The Bobby Bones Show - Amazing Classic Stories from a DJ.

Episode Date: December 13, 2022

This episode of Takin A Walk-Music History on foot is with a classic New York City disc jockey named Ken Dashow.He is the afternoon host at the IHeart Media Classic Rock Station WAXQ-Q-104.3 where he ...plays great music and engages with the tri-state area audience.He also hosts the Sunday morning "Breakfast with the Beatles" show" and has spent the last 30 years on NY radio including a long stint at the legendary rock station WNEW-FM.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:02:38 Taking a Walk with Buzz Night. Well, I'm Buzz Night, the host of the Taking a Walk podcast, and welcome to another in our series of episodes on Greenwich Village. My guest today is a dear friend who planted himself in front of the microphone in New York City about 30 years ago, and he continues to thrive. He's spent over two decades on Q110. 4.3, New York City's classic rock station.
Starting point is 00:03:14 He and I spent time on the air staff of the legendary 1027 WNAWFM. Welcome to taking a walk. Ken Dashout. Buzz, it's great to see you again. It brings back so many great memories of working with you. And the
Starting point is 00:03:30 good but also frightening news is that 2022, this is my 40th anniversary on the air in New York, which is a cool, but On the other hand, Jesus, 40 years. Oh, man.
Starting point is 00:03:46 When's the book coming out? Yeah, really. Well, when did you first know you were hooked on this radio thing, man? You know, it's a weird thing. It's little kids. Kids want to be a ballplayer or a fireman or an astronaut or a doctor, and you have these fantasies of what you want to do. These days, kids grow up wanting to be a YouTube star,
Starting point is 00:04:10 but that's a whole other chapter of all this. But as a kid, watching the Nets and wanting to play baseball, and it was something about radio, that friendly voice, that big, smiley voice that was telling me, here's the new Beatles song, and here's this new song, and it was in my bedroom. And I don't know why, but even as a kid, hearing the big voices of WMCA,
Starting point is 00:04:34 I was a good guy, not an All-American. There were two big AM stations in New York. For some reason, and I don't know, know why. I just thought, I want to do that. And I don't know. It just, it pulled me like a thing that had me by the collar just dragging me. He was always going, I was always going to be the artsy, artsy kid. I was smart. I had good grades, but it was, it was movies, number one, theater, and my fallback was radio, much to the shock of the rest of my family. But my mom and dad were like, look, do the thing that you love and just work hard at it.
Starting point is 00:05:12 Just be great at it, and you'll be fine. Did Irving and Adelt Dashout get to listen to you on the radio? Yeah, thank God that they had heard me. You know, before they passed, they lived okay, but they heard me in my first job. But my friends were delivering pizza in Brooklyn getting $3 an hour. And at 19, I got my first radio job doing weekends at Excel, country in Newton, New Jersey, which was 76 miles away. So in my 69 cutlass, whose podometer had broken at a quarter of a million miles, and burned about 50-50 gas and oil, I got $1.76 an hour
Starting point is 00:05:54 for a five-hour show. So I don't know about these youngsters today, Buzz, but if you've totaled gas tolls, and if I bought a sandwich, I was pretty much losing $5 a show. But I'm 19 and I'm in. I'm on the air. I'm being paid to be a disc jockey. I don't know anything about country music, but I'm cousin Ken and exiled country, and I'm in.
Starting point is 00:06:21 And that's all that matters. That's so funny. I think, you know, Mark Chernoff, our old boss and our dear friend was on an earlier episode of taking a walk. And if I'm not mistaken, didn't he start at a country station as well and somewhere in Westchester County, maybe?
Starting point is 00:06:39 He was the one running XL Country, and he gave me my first job. He needed somebody on Sunday nights. You had to run the end of the Nets game, and then you had to run the gospel service, and then there were three hours on the air where you get to be a DJ. And that's all that mattered was those three hours.
