Post 1577 - Thanks For The Feedback

If there is one disappointing thing about the blog interviews, it's that, once I publish them, I never hear about them again.  I get very little feedback from them.

The interview with Floyd has been somewhat different.

When I published last night, I specifically asked for feedback, and there has been more of it than there normally is.

Thank you.  I have had some nice feedback from Facebook friends and some tweets. Even my under-used Friends of Bevboy's Blog Facebook page has yielded some kind words.

You'll be pleased to know that I will start work on the Neil  Spence interview shortly.  A small teaser for the interview appeared with the Floyd one last evening, as I used a picture from the Spence interview last night in the Floyd one.  There are plenty more where that came from, folks.

I would have started work on the Neil Spence interview before this, but as you know, I took quite ill last week for a full week.  Really affected my productivity.  I think you'll like the Neil Spence interview.  For a really young fella, he has worked in the Valley, Cape Breton, and now in Halifax.

I'll start work on the Neil Spence interview this weekend.  Look for it in this space, soon.

'Night.

Bevboy

Post 1576 – Interview With Live 105’s Floyd

 

March 10, 2011

 

I was about 30 seconds late for my lunch meeting with Floyd at (sigh!) The Pogue Fado. We sat at the same booth where Cub Carson and I had a few weeks earlier.

We ordered our food and started to talk. Patricia joined us a bit later, and we all got to know about each other as we talked about radio, Elvis Presley, and Saskatoon, which I hear is in Saskatchewan.

1. How did you get your start in radio?

Floyd: Well, I actually started at University of Kings College doing journalism. They told me I had to take radio. I didn’t want to; I thought it was stupid. I ended up taking it because it was a course requisite.

They put me behind a mic at CKDU. Then, I started doing shows outside of school at CKDU, just for fun. It was called "The Floyd Factor". It ran for two and a half years on Friday nights. I decided I loved it too much to continue studying journalism because, let’s be honest, most of the papers here have closed. The Chronicle Herald laid off a ton of its staff.

 

Bevboy: And even radio journalism isn’t nearly what it used to be.

F: No. It is, sadly, a dying industry. Everything’s moving to the web.

I loved radio, unexpectedly, so I left school, took a year off just to work and get my head around what I wanted to do, and ended up going to NSCC and taking the radio program there. The waterfront campus.

BB: I hear it’s a lovely facility over there.

F: Oh, it’s so nice. It’s beautiful. We had some of the best equipment to be found in the city. We had the best tv studio in the whole city, including the actual tv studios. It was really nice to be there.

BB: Your instructors would have been Dave Bannerman and Yvonne Colbert?

F: Yes. They were my Broadcast Journalism and Television instructors.

BB: And, they know about me! I’m just doubly thrilled here.

So, that was your studies. What year did you graduate?

F: I didn’t graduate from there.

BB: It’s a 2 year program, right?

F: It’s a 2 year program. I left in March of my last year, which seems kind of strange, but I’d missed a lot of classes because I got a part-time job doing news at Z103, which is owned by the same company as Live. I missed a ton of classes doing actual radio work. My professors weren’t too thrilled. When I got a job offer, I didn’t really have the option of early graduation. I decided, "Well, this is my shot. These don’t come very often, so I’m just going to go." I got most of the information [from the program] that I needed.

BB: Were you on the air at Z103 as Floyd?

F: Yes, doing news.

BB: You’ve never worked under an assumed name?

F: No.

BB: OK. You worked out West for a while. How did that come about?

F: I’m a terrible student. I realized early on that I wanted to get my career started. Looking at the listings every day on Milkman, I probably applied for 50 jobs. I got 16 interviews and 4 offers. I turned down the first 2 offers. Then, Andy Ross at Wired 96.3 called me. He’s the Program Director there. He offered me Afternoon Drive, partly by myself and with a co-host during the end of the day. I said yes immediately. Getting Drive right out of school is pretty good. I was ready to go. Then, I got another job offer after that, which I declined because I’d already taken this one.

I was on a plane 2 weeks later to Saskatoon. Sold everything I owned. I’d never been to Saskatoon. Never really considered Saskatchewan in general not for any other reason than I had never had a reason to go there. But, I moved to Saskatoon and was there for 8 months.

BB: Do you want to say the jobs you turned down? Were they local?

F: No. One was out in the Territories. The other 2 were in Northern Ontario. One was part on air, and part Production. It wasn’t really my thing. Once a Top 40 station offered me Drive, I was set. I was in.

BB: How did Live 105 come about?

F: I actually applied for it before it was even a station. I was working under Dan Barton at Z when I was doing part-time. I remember, before I was even talking to anyone in Saskatoon, I went into his office and asked him if there might be a place for me at the new station when it launched, before we even knew what the format was.

BB: The AAA format?

F: That was the rumour swirling around. There were rumours about a bunch of different formats. He said, "You’d be on my list. I can’t make any guarantees, but it might happen."

Of course, that wouldn’t pay the bills. So, off I went.

I heard it was launching as a Modern Rock format. I was speaking with Jeff Cogswell, who until recently was mornings at Z. He got me an "in". He talked to Rob Johnson, when Rob was PD, and then again to JD, when JD took over. They asked him to get a demo from me, so I sent it in.

I think it was 3 days later. I was on my way to work in Saskatoon, and Paul Evanov called me. I just about went off the road. Paul Evanov’s a pretty important guy in the Evanov Radio Group, obviously. I actually had my little brother up; he was visiting from here and doing an internship because he’s interested in radio as well. He got to see the dramatic side of the sudden career change up front.

I went to my PD right away. They weren’t overly happy because we were in the middle of ratings, and I was giving them 5 days’ notice. They understood.

BB: Five days’ notice? That’s unusual!

F: That’s very unusual. But, they needed me for the launch date, which was October 4th. This was the very last days of September when they called me. So, I made a very difficult last minute decision to uproot everything once again. Six days after I got that call, I was back on a plane to Halifax.

BB: I hope Evanov helped with the relocation expenses.

F: They did, yes. They were very generous to me.

P: I find a lot of radio personalities are like gypsies. They go wherever there’s a job.

BB: OK. October 4th, you’re on the air at Live 105. You had found out less than a week before that you were getting this new job.

F: Yes. I flew on a Saturday, and started work Monday morning.

BB: Cub told me his side of the story. You guys locked eyes at the airport. It’s almost romantic.

F: It kinda was. It’s the least romantic romance story ever. It was interesting. It was kinda like finding out you had a brother your whole life whom you never knew and meeting him.

With my last co-host in Saskatoon, we got along really well. We were good friends. But, with Cub, it was almost like the next level. It’s like your first love, and then your second love when you figure out it can be more. It’s crazy how much we just clicked. I saw him. He drove me back. We ended up going to the hotel bar and throwing back a few drinks and just really bonding.

BB: On the company dime, I hope.

F: No. It was on Cub’s dime. [laughs] The hotel room was on the company dime, for two and a half weeks.

P: After hearing you this morning. 67 orgasms in a week? I’m impressed.

BB: That’s why you’re so happy. Look at you. Jeepers.

F: I may have made that number up.

P: Hey, it keeps people listening.

2. What is the best piece of professional advice you have ever received and who provided it?

F: I’d say it was from Fred Kennedy at The Edge. It’s hard to pick one because there’s been so many people who have given me good advice. Dave Bannerman gave me a lot of good advice, and so did Dan Barton. Shane Wilson, when I worked under him in the News department as well.

I was in Toronto doing an internship, emailing Fred. He agrees to meet with me. In the course of a 2 hour session at a bar just like this one, he taught me more than I had learned in my 2 years at school. He introduced me to the concept of a hook, which is a technique where you tease something that’s coming up to keep people listening and interested.

BB: "Coming up at 7:40"...

F: Exactly, but more in depth. You tell someone half a story, and leave them wondering what’s going on. I’d never heard of that before, not even in school.

Like me, he had had troubles in school. He got fired from one of his first jobs. I didn’t get fired, but he’s a bit of a rebel. Just hearing about his story, and how he’s so passionate and just worked and worked and worked, and knew he could get what he wanted if he wanted it hard enough and tried hard enough. That’s how I felt it was time to kick it into the next gear and start my career in a real way.

Go for what you want. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t get that first job, because I had people tell me, "You’re not going to get Drive right out of school." But, I did. Not to sound like a jerk, but if you want something bad enough and try really hard, you can get it.

3. Cub Carson told me that your sense of humour helped make the decision to hire you as his morning co-host at Live 105. Is this sense of humour something that comes naturally to you? Do you perceive the world in an ironic context?

F: I think so. I grew up in a very strange family. A lot of kids grew up watching "Barney" and all that stuff. I grew up watching "Monty Python".

BB: I like you already!

