1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk again sort of. One of my little 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: secrets of life is when you encourage talent genuinely, when 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: you really can look at someone's gifts and say, let 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: me help you, you know, or you can help me. 5 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: It's the old Tom Sawyer. Help me pay this fence 6 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:23,599 Speaker 1: is a lot more fun than here's five dollars you 7 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: paint the fence. I'll come back late. 8 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Taken a Walk Podcast, where Buzznight is 9 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 2: joined by a very special guest. Bob Rivers a true 10 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 2: radio legend, someone who's left an indelible mark on the 11 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 2: world of broadcasting in comedy. He's a Radio Hall of 12 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 2: Fame inductee, veteran radio personality, and a master of the 13 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 2: art of the parody song. If you ever laughed along 14 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 2: to his hilarious musical creations like the Twelve Pains of 15 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 2: Christmas or What If God Smoked Cannabis, you already know 16 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 2: the genius of Bob Rivers. With a career spanning more 17 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 2: than four decades, Bob made his name as a beloved 18 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 2: morning radio host in major markets like Worcester, mass Baltimore, 19 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 2: and Seattle, where the Bob Rivers Show became one of 20 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,679 Speaker 2: the most popular morning programs in the country. Bob Rivers 21 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 2: joins Buzz Night on this very special episode of the 22 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 2: Taken a Walk Podcast. 23 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 3: It's an honor to have Bob Rivers on the Take 24 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 3: Out a Walk Podcast. Hello, Bob, buzz Night. 25 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: This is this is like incredible that we are thousands 26 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: of miles apart, that you and I have you know, 27 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: met professionally a number of times over the years, and 28 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: here we are. Let's have an improvisational conversation and see 29 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 1: where it leads. And all I have to do is 30 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: push a button and we're in a television studio. Pretty wild, 31 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: isn't it when you think about where we began, you know, 32 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: with radio, those big giant transmitters, those big towel and 33 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: a picture. Oh, you got to call in the union 34 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: guys if you're going to have picture. 35 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 3: So what was the first moment you knew you wanted 36 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 3: to be connected with an audience and a community of people. 37 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:21,239 Speaker 1: Love the way you asked that, because the static way 38 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 1: to ask it is when did you know you wanted 39 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: to be on the radio? But you put it differently. 40 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: I wanted to be connected to an audience, and there 41 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: are two different answers. When I was about four or 42 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,959 Speaker 1: five years old. My mom had a four grand to 43 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:44,399 Speaker 1: Reno station wagon and we were a very dutiful Catholic 44 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: family in the sense that we kept having children and 45 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: birth control was not part of the mix. So I'm 46 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: the oldest of eight siblings, brothers and sisters. And back 47 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,959 Speaker 1: then when we would all pile into the car, there 48 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: were no seat belts, you know, there was no right 49 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: turn on red. There was kids into the car, and 50 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: I would go all the way back into the what 51 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: do you call the back of a station wagon the trunk. 52 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 1: It's not yeah, it's not the trunk, it's the it's 53 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: the place where kids get killed when they have an accident. 54 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: I forget the name of it. Anyway. So so I'm 55 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,799 Speaker 1: in the back of the car with brothers and sisters 56 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: and some neighbors kids. There's probably six kids. Very against 57 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: the law today, and the music is on the radio 58 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: and the song was She Loves You, Yeah, yeah, yeah. 59 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: The Beatles were singing. And also I remember I Want 60 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: to Hold Your Hand, two of the you know, the 61 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: greatest songs of all time. And by the way, and 62 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: now I realize I was in the demo of seven 63 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: people care about the demo of seven, but it didn't matter. 64 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: It was my most important part of my life was 65 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: discovering music. And while we were in the car and 66 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: singing along with the Beatles, I don't remember what I said, 67 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: but I said something funny and I got the whole 68 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 1: car full of kids to laugh. And I looked around 69 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: and I went, well, that sure is a good feeling. 70 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: I said something, and everybody's face lit up with joy 71 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: and smiled and laughed, and so I actually, you know, 72 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 1: I remember that specific moment as wouldn't it be great 73 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: if I could do this and got good at doing it? 74 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:42,720 Speaker 1: And you know, I'm six or seven years old or 75 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: four years old. I think it was closer to four, 76 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: because the second half of the answer to the question 77 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: happens at about six. And that was because I loved 78 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: radio so much. My grandfather, whose name was John F. Bruce, 79 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 1: He was politician, worked with Dwight Eisenhower on several important 80 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: races as a campaign helper. He also ran for office 81 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,239 Speaker 1: himself and lost. He's too nice a guy. Some thing's 82 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: never changed anyway. So he bought me a transistor radio. 83 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: And the transistor radio was one of those little plastic things. 84 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: Boy did they break easy, and it had a dial 85 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:38,479 Speaker 1: on the side that was connected to what we know 86 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: of as a capacitor. A capacitor was a tunable electronic 87 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:51,279 Speaker 1: component that would pick a frequency. And I started to wonder, 88 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: what's in this radio? What makes it work is you know, 89 00:05:53,839 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 1: you got wound coils, transformers, capacitors, resistors, and some how 90 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: these things connect to an antenna that puts you on 91 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: a frequency and connects you to someone who's transmitting on 92 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:12,719 Speaker 1: the other side. So and again, I'm the range here 93 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: is between four and seven years old, and these are 94 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: the things I'm thinking about as a kid. Anyway, I 95 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: the day he gave me the radio, he also gave 96 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: me a box of batteries. He said, your parents are 97 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 1: going to tell you turn that thing off. You'll waste 98 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,559 Speaker 1: the batteries. Here's a case of batteries. You have fun, 99 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:37,480 Speaker 1: you listen to the radio, and so I did, and 100 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,840 Speaker 1: at one point I called in to try and win 101 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: a contest and I got through. The radio station was 102 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: w a v Z, New Haven, Connecticut. It was a 103 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: Paul Drew. I think they had the Drake Jingles, more music, 104 00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: w av Z, you know all that stuff. And it 105 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: was my favorite radio station, And so all of a 106 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 1: sudden I found myself caller number thirteen and I had 107 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: to answer a trivia question. Back then, radio budgets were 108 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: actually I think we've come full circle there about what 109 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: they were back then. Back then the contest was called 110 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: phone booth. I forget, I forget the name of it, 111 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: but the point was you were in a phone booth 112 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: and you were going to quit coins in the machine. 