52.840 and she said, well, listen, I'm broke. And I said, 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.040 hold on one second, man, and I queue up my record. 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:57.280 And those days we played these little black things with 0:02:57.400 --> 0:02:59.639 holes in them, and I used to queue up a record. 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:02.280 We didn't have any digital starts or anything. And I 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:05.400 said okay. She said, well, cousin, i'm broke. Let me 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:08.120 fifty cents to get home. And I looked at her 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:10.240 and she had these smiling eyes, and I said, sure, 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:14.520 I gave a fifty cents, right, And she said, thanks, cousin, 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.760 talk to you. She leaves. I never see her again 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:20.680 that night in the Brooklyn Battery tunnel. I lived in Brooklyn, 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:22.480 and those days I was on the way home, and 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:27.400 in the middle of that tunnel I hear cousin, cousin, 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:30.760 cousin brucie. That's it. I got it. I got my stick, 0:03:31.080 --> 0:03:34.320 I got my handle. The next morning, I go in 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:36.880 and I speak to the program director, and he says, 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:40.120 are you crazy? You can't goin to the cousin bruci 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:42.360 There is the big apple man. This is New York City. 0:03:42.520 --> 0:03:46.280 This is not Fargo, this is not Morgantown, West Virginia. 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:49.200 This is New York City. Forget it, I said, sir, 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:51.280 let me ask you something. When you were a kid 0:03:51.480 --> 0:03:53.720 not so long ago, I was small enough to say 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:55.440 that to him, to butt them up a little bit. 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:57.160 Who did you like to go to Didn't you like 0:03:57.280 --> 0:03:59.680 to go to your homes of your cousins. They had 0:03:59.720 --> 0:04:01.920 the best toys, and your aunt and uncle will always 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:04.920 treat you nice with food and snacks. He said, yeuh, 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:08.040 all right, he said, I'll tell you what, kid, do 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:11.680 this sparingly tonight. Don't overdo it, because if you overdo it, 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:14.960 you're gonna be in trouble deep Well, that night, Bob 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:17.159 I went on the air. I don't think there was 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:19.080 more than three and a half words that went by 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:22.880 without me saying because I cousin them. I even wanted 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:25.800 to the bathroom. My cousin dom I did everything. I 0:04:25.839 --> 0:04:28.680 didn't stop. That next morning, at six o'clock, I get 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:32.680 a call. It's the program director and he says to me, Bruce, 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:38.640 I said, yes, get your posterior midsection in here, quick, 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:42.200 get it in here. Now you're in trouble. I got scared, stiff. 0:04:42.240 --> 0:04:44.560 I called my father. Now, I've never been fired. I 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:46.560 thought maybe he would hit me, and this guy would 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:48.240 smack me or something. I didn't know what they were 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:50.159 gonna do. So my dad goes in with me. He 0:04:50.200 --> 0:04:52.800 was a street smart guy, grew up in East New York, 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:56.240 and uh, we're going together and Leeds says to me, 0:04:56.279 --> 0:04:59.679 sit over the airpirs and I'm scared stiff. My father says, 0:04:59.720 --> 0:05:02.440 next his desk and says, well, what's the problem. He said, 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:04.800 I told your son not to overdo it, and I'm 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:07.480 gonna tell you something. He didn't stop last night. The cousin. 0:05:08.240 --> 0:05:10.200 I said, well, is that okay? He says, I want 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:13.919 to show you something, and then it's funny. He opens 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:15.720 It wasn't funny at that. He opens his desk raw 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:19.960 and he pulls out hundreds of yellow envelopes, hundreds, and 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:22.680 they're spilling off his hands all over his desk. Now, 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:26.680 these yellow envelopes were precursor to the email crieze, right, 0:05:26.800 --> 0:05:30.560 They were called Western Union telegrams. He received hundreds of 0:05:30.600 --> 0:05:34.960 Western Union telegrams wanting cousin Brucy. So my father smartly says, well, 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:37.360 what's wrong with that? Says I told him about too. 