F: I’ve always had an offbeat sense of humour. It got me in trouble when I was a kid. Everyone thought I was weird and kinda creepy. Eventually, that kind of humour became cool again. I was o.k. after that. I’m very off the wall, I think. I’ve had people tell me that, when they first meet me, I’m putting on an act of being weird. Then, they realize that’s just who I am [laughs]. I’d say I’m a bit off beat for sure.

BB: A little eccentric.

F: Yes.

BB: Nothing wrong with that.

F: Yes.

BB: Is it safe to say that you are on the air what you are off the air?

F: 100%. I know people who will change things. They don’t really want to put their whole self across, whether it’s for personal reasons or they feel they’re more capable playing a part. But, I am exactly 100% the way I am off air, on air.

BB: You’re not playing a character at all.

F: No. This is me. Which is why my boss said people will either love me or hate me. I can be annoying to some people. But, that’s just how I am in real life.

BB: Well, you talked about the skating oval and you wanted skates. You wanted to accentuate them somehow to make them girly. I thought that was really funny.

F: Oh, yes. I did. I painted them gold.

 

 

4. Tell me about a couple of on air mistakes that you have made.

F: [chuckles] I was interning at Big Dog in Truro

BB: With Morrissey Dunn, probably.

F: Yes. It would have been with Moe Dunn. I was doing over nights, actually. I was on the midnight to six am shift.

BB: They have live overnight shifts?

F: They don’t, normally, but they open that up for interns. They’re really great with interns.

So, I was doing overnights for a month, in May of 2009. I don’t know if they told me and I just missed it, or if they forgot to tell me about the off air alarm.

I went to the washroom. I thought I had it in automation, so things would automatically play one after the other. I come back, and I hear this beeping. I’m all alone in this building. It’s the middle of the night. I’m a fresh-faced intern, terrified to even be near a microphone. I’m looking around, wondering if there’s a fire here.

I go down to the front door, thinking it might be a door bell. I have no idea what it is. It’s 3:40 in the morning. I get up and realize that it’s the off air alarm. I’d been off the air for the last 3 minutes. If it goes on for, I think, more than 30 seconds or a minute, it automatically calls the program director.

Patricia; Oh, no!

F: He didn’t call back. He figured, "Stupid intern’s done something wrong!" He gave me a bit of a playful lecture in the morning. That’s probably the stupidest thing I’ve done.

I said "asshole" on the air once. But, in my defense, I was getting my legs waxed at the time.

P: Oh, I’d say something a lot worse than "asshole".

F: Those are the 2 that stick out to me.

BB: What station was this at? Out West?

F: The "asshole" comment? That was at Wired in Saskatoon.

I’ve done some questionable things. I made up a song about a dead pigeon once that I found on the street. It angered some people [chuckles].

BB: Was it an ode to the dead pigeon?

F: No. The song was about different ways in which you could eat him.

P: Oh, dear God! [laughs]

F: I’ll send you a link to the song, actually. I have the mp3. It’s a duet with my former co-host.

5. How difficult is it to be edgy without going over the edge and saying something on the air that you shouldn’t? I guess it comes down to training and professionalism, I guess. But, sometimes, you get in the moment.

F: Yes. It’s a lot of common sense. I think the difference is: We’re not trying to be edgy. We don’t go into work every day and sit there and think, "How can we piss people off? How can we make people gasp in shock and horror?

We’re not making people eat toenails. We’re not making people give their dads a rectal exam. Our edginess comes, I think, from our personalities. While I might be considered an edgy person, I also try to be a respectful person. I don’t try to offend people. I don’t like that; I don’t think it makes good radio.

So, I think part of it is just your natural way of doing things. I wouldn’t do something wild and outrageous in real life that could hurt people’s feelings or anything like that.

I have crossed the line a few times. My PD did tell me I’m no longer allowed to say the word "douchebag" on air. JD said, "No more "douchebag".

The atmosphere at Wired was definitely more of a party atmosphere. We would talk about being hung over and the wild parties last night, just because that was the life style associated with Top 40. That’s why my PD hired me; he wanted me to be the party girl. Which I kind of was in Saskatoon. And, here, we want to appeal to a more mature audience. I don’t want to come across as someone who parties every night, because I don’t. That was a bit of an adjustment: Downplay the part that I had been expected to pump up in Saskatoon.

But, other than that, I don’t think it’s ever really been an issue just because, as I mentioned before, I am myself on the air. I try not to be wildly offensive in real life because my mom would slap me.

P: [laughs] You’re from Pugwash, right? Moms from Pugwash, they slap a lot.

F: They do. They’re slap happy.

BB: You’re in a ratings period now.

F: Yes.

BB: It’s your first legitimate ratings period, because the first one didn’t really count because you came in half way through the ratings period, blah blah blah. Are you guys pretty confident about how you’ll do?

F: I think we’re pretty confident. Cub and I haven’t really changed a whole lot. We’ve spent the first few months making sure everything flows well and nailing down who’s good at doing what, and which things work and which don’t. We’re just continuing that. Obviously, the book is important, but we really don’t need it to tell us that what we’re doing is working, because we’re getting feedback every day from all listeners who really like what we’re doing. We get it on Facebook. We get it on the phones. We get it at our events. We’ve set a course, and we’re sticking to it, because it seems to be working. People are giving us really great reviews.

BB: I think people were clamouring for this kind of music. I don’t need to hear The Eagles any more.

F: It’s like that scene from "The Big Lebowski" where he gets kicked out of the cab. "The Eagles suck, man".

6. Please say something about the following people

A. Nikki Balch

F: I actually worked with her quite extensively when I started at Z, because when I started, I was hired to do technical stuff. I was a remote broadcast technician, which is a fancy term for: I set up the box at all our live to airs and turn the mic on and off, and made sure the DJ’s music is on the air. It was an awesome job, by the way. I would seriously still do it for free if they needed me to. It was fun. And, she hosted our live to air at Reflections, so I got to spend some time with her. She’s a cool chick; and, like me, she started mornings at an early age. In our early 20‘s, we started in mornings, so it was cool to see her succeeding and knowing that I could succeed, too, with Evanov, because they would give her a chance at the age of... I think she was 20 or 21 when she started. She was young.

She’s a really cool chick. We had some good times while she was here. And, I’m super happy for her that she’s now at Virgin. That’s a big step, and she deserves it. I’ll be listening to her out there.

B. Cub Carson

F: Oh, Cub Carson! Cub is the coolest 38 year old I’ve ever met. It’s funny. I remember talking to him on the phone the first time, and looking at his pictures, and thinking, "Man, this guy’s awesome. We’re going to get along really well."

My last co-host ... and, again, I can’t say enough good things about him. He was a great guy; we had a lot of fun together. We did a lot of cool stuff.

BB: What’s his name?

F: Trystan Meyers. He goes by DJ Anchor. He was awesome. Part of the reason that we worked well together is that we’re so different. He’s a family man. He’s a bit more conservative. I was the crazy party girl. That was my role.

With Cub, we’re so similar, but different enough to keep things exciting. In looking at his pictures and talking to him, I knew it would work right away. He picked me up from the airport. I immediately felt comfortable with him. I was so overwhelmed because I was back in my home, which I had missed so much. I sobbed my eyes out..

BB: You hugged him.

F: I hugged him. I started crying my last day at work; and I cried all the way until the plane took off. Then, I slept. I awoke as we were landing in Halifax. I cried again, because I was home. So, when he got to me, I was in a pretty sorry state. But, he made me feel super comfortable. He drove me back to the hotel that would be our mutual home for several weeks, and bought me a Jack Daniels. We just have a chemistry on air that I never had with anyone else. I haven’t done that much in radio, but other people have commented on it as well. It leads me to believe that there really is something special there. We feed off each other really well. We can understand where we’re going with something before anything is said. I can just look at him. If he has a certain sparkle in his eye, I know he has a funny thing so say, so I should stop talking. He plays pranks on me. I make fun of him. It’s a good time. We’re like brother and sister, but without fighting at all. It’s really good, because I know he’s had a lot of drama in past roles, and I hate that sort of conflict. We get along really well. I really appreciate his company.

BB: With all that crying, I have to wonder about your eye make up.

F: [laughs] It was still immaculate because I went and I fixed it before I went out to the baggage claim. "I can’t let this guy’s first impression of me be one without eyeliner."

BB: Cub spoke really highly of you. I know you read the interview, but did you expect him to say those things?

F: I was very flattered. I knew that he enjoyed working with me because he tells me. Sometimes he gets a little emotional when we talk about how much we like each other. But, I was surprised to read that. My mom read it. I think she cried when she read it. She got a little emotional. It’s just good to have validation: To know that he feels the same way that I do. It’s like catching your husband talking about you nicely to someone else instead of catching him whining about you.