113 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 1: And as the listener, all you had to do is 114 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: say how many how much money the thirteen waves does 115 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 1: jockey put into the phone booth? They would be like, 116 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: this is the sound of a nickel, and you would 117 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: hear better be a nickel. This is the sound of 118 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 1: a dime, think and it would be the sound of 119 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: a dime. And this is the sound of a quarterka, 120 00:07:58,080 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: and we'll go all right, are you ready? We're putting 121 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: into the wavz phone booth. They put the money in. 122 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 1: All I hear is all these coins rattling around. I 123 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: don't know what's going on. My grandfather leans over to 124 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: me and it goes eighty five cents. I go eighty 125 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: five cents. And they went into the jingle we've got 126 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: another winner on Lucky thirteen WA v Z and so 127 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: I was on the radio at six years old. So 128 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: and I had previously, you know, known that I wanted 129 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 1: to entertain. And then there was a third thing that happened. 130 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: And it was a grand opening of a WT Grants 131 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: store now quite defunct department store. I think K martish 132 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 1: you might remember, go, yeah, definitely, brand new Grant store 133 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: and radio DJ was broadcasting live from there. His name 134 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 1: was Robert W. Morgan. But apparently, like Saddam Hussein lookalike, 135 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: there's a lot of Robert W. Morgan's out there around 136 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 1: the country. So this wasn't the famous uh, this wasn't 137 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: the famous one from LA but that was his name. 138 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: He was the New Haven, Connecticut, Robert W. Morgan. And 139 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: and I walked in with my mother and he was 140 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: broadcasting live, and I said to her leave me here, 141 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: I'm not going shopping with you, you know. And that age, 142 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: I don't know what I was then, maybe ten or something, 143 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: but but I watched him perform and I heard him 144 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:42,079 Speaker 1: with questions, how does the sound of your voice get 145 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 1: from that microphone to my little radio? And uh, and 146 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: he would he would actually explain, he would say, well, 147 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: we have a thing called an STL, a studio transmitter link, 148 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: and he showed me the little antenna you know there 149 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 1: is sort of like a UHF TV antenna, and it 150 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: would hit the building and bring the sound into the 151 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,839 Speaker 1: studio and we'd be on the radio. At that point, 152 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 1: I was sure that this was going to be my job. 153 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: So after that I started a high school radio station. 154 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:27,080 Speaker 1: I was in Junior Achievement radio, and I wrote to 155 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: some of my favorite personalities. Was this in Worcester, Bob, No, 156 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: this is all Branford, Connecticut. 157 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 3: Okay, So Stanford, Connecticut, just so you know. 158 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, so not far and an hour market buzz 159 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: was New York, right. I mean, I consider that a 160 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 1: bit of a blessing that I grew up for someone 161 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: who was determined to be on the radio, that I 162 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: grew up listening to the New York market because wn 163 00:10:54,880 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: W Scott Muni I miss in the morning. Do you 164 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 1: know that I actually worked at a toll booth for 165 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:07,079 Speaker 1: a little while, and he had an album about someone 166 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,720 Speaker 1: ordering twenty thousand cheeseburgers, and I used to listen to 167 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 1: it from my toll booth and consider bits that I 168 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 1: might try and do. Oh, that's awesome. So that's a 169 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,320 Speaker 1: long answer to your question. But I believe if it's 170 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,280 Speaker 1: at least seven minutes we have, we've got at least 171 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: one quarter hour in there. 172 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:29,320 Speaker 3: Well, I grew up in the shadow there of New 173 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 3: York Radio and all those folks. I was able to 174 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 3: spend three years doing weekends at NYW. 175 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: So Scott I knew Scott very well. Yeah, I used 176 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 1: to practice that in front of the mirror. Did you 177 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: ever do that? Of course? 178 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 3: Are you kidding? 179 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:48,679 Speaker 1: Of course? 180 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 3: Remember remember Scott his famous member, He did the Rods comercials. 181 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, yes, and he probably needed him too. 182 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:03,720 Speaker 1: We all such bad food, such bad greasy you know, 183 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: greasy spoon food was that was heaven back then. But yes, 184 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 1: Scott Muni was probably my favorite from rock Jock i'mus 185 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 1: in the morning, easily one of my favorite entertainers. But 186 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: there was a guy who was very special, and I 187 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 1: still consider him to be perhaps the biggest influence, not 188 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 1: that I sounded like him or did what he did, 189 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:39,839 Speaker 1: but the biggest influence in terms of authenticity and creativity. 190 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: And his name is Gene Shepherd from w o R, 191 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: New York. 192 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 3: Amen member Jean Shepard yes, sir, Yes, sir. I used 193 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 3: to probably like you. I have a little transistor radio 194 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 3: and I would listen to his show. I believe it 195 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 3: was ten fifteen to eleven PM on WOR. That's it 196 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,079 Speaker 3: after my bedtime. 197 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:09,559 Speaker 1: Yep, Robbie, are you in bed? Yes, I'm in bad. 198 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 3: He would lull us to sleep with his storytelling. 199 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, and do you remember what he talked about. I've 200 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 1: got a box by the way, with like five hundred episodes, 201 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: and it's been a while since I took one out. 202 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: But he had such a variety of topics available to him. 203 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: He talked a lot about his childhood, so we talked about, 204 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 1: you know, his buddies walking around the woods and finding 205 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 1: things and all the stuff that happens to you when 206 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 1: your kids and the world is magical place, and you 207 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: piss off the guy who has the little pond that 208 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: stocked with trout because you're in there trying to steal fish, 209 00:13:51,320 --> 00:13:54,880 Speaker 1: or you and your parents get upset with you for 210 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:57,360 Speaker 1: something and you have to hide it from him. There's 211 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 1: a again, I thinking about it now, what was my demo? 212 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 1: Thirteen years old? And there was magical radio not just 213 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,760 Speaker 1: for a thirteen year old, but it appealed to me 214 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:13,680 Speaker 1: as well as a monstrous New York audience. And he 215 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:15,200 Speaker 1: was one of the greatest of all time. 216 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,959 Speaker 3: I think, iconic in God, we trust all others pay cash, right. 