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:40.039 I'm firing him on the spot. So my father looks 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:42.000 at him and he says, but I'm gonna put him 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:46.320 on a seven year contract immediately. Cousin, cousin bry That's 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:49.359 a long story, but Cousin Brucy was born Bob. Okay, 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:51.960 that's okay. You are such a character. You know a 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:55.000 lot of people they're on mike or they're on stage, 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:58.359 personality is totally different. But we got on and you 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:01.680 were immediately Cousin Brucy. No, there is no you know, 0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:04.839 can I tell you something? Maybe I shouldn't say this, 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:07.640 you can. You're gonna tell everybody. I'm told that. You 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:09.440 you tell what you want to tell, which is good, 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:12.480 so do I There was no cousin Brucey. It's Bruce. 0:06:12.520 --> 0:06:16.880 It's Bruce, Bruce Morrow. Bruce Morrow is cousin Bruci. There 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:20.640 is no comic character. It's me. What can I tell you? 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:24.440 I sleep this way, I talk of my sleep this way. 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:26.480 I go to the bathroom this way, I take showers, 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:30.040 I get up and I'm me. Now. Am I unhappy 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:33.240 at times? Oh? Yeah, yeah, I'm just like everybody else. 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:36.359 I have my moments, but generally I'm a pretty happy camper. 0:06:36.640 --> 0:06:40.320 I love life, and Bob, I love what I am doing. 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:46.240 Underline bold underline, I love what I'm doing. I'm happy. Okay. 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:52.640 So you grew up in Brooklyn? Yes? What I hesitated? Yes? Okay? 0:06:52.800 --> 0:06:56.479 And were your parents were they born in America? Yes? 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:59.599 My parents were born in America. My grandparents one was 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:03.160 via these huh, that's why I walked so well, I guess, 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:07.719 and my grandma was Russian. My parents were both born here. Yes. 0:07:08.080 --> 0:07:12.440 And what did your parents or your do for a living? Well? 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:18.360 My father, uh stole automobile caps, caps and my dad 0:07:18.440 --> 0:07:23.000 was in the garment business. He manufactured and designed children's clothing. 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:27.160 And my mother was a Brooklyn housewife, took care of 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:30.240 the family, shopped and she was terrific, never really had 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:35.160 an occupation. My dad was the breadwinner, the right breadwinner. 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:38.119 And then how many kids in the family, my brother 0:07:38.160 --> 0:07:42.680 and myself, And which one is older? Well, I'm younger, 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:46.520 but he's he's younger. And explain it. Now you figured 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:49.880 out out. I said, I'm younger, but he's younger. Oh, 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:52.040 I got it, now, I got I have heard it first. 0:07:52.440 --> 0:07:56.000 What what does his life look like? Well, Bobby was 0:07:56.280 --> 0:07:59.520 in marketing. My brother, Bob's in marketing. He's I guess 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:03.600 SMI tired. Now he's down in Florida. See, I don't 0:08:03.640 --> 0:08:08.000 have the word retired him of my vocabulary. I refuse. 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:10.240 I don't like the what I call the R word. 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:13.560 I believe, as long as you have energy and you 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:17.080 have desire, and you have an enjoyment of what you're doing, 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:19.400 you should do it. You should do it. I mean, 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:22.040 if you can't get out of bed, you are having 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:24.720 a problem. That's another story. But I speak to people 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:26.760 all the time on the air who should not be 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:31.240 retired their board and they're angry there, hustile, And I 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:35.400 don't believe people should retire unless they absolutely after. Now, 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:37.840 weren't there moments though, when you were not on the 0:08:37.920 --> 0:08:41.000 air you were on the business side of it. Yes, 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:44.240 I think you've done some research. I'm getting a feeling 0:08:44.960 --> 0:08:47.360 I really hadn't. I said, I know your story, you know, 0:08:47.400 --> 0:08:50.800 because I know I know Bob Sherman, a friend of mine, 0:08:50.800 --> 0:08:52.760 hooked me up with him. And then of course you 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:56.400 work with Stiller men, so you know, said