Starting point is 00:07:02 I did not realize that Mark hired you there. That's great. my god Barbara Mandrell's still sleeping single in that double bed I can't believe that she's so pretty now since so much of this series is focused on
Starting point is 00:07:19 in and around Greenwich Village were you able to venture to the village from the mean streets of Brooklyn yeah you know born and raised in Brooklyn and what's very quickly I high school
Starting point is 00:07:35 poly prep in Brooklyn you know big big sort of science and business and big sports school. And I love playing sports, but I was too small. I didn't grow, you know, through puberty, I didn't get big and strong. I'm five foot six. So as much as I had talent, everybody else was bigger than me, so I couldn't play varsity sports. But I wrote plays. I was in the theater program. I did every play. I wrote my own play and put it on. And we didn't have a radio station, so I sold pizza and cupcakes, and I built a four-watt radio station. And I took that And as far as the college goes, I figured every school has classes and classrooms and teachers.
Starting point is 00:08:17 I just cared about the theater and the radio station. So I went to Hobart College because it had a gorgeous radio station and a really nice theater program. And I did that for a year. And then when I came back from that, I sent out my tapes and I went to NYU Film School. So that's when Mark Chernoff hired me on weekends doing country. So Monday through Friday, I'm writing script. I'm trying to shoot with my little student films. I'm trying to get work on commercials and things to learn how the business works.
Starting point is 00:08:47 And on weekends, I'm driving out to Newton, New Jersey. And for whatever reason, as opposed to drinking beer and trying to hook up and get girls, not that I didn't want it, but the switch was just on from 18 on. It's like, I had a get-go, and I had to do this. I had to do this. That's why I came back to New York. Instead of joining the NYU station, I sent out my tapes, and that was it. But the biggest thing I learned at NYU is I fell in love with a girl,
Starting point is 00:09:17 and we moved into her Thompson Street apartment right on Leaker Street and Thompson. And the best education I ever got at NYU was living in Greenwich Village at 19 years old. That was so. Wow, I got chills. That's so cool. What were some of the favorite haunts? there. I know, I mean, look, I always felt the bottom line was almost like any WFM's other studio in terms of, you know, the relationship and the shows that were broadcast from the bottom line. What are some of your favorite places and memories in the village of shows and places? It's funny. What are some of my favorite places? Yes, they're all of my favorite places. But, you know, you ask me this. It's so funny.
Starting point is 00:10:06 the things we forget in life or who is that guy we work with or whatever but that period of time 19 in the village early 80s you know in late 70s or no late 70s can't forget any of it it's all it's so much a part of my DNA and influence so much of me the bottom line right there in west 4th street and at and by NYU was the first show I ever saw in the village it was blood sweat and tears and I was just leaving class with what's sweating tears really literally down the block from class, I'll buy a ticket. And you realize it's that easy. Every band you want to see is playing here at the bottom line. I'll just keep coming in. And then when you move there and literally, immediately you're in New Yorker. It's the one thing about being in
Starting point is 00:10:53 New York. You don't have to try. If you're living there, you don't have to say, well, how's traffic or it's raining? You're there. So the bottom line, the village gate is down the block, with the greatest jazz artists who ever lived. And there's a club scene with open mic nights and cool acts at the bitter end. And down the block from that is Kenny's castaways. And Café Wah, when Bob Dylan's start, they're still there. And all the cafes are still there. There's a stool and a spotlight in every cafe.
Starting point is 00:11:26 And it was just vibrating. The entire thing, it was the tail end of the glory days of the village, but it was still there, the energy of just people, students, and everybody trying to make it musicians and comedians, and you're just walking with upcoming stars and people who live there and students, and that collective energy is something that I wouldn't trade for the world. How do you feel about the village these days? Do you feel like it still has that energy?
Starting point is 00:11:59 Now, on one of these episodes, Danny Fields and I, walk through the village and you know Danny's perspective obviously is always unique but you know for him it was it was certainly a bit mournful going over to where CBGBs used to be and seeing a fancy t-shirt joint yeah I mean that's what's happened to it and truly to the detriment of of the neighborhood and like everywhere else in the world and I mean in the world where, you know, corporations came in, and big box stores could pay a lot more rent than a club owner can. And, you know, this venue is now, you know, a drug store. And, you know, at least an upscale T-shirt shop where, you know, you've got a really fancy store where CBGBs was.
Starting point is 00:12:55 And it's still cool stereo components and things. But it's, you know, where the stage was is a little bit of the stage. there but that's a memory. The bottom line that I passed by every day when I'm walking back from work, where I saw all of these amazing shows, the Ramones, and name an artist that we love and listen to, where I saw them. You know, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, all those bands of the 70s, a rock pile, every squeeze, Billy Joel doing his show from there and doing his impression of Bruce Springsteen. Well, that's now a Starbucks. And I sit there and look at, at it going, it's a Starbucks.