217 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: Yes, that's right. And I did write a letter to him, 218 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: and I did go meet him. You did. I wrote 219 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:27,960 Speaker 1: a letter to him and I said, I'm starting a 220 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 1: high school radio station and I listened to you every night, 221 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:37,920 Speaker 1: and I would like to interview you for the Branford 222 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 1: High School Radio station. And I thought nothing would come 223 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 1: of it, but I got a call from one of 224 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: his engineers and said, yes, Jean would love to sit 225 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: down with you. And there were some stipulations. You see, 226 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 1: WOR was a union radio shop and so they couldn't 227 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 1: use any of their tape recording equipment. He said, you 228 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: have to bring your own tape recorder. I said, well, 229 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: I can do that, and he said, and yeah, I 230 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: mean here's where war is. And you know, a kid 231 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: from Branford can get on the train in New Haven 232 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: and get out at Penn Station or Grand Central station 233 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 1: and pretty much walk back. Then. I did mention we 234 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: didn't have seat belts back then either, Ryde, So right, 235 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: where you're going I didn't. I don't think I told 236 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: my parents where I was going. I probably lied. Was 237 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 1: it seventeen seventy Broadway? That sounds very familiar? Not sure? Yeah, 238 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 1: I believe it was. Let's put it this way, New York, 239 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: just like I pictured it. It's Coscraper's everything here. Run 240 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,000 Speaker 1: this across the street from you, little fourteen year old kid, 241 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: which I'm sure I'll take the bag. What's in it? 242 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: I don't know. As a Stevie Wonder song. So so 243 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 1: I met him and and we talked, and I, you know, 244 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: I wish I still had the recording, but he was 245 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 1: very encouraging and and I had my little wall and 246 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:14,440 Speaker 1: sack real to real tape recorder, and and you know, 247 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 1: that was my first celebrity interview. I love that. 248 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:18,600 Speaker 2: Now. 249 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: You must have then. 250 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 3: Been a fan of the afternoon show that was part 251 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 3: of that radio station at one point as well. 252 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: Let's see they had the morning show was rambling with gambling, 253 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 1: john Gambling, rambling with gambling, right, and I believe john 254 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: Son took over, or maybe he partnered with him for 255 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: a while, eventually transitioned to the sun. I'm trying to 256 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 1: remember who was on afternoons. 257 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 3: Bob and Ray. Oh, Bob and Ray. 258 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, of course, yeah, And I would you know, I 259 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:00,800 Speaker 1: would tape record some of these people with my little 260 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: tape recorder and I would practice trying to be them 261 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:10,919 Speaker 1: in the mirror. And again, I just knew that was 262 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: what I was going to do, and I had no 263 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:22,040 Speaker 1: nothing yet. Just that's the kind of a fan price pig. 264 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 1: I'm trying to think of all the nicknames I had 265 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: back then. No, we led a very similar path. 266 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 3: I didn't do the radio station in the high school, 267 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 3: but I weaseled my way since I was a big 268 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 3: Bob and Ray fan to get to meet them and 269 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 3: sit in as they were doing their show. I knew 270 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:45,399 Speaker 3: Shepherd was you know, I was a big fan of 271 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:50,400 Speaker 3: Geene Shepherd's obviously, but we could have literally bumped into 272 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:55,200 Speaker 3: each other as we were visiting the w R studios. 273 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: Most likely it's more likely than this meeting. Yeah, that 274 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:00,000 Speaker 1: it happen. 275 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:00,920 Speaker 3: Yeah. 276 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:04,359 Speaker 1: Nice. But who were those those people. 277 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:09,439 Speaker 3: In your career that were those mentors that believed in 278 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 3: you and gave you sort of the practical advice and 279 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:17,159 Speaker 3: experience that helped shape you. 280 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: Wow, there are so many. And I can joke around, 281 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:28,159 Speaker 1: I can say because I needed it. I was. I 282 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 1: was complete fuck up, Yeah I was, you know, I 283 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:38,879 Speaker 1: was clearly I was probably that annoying kid who wouldn't 284 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:43,080 Speaker 1: go away to some of these people, but a few 285 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:46,159 Speaker 1: recognized that I had a passion for it. And and 286 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:52,200 Speaker 1: then it just feels like like it was magic how 287 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: people came in and out of my career in life 288 00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: at exactly the right times to say exactly the right thing. 289 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:03,719 Speaker 1: And so if I and I will give you some 290 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:08,159 Speaker 1: of the highlights, but I'll also be leaving out so 291 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:14,679 Speaker 1: many amazing people who who were very generous. And I 292 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: will say this, it caused me, as I got smarter 293 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:25,920 Speaker 1: and eventually sober. It caused me to live my life 294 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: with such gratitude for that action of encouraging someone with talent. 295 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:36,600 Speaker 1: I now realized that that is one of the greatest 296 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:39,120 Speaker 1: gifts you can give throughout your life to anybody, whether 297 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,760 Speaker 1: you're in radio or whether you're in lawn care or 298 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:46,639 Speaker 1: you're operating a dry cleaner. When you look at someone 299 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:50,240 Speaker 1: and say, wow, you do that really well, I'm impressed. 300 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:55,000 Speaker 1: It's the opposite of fighting with someone. It's the opposite 301 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: of politics today where everybody doubles down and puts up there, 302 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:02,399 Speaker 1: you know, their or hackles or shackles or whatever you 303 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:09,359 Speaker 1: call it. And so I learned from these people. I 304 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 1: don't know what I consider the secret of life to be, 305 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 1: and that is that whatever you put out, you get 306 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 1: twice as much back when you're being kind to someone. 307 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 1: So to answer your question, the first and most important 308 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,399 Speaker 1: name that comes to mind is a gentleman named Steve 309 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: Marx who began a company. It was a sales training 310 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: company for radio. Radio at that time, was being sold 311 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:40,440 Speaker 1: very primitively. You know, three for five dollars will give you. 312 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:43,119 Speaker 1: You know, we'll throw in some promos and some bumper 313 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:46,360 Speaker 1: stickers and or you know, you know, it was all 314 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 1: very low grade selling rather than customer focused relationships. And 315 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,800 Speaker 1: this gentleman, Steve Marx, created a company called CSS, the 316 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: counselor Selling System. Have you ever heard of that? Yeah? 317 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,159 Speaker 3: And I knew who Steve was and knew him, not 318 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,400 Speaker 3: as well as you, but definitely knew him well. 319 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:09,959 Speaker 1: He knew me at age fourteen because I was starting 320 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: my high school radio station and I needed donations of equipment, 321 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 1: and I went down to w ELI and New Haven, 322 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 1: a radio station that he was the program director. Of 323 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:23,160 Speaker 1: what I didn't know is he was the young program 324 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: director that in the building was ruffling a bunch of 325 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: feathers because he was taking adult contemporary music and he 326 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:36,280 Speaker 1: was mixing in carpenters and he was mixing in let 327 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: me think of another good example. Oh, he brocal Harem 328 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 1: a wider shade of pale. And some of the old 329 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,360 Speaker 1: timers of that radio station, who is this kid? He's 330 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 1: ruining our music? And you know, so he was fighting 331 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: his own battles to begin managing radio and of course 332 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:57,920 Speaker 1: would become a radio station and company owner of New 333 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:03,680 Speaker 1: City Communications, and that I believe the people from that 334 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: have gone on to become Cox or merged with Cox Radio. 