you're an 0:08:56.440 --> 0:09:00.240 on air guy. I was wondering what motivated you, how 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:03.040 you felt when you were not in front of a mic. Yeah, 0:09:03.080 --> 0:09:06.160 well I was never really through not being in front 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:10.160 of a mic. Um. I became a businessman. Bob Silliman 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:12.360 and I and we lost him about a year or 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:16.040 so ago, and uh, he and I formed the Silliman 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:19.800 Morrow Broadcast Group, and we bought radio stations and a 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:23.120 couple of television stations. And I used to fly in 0:09:23.240 --> 0:09:27.080 a twin engine something or other um lego, I don't 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:29.320 know what it was. And we had a pilot and 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:32.240 he fly me to different my different radio stations with Bob, 0:09:32.679 --> 0:09:35.040 and every day I'd be in a different market, I'd 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:36.960 go on the air, and then after the year I'd 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:40.760 go sell because you know, people love to meet characters 0:09:40.800 --> 0:09:44.240 like us. They enjoyed people in you know, the business wheel. 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:47.400 They enjoy you know, saying hey, how you doing, price 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:50.040 heard you last night? They get a kick out of it. 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:53.000 So I used to fly to different markets almost every day. 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:55.959 I did that for about seven years. We we guarded 0:09:56.000 --> 0:10:00.400 about well seven major radio stations. It became any more 0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:04.200 than that a couple of television stations. And I enjoyed 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:06.600 it very much. I used to sit and I do 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:09.480 my shows on each station that I sit in the office, 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.480 and the kids would come in or pardon me for saying, kids, 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:14.280 but these are the people who were for me young 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:17.160 using young guys or gals, and they sit with me 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:20.280 and they'd make exchooses. Why I caught him making a mistake, 0:10:21.080 --> 0:10:23.080 and I'd look him in the eye. This is Brucey 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:26.719 now in his jacket and a tie, which is not me, 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:30.280 and I'd say, no, listen, don't try to bowld me. 0:10:30.400 --> 0:10:33.080 I invented what you're telling me. Don't tell me, don't 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:36.000 tell me that that's my story. I invent that stuff. 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:37.760 So that is what I want you to do. I 0:10:37.800 --> 0:10:40.360 want you to make your mistakes. Feel good about that. 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:43.320 But Lord help you if you do it again, I 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:46.000 want you to correct your mistakes. So I became a 0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:49.240 business executive and after a while, I don't know, I 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:53.400 just didn't didn't enjoy it. I missed my microphones. So 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:55.600 I continued doing a lot of Michael and work on 0:10:55.640 --> 0:10:59.000 our own radio stations, selling and and they're going on 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:03.120 the air. And then day Joe McCoy and Rod Coraco, 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:06.760 these are two executives at CBSFM, called me and he 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:09.720 said to me, you know, Bruce, because it's time to 0:11:09.760 --> 0:11:12.360 come home, time to come home to New York. And 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:14.720 I said, well, I can I own a d radio 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:18.800 stations and some television properties. I have some problems. She says, no, 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:21.320 you gotta come home. So they came out. They came 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:24.320 out to my station and Randolph, New Jersey, and we 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:27.600 found a little sandwich shop and we sat down and 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:30.520 we talked. And of course it didn't take much to 0:11:30.559 --> 0:11:33.200 sell me. I'm a sucker. I mean, I'm an easy mark. 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:38.360 I really missed being on the air. And they talked me. Oh, 0:11:38.440 --> 0:11:41.280 actually maybe I talked to him. I said maybe, how 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:44.199 about once a week? No, that's so much, how about 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:46.200 once a month? So I did it for a once 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:49.360 a month on CBS FM. The once a month became 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:53.160 twice a month, thrice a month, and then quadruple a month, 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:55.560 and I just fell in love with it again. And 0:11:55.559 --> 0:11:59.200 then Bob and I, after a while we decided to sell. 