Starting point is 00:13:34 You can't imagine what this place meant. And I know it's memories and all that, but I got, I went to a show at, what changed for me, my whole perspective, the magic of it. I went to see a comedy show, Tuesday nights was comedy shows at the bitter end.
Starting point is 00:13:50 And as a local guy, really funny, cockney guy, David Copperfield, who's a host, he's like, and this is what I got to N.E.W. It's like, oh man, you should come down, man, you should come down. And I'm funny. We tell stories on the air.
Starting point is 00:14:04 And he got up on stage and said, Hey, I got a surprise for you to bid. This lad Ken Dash out for Manny Debbie is going to come up to a few minutes. I had literally never done stand-up in my life. And I said, David, I don't do this. Oh, man, you'd be great. No, I don't have an act. I don't.
Starting point is 00:14:21 And he pulls me into the kitchen. He goes, tell me one joke. Yeah, no, just tell me a joke. Tell me a funny favorite joke. Great. tell me a second joke there's your act you're gonna do two jokes i'll come get and he literally threw me
Starting point is 00:14:36 no figuratively threw me into the deep end of the stand-up pool and it went okay and he's like great man great all right you did you just did two minutes you did two and a half minutes on my watch I want another two and a half minutes next week I want to have five minutes
Starting point is 00:14:51 and he forced me took me like on the bike with training wheels and taught me how to build a stand-up back and I started doing stand-up. And, you know, there's the bitter end and there's on the walls. There's pictures of Richard Pryor and Dylan and George Carlin and all it, Neil Young, and you're there on this little stage with a microphone. And I'm sorry, you can't not realize the people who preceded you on that stage with the same two lights and a microphone. And there was some magic in
Starting point is 00:15:27 that room. Yeah, no kidding. Wow. I'm hosting the comedy evening one night Tuesday and it's going well and I'm kibbutzing and I'm bringing up a this act that when you're the host you're doing a little stick in between the different comedians and I'm on stage and I see a guy walk in and you could just feel the air change and he's got a hoodie and a hat and a leather jacket and he stands at the bar and so he gives him the beer and I look over and it was Bob Dylan and he walked in And I just looked and I just knew I didn't make a mention I didn't say anything I didn't do anything and I could feel he was tense I just kept doing my act and did a thing his next comedian and I looked over I just glanced did the next one and afterwards
Starting point is 00:16:12 I came back towards the bar where we'd hang out and and just stood next to him and I without looking at him I just said everything's cool you know I love having you here and without him turning to me, he said, thanks. And so we never looked at each other, but I had to tell them, you know, I hope, what I wanted to say is, I hope for the love of God you understand what it means that you're standing here with a beer, watching what's happening now when you built an entire world here 20 years ago. Well, that takes me to another Bob Dylan story, which I've told before on this podcast, I put it under my regrets part of life.
Starting point is 00:17:01 But I'll let you tell the story when we saw Bob Dylan while we were at N.E.W. When our dear friend, late friend, Rocky Del Balzo and Paul Rappapour took myself and you and my wife and your wife at the time and some others up to see Mr. Dillon. Would you tell the story about the shot of whiskey? Oh, sure. I'm terrified to meet Bob, like, as we all are. And they're afraid, and it's the first time, you know, for folks listening, record company promo guys, they would walk into the Vatican and say, hi, Paul Rappaport, CVS Records, how you doing? Listen, I've got an artist. There's no fear of these guys.
Starting point is 00:17:54 but they were afraid to knock on the door. It was like softly tapping on the Godfather's door and came in and like, don't be an idiot, don't be an idiot, don't say anything stupid, just say hi, and walked in and this is Ken Dashab and how you doing? And Bob said, want some whiskey? And everybody was looking at me like, and I just thought, no, you don't think I'm going to take a shot of whiskey
Starting point is 00:18:25 with Bob Dylan, you must be crazy if you think I'm passing up this opportunity. And I said, Lechayim. And he went, oh, Lechayem. And we toasted and had some whiskey. I did not realize. I was so petrified there. I know.