335 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 1: And there's a whole group of super smart radio people 336 00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: that came from him and Dick Ferguson, who was his mentor. 337 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: As he would often tell me, well, I learned all 338 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: this stuff from Dick, and the bottom line of what 339 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 1: he taught was to have empathy and to care about 340 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: all of your clients, including listeners, sales. If you're programming, 341 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:39,920 Speaker 1: you care about the sales department. If you were sales, 342 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 1: you care about programming. And if you were working with 343 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,000 Speaker 1: an advertiser, which of course was his focus. You didn't 344 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 1: go in there and try to sell them radio spots. 345 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,439 Speaker 1: You went in there and ask them, what are the 346 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,520 Speaker 1: problems that your business is having, then we could help 347 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:59,400 Speaker 1: solve if you know, if you could improve your business, 348 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,560 Speaker 1: what are the things you would improve, and how can 349 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:10,000 Speaker 1: we help? And that's an approach of course, that opens 350 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 1: people up to be honest with you about their needs. 351 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:16,520 Speaker 1: In fact, he didn't call a first sales call a 352 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:20,879 Speaker 1: sales call. He called it a needs analysis meeting. And 353 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: he wanted to make sure you were prepared before you 354 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:27,000 Speaker 1: went in there. And so anyway, all of this was happening, 355 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:33,359 Speaker 1: he hired me at WAAF and he is he was 356 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:38,360 Speaker 1: really coming into his own running the Worcester Boston cluster 357 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 1: there for New City Communications. And everyone was kind of 358 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:44,399 Speaker 1: afraid of him, by the way, because he was one 359 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,960 Speaker 1: of those wicked, wicked smart. He was one of those 360 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:50,439 Speaker 1: wicked smart people that I don't know if you have this, 361 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:54,959 Speaker 1: but I do. If someone's super smart, I'm intimidated just 362 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 1: being in the room with him, because I know I 363 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: can't think as fast, and I don't have the you know, 364 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,120 Speaker 1: the depth of knowledge and information, and I just want 365 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 1: to I just want to, you know, kick the brain 366 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:12,879 Speaker 1: of this person and learn everything I can. And he 367 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:16,360 Speaker 1: liked that. And so I was one of the few 368 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:20,239 Speaker 1: people at the radio station who would just ask the 369 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:22,280 Speaker 1: big boss out to lunch, and he would go out 370 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 1: to lunch with me. And believe me, at that age, 371 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,400 Speaker 1: how I'm old, am I now? Like I went through 372 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 1: that building twice. First time I was around nineteen or twenty, 373 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 1: and the second time was twenty five or twenty six, 374 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 1: which we're the WAF years. And he, you know, he 375 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:46,440 Speaker 1: just he had a different approach than just about anybody, 376 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 1: and it was based about empathy, caring and delivering on 377 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,360 Speaker 1: whatever your promise is. He was very special. 378 00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:00,480 Speaker 3: And the other person you mentioned, who I know, Dick Ferguson, 379 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 3: also a very special person as well. 380 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:09,119 Speaker 1: And Dick, Dick made all of this possible. And now 381 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,480 Speaker 1: I've gotten to know Dick only in these last few 382 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 1: years a little bit. Because what's funny is I was 383 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:16,720 Speaker 1: always intimidated by Dick because he's Steve's boss. He must 384 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 1: be ten times smarter than Steve. Uh. One of the 385 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 1: interesting things you figure out you go through life starting 386 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:27,320 Speaker 1: really dumb, which I'm happy I started really dumb. By 387 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,280 Speaker 1: the way, I'm really pleased that I wasn't a prodigy, 388 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:34,679 Speaker 1: because it's a better story to uh, not know what 389 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: the heck you're doing and then tell how we learned, 390 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: you know, by the kindness of various people. But Dick was, Yeah, Dick, 391 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 1: Dick made it all possible. Dick started the American Comedy 392 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:55,400 Speaker 1: Network in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and I was I guess one 393 00:25:55,400 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 1: of their first experiments they had hired professional writers voice 394 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:08,800 Speaker 1: actors Dale Reeves, Andy Goodman, Bob James, Ed Kelly too. 395 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,119 Speaker 1: Was he part of Ed Kelly and I are still 396 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 1: best friends? Yes, and so all of the Again you 397 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,200 Speaker 1: asked the question of who were these major influences, And 398 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,400 Speaker 1: for me, it seemed like everyone who walked through the door, 399 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:23,119 Speaker 1: I better be paying attention because God is sending me 400 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:27,840 Speaker 1: all career of wisdom if I if I I'm smart 401 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:28,800 Speaker 1: enough to look at it. 402 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:35,640 Speaker 3: Well, that was the rarefied air company, you know, from 403 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:39,760 Speaker 3: the American Comedy Network to the way they ran their stations. 404 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 3: At that time. I was working in Connecticut for a 405 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 3: station called I ninety five. It was Danbury Fairfield County 406 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 3: Radio station. 407 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:55,399 Speaker 1: I remember that, yeah, and it was it was a 408 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,399 Speaker 1: ninety five point five and it was a kind of 409 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,720 Speaker 1: a hit station, ninety five point one. It was a 410 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 1: rock station basically, so it was rock like PLR, like yeah, 411 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: like DRC. 412 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,400 Speaker 3: Okay, yeah, yeah yeah. I never worked there. 413 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 1: It's like one of the few stations I haven't been 414 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:14,359 Speaker 1: fired from in Connecticut. There's so many. 415 00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:18,880 Speaker 3: Oh, we looked, We looked at what you guys were 416 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 3: up to, and we were just emulating and probably stealing 417 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 3: everything we could from what was going on there. You know, 418 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:31,399 Speaker 3: big ideas and how to how to have fun, and 419 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:33,720 Speaker 3: how to make make things happen. 