BB: How big a talent do you think Cub Carson is?

F: Oh, he’s huge. He’s done so many things. He’ll have people that call him from Ottawa, and people that write him from Ottawa, just to tell him that they miss him and it’s not the same without him. He’ll have former co-workers that come and talk to him and tell him it’s not the same. I can just tell from the amount of love he’s getting from people he’s known in the past that he’s made a big impact on them. It takes a special personality to do that.

BB: I hope he remains in Halifax a long time.

F: Me too!

C. Megan Edwards

F: Megan is really cool. I honestly don’t see her that often because she’s getting in just as I’m leaving. But, I very much respect what she does. She’s very well known in the community; she’s consistently nominated for different awards. She’s got a tv show now. She did the Miss Nova Scotia stuff where she placed very highly. People seem to really love Megan, and she does what she does very well. She’s very social. She can be the bar club girl without being a train wreck. She’s very classy. But she connects very well with that audience, so when she’s doing club announcing stuff, she’s the perfect fit for it. She’s really talented, and she has a really solid show. I hope she’s around for a very long time, and that EastLink doesn’t steal her away from us. [laughs]

BB: I can’t imagine that EastLink pays that much.

F: Neither does radio. [laughs]

D. Neil Spence

F: He’s funny, man. We went to the same program, but we never met because he was out before I was in. The first thing I ever heard of Neil Spence was that he did the imaging for our school’s station, The Platypus. I’d heard his voice.

Then, he started following me on Twitter and told me he had a Twitter crush on me, which I thought was funny. He tweeted at me a lot. He was still working out at Cape Breton. He tweeted at me and told me he was coming to Halifax, and he wanted to take me out for dinner, just to talk and network.

We went out for dinner. It was Movember. He looked like a criminal. That was my first face-to-face impression of Neil. But, he was really nice, and he actually bought me my dinner. He brought some friends along; we had a good time, and talked radio.

When his name came up for the job, and J.D. [Desrosiers] asked me what I thought, I immediately said, "Yes." He’s got a great voice. Just from following him on twitter and facebook, I know that he’s funny and topical. I’m glad he’s part of the team.

BB: OK. I see him on Sunday. I’m looking forward to that. I’ll be interviewing him at the Live 105 studios. He finishes his shift at 5. I’ll be there at 5:01.

F: Right on.

E. Jeff Cogswell

F: I affectionately call him my radio dad. I believe the first time I ever met Jeff Cogswell was at Summer Rush 2009. I was wrangling the on air talent because I was in charge of getting them to do their cut-ins to the station. I had just started working for Z. I had just started doing broadcast technician stuff. I was only sort of familiar with the systems I was using. I was put in charge of telling the talent where to go and when to be there, which was very nerve wracking.

I knew that Jeff Cogswell was basically a legend here in Halifax. I was the most terrified to tell him that he had to be somewhere at a certain time. I saw him more and more as I did more things at the station. He is one of the most incredibly kind guys I’ve ever met in my life. He would always ask how I was doing and seemed to take a real interest in what I wanted to do with my career. When I got the offer from Saskatoon, the first person I called, even before my mom, was him.

BB: Really?

F: I texted him, and he called me. He told me what I should expect and what I should ask for, and what I should keep in mind as I was working through my first contract. I stayed in touch in Saskatoon.

When I came back, giving him a hug was one of the highlights of my return.

He’s great. He’s the reason I have this job, because, between Rob Johnson and JD, I’m sure there were thousands of applications. Maybe hundreds; this is Canada. Tons of applications, and I don’t think I would have stood out if Jeff Cogswell hadn’t vouched for me in the way he did. That was really great of him. He’s given me so much advice. I was really sad to see him go, but I’m glad he’s back behind the mic because we need him.

BB: Have you listened to him on Hal yet?

F: I haven’t yet because I’m usually sleeping when he’s on air [laughs]. But, I will be, very shortly. I’m sure he’s doing great because he’s very talented.

F. Shane Wilson

F: If Jeff Cogswell is my radio dad, then Shane Wilson is probably like my kind radio uncle. Or maybe my radio boyfriend. But, he’s married, so I can’t really say that.

He’s a great guy, too. He gave me my first on air job. I remember my broadcast journalism teacher, Yvonne Colbert, saying to be careful because he’d rip me apart. He did the exact opposite of that. He was very kind and nurturing and helped me get the feel for newscasts that weren’t CBC style. For the short time we got to work together in mornings, it was wonderful. We hung out a lot. I really miss him. I’d like to see him back on the air soon, because he’s a great talent as well.

BB: I know he has a business on the side where he rewrites documentation.

F: He’s a good guy.

 

7. The Megan Edwards question. You lose your iPod. I find it. What songs on it would surprise me the most? Cub Carson likes Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Which crooner do you like?

F: Well, I don’t know if this is a surprise, but I’m a massive Elvis fan.

BB: Really?

F: I have a tattoo. [Pulls up her left sleeve to reveal an Elvis tattoo] I’m a massive Elvis fan.

BB: Why? He died long before you were born.

F: He did. And, you know what? It’s not even the music. The music of that time was amazing; I love his music. But, moreso, Elvis was the first person who was also a brand. I really admire the way he worked it. He carved out that market for youth before it existed. And he was the first young, young person’s superstar. He was so charismatic and amazing. Then, he did a lot of drugs. [laughs] He wasn’t the best role model in his later years.

P: Certainly, in the earlier years, he was a draw to young people.

F: Exactly. I think he was pretty incredible.

Other than that, and this is from my CHR days, which were plentiful, I have some Ke$ha, some Lady Gaga. I will admit to having one Justin Bieber song, but not more than one.

BB: Which one?

F: "One Time". And, I think I still have some Gregorian Chant on there because it helped me study in university. That’s about it.

BB: I have a Gregorian Chant music channel at home.

I love this question because I get different, eclectic answers. I wouldn’t have thought of you as an Elvis fan.

F: Oh, you should see my Elvis memorabilia collection. It’s massive.

BB: This survived your moves, right?

F: Yes. I actually shipped it to Saskatoon and back, which was silly.

BB: As long as the company paid for it, who cares?

F: Exactly.

8. How hard is it to get up at such an unGodly hour every weekday morning? What time do you have to get up?

F: I usually get up at 3:30. For the first month, I got up at 3 every day just because I was so excited. It depends on the day. It’s surprisingly not as hard as you’d think. Once I’m standing up, it’s fine. I’m all right, as long as I know there’s going to be coffee in the next half hour or so.

It’s the sleeping habits in the day that are a problem for me, because I tend to sleep 12-3:30 AM and PM. That’s not good because I end up losing a lot of time. You’re getting settled for bed. You wake up, and you stumble around groggy for half an hour.

BB: If you have to do business at a bank or something, it’s hard to do that. You’re working in the morning and napping in the afternoon.

F: Yes. And I miss out on a lot of stuff, but as young as I am, all my friends are doing fun things later in the evening that I don’t want to miss: hanging out playing music, or catching up. So, I tend to sleep a little bit too much in the day, but I’m working on it. It’s getting a bit easier, and despite what Cub Carson says, I’ve only been late for work twice. And, only once did I arrive at the station after I was supposed to be on air. [laughs]

BB: He was covering for you?

F: I missed 10 minutes. That’s all.

BB: Did the listeners realize you were late?

F: Oh, he told them. Then, he made fun of me all day.

P: By nature, are you a morning person or a night owl?

F: I was always a night owl. But, I’m ok in the mornings. I don’t want to jump off a bridge all morning long. I would like to be able to sleep in until 10 o’clock like I could in Saskatoon, but being up early is nice, too.

BB: What time do you have to go to bed at night in order to get up at 3:30.

F: I should be going to bed by 10, if I’ve had a nap. There’s been nights I’ve gone to bed at 1 and literally had a nap before going to work. It depends on when I slept the day before. I have yet to discover the perfect routine.

BB: I wonder how many jocks do find the right routine? I know that a nap in the afternoon is almost a rule.

F: It’s pretty universal, I think. Otherwise, you’re going to bed at 6. I’ll hit my stride at some point, maybe.

BB: Denyse Sibley told me she gets up at 2:30.

F: Denyse Sibley might be crazy. [laughs]

BB: I can’t imagine getting up at that hour.

F: That’s not getting up. That’s just not going to bed at that point.

9. I have to know: Why do you go by "Floyd?"

F: It’s my real name. I can show you my birth certificate if you like.

BB: Is it short for something? Floydina or something?

F: No. Straight up Floyd. That’s all it is.

P: Were your parents expecting a boy?

F: They had plenty of boys. I remain tight-lipped on the subject because I don’t know.

BB: You do not know why you have the name "Floyd"?