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:01.360 It was during the DEAs to believe, when it was 0:12:01.360 --> 0:12:03.800 still time to sell. That's why you see me smile, 0:12:03.880 --> 0:12:05.560 by the way. I know I've got to ask you 0:12:05.600 --> 0:12:08.760 that next. That's why I'm still a character. Let me 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:12.080 tell you we did knock Wood very very well, and uh, 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:14.960 you know, just everything worked out for me. But my 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:18.840 love from broadcasting, I believe is the most important part 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.680 of my life. I love what I do. I really 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:24.480 adore this audience. And when I get on the mic, 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:27.920 Bob Hope, I'm not answering all your questions, but when 0:12:28.000 --> 0:12:31.560 you I get on the microphone, I feel them. I'm 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:35.760 not talking through a mic right now. Uh, this blue 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:40.079 white Snowbird or whatever it's called. I'm talking directly to 0:12:40.200 --> 0:12:44.000 people at their homes. I know that I'm in bed 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:47.040 with people. I know that I'm showering with people. I 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:49.760 know that I'm taking a bathroom people, I'm shopping, I'm 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:53.360 in cars, I'm just walking with people. And I feel it. 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:55.839 I feel in my in my heart, I feel it 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:59.040 in my gut, and it comes across. I forget where 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:01.400 I am. I forget that them in a studio. That's 0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:05.320 always the sentiser things and wires and all kinds of 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:09.439 glass between me. It doesn't matter. I'm at home. I'm 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:12.280 very much at home. Now. I'm not gonna answer the 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:14.280 next question. Let me see you answer it, because I 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:17.000 want to continue on this. Okay, Well, you know you're 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:20.319 doing telling great stories. But do you need the audience 0:13:20.360 --> 0:13:23.840 to complete you? Or without the audience, do you feel 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:27.720 like something is missing and you get depressed. Well, I 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:29.800 need an audience, There's no doubt about it. I have 0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:32.559 to feel the audience. Now, how do you feel an audience? 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:35.840 I mean, that's something that God's God given. It's something 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:38.480 that's in my soul. It's in my heart. I know 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:44.360 they're they're obviously the physical reaction telephones, emails now right 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:49.360 and uh, twitters and twitters and modyrs whatever they're doing today. 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:52.240 But I know the audience is there because as soon 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:56.120 as I say something, there is a physical reaction. But 0:13:56.280 --> 0:14:00.200 besides that, quite wait, a physical reaction in you, No 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:03.480 physical reaction from the audience to me, I mean, you 0:14:03.520 --> 0:14:07.600 see it, the screens light up, the telephones light up. Uh. 0:14:07.640 --> 0:14:09.880 I'll tell you something I'm very proud of and maybe 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:12.360 you'll get a kick out of this. I broke the 0:14:12.440 --> 0:14:16.960 telephone system last Saturday. I love that and I always 0:14:16.960 --> 0:14:18.640 say that to be but come on, call me, let's 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:21.720 break the system. It broke. We had an overload. It 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:25.240 was wonderful years ago when I was a w ABC. 0:14:25.320 --> 0:14:28.440 You know I left w ABC. Oh gosh, my forty 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:31.320 six years ago. Last time I was on besides now 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:35.120 and uh, we used today threatened to shut down the system, 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:39.360 the telephone system. I'd say bi monthly, every time I'm on, 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:42.840 I'd get telephone calls and then sometimes will be the 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:46.360 surge and it would break down the exchange today, Today's today. 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:48.800 You don't have to break down exchange, but systems do 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:52.200 get into ill repair, and they did that last Saturday. 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:55.760 So the question, the answer is I feel them because 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:59.640 I have a physical field telephones, emails, etcetera. And I 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.280 know this. I know this in my body. I can 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:09.080 feel it. Yes, But do you need it to complete you? Yes? Absolutely. 