420 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: You know, you just said the three things too, big ideas, 421 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: have fun, make things happen. We really are brothers from 422 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:45,360 Speaker 1: a different mother, but those things. And I'm not going 423 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:47,159 Speaker 1: to rag on radio today because I know it's a 424 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,120 Speaker 1: whole different business and it's very challenging, and I love 425 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,800 Speaker 1: so many people who are in it fighting the good 426 00:27:53,800 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 1: fight still, but nowadays to have an idea feel like 427 00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 1: you're in the way of normal business. In other words, 428 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: if you have an idea, it means everyone has to 429 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:10,400 Speaker 1: stop what they're doing and figure out how to implement 430 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: that idea. And when I got to Seattle, I wanted to, 431 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: you know, bond with this new city, and I wanted 432 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:23,120 Speaker 1: to do I wanted to be edgy, but I was 433 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 1: not the personality of a Howard Stern. Oh, I love him. 434 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: I think he's he gets enough praise, so we'll just 435 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,159 Speaker 1: put him to the Yes, he was a huge influence pile. 436 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:37,880 Speaker 1: But I wanted to connect and and so I remember 437 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 1: going into a promotion meeting and saying it was like 438 00:28:41,760 --> 00:28:44,120 Speaker 1: the end one of the anniversaries of Woodstock or whatever, 439 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,720 Speaker 1: and I said, I'd like to do a one day 440 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:50,640 Speaker 1: promotion on a Saturday. I think we ended up doing 441 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:53,280 Speaker 1: it on Friday to be live on the air. And 442 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 1: I wanted to call it nude Stock, and it would 443 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: be a clothing optional park and we would say, you know, 444 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: the best way to get to know new people when 445 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 1: you're new in a city is to strip it down 446 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:10,520 Speaker 1: to the bear essentials. And so we're going to party 447 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: with your naked now if I And again, it's a 448 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 1: different time in so many different ways, but I I 449 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: don't know how many people would be receptive to an 450 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:28,400 Speaker 1: idea like that today, just so many problematic aspects of it. 451 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:33,760 Speaker 1: But they were like, really, so, how do you let's say, well, 452 00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:38,240 Speaker 1: we'll use the Marti transmitter and we'll you know, basically 453 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: have an outdoor rock concert with people who volunteer. We 454 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,680 Speaker 1: can tie it to some charity. Here's the name of 455 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 1: the clothing optional park. It was called Fraternity Snow Qualmi. 456 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: It's not about sex. They are just about feeling free. 457 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,840 Speaker 1: And you know, without clothing, it's not going to be sleazy. 458 00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:00,120 Speaker 1: It's not going to be you know, we're not and 459 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,560 Speaker 1: I have, with all due respect to my shock jock friends, 460 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:06,720 Speaker 1: we're not going to have you know, nipple contests or 461 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:12,280 Speaker 1: you know, we're not going to do anything but relax 462 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:16,000 Speaker 1: naked and sit by the pool. And they said yes, 463 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 1: And I said, oh, and I'd like to get a 464 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 1: helicopter to fly over because I would like all the 465 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: naked people to spell out our call letters KISW and 466 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:33,320 Speaker 1: a giant peace sign from the air. So we get 467 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 1: a message and we have, you know, a picture that 468 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:39,280 Speaker 1: they can put in the papers of two thousand naked people. 469 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:43,360 Speaker 1: And I said, yes, that's a great idea. So again 470 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,440 Speaker 1: the question of you know, how who were the people 471 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:50,800 Speaker 1: that helped you succeed everybody? Everybody at that time about 472 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 1: radio had a passion or even fun, being entertaining, connecting difficulties, 473 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: following rules and all of that. But but mostly you 474 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:06,840 Speaker 1: don't remind me a little of some of the daring 475 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:10,280 Speaker 1: shows on cable TV today where you know, they go 476 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:12,719 Speaker 1: naked in the woods with that guy whatever his name is. 477 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:17,880 Speaker 1: But but those, you know, those supposedly edgy shows. Today, 478 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:19,720 Speaker 1: we're all done on morning radio. 479 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:22,200 Speaker 2: We'll be right back with more of the Taking a 480 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:30,480 Speaker 2: Walk Podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast. 481 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:32,240 Speaker 1: Listen. 482 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 3: I think the lawyers with all no no disrespect meant 483 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:39,560 Speaker 3: for lawyers. I think the lawyers have unfortunately. 484 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 1: Give them respect. You just gave them no disrespect. I 485 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 1: did catch up keep them saying. 486 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:48,280 Speaker 3: The lawyers, I, you know now are too concerned and 487 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 3: these companies are too concerned about taking taking risks in 488 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 3: any way, When I think of your work over the years, 489 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 3: you became this great one to communicator, You became this 490 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:10,840 Speaker 3: musical comedic wizard. You became this master of spreading viral content, 491 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:18,880 Speaker 3: you became this creator of showbiz moments. I'm guessing this 492 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:24,640 Speaker 3: was really stuff that happened organically rather than intentionally. 493 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:29,320 Speaker 1: Is that fair? Well, I'm not sure of the Branford 494 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 1: High school. Remember, I'm not sure what the difference would 495 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 1: be between organic and intentional, but let me take a 496 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: stab at it from the gut. What's going to work? Yeah, 497 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:43,040 Speaker 1: that's kind of organic. Intentional is all right? I need 498 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:45,240 Speaker 1: a promotion for the fall. I've got to get in 499 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 1: the newspaper. I've got to, you know, figure out the 500 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: different ways. And I would say, I would say that 501 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:57,320 Speaker 1: we did both. That I had a staff. I mean, 502 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:01,640 Speaker 1: because we were reasonably successful in Seattle. We had leverage. 503 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 1: And I don't mean leverage like making people do stuff 504 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: they don't want to do. I mean we had credibility 505 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:10,600 Speaker 1: that if I said, all right, here's this crazy idea, 506 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,600 Speaker 1: let me run with it, they'd go, how much rope 507 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,960 Speaker 1: do you need? Mister Rivers? Is this new spin off? 508 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 1: Would just go for it. But I also was able 509 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:22,920 Speaker 1: to do that because I had a team, and this 510 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:27,600 Speaker 1: is the biggest blessing. I always had a team of 511 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 1: people who got it, who were having just as much 512 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:38,880 Speaker 1: fun as I was. And by using those tactics some 513 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:42,040 Speaker 1: you know, from early people who encouraged me, like Steve 514 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:48,640 Speaker 1: Marks or even Geene Shepherd, I knew how to. I 515 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:51,920 Speaker 1: looked at it as like conducting an orchestra. I knew 516 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: of all the people who would be involved, and some 517 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:58,200 Speaker 1: would just be musicians doing a project once. Some would 518 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:02,000 Speaker 1: be the show co hosts, some would producers, others would 519 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:06,680 Speaker 1: be people we interacted with in the community, and so 520 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:09,960 Speaker 1: again sort of One of my little secrets of life 521 00:34:10,239 --> 00:34:17,359 Speaker 1: is when you encourage talent genuinely, when you really can 522 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:23,200 Speaker 1: look at someone's gifts and say, let me help you, 523 00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 1: you know, or you can help me. It's sti old 524 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:28,040 Speaker 1: Tom Sawyer. Help me paint this fence is a lot 525 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:30,160 Speaker 1: more fun than here's five dollars. You paint the fence. 