F: I think I was just made for that name.

BB: I was named after my uncle.

F: You know what? When I worked at CKDU, the person who was up after me in the morning, whose show I’d be teeing up, was named Bev Lamb. For probably a year, I thought Bev Lamb was a female. I’d say, "Make sure you catch Bev Lamb’s show. She does this and this." I found out a year later Bev Lamb was a male. I felt terrible because people do that to me all the time.

BB: There was one time when I was exchanging emails with a person named Sam. We arranged to have a meeting. I went to Sam’s office. I walked in. And, I did a double take. And, so did she. I was expecting to talk to a man. She was expecting to talk to a woman.

F: [laughs] That’s awesome.

BB: It is kind of funny.

All right. Your name will remain a secret.

10. Why did you agree to this interview?

F: It sounded like fun. You’re right: There are no radio host interviews anywhere in existence before this. I think we’re not used to that sort of in-depth treatment. People do pay attention; but they pay attention because they’re entertained, and after we go off the air it’s done. That’s fine. That’s what we signed up for. We’re mostly not spotlight hogs, but it’s cool to be able to give an insight to what goes on behind the scenes.

People have a lot of misconceptions about radio. They think we make a crap ton of money. We certainly don’t. They think you can just decide one day you want to get into radio, and just do it. It takes a lot of hard work. I did 3 years on CKDU. I have 4 years of formal education. No actual degree, but what do you do? And, I did multiple unpaid internships.

P: You paid your dues.

F: I paid my dues. We pay our dues. It’s cool to give people an insight into that because there’s tons of people that want to do it. That’s great. We need fresh talent all the time. If there’s some sort of way they can find out what it’s like to actually live the lifestyle and do the job, that’s better for the industry, too, because people have realistic expectations.

BB: I’m not putting down your profession, but I don’t see a lot of glamour.

F: There are very few things that are glamourous about dragging myself out of bed at 3:30 and driving my 6 year old car from my basement apartment because I’m in radio, and I’m just starting out and don’t make a whole lot of money. But, I love it, and I wouldn’t do anything else. I couldn’t do anything else. So, it’s cool to be recognized for that, too: The fact that we love [radio] and we’ll do anything for it.

Wrap Up

BB: Floyd, thank you very much for dinner, and I hope you had a good time. It’s been a pleasure meeting you. I have never had the pleasure of meeting Joan Jett, so it’s nice to meet her daughter.

F: I wish. I try. Thank you for the lunch.

Post 1575 - Done!

In the last little while, I finished the first draft of the Floyd interview.  I just sent it to her to vet.  I hope it goes up soon.

No rest for the weary.  I will commence the next interview shortly.  After that, I really have to get back to the interview conducted last summer at the cottage.  I figure it will be done by this summer for James to read over and vet and to be published as a magnum opus (we talked for 4+ hours!), perhaps in more than one piece.

DJ Noluv has agreed.  After that, Stan Carew has agreed to an interview, but neither of those 2 gentlemen has been booked.

I guess I can't afford to get sick, ever again.  Too many interviews to do.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 1574 - Back To Work

I returned to work this morning, after having been off sick for a week.  It felt good to be back.

I managed to transcribe one more audio file in the Floyd interview during my lunch hour.  Just one more to go and it will be done.

Patricia's still off sick.  I returned home to see her resting, so I got her something to drink before I began washing the dishes that had piled up during the last few days when we were sick.  Got most of them done.

I watched a recent edition of "Real Time with Bill Maher" through video on demand.  I have enjoyed Maher's work for years and  years, but I don't think I'd like to meet him.  He is probably just as caustic and abrasive in real life as he is on television.   That's where I want to see him.

Now, I'm in bed for the evening, after a comparatively long day, and watching "Dancing with the Stars".     Don't judge me.  Some of you watch "Cops".  You know who you are.

Tomorrow, I wanna finish the Floyd interview and maybe even start the Neil Spence interview.  Have to make up for lost time.  Last week was a write off, you know.

Did you miss me last week?

Bevboy

Post 1573 - This Is Better?

Some flu-like symptoms are persisting.  Still not eating very much, because they exacerbate the flu-like symptoms and I'm just not hungry.  And, yet, I plan to return to work in the morning.  I have been off work for nearly a full week now.

In some ways, today has been the most challenging of this recent spate of sick days.  I don't want to get into the details.  Ask Patricia.  She knew to stay out of my way today.  Oops.  I guess I just provided some details.

These blog posts have been pretty brief lately.  Trust me.  They're all I was capable of producing.  I'll try to get back at 'er on Monday.

Have you missed me?

Bevboy

Post 1572 - Where Did The Day Go?

Slept many hours. Didn't get up until after 1:30. Remained up until around 4, at which time I lay down again. I got up again around 8:15. It's just past 11pm, and I'm gonna turn in again shortly.

This has been the sickest I've been in many years. I know I'm getting better, but not as fast as I'd like. I still have aches and pains in my joints and require more sleep than is perhaps healthy.

It's been a full week since I've transcribed anything. Perhaps I'll have the strength to work on that tomorrow.

After 12 hours of sleep.

Maybe 14.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to BevBoy's Blog!

Post 1571 - A Relapse?

Turns out that Patricia is now sick with what I am trying to recover from.  She's experiencing many of the yummy symptoms that have plagued me all week.

I still have some flu-like symptoms with attendant pain and aches in my joints.   I have little appetite.  I am hoping I can return to work on Monday.

It's  been a very long time since I have missed so much time from work all at once.  Usually, a flu will go through me in a day or 2, and then I can crawl back to work.  Not this time.   This flu has been special and hit me really hard.  I'm sure my work mates are grateful not to have been overly exposed to it, and me, this week.  They're welcome.  Wouldn't say no to a coffee or two when I'm back next week.

I think I'll call it a night.

It's a night.

Bevboy

Post 1570 - Ode to Newbie

The fever has broken and I was feeling well enough today to drive to my doctor's this afternoon and get him to sign a note for the days of work I've missed this week.  I should be able to return to work on Monday.   That's good.

What isn't good is now, Patricia's sick.  She went to  bed early this evening and will sleep for many hours.  I hope she chooses to stay home in the morning.

I'm on the mend, and as I mentioned, it's a good thing.  72 hours of rest, with little food and plenty of liquids, gives a guy a chance to reflect on life.  I reflected on my cat.  Unless he was eating or using the litter box, Newbie was pretty much with me.  He was on the bed or under the blankets close to me or curled up in the small of my back.  If I turned my back to him, he would either scratch the back of my head to get me to resume my previous position, or move himself in such a way that he could be closer to me again.

As I type these words, I'm in my living room, and Newbie is on a scratching post, looking at me.  Aww!

I like to think, in his own kitty cat way, that Newbie was looking out for me, protecting me while I was at my sickest, and maybe even worried about me.  I shouldn't be projecting human emotions on to an animal, even a domesticated one like a cat; but I really do believe that Newbie was concerned about me.

Newbie, little buddy, old pal: I'm doing better.  3 more days of rest will make me good as new.  My mother is doing better.  She should be out of the hospital in the next few days.  I know you were concerned about her.

And, yes, I care for you as you care for me.  I have your back as you have mine.  This is a life long thing we have.  I'm not some asshole who's gonna drop  you off on the side of the road or palm you off on someone I don't know very well because you're no longer "convenient" to keep.  If I were a single man, I would never date anyone who didn't abide cats.  If she made me choose between her and you, she'd be gone.  You and me, we're in this dance together, and I will never forget it.

Hey, didn't I spend over 60 dollars in cat food this afternoon for you and Cindy?  That should prove something.  You guys eat better than I do.

Bevboy

Post 1569 - Not Really Into Flowers

I'm just saying that flowers aren't that important to me. You know. For my funeral. For after I die. From whatever this malady has clutched me to its bosom and won't let go.

Slept many, many hours today. Ate sparingly. Just went downstairs for a small glass of pomegranate juice. Don't want any food.

Doubt if I'll go to work Thursday. Will make every effort to see my physician and get a note from him justifying this time off.

Will probably sit up on my bed for a while in the dark. Noise from the tv or radio would hurt and the light would be too glaring.

Am I turning into a vampire or something?

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to BevBoy's Blog!

Post 1568 - Still Sick

If anything, I'm sicker this evening than I was this time last night. I can state that I haven't been so sick in years. Wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

Well....

Probably taking another sick day Wednesday. There's no way I can work feeling like this. I pretty much slept the day away.

Hmm. Sleep. Sounds good.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to BevBoy's Blog!

Post 1567- No Good Deed ...

Well, I was looking after my mother all weekend, from Thursday night until Sunday afternoon.  What did it get me?  Sick.  That's what it got me.