Starting point is 00:18:40 I didn't realize you were the one that took the shot of whiskey. I didn't. I'm the lameo that was so petrified looking at him like, you're the voice of a generation. My God, I can't answer you. So that's my, like, that's my only regret in life. not taking the shot. So you took the freaking shot.
Starting point is 00:18:58 Had to. Like, because would this opportunity ever come up again? That Phil Lesh passing you a joint. I don't know what's in it, but I'm never not going to do that to say there was a moment in my life where somebody from the Grateful Dead passed me a joint and I took a puff and passed it back checkmark. I mean, that's done. I mean, just that, that's where it. That's, that is done. I've met Bob, I met Bob three times in my life, and I never want to meet him again, because each time it was better than the last, and I don't want to ruin, you know,
Starting point is 00:19:34 it's too big a chance to get him on a bad night, but each time he was funnier and friendlier, and it's a digression from the village, but the last time I met him, and I can't, I can't remember, I swear to God, I can't remember what the venue was. it was some show and again it was our late friend Rocky Dale Balsam Paul Rap report
Starting point is 00:19:59 come back BIP and it was before the show all right let's clear out and I got caught and for folks don't understand you're supposed to leave because you don't want to interfere with an artist about to come on stage
Starting point is 00:20:11 unless he's a dear friend you know they're focused they've got to do a show and I got stuck I couldn't get out because they had closed the get out of here but Bob was coming down from the dressing room. So I literally just averted my eyes. I tried to be invisible. I stood in
Starting point is 00:20:27 this sort of little ante room and was just averting my eyes so he wouldn't see me. And I just feel these two eyes just glaring at me, like two feet away from me, just glaring at me. And it's just burning a hole in me and I finally turned around and went. And he said, do I know you? I know I met you. Ken, I work in radio. Radio. New York radio? Yeah, well, with Scott Muni. And he's about to go and he goes, oh my God, Scotty, man, Scott Muni, man, that's great. So you're at Indy W. Yeah. So, you know, we didn't have anything like that. When I got here, it was just AM radio. We didn't have any cool radio. I couldn't get on AM radio. And Buzz, he's doing the interview that all of radio has been trying to get from him since 1964.
Starting point is 00:21:19 And he is just going on effusively about New York life, living here in the village, what it was like. but AM radio was out of scene. So they had to build their own scene, not because they wanted to, but because it didn't exist. And they were hoping to break through to the mainstream, but he's doing the entire interview. Just to me, like, please God,
Starting point is 00:21:41 make my ears a tape recorder. Please, God, make my brain a tape recorder. And the stage manager is glaring at him. And the stage manager is getting anger and said, Bob, this is amazing. I love this, but I think you're needed. And he said, what? Yeah, I think it's time.
Starting point is 00:22:01 Oh, oh, yeah. Hey, can you hang after the show? We'll keep talking. Sure. And that's when I realized, that's, I felt that's Bob. I just felt like talking. I felt like telling you this story now. You have a fun face.
Starting point is 00:22:14 And the fact that he's about to go on stage, go on. This moment, in this moment, I feel like doing this. I went, that's what is it. That's why it's, because this moment is this moment. And the next month, and the state, his road manager was going to kill me. I said, you saw what happened. You saw, I didn't. He goes, you can't engage him.
Starting point is 00:22:35 You cannot engage him. I'm like, you cannot engage him. It stormed out. And I'm like, and it was just that moment. And afterwards, I'm not, I don't, bad feelings. He doesn't remember that. I'm with Roger McGu. And I'm talking with Roger McGuin.
Starting point is 00:22:51 And the road manager comes back and says to Roger. he'd like to see you. And I said, Roger, it's great talking to you. I have to go. Roger said, why don't you come with me? And I said, you know what? I had my moment. I don't need to intrude.
Starting point is 00:23:07 Because I know what the guy doesn't want me in there. He goes, no, no, it would be great. We don't have anything to say to each other. We need someone to talk to. Come back with me. And I look at the manager and he just throws up his hands. And I went back. And I'm sitting in like my uncle Danny's house with two,
Starting point is 00:23:24 all the Rockers goes, Oh, remember this guy? Remember that guy? There was this guy who used to work in the village. Oh, you remember? That was Cafe Wild. It's like the Sunshine Boys doing folk rock memories while I'm in the room because they needed a kid to talk to, to tell the stories.