526 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:33,919 Speaker 1: I'll come back later. So we're all working on these 527 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:38,840 Speaker 1: projects as a team. So the ideas and the which 528 00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:42,400 Speaker 1: ones to do first, and you know, and how to 529 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:46,040 Speaker 1: go about it, that's all from the gut. But then 530 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:49,160 Speaker 1: afterwards you have to do the work. And the work 531 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:53,359 Speaker 1: is work. I used to joke when I was doing 532 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:55,480 Speaker 1: very well in mornings, you know, people would say, well, 533 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:58,319 Speaker 1: you're making good money, and I would and I would say, yeah, 534 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 1: it's king's wages for slaves labor. Because I last night 535 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 1: couldn't get to bed and it was almost midnight because 536 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:12,359 Speaker 1: I was thinking about the interview I have today with 537 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:16,040 Speaker 1: someone from Saturday Night Live. And I was up late 538 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 1: watching their clips last night so that I could convey 539 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:22,000 Speaker 1: to them that I had just been enjoying, you know, 540 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:26,600 Speaker 1: their bits, because that's how you get into someone that 541 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:30,440 Speaker 1: you know you are incredibly caring about them, and then 542 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:35,600 Speaker 1: they'll give you back some thoughts. One of my other mentors, 543 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:38,440 Speaker 1: I have to mention it was Larry King. And for 544 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:43,000 Speaker 1: some odd reason I kept crossing paths with Larry King 545 00:35:44,120 --> 00:35:50,640 Speaker 1: at conventions or wherever. And and I was petrified early 546 00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:54,760 Speaker 1: on in my career about interviewing people. Is it really 547 00:35:55,239 --> 00:36:01,799 Speaker 1: fed my social insecurity? And and I'm not. I mean, 548 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:04,319 Speaker 1: I don't have a good memory. I don't have. There's 549 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:06,839 Speaker 1: a lot of skills I don't have, which is why 550 00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:08,560 Speaker 1: we have a team of people on your show who 551 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:10,480 Speaker 1: can answer the question you don't know the answer to. 552 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:18,359 Speaker 1: But but what Larry did is he made every guest 553 00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:22,120 Speaker 1: who was ever on his show feel like the most 554 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:27,640 Speaker 1: important person in the universe as he introduced them. In 555 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:32,239 Speaker 1: my case, I was doing a promotion with the Baltimore Orioles. 556 00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:36,640 Speaker 1: They had lost twenty one games in a row of 557 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:38,640 Speaker 1: breaking a major League record and I was doing an 558 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:43,040 Speaker 1: on air radio marathon, and about three quarters the way 559 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:45,720 Speaker 1: through it, Larry King's people called and said Larry would 560 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:50,800 Speaker 1: like to interview Bob on his late night show, and 561 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:54,240 Speaker 1: I of course said yes, And then immediately the flop swat, 562 00:36:54,239 --> 00:36:55,960 Speaker 1: holy shit, I'm gonna be in the Larry Kings show. 563 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:58,799 Speaker 1: What a ray? How can I make this entertaining? It's 564 00:36:58,840 --> 00:37:01,240 Speaker 1: just a dumb radio bit, you know, all those inside 565 00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:08,719 Speaker 1: voices of insecurity. And I remember the countdown like they're 566 00:37:08,719 --> 00:37:13,360 Speaker 1: doing the network news sounder at midnight, and I didn't know, like, 567 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,879 Speaker 1: who's going to be on with Larry tonight and they 568 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:21,840 Speaker 1: introduce Larry for his show and say with us tonight 569 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:28,160 Speaker 1: Joe Garagiola and Bob Costas from NBC, and I went, holy, 570 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:35,239 Speaker 1: double fucking shit. Now I how do I belong in 571 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:39,600 Speaker 1: this sentence? And so I was actually quite nervous, and 572 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:44,000 Speaker 1: Larry started to introduce me. He said, tonight we have 573 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:48,760 Speaker 1: someone very special on the show. He has taken lemons 574 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 1: and made lemonade out of it in a very unique way. 575 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,759 Speaker 1: The Baltimore Oriols are starting off as one of the 576 00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:57,920 Speaker 1: worst teams in the history of sports. Going oh in 577 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:00,359 Speaker 1: twenty one, and he's vowed to stay on the air 578 00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:03,760 Speaker 1: until they win a game. He's got people wearing underwear 579 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:06,640 Speaker 1: on the outside of their pants. If you drive through Baltimore, 580 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:11,000 Speaker 1: all the headlights are on throughout the city to show 581 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:17,480 Speaker 1: support for the team. And I was doing satellite feeds 582 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:22,399 Speaker 1: with sixty evening news programs. They do this thing where 583 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:25,319 Speaker 1: they ask you a question, but your answer goes to 584 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:29,000 Speaker 1: all their affiliates. So he's talking about this, He's on 585 00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:33,600 Speaker 1: the front page of headline, front page in Australia and 586 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:36,560 Speaker 1: this and that, And as he's doing this, I'm like, 587 00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:42,360 Speaker 1: maybe I do believe that I belong here. Maybe maybe 588 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:44,399 Speaker 1: this is a really cool you know what I mean. 589 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:48,520 Speaker 1: And so by the time he finished the introduction, I 590 00:38:48,719 --> 00:38:52,319 Speaker 1: was cool as a cucumber and relaxed and grateful, and 591 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:54,920 Speaker 1: we just laughed for twenty minutes. 592 00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:59,759 Speaker 3: And to this day, that promotion stands as one of 593 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:03,640 Speaker 3: the greatest radio promotions of all time. 594 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:09,120 Speaker 1: It and partially and I'm not gonna why would I 595 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:11,520 Speaker 1: argue with you, but I am going to say this. 596 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:16,120 Speaker 1: It was a different time in that if you turn 597 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:22,400 Speaker 1: on TikTok today there are six gazillion kicker story potentials 598 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:26,880 Speaker 1: that are out there. There is so much media to 599 00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:33,920 Speaker 1: choose from. But back then, this one little story about 600 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:38,000 Speaker 1: a hapless team that couldn't win a game wasn't just 601 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,200 Speaker 1: a story that a few people would hear. It became 602 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:47,040 Speaker 1: the story globally that made you know, the kicker spot 603 00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:50,200 Speaker 1: on the evening news. And so all of a sudden, 604 00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:53,399 Speaker 1: you know that light is there and it's happening. You 605 00:39:53,440 --> 00:39:58,560 Speaker 1: can't plan for that to happen now, and I don't 606 00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:02,400 Speaker 1: think you could even plan then. So it was very 607 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:06,480 Speaker 1: much a lot of luck, but we took full advantage 608 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:10,600 Speaker 1: of it and had a blast. Yeah, to this day, there's. 609 00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:16,440 Speaker 3: Morning show talent that will get up on a billboard 610 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:20,440 Speaker 3: to do the charity fundraise or you know, variations of 611 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:23,600 Speaker 3: that to kind of, you know, make some noise. But 612 00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:27,840 Speaker 3: you made some noise there, sir, on that on that 613 00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 3: thanks promotion. How special was it for you getting into 614 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:35,560 Speaker 3: the Radio Hall of Fame? 615 00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:39,640 Speaker 1: Ah, well, I'd love to be cooler than I am 616 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:44,799 Speaker 1: and say something like you know that it's it's very 617 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:50,200 Speaker 1: nice and all, but really it was. It was the 618 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 1: cherry on top of the ice cream cone. For me. 619 00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:58,040 Speaker 1: It meant a lot and and part of why it 620 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:02,320 Speaker 1: meant a lot, is because I started rating making content 621 00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:06,839 Speaker 1: for other people the American Comedy Network. Even before then, 622 00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:11,240 Speaker 1: I would the first Christmas songs I made that became 623 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:14,360 Speaker 1: the album. You know, I ran off a reel to 624 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:18,960 Speaker 1: reel recording of the twelve Paines of Christmas, and I 