Against my better judgement,  I went to work this morning.  I got nothing done, as I felt so poorly.  Now, there lots of days when I don't get anything done.  Ask any colleague.  Ha ha.  

This one was different.

I was coughing and sneezing and gobbing and going through kleenex like it was on sale or something,  Which it was, last week at the Pharmasave in Timberlea.  But I digress.  My point was, all I did this morning was infect my co-workers, and I regret that.  I'm sorry.  Co-workers: Next time you're sick, feel free to spew your venom in my face the way I did in yours this morning.  Tit for tat.

I took the afternoon off and returned home, thanks to Patricia's getting time off work to drive me here.  I slept all afternoon and had a dinner of home made tomato soup.  I am back in bed now, in a partial state of undress, because I know it turns on my readers to imagine a sick Bevboy in bed in a partial state of undress.  The coughing and sneezing and gobbing are fringe benefits I have for you, gentle readers.

As things stand, there is a good chance I will call in sick on Tuesday.  I hate to do things like that.  I hate missing work.  But it's irresponsible to my co-workers, and to me, to go in to work and help make more people sick.  My father never had paid sick days, so the number of times he would stay home sick was extremely small.  I think of him as I drift in and out of consciousness on days like this.

Oh,  before I forget: I was hoping to pick up a copy of "Hot Tub Time Machine" at Wally Mart this past weekend for 5 bucks.  Loved that movie and want to see it a bunch more times.  If anyone has a copy....

Bevboy

Post 1566 - Meeting A Fan

I had coffee this morning at 9 with an old friend and a devoted reader and follower of this silly little blog, Ken.

I had professional dealings with Ken at my previous job, and before he retired a couple of years ago.  He is one of my pleasant memories of a job that didn't have very many.

We got caught up over 75 minutes or so of chat.  He told me about his geocaching hobby, which intrigues me enough to wanna try it, if I knew where to start with it, that is.  We discussed his being a mason, but he stopped short of telling me about the secret handshakes and the the phrases that masons use with one another.

Ken, we will do this again, soon.  Thanks for the hot chocolate.  It will be my turn to treat you next time.

Around 10:15, I had to leave to return to my mother.  She was doing better for a while there, but she's sick again this evening.

Returned to the city mid-afternoon.  It was a pretty exhausting weekend, so I took a nap and had dinner with Patricia.

I'd hoped to finish transcribing the Floyd interview this evening, but fate intervened.  I will shoot for Monday.  It's a good one, and I think you will like it.  I mean, the guy who bitches that my interviews aren't hard hitting and snotty enough for his tastes won't like it, but he probably liked it when the hunters shot Bambi's mother by way of comparison.

I'm speculating about that last part.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 1565 - Another Library Post

Got up comparatively early for a Saturday morning.

I hadn't been to the Wolfville Farmer's Market for several months, so I decided to go.  Having got there, I walked around, noticed the paucity of vendors, ate a sausage, and left.  Killed a bit of time at EOS Fine Foods and the Odd Book before wandering into the Wolfville Library for a few minutes.  I read the latest news about the Great Halifax Concert Scandal (a.k.a. The Black-Eyed Squeeze), which made me shake my head, left, and came here to the Port Williams Library.  I am now sitting in the area that the girl was sitting in last evening, as I type stuff away on my netbook.  I love this little computer.

I plan to write more about this concert scandal later on, perhaps even this weekend.  But the events are unfolding so quickly that it almost makes sense to stand back and watch this stuff  happen, become angry over the waste of taxpayer's money, giggle over the I-Told-You-So irony, and wonder where all the proponents for concerts on the Common have gone.  I don't hear too much from those people.  Hee hee.

Think I'll go back and see how Mom is making out.

Bevboy

Post 1564 - A Long Night

Not long after I wrote last night's post, my mother took ill and I had to take her to the hospital.

I'll spare you the details.  I got back to my mother's around 2:45 Friday morning and was up relatively early.  I was driving over to the hospital with an over night bag for my mother around 10 this morning, assuming she would remain therein for a few days, when I received word that she was being discharged.  She has the flu with all the attendant symptoms.  She is home now, resting, as I type these humble words at the Port Williams Library.  Because of my own late night, I rested all afternoon as well.

Pretty busy here tonight.  Probably about 10 people here.  Nearly every computer is in use.  A girl is in the corner of the main reading room, where I usually sit, using her own netbook computer.  I am on the other side of the room, using mine.

Everything is relative.  The Port Williams Library having 10 or so people in it at once makes the place seem full.  In the city, if a library branch only had 10 people or so in it, they would consider closing it, and divert that money to a slush fund to pay for a big concert that would be destined to lose a ton of money.  I'm just sayin'.

Patricia left town early this morning to take care of some important business of her own.  I haven't spoken to her since just before she left the house.  I am confident I will hear from her soon.

I'll remain here helping out my mom for the weekend and return to the city, probably with my own flu to infect my co-workers with.  Such joy.

See you soon.

Bevboy.

Post 1563 - Another Valley Weekend

I have Friday off work, and some estate work to do, so I decided to drive up here this evening. I will be here until Sunday.

Mom has already begun plotting the shopping possibilities for the next few days. I foresee grocery shopping, WalMart, Zellers, various drug stores and Frenchy's in my immediate future. In between I will be transcribing as much of the Floyd interview as I can.

See you tomorrow.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to BevBoy's Blog!

Post 1562 - A Long Day

It was a crazy friggin' day at work, one of those days when I started working this morning, and the next thing I knew, it was lunch time.  I spent that time transcribing some pieces of the Floyd interview.  More busyness this afternoon, and then Toastmasters this evening.  Got home around 8, and took a shower and had a manly shave around 8:30.  Came down here around 9:30 and have been transcribing 3 more audio files.  Now, it's 10:30-ish, and I have to think about going to bed to repeat this fine day all over again tomorrow.

I am not sure, at day's end, where the day goes, sometimes.  This was not one of those days.

I just realized that, in interviewing Neil Spence on Sunday, I got some nice pics of him with DJ Noluv, but I neglected to get some photos taken with either gentleman.  That would have been pretty cool.   Jeremy has agreed to sit down with me sometime next month; in fact, he brought it up Sunday night.  My knowledge of hip hop is not very good.  I just hope I can ask him some questions that don't make me look that stupid.

Newbie is staring down on me from on top of one of my bookcases.  I guess that means it's bed time.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 1561 - A Colleague?

I'm developing a reputation for my blog interviews, most notably with Nova Scotia radio broadcasters.  It is reaching the point where most broadcasters in these here parts know who I am, at least in the sense that they know there is a guy out there calling himself Bevboy who likes to talk to radio people and will buy them lunch while they talk about that particular topic.

It's a pretty unique niche I'm in.  I am unaware of someone else who talks to radio folks in the way that I do.  I am not blowing in my own horn.  I am just stating a fact and wondering why other bloggers in other markets don't do the same thing.  Maybe they do, and I just haven't found any yet.  Hope springs eternal.

However.

However, that doesn't mean that there aren't other bloggers out there who carve out their own little niche and interview folks.

Just this evening, thanks to the amazing Mark Evanier, I have learned of a blogger in the U.S. who writes about classic television.  As part of that, he interviews the older comedians from that era.

This is fascinating stuff.  You will find an interview with Steve Martin.  Another with Tommy Smothers.  One with Dick Cavett.  Don't forget Gary Owens.  Many others.

I have hours of reading ahead of me, and you do, too, if you're a fan of these folks or at least want to learn more about the craft of being a funny dude, or behind-the-scenes stories of these funny dudes.

Here's the link.

You're welcome!

Bevboy

Post 1560 - Headache Time

Headaches are never fun. A very nice, juicy one developed this evening after I got home from work. I have just slept for several hours and it's mostly gone.

Tuesday will be an interesting day at work. Can't get much more into it than that except to state that training I took 9 years ago is finally being exploited.

Garbage Day is Tuesday. Reminds me of a buddy from back home, who missed a whole lot of school and eventually dropped out. He missed so much time, we didn't know if he had quit or not. It was nearly anticlimactic when he finally did.

Anyway, during his breaks, people began to ask me where he was. I would have no idea. One day I just mentioned that it was Garbage Day and he just chose to stay home to celebrate it.

It caught on in the school. It went viral. I'll never forget our Biology teacher, Mr. McGrath, confronting him one afternoon. "Why weren't you in class yesterday, Reg? It wasn't Garbage Day!"

My work was done.

Hee hee.

From Bevboy's BlackBerry to BevBoy's Blog!

Post 1559 - Another One Down!

Got  home from the Toastmasters pizza party around 10:45 last night.  Went to bed around midnight.  With the time change, I was not sure what time I got up.  Sort of 9am.