Starting point is 00:23:40 And it'll never talk about. That's outstanding. Wow. And how special was it for you working at WNEWFM? I know for me it was one of the most. special parts of a career that I'm very grateful for. I mean, I grew up in Stanford, Connecticut, and you know, you grew up in Brooklyn, and obviously we knew the station. The station was a powerhouse. I had my dual identity card then, Dasher. I was Buzz Night five days a week,
Starting point is 00:24:20 and Bob Killer Kosack on Saturday and Sunday. But how special was it for you to be at that amazing station? It was, that was the moment. I mean, my break into New York, I went from country in New Jersey, getting $1.75 an hour, to doing rock and roll out in eastern Long Island and Riverhead, getting $3.80 an hour. How many people double their salary between their first and second jobs to 82, the, the, summer of 82 was the WAPP came in, a new rock station that was commercial free for the summer. And I sent tapes to everybody who even knew was a rumor of them running it.
Starting point is 00:25:06 And it's another whole story about how you get into radio. But our morning guy was going to be offered weekends and turned it down because he's a morning man. He turned down weekends in New York City for mornings out in Ashkosh out in Riverhead. and I knew it and I called it said on here weekends whatever and it's a new station so by the I'm doing weekends but before even started the nighttime guy couldn't sell his house and his wife didn't want to move and I ended up doing nights and it was a pretty boring basic station that didn't have any personality musically it didn't have any effect it was just commercial for for you playing generic rock and I just kept pounding on the door at NEW and I don't know what your
Starting point is 00:25:52 interview was like in any of you. but Richard Neer was the one who brought me in and everybody thought you're crazy you're giving up five nights to five days a week on the brand new shiny rock station for weekends and fill-ins at any w like oh yeah of course because it's n ew and it's the most honest answer of you i they said you got to meet scott and i go in to meet scott me coffee cigarettes got the paper so what's your story fats i said born and raised in Brooklyn, and my story is very simple.
Starting point is 00:26:27 If you played it and talked about it, I know it. If you didn't play it, I don't know it. Anyway, what are your sports teams? And that was the end of the interview, and I was done it. And I meant it. If it was played on that radio station, it's in me.
Starting point is 00:26:43 You didn't play it? I don't know what it is. It was a lifestyle. It wasn't just casual. It was a lifestyle for me. How did you get there? I knew Charlie Kendall from some industry events, I remember. I had known him when he was in Philadelphia at MMR. And then when he moved to N.E.W., I had kind of stayed in touch with him. And I remember asking him at some, you know, maybe, you know, R&R convention or something, you know, about working there.
Starting point is 00:27:14 And he's like, well, I only have weekends. And I said, I'm in. And he said, really? And I said, yeah. So he goes, all right. And that was literally it. I remember saying, well, what name do I use? And I said, you know, because it's using this name Buzz Knight while I'm up in Connecticut.
Starting point is 00:27:37 He said, well, how about using your real name since it's okay with your mother? And so I was like, okay. And that was it. And no practice show or anything like that. Well, you've been on five days a week. I mean, you know, how much warm. As long as you get the call letters right, you're in. Well, that's funny.
Starting point is 00:27:58 I got my names right for the first year. I didn't screw up at all. I got the name. Did you have your coffee cup like Johnny Fever with your name on it? I just, you know, I just had to constantly remind myself, but a year in, I remember we had those liner cards that we used to read, you know, promoting something. And, you know, there was the whole weekend. Warriors and there was a note that, you know, had our names promoting the weekend Warriors.
Starting point is 00:28:27 And they were, it was initialized there. So I'm staring at it reading. And of course, I see BK. Well, BK is Buzz Knight. B.K. is Bob Cossack. So a year in, I think it was, I was doing Saturday night at that time. And Buzz Knight name comes out of my mouth while I'm reading the card. I just ignored it. I figured it. I figured. It's New York City. It's Saturday night. Everyone's got a buzz. It's buzz night.