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:12.280 I am happy as when I have an audience. I 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:15.680 love being on the stage. I'm a ham I love it. 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:19.000 I love the feeling. I like the feeling of making 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:22.440 people happy. I know they smile. Some people probably get 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:23.960 mad at me, and why don't they say I wanted 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:26.600 to be quiet? Knock it off. I know that. But 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:32.080 of the people are loving what they're hearing, I'm I'm 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:35.480 reaching them. I'm crossing that bridge. So it makes me happy. 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:37.160 I love to be in front of an audience on 0:15:37.240 --> 0:15:41.280 the stage show. I love doing Broadway. I love live television, 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:44.280 but my favorite is what we're doing now. I love 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:46.840 being on the air. I like I like my radio. 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.720 I love I love doing talk shows. You know my shows, Bob, 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:53.720 there's all with one breath. You know that right since 0:15:53.760 --> 0:16:00.800 you started, uh, my shows have changed amazingly. UH. When 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:04.360 I first started, obviously, it was very mechanical. I was 0:16:04.360 --> 0:16:07.800 in Bermuda, my first job when I graduated from New 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:10.680 York University, where I founded the radio station. By the way, 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:14.000 I went to Bermuda, I sent out my uh my demos. 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:16.640 So I spent the yuran Bermuda, and I came back 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:19.320 and had different jobs and became a producer and everything. 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:22.280 But when I went on the Era, the old days 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:29.760 w ABC and even CBSFM. It was really UH music, news, weather, 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:35.560 I did jingles, I did uh telephoned, uh exchanges, but 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:40.400 I it wasn't really a talk tipe show. It has evolved. 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:45.560 It has metamorphized, metamorphis sisto to bed word and to 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:47.920 uh you let it that I know you won't, but 0:16:48.040 --> 0:16:52.360 it's okay. Uh. It has changed into a variety show today. 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:56.120 It is no longer UH music, time and weather. It 0:16:56.240 --> 0:17:00.200 is now brucie and variety and music and people want 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:03.400 to hear ideas. The audience of you has become so 0:17:04.080 --> 0:17:09.520 amazingly hyper sophisticated that they demand certain content and playing 0:17:09.680 --> 0:17:13.640 records as a jukebox is not enough, and giving him 0:17:13.640 --> 0:17:16.200 a weather break once in a while with a temperature 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:19.360 reading is not enough. They want to hear ideas, They 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:22.400 want to hear other people. They want to hear exchanges 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:25.960 like you do. You are a communicator. I have become 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:28.880 a communicator and I'm very proud of that. I love 0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:33.040 to talk and the the connection I have and is 0:17:33.080 --> 0:17:37.480 a big word with me. Connection capital c underlined. My 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:41.720 bold with my audience is amazing. What has developed over 0:17:41.760 --> 0:17:44.919 the past many years. So I have this connection, and 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:47.760 I've learned how to use it. Well, it was easy 0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:50.760 for me to learn because it's me. Okay, let's go 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:52.840 back to Brooklyn. What kind of kid were you? You 0:17:53.000 --> 0:17:54.879 are a loner? Were you the leader of the band? 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:58.400 You remember the group? Well, I'm gonna shock you now, 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:01.360 maybe not. You probably know this. I was a shy kid. 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:04.840 I was always kind of a semi leader because I 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:07.679 was always big. I was always the tallest in my class, 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:10.840 or one of them. Anyhow, I was kind of shy 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:14.240 in class. I would make a deal with the teacher 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:16.560 not to call me. I get my bees and my 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:19.320 cs C plus is, but I didn't want to stand 0:18:19.400 --> 0:18:21.800 up in front of class. I was shyny. I was 0:18:21.840 --> 0:18:25.960 a very shy kid. One day, a very astute teacher, 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:29.360 my English teacher, Mrs fry Lesher, and I believe it's 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:31.719 a PS two oh six in Brooklyn, New York. I 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:35.560 love that love that school asked me to try out 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:39.159 for a hygiene play. Now, you're probably too young to 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:42.040 remember the word hygiene. Not that you don't have hygiene. 