Much laundry was done.  Moved my final bookcase into my home office.   Did more laundry.  Washed more dishes.  I felt like Mr. Stay Home Guy.  Surprised I didn't fret over the muffins.

Patricia arrived back from my mother's around 3:30.  Around 4, I left her to get the pizza for the interview with Neil Spence at the Live 105 studios.

The interview went really well.  I got to ask some questions that I hadn't had a chance to ask before.  Neil is a great guy with a wonderful attitude and a voice I would kill to have.  I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

As we were leaving the studios, we saw DJ Noluv in his office, working away. I introduced myself, and he remembered my name.  Looks like we will be talking sometime in April.  That should be fun.  He took the time to pose for a few pictures with Neil.  If I had thought of it, I would have asked him to pose with me.

If there is one problem I have with the interviews it is that I often do not have a chance to pose for pics with these radio folks.  I am conducting the interviews on my own, taking all the pics, shooting all the video, checking that the digital voice recorder is still doing its thing, and so much more.  Many a time I can't find someone nearby to take some pictures for me anyway, and Patricia is quite often  not with me, so I don't get to be in the same pic with the person I'm talking to.

I now have 4 interviews in various stages of production.  DJ Noluv will make 5.  That makes my dance card really full for a while.  I look forward to sharing these interviews with my readers.  I hope they look forward to reading them.

Another Sunday night.  Time was, many years ago, in a job far, far away, I dreaded Sunday evenings, as it preceded Monday mornings and returning to a job I didn't like very much.  That's behind me, thank Crom.

Monday morning?  Bring it on!

Bevboy

Post 1558 - A Nice Party

First of all, my mother got home from the hospital around 3 this morning.  She's doing better.  Thank you for the well wishes.

Patricia drove down there this morning while I remained in town.  She will return to the city sometime Sunday afternoon.  I did some stuff around the house, and around 3:15, I left and drove to a friend's home for a Toastmasters pizza party.   I was there for about five and a half hours.  There were lots of stories of travel to places I have never been to and have no desire to visit, along with pizza and munchies.  It was a good evening.

It is now 11:43pm.  I can look back and say that I got quite a bit done today.  Tomorrow, whenever I get up, I can do more of the same.

Sunday afternoon, I  interview Neil Spence at the Live 105 studios.  I have been afforded wonderful opportunities over the last few years with the radio people.  If there is anyone else out there interviewing radio people and publishing these long interviews on the web, I'd like to know who it is.  We could compare notes.

Time for bed.

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 1557 - Well, Well, Well

Been working on an email this evening.  Took a break from it.  During that break, I got a call from my sister telling me that my mother had called 911 and was going to the hospital.  I'll keep the details of the illness out of this blog post, but it is a matter of concern.

Was gonna go to a TM bbq on Saturday.  Unless Mom ends up not staying over night, and returns home, that's out.  Will head down to see her in the morning.

We do live in interesting times!

Bevboy

Post 1556 - The Best Pizza In The Frickin' World!

Well, I interviewed Floyd from Live 105 today.  She told me that she knew about me even before I had approached Cub Carson or her for an interview.  It would appear that I am developing  a reputation for these interviews, which is, to quote Myley Cyrus, kinda cool.

Floyd is a lovely person and it was a great pleasure to meet her.  

I spent some time this evening downloading the audio files, the pictures and the videos (3 devices).  Now, I just have to type for many hours and I'll be able to present the world with another fine interview.

After work today, I admitted to Patricia that I had been craving a pizza from the south end of the city, a place I ordered from many times over the years I was renting my apartment on Green Street.  Peter's Pizzeria on Inglis Street.

We got there about 4:55.  I went in and ordered the Peter's Special, a double meat, double crust 'za.  Some 30 minutes later, piping hot, I carried it to the car and we drove home.   The smell of the pizza wafted through the car, and it took all of my willpower not to grab a slice as I was driving.

We finally, at long last, returned home.  We fed the cats.  We dug in to the pizza.   It was even better than I remembered!  The meats are of the highest quality.  Not sure how they can afford to put all that cheese on to her.  The crust is beyond excellent.   My God, it's delicious pizza.

I promise you, it won't be 10 years before I return to Peter's Pizzeria on Inglis Street!  Call them at 425-6498.  Tell them that Bevboy recommended them.

Bevboy

Post 1555 - I Had No Idea

I had an eye-opening, mind-altering experience at Toastmasters tonight, ladies and gentlemen.

A woman in my club did a speech about bra fittings and cup sizes and so on.  I had no idea these numbers meant anything.  I thought that these were just made-up numbers.  Apparently, 80% of women wear the wrong bra size and there are significant health disadvantages to doing so.

Poor women.

Boo hoo.

Noticed that the Charles Adler Show, which was added to the News 95.7 schedule last week with some fan fair, wasn't on this evening.  Dunno if it was some kind of problem with the satellite transmission, or if they have decided to revert to other programming.  But do not worry, sahib.  I will find out for you.  I will get to the bottom of this issue and report here in a future number so that you know once and for all the final fate of the Charles Adler Show.

I am not even a particular fan of the show.  There is something odd about the broadcast, as if they are playing a 3rd generation tape of the show or something.  It doesn't sound sharp and clear like other programs on that fine station do.   And the topics are not especially interesting to me.  Oh, well.  I'm glad it's still on.  Anything is better than the ESPN sports shows they used to run in that timeslot.

Tomorrow is my interview with Floyd.  Yep.  A boy named Bev gets to interview a girl named Floyd.  Maybe the world will end before December 2012!

Have a good evening, my friends.

Bevboy

Post 1554 - Happy International Shrove Tuesday, Women!

Today is International Women's Day.  It's also Shrove Tuesday.  I figured: Let's combine the two.  Hence, the post title.

You're welcome.

Trying to figure out where the evening went.  We went to a nearby Catholic church even though we're not Catholic, because we wanted pancakes and sausage for dinner.  We got home and cleaned up pieces of a shutter that had broken at the neigbhour's home and blown on to my lawn.   I have been down here in my home office, one room over from the laundry room, most of the evening.

People have been clamouring for a blog post about all the radios in my house.  They will be pleased to know that this post is in the works and will appear here shortly.  In preparation for that event, I moved a radio from upstairs in the living room down here to my computer desk.  The radio that had been on this desk was moved back to the laundry room.  This means I still have 3 radios in this small room, in addition to a radio in the laundry room, plus others.  I can think of one or two other places in the house that would benefit from having a radio (or two) in them.

This blog post will show a picture of each radio and where it's kept in my house.  Where I recall, I will tell you where I bought the radio, and possibly even when, once again if my memory allows this to happen.  You'll find out why I have 2 radios in my bathroom.  You'll learn about the radios I keep at my mother's place.  You'll discover the startling secret of the bedroom radios and gasp in horror at the 300 dollar radio.   You will squeal with delight at my collection of shower radios.   You'll see my smallest radio, and my biggest one.  I am getting totally jazzed about this post, or perhaps even series of posts, as it would be a very long post, with plenty of pictures and lots of text.  Bevboy doesn't go for half measures!

See you tomorrow.

Bevboy

Post 1553 - Your Lesson For The Day

Turns out that in the next 6 days I will be interviewing 2 people, both of whom work for Live 105 in Halifax.

One of them is Floyd, part of the Morning Mob with Cub Carson.

The other is with Neil Spence, swing announcer at that fine station.

It occurs to me that many of you reading this don't know what  a swing shift is.  Most of you work in an office environment and haven't been exposed to such terms.  It goes back to the days of factory workers who work different day parts throughout the week.  You know, they work 10-6 for 3 days and then 8-4 on 2 other days.  That's a  swing shift.  The term doesn't get used that much except for the dwindling number of factory and blue collar workers out there, and in the radio business.  In Neil's case, he works Wednesday through Friday nights until 11pm and then until 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.  Hence, a swing announcer.

I have worked some weird shifts in my life.  As a teenager, I worked one summer at the Burger King in New Minas, Nova Scotia.  I hated that job, but it enabled me to return to university that fall.  I had to focus on that, especially during times when the high school dropouts who worked there would give us college boys a hard time.  They knew that their future would contain lots of jobs like that one, if they worked at all; and this would be their final chance to put the screws to us, as we moved on to better futures than they could ever hope to have.  I think about those friggers from time to time and wonder what pathetic lives they ended up experiencing.  Then I chuckle a little bit.  Hee hee.

From time to time I'd work what was called a split shift.  You'd work, say, 10-2pm, and then have 3 hours off before returning to work from 5-9 or whatever the actual hours were.  It was a break, but not long enough to go home or have a nap or anything like that.  We were being paid a miserable amount of money, so there wasn't the cash to go shopping.  More often than not, I'd walk around, or read a book in my car whilst listening to the radio.  This was 1983, so I heard "What A Feeling" by Irene Cara from the "Flashdance" soundtrack a lot.