Starting point is 00:28:55 And I ignored my faux pa, but I was mortified. But it took a year for me to screw that up. Very good. Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. I love that. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:29:06 But it was an amazing place for sure. I was just looking through some old memorabilia from that time. And remember the concert calendars that... Oh, sure. that were done and how beautiful they were? Really? I had showed some of the calendars that we did to our promotions team. They're like, this is just magical. I'm like, yeah, you know, it's when a company owned a radio station or two radio stations,
Starting point is 00:29:37 you could do your own promotions, you could build your own idea and own identity. I mean, corporate radio is like corporate anything. There's a giant chain of command of what gets money, what doesn't, You get by with what you have as opposed to, I bought this radio station and I want to promote it. What's a creative, not too expensive way to get it out there? And that's, I mean, it's not just radio. It's in every facet of life. You know, that's something that's missing of places this drugstore putting a unique spin on how they do things versus that drugstore.
Starting point is 00:30:11 When you're a CVS or something, that store manager can only do so many balloons to promote something. Yeah, it was a time that certainly there was an opportunity for that station to stand out by doing unique things, unique events and unique promotions and the calendar. Remember the Christmas concert at the Garden? What an unbelievable experience that was being on stage with Yoko and Sean? I mean, come on, you know. Remarkable, remarkable memories. And, you know, circling back to the village. It was like that, and there were certain types of acts that played certain venues.
Starting point is 00:30:53 You know, the Village Gate was mostly jazz. I saw every great jazz arts from Herbie Hancock to God, David Drewbeck played there, Miles. They were amazing. You hear these legends of this music playing literally a block away from me. Bottom line was rock and folk, and occasionally folk jazz. I mean, rock jazz of David Bromberg, always playing there. Dave Edmonds was a staple, you know, Annie Hassam from Renaissance and the Ramones,
Starting point is 00:31:26 even though the Ramones were more punked CBGBs. But it would go in that direction. And then for clubs and for what's considered alt rock today, that was Kenny's castaways where the Smithereen started and the Bitter End, where Steve Forbert and Suzanne Vega and those guys started. every kind of club had a certain sort of identity. And everybody who tells me, you know, not just reading about San Francisco, but people work with the Grateful Dead in that world about, they explained to me, I got a tour once of San Francisco, kind of like what we're talking about Greenwich Village, what was like then, as they said, you know, the Jefferson Airplane were always playing the pizza place.
Starting point is 00:32:10 and, you know, the storytellers, the folk rockers, and poets, Leonard Cohn, and the hippie bus in Ginsburg were at the inkwell, if you wanted coffee. You know, so the dead, the warlocks at the time were at the hall, at the Union Hall. So if you wanted a slice of pizza, you were going to hear psychedelic Grateful Dead. If you wanted coffee and a muffin, you were going to hear poetry. You know, if it was all here at Hayd Ashbury, so you had to be influenced by it all. And that's what Greenwich Village had. It's a small village of network of clubs, Cabe Waugh, Cornelius Street Cafe, that doesn't get as much cash. Donovan has become a friend through the years.
Starting point is 00:32:55 He said, let's go have lunch at Cornelius. And we had lunch, and he gave me his walking tour of the village. He just felt like going down memory lane with somebody. and he explained that this was important that he couldn't get into Café Waugh that it would be like an 11 midnight or 1 a.m. slot But as Cornelia Street Cafe was trying to get in the game, they gave him an 8 o'clock slot.
Starting point is 00:33:21 So he forgot the big names who played an earlier show and worked that way to get to there. And he's explaining the mechanics of who played where and as he's looking by buildings, he's giving me a history of 60s, folk rock, English and American, of who is wearing and I'm like totally get it. I love it. I think I could see it. Wow.
Starting point is 00:33:42 I think one of the really cool things about you being at Q104.3 for so long is we worked, you know, as part of this air staff with some, you know, real iconic figures. And you've had your whole air staff at Q that kind of has iconic figures, Jim Kerr and Shelley Sunstein What's life like at Q? Carol Miller, our old friend from N.E.W.
Starting point is 00:34:14 What is life like at Q104 for you? It has been truly an absolute blessing, not a drop of boniness or whatever. It has been the dream job of the lifetime for 23 years
Starting point is 00:34:30 and I hold on to it as tightly as I can and protect this house for all. It was 1999 and NAW said there's not classical music, classic rock is dead there's a dime left in it it's all Opie and Anthony
Starting point is 00:34:46 and strippers and putting handicapped people on the microphone and making fun of their disability and that's what radio is now and that's the future from Mel Carmeson and said can't be any waving a giant book
Starting point is 00:35:02 of you know some some consultants thing of telling you what you want to hear and putting a lot of pages in it. I said, you don't think the Beatles have any cashet. You don't think there's money left from the Beatles. It's 20 years ago, 30 years ago, it's gone. I said, interesting, because if the Beatles were a publicly traded company, I would take all of my money out of every mutual fund they have and put it in Beatles 8. Like, you know, there was no Apple at the time, and I'll be fine.
