I Love You Radio: 2000ish Edition AKA Thank You

My last radio post ran a little long, and research shows that people don't like to read long blog posts.

And I have several people I would like to thank.

So here goes...

Buzz Collins, Magic Eddie Mills to his Edmonton friends and listeners and Bono too. It was from whom I first heard the word "blog" after he left Power 92 for a station in Winnipeg, and who once gave me a shout out on an Ontario station just because he knew I was listening online. Thank you sir.

Mike Diesel, now of Go Auto Red Deer, who let me flex my movie critic muscles again for six very fun months in 2007 and 2008.on that K-Rockin' 97 during his evening show. I got to be Movie Man and it was a blast. I even had the pleasure of having both the Pink Panther and James Bond themes accompany me. Thank you sir.

Bill Cowen, former K97 morning cohost, who I met under circumstances normally reserved for adventure movies and icebound reality shows. He pulled me and my wheelchair out of a snowbank I rolled into while wheeling to my family's home from the bus stop.on Easter Sunday 2002. Yes, we had a big snow dump that year. I had just started my appreciation of classic rock, and as Bill pushed me the rest of the way, I complimented him and K97 on their choice to do a Howard Stern type of show locally. When we got to the house I joked to my mom and stepdad that they probably wouldn't recognize Bill because he certainly didn't look the same all bundled up as he did not bundled up on the K97 billboards then popular around town. He left and life sped by until we connected on Facebook about seven years later, almost as if no time had passed at  He invited us to his comedy show, and we even found time to break bread at Cora's some time later. Always Bill's ready smile and great laugh were in evidence. Again life has sped by, but thank you for your kindness my friend, and best of luck in your new endeavors. See you down the (hopefully snowbank-free) road.

Jungle Jay, former evening host on 630 CHED, who pioneered the concept of bringing "morning zoo" energy to the night time, complete with sound effects. To a geeky 15-year-old in 1986 looking for an exciting distraction to accompany my nightly homework, your show provided a party in the radio. And as I have said before, all that energy made me wonder what kind of guy you really were. Even what you looked like, which in those pre-social-media days was not always easy to find out. But I did find out one day when my mom and I went to the Spring Break Video Dance Party at Heritage Mall. The sun obscured the large hanging video screen in the center of the mall, so we wound up dancing to a large TV. But that was OK, because when I met you I found you had the same energy in person as you did on the air. You gave me a Hot Traxx album, and over the years I saw you at various places around town, first at the teen club Studio 82, and again at Heritage Mall for another cohost contest before the one at the station. I busied myself handing you your sound effects carts, something you didn't ask me to do, but you went  with it. Because you were always kind to me. I also seem to remember you and Seanna Collins joking about "fine young cannonballs" for some reason. It was fun following your career through stops after CHED at Power 92, Cool 880, and Capital FM, as well as the broadcasting school. It was a fun afternoon we spent there when I brought my old-school tape case full of airchecks for you to listen to and copy. And you were there for me at Capital when I came to you for advice when I was just starting my brief call center career, which really gave me a boost in that job. I still have those tapes in that case, safely in storage. In my stepdad Jim's basement, as a matter of fact. Jim deserves special mention too, because it is basically his two cassette decks and reel to reel I hogged to capture all of them, sometimes at all hours, and he rarely uttered a peep. So thank you Jim. Because Jay, I believe that your work deserves to live on. You were the best evening radio DJ in the city, and your on air work, your kindness, and your countless acts of giving will be remembered always by the city of Edmonton.

That applies to everyone in radio, by the way. In this world where people can create their own playlist on a whim, the guy or lady on the radio may not seem relevant anymore, but that is not so. Just about every station on the dial has a way and a place to start a conversation with listeners. Isn't NOW Radio's tagline "Join The Conversation"? And Charlee Morgan sure started a few when she was at UP!, that's for sure. Lots of people are sad that she's not there anymore. But sometimes, no matter how much time you spend in a city or province, you just have to go home. It's all good.