Of course, I eventually finished my degree and went on to fame and fortune and... oh, wait a minute.  Not so much.

Oh, well.

At least I'm not making minimum wage.

Hee hee.

Bevboy

Post 1552 - Another Weekend Shot! How Is That Possible?

Today's musical question deals with how quickly weekends go by.  I look forward to weekends to catch up on my sleep, to get some things done that there aren't time to do during the week, and to spend time with my betrothed.

I did all of those things, and a few more.  I did  manage to publish the Brad Dryden interview yesterday, and have received some nice feedback so far.  I mean, Scott Snailham probably hates it, but he hates everything I do and is so bitter about his radio background that I doubt if any amount of positive energy would be of assistance.  Maybe some of Charlie Sheen's much-vaunted tiger's blood would help Scott and make him a winner.  Yeah.  Maybe that.

In the next 7 days I will have interviewed 2 more folks, both of whom work for Live 105 here in Hali.  Just this evening, I cleared a bunch of space off my digital voice recorder in anticipation of those interviews.  Even so, there are still 2 more interviews on that recorder that haven't been fully transcribed yet.  One of them is more than 4 hours long and you will find it fascinating, unless your name is Scott Snailham.  Actually, it has almost nothing to do with radio, so it may even pass muster with Scott.

Have you ever watched a movie or a tv show or read a book, and the memory of it just lingers for far longer than it has any right to?   One aspect of it bugs you so much that you can't get it out of your head?  I have had that feeling for years with a John Travolta movie called "A Civil Action".  I won't ruin it for you other than to say that there are incidents in the movie (and probably the source book) which would  make me wonder whether any judge presiding over the resultant trial would force John Travolta to continue to defend the case in question.   I actually had a chance to ask a real-life judge that question once, but chickened out.  I think I will have to read the book and see if there is a  more satisfying ending than the movie provides.

Another work week ahead of me.  Yippee!

Bevboy

Post 1551 - Interview With C100’s Brad Dryden

January 27, 2011

 

 

People ask me all the time how I arrange these interviews. Well, this one was arranged for me. The woman who hired me for my first job after university, Yolande Delmar, had Christmas dinner with Brad Dryden and his lovely wife. Yo emailed me Christmas evening to tell me that she had extolled my virtues to Brad. I thanked her then and now, and contacted Brad shortly thereafter. We arranged to meet at the C100 building on January 27th.

Brad got me a cupcake (green, to go with my eyes), we repaired to a boardroom, and we started to talk about his life, how to break into radio, and Cub Carson, because all roads lead to Cub Carson. Really. They do. Check google maps.

 

-----------------------------------

I am at the C100 studios with the lovely and talented Brad Dryden

Brad Dryden: Lovely, you say?

Bevboy: Yes. Welcome to Bevboy’s Blog.

BD: I don’t look so lovely at 4 in the morning. You should see what I look like at 4:30. Bloodshot eyes.

BB: Is that what time you get up? 4am?

BD: Yes. I would imagine all of the morning jocks you talk to are probably up at that time.

BB: Denyse Sibley told me she gets up at 2:30.

BD: She’s crazy.

BB: That’s an obscene hour.

BD: Isn’t that crazy?

BB: I can’t imagine. I get up to pee 2:30 in the morning, and go back to bed.

Anyway, Brad Dryden: How did you get your start in radio?

BD: Well, much like you, Bev, I’m a guy who just loves the whole entertainment business and loves to talk for a living. To get paid for this is beyond my wildest dreams. I always tell people, “It beats working for a living.”

When I was younger, I started out on CBC radio. I was probably 8 or 9 years old, in my home town of Winnipeg. There was a show called “Anybody Home?”, which was kids who would read scripts and perform little skits. So, I got a job there. But, you know what? I left that job after a month and a half because I got a gig on a nationally-televised show on CTV called, “Let’s Go.” It was based out of Winnipeg.

We were all the way from Newfoundland out to Vancouver. We got fan mail from everywhere. I’d get stuff from all these far-reaching places, these little outposts. It was great.

The bottom line is: I always wanted to entertain when I was younger. Throughout this whole thing, I would sit in my room. I would spin my records.

BB: I did the same thing.

BD: Absolutely. I would do my back sells. I would write my little charts. I always loved it.

BB: You didn’t know it was a “backsell” when you were 8 years old, did you? You just knew you were coming out of a song and you said that’s who it was. Right? You didn’t call it a “backsell” then, did you?

BD: [chuckles] I did not. When I was, say, 16 (and this was a few years after of doing theatre, playing in bands) my mom approached Jim Johnson. JJ is a big guy at Corus Radio. She said to him, “How does my son get into this business?” He was looking at my resume and all this stuff I did. He said, “This kid looks like he’s got some previous experience. We have openings for OP’ing. Just starting out at the bottom.”

So, I worked my way in there. These were the days, mid to late ‘80‘s, when there were still overnight shifts. There was still the specialty jazz programming. This was a big rock station in Winnipeg called 92 CITI- FM.

BB: They had to provide a certain amount of spoken word content as well?

BD: Oh, yes. It was nasty stuff. But it was my in.

So, I started out OP’ing the jazz shows on the weekends. But, it was better than any schooling I could have gone to, because I was learning firsthand with updated equipment, state-of-the-art stuff. Winnipeg is a market of 700 000 people. It’s not small.

BB: Twice as big as Halifax.

BD: It is. Halifax is twice as lovely. This is a joke, but I always say, “The best view of Winnipeg is in the rear-view mirror.”

BB: People in Winnipeg could read this, you know.

BD: Well, people from Winnipeg know we all have a sense of humour. I love my home town. I was there until I was 22. So, from high school until 22, I worked at CITI FM. I was learning on the fly, and it was cool. I was working with guys who’d been in the business forever, meeting all these bands (Scorpions, Motley Crue, Deb Leppard). Here I was, a long-haired, mullet-wearing kid who loved rock and roll, loved radio; and I got my first gig. New Year’s Eve 1987. Terrible time for me because, I remember the first time I cracked the mic, I wasn’t in sync with the countdown clock. For anyone listening to 92 Citi FM that New Year’s Eve, they heard, “10...9... “ now, all of a sudden, something happened, and the clock was 2 seconds ahead of where I was supposed to be!

“10...9...7...6...4“ All over the place. I think they thought I was drunk while I was doing the countdown.

But, I worked my way up. I started doing evenings at CITI FM. I started doing some mid day swing. Hell, I even did some afternoon swing. Here I was, this kid just out of high school. I was 22, playing in a band at the time. We were close to going on the road. We had management. We had recording time. I was lovin’ that, but I thought, “I don’t know if I want to be playing in smokey little bars until I’m 40 trying to be the next Burton Cummings.

I got an offer from a guy I knew from Winnipeg named Greg Diamond out at CHXL in Brockville. XL 103.7 at that time. He said, “How would you like to do the morning show?”

That was a big decision. Do I stay with this rock and roll dream, or this radio thing? By that point, I was full-time radio.

I weighed my options. I thought that doing mornings would be the next step for me. I would always be thought of as the kid at this radio station in Winnipeg. Sometimes, the best experience you can get is going out on your own and learning it and living it. If I wanted to be a serious morning guy, because for us, that’s the whole enchilada when you’re on air. You want to be doing mornings.

BB: It pays the most, doesn’t it?

BD: Oh, sure. For the exact reason that you’re waking up at 2:30 in the morning.

So, I went out to Brockville. There I was, a 22 year old, meeting some psychotic girlfriends and living the dream. Brockville is a town of 22 000. I worked in Brockville from ‘92 until ‘94. I had a great time; I learned a lot of stuff.

I went to The Wolf in Peterborough, just outside of Toronto. That’s a market of 75 000. I did mornings there. I met a lot of people, really honed my skills. I figured out who I was on the air and how to do it.

There’s different ways to [get the experience] for everybody. Some people will start out at a station in their hometown. They’ll work their way up. And, they’ll stay there the rest of their career. That’s cool.

BB: Peter Harrison. “Biggs for Breakfast”, 1986.

BD: So, you know how it works. It works differently for different people. For me, it was bouncing around the country and learning that way.

From Peterborough, I went to CJ 92 in Calgary. That was ‘96. I actually met my wife just before I left Peterborough. She took the jump with me; we drove out in our car from Peterborough. We had only known each other for a few months, but we had to take the chance.

BB: That was a leap of faith for both of you!