Starting point is 00:35:30 And 99, a beautiful guy who I'm sure you know, and may rest in peace, who saved my life. The name was Steve Young from Seattle. Steve was integral to launching Pearl Jam and Nirvana. At his station there, he built what became the grunge sound because he loved the writing. He saw the new Dylan in the writing of Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain and Stone Temple, and you know, all of those guys and Chris Cornell.
Starting point is 00:35:58 And he helped build it. He came here and he called me and said, I have the last seat on the last lifeboat off the Titanic, and it has your name on it. And, you know, I'm sure every once in a while, like you're running into Charlie Kendall, there's a moment where that magic thing happens and you go running. And he just kind of cherry-picked the DJs he liked. There was Jim Kerr and Carol, even though Carol was with us at N.E.W. Her glory days was at PL. and he took me and Scott from N.E.W. And from K Rock, the other rock station down, he took Maria Molito and Mark Coppola.
Starting point is 00:36:40 And put us together, and we played the music. And, you know, you've been a PD for so much of your life. And whenever I would go in and ask him about structure of what he wants and the breaks, where do you want the promos? Where do you want horizontal promos? And he would just go, you know all that. crap. Yeah, I do. Okay. Well, I'll just, you know, just consistency, stay the course, build the music, who's really a tight playlist. I said, want to open it up a little? He said, we will. Right now,
Starting point is 00:37:12 we got to establish who's on the air and what we do, because this place has been hazy. We have to get it into focus. And he built it. And then got bored and left and went back, as he said, I love building a home for my friends, but I've got a house overlooking Puget Sound. I want to go back. Like, okay. And Bob Buckman came, and he wanted to bring in his BAB people himself and Jerry Martyr. And we worked it out. And Jerry would do his Friday Road Show, because that was his big thing.
Starting point is 00:37:43 And he said, he would do a weekend show. Oh, yeah, Sunday. How about, I'll do a morning show. I don't want to do afternoons. It was a Sunday morning, yeah. And it was one, I don't remember one, 2002 or something. It was an anniversary of the Beatles. I said, Beatles anniversary of coming to America.
Starting point is 00:37:59 Once you play Beatles music, so I'll play a couple of songs. He goes, play the whole, play two hours. I said, seriously? Yeah, what's going to happen? Sunday morning. And on Monday I came in and he said, did you play two hours of Beatles music?
Starting point is 00:38:13 I said, yeah, no, and I'm defensive. Like, you told me to. He goes, yeah. We've never gotten such a response to anything in all my years in radio. You've got to see the emails, the phone calls are coming in and all they're asking is are you going to do it again i said yeah next anniversary i'll do it again he said how about this coming sunday and i'm quick well i'm quick
Starting point is 00:38:36 what you mean play beetles again the next week two hours of beetles yeah all right if you think so i just played two hours of beatles music and told stories about it what i love and hey you want to hear something special and the phones exploded exploded like i was giving away who tickets and I came in next Monday, he said, we played Beatles again, yeah, he goes, just keep playing Beatles Sunday mornings. We'll be fine.
Starting point is 00:39:03 And that's 22 years now. Yeah, yeah. It's the one thing about, you and I know this about radio or anything else, if it's not a great idea, if the audience doesn't resonate with the idea, you can promote it from here until the end of the world. Nobody's going to listen or watch it.
Starting point is 00:39:23 If an audience loves something, they love it. Don't stop it. Exactly. Dasher, why is music so vital to our soul? I think the perfect answer is what happened during the pandemic of people we were frenetic. We've been at each other in its throat so much, but without live concerts, without us congregating, not for religious experience, but for a joyous music experience.
Starting point is 00:39:50 I think it goes back to cavemen days. You know, we congregate together around the fire, and it was story. tell us. And that was your television, that was your entertainment. And it always goes back to we want to be together. We're homogenous people. But when you're at a Billy Joel last night, Madison Square
Starting point is 00:40:07 Garden for John Lennon's birthday, they played Lucy and Skywood Dunance. And the roof came off the place. Because you don't ask the person next to you, who did you vote for? Or are you an anti-vaxxer? No, it's about music. It's the thing.