625 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:24,800 Speaker 1: sent it to Rick D's, to Scott Shannon and probably 626 00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:27,279 Speaker 1: a half a dozen other big radio guys in the 627 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:30,280 Speaker 1: country because I wanted them to hear it, and I thought, 628 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:34,520 Speaker 1: this is good. They're gonna love playing it. And so 629 00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:38,239 Speaker 1: that's the same part is I knew I was doing 630 00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:42,239 Speaker 1: something that would be useful for everybody in radio, and 631 00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:45,560 Speaker 1: I just loved everybody in radio. And then I could 632 00:41:45,719 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 1: drive to Greenfield, Massachusetts, where there was a five hundred 633 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:57,560 Speaker 1: watt AM daytime station playing the Twisted Christmas Songs, and 634 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:00,000 Speaker 1: I'd introduced myself and they did, boys, what thank you 635 00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:03,600 Speaker 1: for making these songs? These are so great? And you know, 636 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:06,680 Speaker 1: when I went back to Hawaii for Christmas time, the 637 00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:09,680 Speaker 1: songs were being played, so so I had this feeling that, yeah, 638 00:42:09,719 --> 00:42:15,440 Speaker 1: I did do something that was giving back, you know, 639 00:42:15,680 --> 00:42:18,240 Speaker 1: to all the people who gave me kindness of bringing 640 00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:22,040 Speaker 1: material to people who were doing. What I was doing 641 00:42:22,080 --> 00:42:25,839 Speaker 1: was struggling to find great stuff to do every day, 642 00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:31,680 Speaker 1: and so to get recognized for that, it was good 643 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:37,200 Speaker 1: half of it, and recognized by industry professionals who I all, 644 00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:41,000 Speaker 1: you know, I worked with still the people from ABC 645 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:45,160 Speaker 1: that you know syndicated the Twisted Tunes are still at 646 00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:49,600 Speaker 1: the Hall of Fame dinner. So it meant something a lot. 647 00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:53,359 Speaker 1: But but the other part of it is, and yes, 648 00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:57,600 Speaker 1: I'm I believe I have an ego, and it's it's 649 00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:03,279 Speaker 1: reasonably healthy, despite all my protestations of insecurity, et cetera, 650 00:43:03,320 --> 00:43:07,359 Speaker 1: et cetera. But but there was a thing about our 651 00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:10,640 Speaker 1: show that I could never really fully explain to anyone 652 00:43:10,640 --> 00:43:15,319 Speaker 1: who wasn't in the Pacific Northwest. And and I was told, 653 00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:17,279 Speaker 1: when you moved to Seattle, you know, people will forget 654 00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:20,480 Speaker 1: about you in the industry because you're way up in 655 00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:22,480 Speaker 1: that corner of the country there, and you're not going 656 00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:25,320 Speaker 1: to be in New York or Los Angeles or Chicago. 657 00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:33,160 Speaker 1: And the first few times I was nominated, actually the 658 00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:38,719 Speaker 1: guys who won were Mark and Brian and Jonathan Brandmeyer 659 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:42,040 Speaker 1: in Chicago, who I stole some ideas from him. I 660 00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:46,040 Speaker 1: had a radio station band that was huge. We played 661 00:43:46,080 --> 00:43:50,920 Speaker 1: big concerts. So these are people that that I super admired, 662 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:54,279 Speaker 1: and I thought, yeah, well they deserve it, and they're 663 00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:57,279 Speaker 1: and you know, and then Harry Harrison won one year, 664 00:43:57,360 --> 00:44:01,279 Speaker 1: and I'm such a fan of such a fan of 665 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:04,920 Speaker 1: Top forty radio fact that that's really what I wanted 666 00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:08,440 Speaker 1: to be, a flame throwing Top forty guy. You know, 667 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:13,279 Speaker 1: I didn't have the correct voice for it, and I 668 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:16,000 Speaker 1: you know, I didn't really have the personality either. So 669 00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:18,680 Speaker 1: I'm glad I did what I did. But the thing 670 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:25,280 Speaker 1: about Seattle, what happened there is we created a team 671 00:44:26,719 --> 00:44:31,480 Speaker 1: that was so much like a family. And you'll hear 672 00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:33,640 Speaker 1: this from other shows. In fact, even now when my 673 00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:37,960 Speaker 1: wife watches CBS, you know this morning it's a morning 674 00:44:38,040 --> 00:44:41,480 Speaker 1: radio show with pictures. You know, they're all like a family. 675 00:44:41,520 --> 00:44:44,040 Speaker 1: They sit and discuss everything every day. And so we 676 00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:49,040 Speaker 1: created this. It's hard to describe because it wasn't it 677 00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:55,600 Speaker 1: wasn't fitting into any of the typical kinds of radio show. 678 00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:57,960 Speaker 1: So it was classic rock. I mean, we were on 679 00:44:57,960 --> 00:44:59,920 Speaker 1: a classic rock station, we were on an active rock state, 680 00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:03,640 Speaker 1: and we were on a oldies station. Over the course 681 00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:06,719 Speaker 1: of twenty five years, but it was a talk show 682 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:12,239 Speaker 1: almost all of that time, and it was about families. 683 00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:16,000 Speaker 1: It was about the reason your kids. It was about 684 00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:18,360 Speaker 1: the advent of the internet. It was about all of 685 00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:21,160 Speaker 1: the things that were going on in the world. And 686 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:24,920 Speaker 1: most of them, many of them, I should say, were 687 00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:35,560 Speaker 1: coming out of Seattle, Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, Costco. The brilliant corporate, 688 00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:43,640 Speaker 1: creative tech software. But also airplanes. We make the world's airplanes. 689 00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:49,640 Speaker 1: Seattle was this vibrant, incredible city with so many stories 690 00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:55,839 Speaker 1: to tell. And I had this group of really amazing 691 00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:58,560 Speaker 1: I'd like to feel that part of why they were 692 00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:01,319 Speaker 1: good is that I coached them well, so I'll take 693 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:04,040 Speaker 1: that part of the trophy. But they were really also 694 00:46:04,239 --> 00:46:08,200 Speaker 1: just incredibly special people who were full of love. And 695 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:11,360 Speaker 1: every morning, you know, they put that out over the 696 00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:15,400 Speaker 1: airwaves and the show was you know what radio shows 697 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:19,120 Speaker 1: always dream of, being special and dispensable to the people 698 00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:22,640 Speaker 1: who are listening to it, relatable, you feel like family, 699 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:28,560 Speaker 1: and then very good and very clever to that extent, 700 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:33,359 Speaker 1: you know, my abilities to produce stuff very well and 701 00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:36,839 Speaker 1: have it sound larger than life. You know, the helicopter 702 00:46:37,080 --> 00:46:43,120 Speaker 1: over nudestock plants a picture, It plants it firmly and 703 00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:47,400 Speaker 1: you will never be able to unsee it. So winning 704 00:46:47,880 --> 00:46:52,520 Speaker 1: also meant that everyone on that show can proudly say 705 00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:57,760 Speaker 1: they were on a radio Hall of Fame show. And 706 00:46:57,800 --> 00:47:02,200 Speaker 1: when we received the award, I asked the folks on 707 00:47:02,239 --> 00:47:05,680 Speaker 1: the committee if they would please put the Bob Rivers 708 00:47:05,760 --> 00:47:09,360 Speaker 1: Show on the trophy instead of just my name, because 709 00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:13,919 Speaker 1: you know my name is still there. It wasn't really 710 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:18,200 Speaker 1: giving up anything, but I was. I wanted to make 711 00:47:18,280 --> 00:47:24,279 Speaker 1: sure that I made the statement that teamwork and encouraging 712 00:47:24,360 --> 00:47:26,840 Speaker 1: talent is how you multiply talent. 713 00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:33,600 Speaker 3: Wow, Bob, I want to I want to ask here 714 00:47:33,920 --> 00:47:38,120 Speaker 3: as we close, the most important thing, how are you doing? 715 00:47:38,880 --> 00:47:39,760 Speaker 3: How are you feeling? 