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:44.480 I didn't say that, said don't go after me, right, 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:47.760 I didn't say that. We used to have hygiene plays. 0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:51.080 Because in those days we couldn't have sex education. It 0:18:51.160 --> 0:18:54.480 was not permitted the word high sex, or maybe it 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:57.880 was education. So we had hygiene place and one day 0:18:57.920 --> 0:19:01.000 I did Finally she convinced me to try out, and 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:06.920 I won the part of a cavity. Are you laughing 0:19:06.960 --> 0:19:10.399 at me? All right? I won the part of that part. Yeah, 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:12.600 And it's a good line. A lot of people still 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:15.159 think I am one. And I was on that stage 0:19:15.160 --> 0:19:17.240 that day. You let't forget it. This is in my 0:19:17.320 --> 0:19:20.040 heart and my body. And they had me dressed up 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:22.560 as a big tooth with a black spot somewhere in 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:26.000 the top, and I sang something like, uh, I never 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:28.760 brushed my teeth. Amy doesn't let me brush my teeth, 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:31.399 you know, I kind of think. And something happened to 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:33.600 me on the on the stage that day. I looked 0:19:33.600 --> 0:19:37.040 out of a little window, you know, the window that 0:19:37.119 --> 0:19:40.800 bad tooth, and I saw the audience laughing, and I 0:19:40.880 --> 0:19:43.600 felt the heat and the warmth of the audience coming 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:46.800 at me. I never stopped. I never stopped from that 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:48.879 day because I knew this is what I wanted to do. 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:53.560 I stopped my Uh, I was gonna maybe study medicine, right, 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:56.439 I was maybe gonna become I didn't know about being 0:19:56.480 --> 0:19:58.760 an astronaut, but I wanted to be a pilot. I 0:19:58.840 --> 0:20:02.480 never thought of this, and on that stage, the heat 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:06.199 and warmth and reception of that audience, I realized what 0:20:06.240 --> 0:20:08.000 I was going to do for the rest of my life. 0:20:08.400 --> 0:20:10.719 And here where we are today. Yeah, so you were 0:20:10.720 --> 0:20:13.439 in high school? Were you in the school plays? Yeah? 0:20:13.680 --> 0:20:16.920 Doing school plays and what he called public school too, 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:19.160 as I said, PS. Two six. So I started really 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:22.479 in elementary school, and then I graduated to high school. 0:20:22.640 --> 0:20:25.040 And while I was in high school, I wanted to 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:28.360 audition to what they call the Old City Radio Workshop, 0:20:28.640 --> 0:20:31.359 and that's where my radio career really started. Well, but well, 0:20:31.440 --> 0:20:34.080 let's let's slow down for a second. Since you love 0:20:34.160 --> 0:20:37.399 the heat of the audience, did you contemplate going the 0:20:37.520 --> 0:20:40.159 Broadway or being in the movies or was it always 0:20:40.280 --> 0:20:44.240 radio now? At one time, I always like radio because 0:20:44.280 --> 0:20:46.480 it was fun. It seemed to be an easier way 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:50.120 of life. But I went to drama school. My girlfriend's 0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:52.439 mother convinced me to go to drama school, and I 0:20:52.520 --> 0:20:56.080 was going to become an actor. I enjoyed being on 0:20:56.119 --> 0:20:59.640 the stage, and I realized pretty quickly that I don't 0:20:59.640 --> 0:21:02.560 think an actor's life was for me high didda e 0:21:02.640 --> 0:21:06.080 d No, it was not for me. Uh. When I 0:21:06.119 --> 0:21:10.000 got to the last part of high elementary school, radio 0:21:10.440 --> 0:21:13.680 and television pointed its way to me. It was pretty 0:21:13.680 --> 0:21:16.520 obvious what I wanted to do. Okay, So you're talking 0:21:16.560 --> 0:21:20.440 about the All City all see the Radio Workshop in Brooklyn, 0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:23.200 New York or the New York City Board of Education 0:21:23.280 --> 0:21:25.919 system they used to have. I hope they still have 0:21:26.000 --> 0:21:28.280 it because this is where I got my education, really 0:21:28.400 --> 0:21:32.119 honestly and everything. I won the audition and I stayed 0:21:32.160 --> 0:21:34.359 with them for about three and a half years. This 0:21:34.600 --> 0:21:37.040 they had their own radio station. It was called w 0:21:37.280 --> 0:21:40.359 n y E FM w n y E f M, 0:21:40.600 --> 0:21:43.960 and it was housed in studios at Brooklyn Technical High 0:21:43.960 --> 0:21:46.960 School downtown Brooklyn, and I stayed there for three and 0:21:46.960 --> 0:21:49.919