Starting point is 00:40:23 I've always said music has been my best friend my whole life it's the most consistent friend i've ever had it's always there it always lifts me up it always can reflect my mood happy sad the emotion of that a book requires you to sit and look at it i love reading a tv program means you can look at it music you can listen while you're walking while i'm walking my dog i'm listening to it and when i'm playing it the difference between streaming and what we do is you have a friend and And for us, at least in New York, I think nationwide, maybe worldwide, radio listening during COVID shot through the route. Because Spotify never says to you, how you doing?
Starting point is 00:41:08 Do you have anybody in your family who's sick? I know, we all do. And here's hope it gets better, and here's journey. Don't stop believing. And the song you've heard 10,000 times takes on a different context. And that's what human beings on radio. whether you're listening over the airwaves or streaming or however you get it, you know, when I get an email from Crete saying,
Starting point is 00:41:33 listening to Breakfast of the Beatles here on the Iheart radio app, I go, yeah, it's not ego of men on special. It's ego of the music. Look what this music means that somebody on vacation or halfway around the world goes, I need to listen to that. I mean, not I want to, I need to listen to it. Like that's what, it's such a deep emotional connection. You see people sob when somebody plays music.
Starting point is 00:41:59 They feel the rush of energy when somebody plays something that lifts you up. It's just magic. Love you, buddy. I appreciate the time. Oh, my pleasure. I got one last quick, Greenwich Village story of my era, of late 70s. And it goes back, I was told 10 years to like the early 70s. It was an old Italian restaurant on 6th Avenue and West 4th Street, right where the basketball courts are,
Starting point is 00:42:23 the famous intersection where the West 4th Street subway is. And it's called Emilio's. And when I was doing stand-up at the bitter end, and there were folk musicians here and there and as well, Kenny's castaways, we all went to Amelia. And the Billy Braggs and Suzanne Vegas would sit at their table discussing world politics, and all the comedians would be at this table trying to work on each other's acts. We were all, it was all helpful.
Starting point is 00:42:51 Hey, you know that piece you do about the car? I was thinking, what if you said, and if you said while you're driving, but of course driving in Brooklyn is different, and you could tie in Brooklyn, and we would help each other hone each other's acts. And I noticed that the singers would never help each other with their songs at the table.
Starting point is 00:43:11 They were always talking about world politics and this and that and angry, and we were all just focused on making your show better. And it was just two different worlds, but we never, we always came together, we'd see each other and say hi, but we never sat together. That the comedians with this world,
Starting point is 00:43:27 and I got to meet the late David Brenner and met George Carlin, just most brilliant. And I asked him, that's how it was with me. He goes, oh, exactly the same. Hasn't changed. Richie Havens and Joan Baez go off here.
Starting point is 00:43:41 You know, me, I'm here with my guys talking about this joke and that joke, and it's always been like that. He probably goes back, you know, the court jesters hung together and the lute player hung with his guys. like that's how it always is. I love it. That's awesome.
Starting point is 00:43:58 Thanks for your generosity, my friend. It's great to be with you. Oh, Buzz, my pleasure. Great reconnecting with you anytime. Let's get together. Let's go down to the village and get something to eat one day. Amen. Thanks, brother.
Starting point is 00:44:11 Taking a walk with Buzz Night is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. They take matters into their own hands. I vowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves.
Starting point is 00:44:39 We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax.
Starting point is 00:45:03 You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg, a lesbian. Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young.
Starting point is 00:45:20 This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to a love trapped podcast on the EyeHour Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell.
Starting point is 00:45:39 Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat, just hang in there.
Starting point is 00:46:01 Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On a recent episode of the podcast, Money and Wealth with John Hobriant, I sit down with Tiffany the budgetista Aliche to talk about what it really takes to take control of your money. What would that look like in our families if everyone was able to pass on wealth to the people when they're no longer here?
Starting point is 00:46:30 We break down budgeting. financial discipline, and how to build real wealth, starting with the mindset shifts. Too many of us were never, ever taught. If you've ever felt you didn't get the memo on money, this conversation is for you to hear more. Listen to Money and Wealth with John Hope Bryant from the Black Effect Network on the I'd Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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