716 00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:45,360 Speaker 1: I'm feeling very good. It's common knowledge because I'm not 717 00:47:45,560 --> 00:47:49,400 Speaker 1: quiet about it, that I, you know, have a serious 718 00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:53,680 Speaker 1: health issue and that I've faced down esophageal cancer about 719 00:47:54,040 --> 00:47:59,040 Speaker 1: three years ago was the diagnosis. And it's one of 720 00:47:59,080 --> 00:48:03,800 Speaker 1: those Yeah, it's a it's not an easy one, and 721 00:48:05,400 --> 00:48:08,239 Speaker 1: I have defied all of them. You know. I'm like 722 00:48:08,320 --> 00:48:10,600 Speaker 1: Valerie Harper here, I should not be here being able 723 00:48:10,640 --> 00:48:14,239 Speaker 1: to have this interview with you, but but I've had 724 00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:17,480 Speaker 1: really good luck with treatments and but some bad luck too. 725 00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:20,640 Speaker 1: I've had, you know, little twists and turns in the road. 726 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:25,040 Speaker 1: But and when that happened, it's so funny because I 727 00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:28,000 Speaker 1: looked to other celebrities for inspiration always. By the way, 728 00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:31,319 Speaker 1: I don't know if I have any original thoughts, but 729 00:48:31,440 --> 00:48:34,279 Speaker 1: I pick and choose from the people that inspire me 730 00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:39,440 Speaker 1: the most. And you know, there's a Norm MacDonald, perhaps 731 00:48:39,480 --> 00:48:42,040 Speaker 1: one of my favorite comedians of all time, and he 732 00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:46,640 Speaker 1: chose to not tell anybody that he was ill because 733 00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:49,520 Speaker 1: he didn't want it to interfere with him. He did 734 00:48:49,640 --> 00:48:51,080 Speaker 1: want to be looked at differently. He wanted to get 735 00:48:51,120 --> 00:48:54,120 Speaker 1: on stage and just do his comedy and have tremendous 736 00:48:54,160 --> 00:48:56,360 Speaker 1: respect for that. And I've actually thought I might just 737 00:48:56,480 --> 00:49:01,520 Speaker 1: keep it secret at first, but then I thought, you know, 738 00:49:03,760 --> 00:49:07,200 Speaker 1: of the people I might impact. You know, say, there's 739 00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:10,840 Speaker 1: thousands that still follow the podcast, and there's maybe a 740 00:49:10,880 --> 00:49:12,920 Speaker 1: couple of tens of thousands. I don't know when you 741 00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:14,680 Speaker 1: add them all up. You know, I can play with 742 00:49:14,719 --> 00:49:17,479 Speaker 1: the ratings numbers and tell you whatever story I want, 743 00:49:17,520 --> 00:49:20,200 Speaker 1: but you know, it's just a small little podcast. But 744 00:49:20,239 --> 00:49:23,080 Speaker 1: then I thought they're all going through the same thing. 745 00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:28,560 Speaker 1: They've all got an uncle, spouse, a husband to wife 746 00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:31,719 Speaker 1: with cancer, and I thought, you know, my thing is 747 00:49:31,880 --> 00:49:35,360 Speaker 1: just relating to people. So I think I got to 748 00:49:35,440 --> 00:49:39,680 Speaker 1: just not hide it. And I sort of made it 749 00:49:39,800 --> 00:49:45,640 Speaker 1: one of my declarations that I was going to have 750 00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:49,440 Speaker 1: a fun final act. I was going to have a 751 00:49:49,520 --> 00:49:55,160 Speaker 1: fun ending and that since there's nothing special about being 752 00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:59,920 Speaker 1: a mortal human being. I mean, we're all mortal human beings. 753 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:01,720 Speaker 1: One of us get out of here on a magic carpet. 754 00:50:02,360 --> 00:50:05,680 Speaker 1: And I thought it will be considered a little odd 755 00:50:05,719 --> 00:50:08,120 Speaker 1: if I'm open about it and don't mind talking about it. 756 00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:10,759 Speaker 1: So I like being a little bit odd, and who 757 00:50:10,760 --> 00:50:15,720 Speaker 1: knows what I'll discover doing that. So and I also 758 00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:21,160 Speaker 1: felt like I need to do some projects. If I 759 00:50:21,200 --> 00:50:23,880 Speaker 1: only have limited time and I don't know how much time, 760 00:50:24,719 --> 00:50:26,200 Speaker 1: what do I want to do? I want to do? 761 00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:28,479 Speaker 1: I want to do some projects. So I've been working 762 00:50:28,520 --> 00:50:31,960 Speaker 1: on a bunch of things. I'm doing a film soundtrack 763 00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:37,360 Speaker 1: about Alan White, the drummer for Yes for fifty Years, 764 00:50:38,280 --> 00:50:42,640 Speaker 1: which was recorded at his celebration of life two years ago. 765 00:50:43,719 --> 00:50:46,920 Speaker 1: I'm recording an EP and album with my two brothers, 766 00:50:47,840 --> 00:50:53,040 Speaker 1: Michael and Richard. Michael and his wife Schandra play Little 767 00:50:53,080 --> 00:50:57,000 Speaker 1: folk bars and coffee shops, and he's a good little songwriter, 768 00:50:57,120 --> 00:50:59,439 Speaker 1: and you think about, oh, there are things you wish 769 00:50:59,480 --> 00:51:01,240 Speaker 1: you did in your life. I wish I had recorded 770 00:51:01,239 --> 00:51:04,200 Speaker 1: something with my brothers. Well, I have the time now, 771 00:51:05,080 --> 00:51:10,080 Speaker 1: so we're doing that. And and the way I explain 772 00:51:10,160 --> 00:51:12,399 Speaker 1: it to friends of mine, because I do have friends 773 00:51:12,440 --> 00:51:16,800 Speaker 1: of mine going, how come you're not stressed out depressed, 774 00:51:17,600 --> 00:51:20,880 Speaker 1: I've never seen anybody, And I'm well, I can be. 775 00:51:21,040 --> 00:51:23,719 Speaker 1: I mean, I can make that choice anytime a shit 776 00:51:23,800 --> 00:51:30,080 Speaker 1: gets really bad. But why not have fun? I know 777 00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:36,279 Speaker 1: very little Shakespeare, in fact, pretty much none. But and 778 00:51:36,320 --> 00:51:38,960 Speaker 1: I'm not well read, and I don't have a degree. 779 00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:42,560 Speaker 1: I have more in common with the guy at the 780 00:51:42,560 --> 00:51:45,319 Speaker 1: auto park store who's changing my muffler than I do 781 00:51:46,120 --> 00:51:51,000 Speaker 1: with really educated people. But I look at life as 782 00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:55,080 Speaker 1: like it's a show. All the world's a stage, and 783 00:51:55,120 --> 00:51:59,880 Speaker 1: we're performers, and I'm in them. I'm at inn Rey 784 00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:04,040 Speaker 1: reality series. By the way, I think the whole freaking 785 00:52:04,120 --> 00:52:07,320 Speaker 1: planet is a reality series. Right now. This Trump reality 786 00:52:07,360 --> 00:52:10,880 Speaker 1: show is the best global reality show of all time. 787 00:52:11,520 --> 00:52:16,680 Speaker 1: You know it's a drama, but uh, anyway, I look 788 00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:19,960 Speaker 1: at it as I'm hosting. I'm in a reality show. 789 00:52:21,320 --> 00:52:25,600 Speaker 1: I'm in my sixty eighth season. There are three hundred 790 00:52:25,640 --> 00:52:30,319 Speaker 1: and sixty five episodes per season, and so every day 791 00:52:30,360 --> 00:52:32,400 Speaker 1: when I wake up, and this is how every morning 792 00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:34,960 Speaker 1: show host feels anyway, doing the morning show. Right, every 793 00:52:35,040 --> 00:52:40,000 Speaker 1: day when I wake up, it's a new episode, and 794 00:52:40,800 --> 00:52:43,800 Speaker 1: I can't control. There's a lot of it I can't control. 795 00:52:43,800 --> 00:52:46,680 Speaker 1: Apparently there are higher powers that send people in and 796 00:52:46,719 --> 00:52:50,360 Speaker 1: out and create various stresses and hassles for me. But 797 00:52:50,520 --> 00:52:53,960 Speaker 1: I can control how I interact with everybody and what 798 00:52:54,040 --> 00:52:57,920 Speaker 1: I do. And so, you know, it makes life seem 799 00:52:58,000 --> 00:53:01,080 Speaker 1: long to be in your sixth the eighth season. I 800 00:53:01,120 --> 00:53:04,200 Speaker 1: would have got sick of mash and cheers way before that, 801 00:53:05,160 --> 00:53:08,960 Speaker 1: and you know, and it gives me a mission every day, 802 00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:11,680 Speaker 1: which is to do what I've always done, which is 803 00:53:11,719 --> 00:53:14,879 Speaker 1: to have fun and hopefully help and empower some other 804 00:53:14,880 --> 00:53:16,200 Speaker 1: people to have some fun as well. 805 00:53:17,719 --> 00:53:23,560 Speaker 3: You're amazing. Your career has been absolutely amazing and still 806 00:53:23,719 --> 00:53:29,040 Speaker 3: is amazing. You're so inspiring, I have to tell you. 807 00:53:30,200 --> 00:53:35,680 Speaker 3: Doing this podcast and being able to connect with people 808 00:53:35,760 --> 00:53:37,920 Speaker 3: I have no business connecting with, and. 809 00:53:38,000 --> 00:53:39,920 Speaker 1: I love that part about morning radio. By the way, 810 00:53:39,920 --> 00:53:41,000 Speaker 1: isn't that the greatest yea. 811 00:53:41,920 --> 00:53:49,280 Speaker 3: And reconnect with people who I've admired and certainly watched 812 00:53:49,320 --> 00:53:55,960 Speaker 3: and emulated is one of my great joys. You mentioned 813 00:53:56,760 --> 00:54:00,160 Speaker 3: how you and you would have that big interview you 814 00:54:00,800 --> 00:54:04,719 Speaker 3: the next day, you know, be up late prepping, but 815 00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:10,200 Speaker 3: really being anxious as well in a good way. Well, 816 00:54:11,680 --> 00:54:16,320 Speaker 3: my friend, was that was me last night in anticipation 817 00:54:16,480 --> 00:54:20,440 Speaker 3: of really wanting to be at my best for you and. 818 00:54:20,760 --> 00:54:23,080 Speaker 1: Thank you, and you were much appreciate it. 819 00:54:23,239 --> 00:54:26,280 Speaker 3: I just I'm so grateful that you took the time 820 00:54:26,400 --> 00:54:32,319 Speaker 3: and words can't express how appreciative I am of it. 821 00:54:32,440 --> 00:54:36,880 Speaker 1: Well, Buzz, that's super kind of you. And you know 822 00:54:36,960 --> 00:54:39,759 Speaker 1: I did more or less discover that a lot of 823 00:54:39,800 --> 00:54:43,560 Speaker 1: that worry was well, it's good. It's good to stress 824 00:54:43,600 --> 00:54:46,279 Speaker 1: out for a good cause. But a lot of it, 825 00:54:46,880 --> 00:54:50,320 Speaker 1: of course melts away and disappears the moment you're on stage, 826 00:54:50,360 --> 00:54:55,240 Speaker 1: the moment you're having a conversation. And that's the hardest 827 00:54:55,239 --> 00:54:57,759 Speaker 1: thing to learn as a performer, is to truly be 828 00:54:57,920 --> 00:55:01,680 Speaker 1: in the moment and be willing to be intimate, to 829 00:55:01,760 --> 00:55:05,120 Speaker 1: let your guard down, to take a risk that you 830 00:55:05,200 --> 00:55:08,320 Speaker 1: might not look good. In fact, it's not even a 831 00:55:08,400 --> 00:55:11,000 Speaker 1: risk someone's gonna hate you. I figured that out now. 832 00:55:11,239 --> 00:55:14,400 Speaker 1: The Internet is a good teacher of that. So I 833 00:55:14,440 --> 00:55:18,759 Speaker 1: appreciate that very much. Buzz, and you know, the ability 834 00:55:18,840 --> 00:55:23,120 Speaker 1: to come on with a very well respected and well 835 00:55:23,280 --> 00:55:29,120 Speaker 1: watched and listened to industry executive and speak a little 836 00:55:29,800 --> 00:55:32,640 Speaker 1: just of off the cuff is a blessing. 837 00:55:32,719 --> 00:55:36,120 Speaker 3: Thank you, Bob Rivers, the great Bob Rivers on Taking 838 00:55:36,160 --> 00:55:36,520 Speaker 3: a Walk. 839 00:55:38,239 --> 00:55:40,719 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a 840 00:55:40,760 --> 00:55:44,640 Speaker 2: Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends 841 00:55:44,719 --> 00:55:48,200 Speaker 2: and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking 842 00:55:48,239 --> 00:55:52,120 Speaker 2: a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 843 00:55:52,360 --> 00:55:55,160 Speaker 2: and wherever you get your podcasts.