In the end, I decided to set my radio dreams aside. Turned out to be a better writer than a talker.

And that's OK.

Thank you all.

I love you radio.

MTMG

I Love You Radio: 90s Edition

Now where was I? Cut to the summer of 1992. I graduated from Holy Trinity High and still planned to pursue a career in radio. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do it. But I sure was going to have fun trying while soaking up the sun. 630 CHED's stature as a Top 40 powerhouse had seen a shift with the gradual emergence of Power 92 FM, And the above aircheck is certainly a time capsule of the period, with Rob and Audie pulling Sunday double duty on the Hot 30. (Yes it was pretaped, but it was still fun picturing them maybe sitting in the studio and drinking coffee  on a Sunday going, "Weren't we just here?"). Also featured is the late Pat Cardinal, then the Power 92 program director and an outstanding DJ as well, doing the noon shift.

But if I could, I'd like to draw your attention to the smiling guy in the crew cut among the pictures featured. He is Ron Clark, and it is Ron who gave me the chance to have my own radio feature on his midday show in 1993. I had gone to the movie premiere of CB4 (short for Cell Block 4), a rap parody somewhat aspiring to be Spinal Tap but missing that mark by a continent or two, despite the presence of both Chris Rock and Phil Hartman. I had a great time lightly chuckling, and called Ron the next morning at the station just to chat about what we had seen. All of a sudden he said:

"Hey, how about we do a new segment on my show?"

My exact words: "Huh? Are you serious?"

"Yes I am," said Ron. "Let's start it right now. You ready? 3,2,1....And on the phone with me right now is Mike At The Movies! We saw CB4 last night and..."

Holy cow, I now had a radio handle I wouldn't have thought of in a million years, although I am a movie buff! That was all him.

And so I would go to the premieres and generally call in on Fridays about ten oclock. We would have a conversation on the phone about whatever the movie happened to be that week, be it Judgement Night with Emilio Estevez or The Chase with his brother Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson. Or Disney's Three Musketeers reboot with Charlie, Kiefer Sutherland, and Peter Frampton...uh, I mean Chris O'Donnell (a quip I didn't use on air but preserved here). Yes, it was a hit-and-miss summer moviewise, but we did occasionally get to see underappreciated gems like So I Married an Axe Murderer, a dark but very funny comedy starring Mike Myers, in which he plays not only the main character but also his crusty Scottish father. Others included The Man Without A Face, Mel Gibson's directorial debut in which he also played the title role. And there was also the sweet Heart and Souls, which gave pre Iron Man Robert Downey Jr a chance to flex his Chaplinesque gifts for physical comedy and mimicry.

And it was always a blast for me. But in those pre-digital days I know Ron did a lot of this...





...to make me sound good, sometimes working miracles to get our spot ready for air at the end of the nine song set. Or in a couple of cases at the end of a commercial break...when we would start recording at the beginning of said commercial break. And because I hadn't quite mastered the concept of friendly disagreement being OK when talking about movies in a critical forum. Add to that the fact that I did not discover the radio person's staple of coffee for another 12 years or so, and I'm sure he was wondering about me some days. The best radio people can put anyone at ease, and Ron Clark certainly was that.

And then, in the spring of 1994 after a pretty fun year, it was over.

Ron told me the morning I called to do our Major League 2 review. And I had a feeling we were done the night before when I saw Bob Uecker's Harry Doyle character chide his on air partner about going back to broadcasting school. Because no matter how much fun radio may appear to be, at the end of the day it is a business. And I had a pretty good year for not actually being hired. I was and always will be grateful to Ron Clark for doing all he did to start me on a path. But Ron Clark rocks, ladies and gentlemen. He really does. And not just because of all the radio stuff and all the movies, but for being a great friend as well, which is a rare thing in this crazy world.

Thank you my friend.

MTMG