BD: A leap of faith for both of us. And, here we are, 14 years later. I worked in Calgary at a CJ with a brilliant morning guy named Gerry Forbes. He’s pretty well known in the industry. Gerry is one of those guys who, you get on his good side, and you’re in. I think I did. I did a lot of song parodies. I did some stuff for his show. I think he took a liking to me. But, if you’re his enemy or his competitor, he did some nasty stuff. He was the type of guy that would order 100 pizzas and send them to his competitor’s house.

BB: He’s still working?

BD: Yes.

I went from CJ in Calgary to K-Rock in Edmonton to do afternoons.

BB: A Newcap station.

BD: Absolutely. The flagship [station]. I worked with Steve Jones, who’s now based out of Halifax. He works all over. I believe he’s head of programming for the entire chain. He lives in Halifax, but he’s flying all over the place and consulting the different stations. He’s a smart programmer. He’d just let me do my thing and If I went over the line, he’d pull me in. I loved working for Steve and K-Rock. It was a good station.

I got my shot to do the morning show in Ottawa at The Bear.

BB: And you met Cub Carson and Lea Miller.

BD: I did, yes. I’ve got some stories about Cub for you. Anyway, I worked in Ottawa from 2001 until ‘07. My wife and I came on a camping trip with some friends to the Maritimes a few years prior. We always said, “If we ever had a chance...” We just fell in love with the area. We did The Bay of Fundy, The Cabot Trail.

The call came from Terry Williams in ‘07, and here I am.

That’s a lot of history. That’s how I did it. I wouldn’t recommend it for everybody. I broke into the business at a time when I was able to hone my skills early on. There were overnight shows. There was a lot more opportunity. Nowadays, kids need all the education they can get, because it’s so competitive and that resume has got to look good.

We’ve got young people who work at this station just like every other station in the market: Some are kids who start out driving the promo truck, setting up remotes. [They should] never take that for granted. Work it to the fullest, because it’s a great “in”.

BB: I didn’t hear you talk about formal training or education as a broadcaster. You didn’t go to school to learn how to become a broadcaster?

BD: I did not. It takes very little training to do what I do [chuckles]. I never went to radio school. I didn’t have to. Fortunately, I learned the biz [on the job]. I’m not slagging radio schools. What are some of the places that people go to around here?

BB: Most notably, the community college in Dartmouth. Alex J. Walling used to have something, The Atlantic Media Institute. I’m not sure if that’s even still around.

BD: Do you know of a lot of kids who graduate from these schools?

BB: Megan, Nikki Balch, Denyse Sibley a long time ago. NSCC used to be in the Valley; they were in Kentville for the longest time. A lot of people went through there. They would get shifts at Annapolis Valley Radio because AVR was just down the street from the school in Kentville. That’s how a lot of people got their start.

BD: And I, too, probably would have done the same thing if I wasn’t fortunate enough to get my start at a medium-to-major-market station and work my way up.

BB: Ian Robinson did the same thing. He started right after high school and worked at local radio stations in Cape Breton.

BD: I should mention Danny Kingsbury was also one of my first bosses.

BB: He’s the GM at Rogers across the way.

BD: He is. You know what? It’s such a small industry. There’s so many people in this market that I either have worked with or know from previous experiences.

BB: There aren’t six degrees of separation with you guys. There might be two.

BD: That’s why you never, ever want to burn your bridges, if you can. It’s a small world, and chances are you’re going to run into these people again.

2. How difficult was it to integrate yourself into a morning team that had worked together for such a long period of time, before you arrived at C100?

BD: I didn’t find it tough at all. Peter and Moya certainly knew the market and each other, which made things a lot easier for me coming in. The show already had that wonderful heritage thing going for it, and I think I was able to bring a fresh new energy and approach to things. They were very open and receptive to the new ideas I had when I came in. I like to think some of those ideas are responsible for the great success that we’ve had as a morning show.

BB: The ratings have been good since you’ve arrived?

BD: Yes, and I’m really proud to say that we absolutely have held our own with all the new competition in the market. We’re #1 overall as a station and a morning show, and have been for much of my tenure here at C100.

One of the biggest compliments that I’ve received since coming here is when people say, “I wasn’t sure what to expect when Kelly Latremouille left. But, you just took over from where he left off. The transition was seamless. The chemistry is just great. And, now, I feel the show is even better.”

BB: How did you establish a chemistry? Did you go out to dinner a few times, or to each other's homes? There must have been some bonding that had to take place.

BD: Bonding, and booze. We’ve all been in it long enough. We just sort of clicked. I was very lucky to have Peter and Moya because they knew the market and the players in it. Peter has a huge rolodex of numbers that we were able to call upon so I didn’t have to come in cold and try to establish myself that way. I could get to know the market at a more relaxed pace.

But, a mixing of their experience in the market, my experience elsewhere; I think the two really married together quite well. We were fortunate to have that great chemistry from the beginning. Does that answer things?

BB: It does. I just figured you guys would have had to go out and have a few drinks and bond a bit off air before you went on.

BD: We did. Peter and Moya are very gracious people. When I got here, we went for a tour. They showed me all the sights. We did go out for lunch down by the water and chatted about things. There were also numerous phone calls and meetings. I was so excited about this opportunity. I think they were, too. So, absolutely. It wasn’t just, “Show up and let’s make it happen.” You have to work hard at these things. You’ve heard this before: Being in a morning show is just like being in a marriage. You have to work at it to make it successful.

3. Please tell me about a couple of on air mistakes you've made.

BD: I made all sorts of errors in the early days when I was just starting out at Citi FM in Winnipeg. I was just out of high school and really had no idea what I was doing. Some of the characters I tried, and the people I put on the air, and the ideas I had... I was just a kid. But, it was 3 o’clock in the morning on the all night show, so no harm done, I suppose. I met some very strange people, some radio groupies.

I have said some wrong call letters on air. I actually said the wrong call letters here. I said the station I was previously at a couple of times. I figure Peter and Moya had silent bets on the side whether I would do it. It’s hard after so long when you have to say new call letters. But, I did; I blurted out, “The Bear” once or twice in those early days. But everyone just rolled their eyes and made no mention and knew that, sooner or later, I would get it.

BB: But nothing really, really bad that you had to be called into the boss’ office and be threatened with dismissal?

BD: No. I’ve been pretty good. Like I said, I know where the line is. You can creep up to that line. I’ve worked in rock radio my whole career, so I was able to be a little edgier in an earlier life. Here, we have a lot of families listening. We’re very aware of that. Everything we do on the air, we have to think about the audience that is listening to you, and the audience that is buttering your bread, that are paying the bills. You can get close to that line, but you never want to do anything that is going to jeopardize your listening audience. You have to know who your core is.

When I got my vasectomy done; we played it on the radio here. I didn’t air the whole thing, but I brought my little recorder along and played the highlights. As soon as the doctor said, “There’s going to be smoke and you’re going to smell a little burning now”, that’s when things got serious and I shut the recorder off.

BB: It’s educational for people, isn’t it?

BD: I guess. Thank God it’s not TV . People can use their imaginations. “Theatre of the mind”, right?

4. What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received, and who provided it?

BD: When I was 22, just before I left Winnipeg, my dear uncle said to me, “Don’t tell them what you can do. Show them what you can do.” I’ve always followed that example. I think it’s important to toot your own horn, but to the right people. We all have an ego in this business, but I’ve tried my best to keep it contained. When you lose, say nothing. When you win, say even less. Does that make sense?

BB: It does. Do you want to say the name of your uncle?

BD: Uncle Lloyd.

Always take the high road. Be yourself on the air. I know people have told you that one. Sometimes I have a hard time accepting praise. I like it, but you work in this little bubble when you’re on the radio. A lot of times you do things solely if it feels right, if they’re entertaining to you.

We do a lot of contests on the air that I think are really entertaining. For instance, The Squeaky Toy game, where you conference 2 people, and the other person doesn’t know that they’re on the radio. Every time you hear the squeaky toy, you yell out something absurd, like “Chocolate chip cookies!” And, you just listen in. It’s not rocket science here. We’re just having some fun. If it feels right, do it. If it’s entertaining, do it.

So, when someone compliments me on something, of course I say, “Thank you”, but sometimes I just feel so blessed to do this that I don’t know how to react when it’s just something that I think comes pretty naturally to me and my team.

BB: Has there ever been a piece of constructive criticism that was especially helpful to you?

BD: Hmm. Know when to get out of a bit. I think there’s a lot of people who go way too long with certain bits. I think, in this age of the sound bite, and brevity, you have to be to the point, because there’s a lot of other competition out there. I think we do it really well. That’s one thing that was given to me in my earlier career that stuck. Know where you’re going, and know when to get out.

BB: That might include a job, too, couldn’t it?

BD: Yes. [laughs] You’re very right, Bev.

5. The Megan Edwards Question. You lose you iPod. I find it. What songs on it would surprise me the most?

BD: Well, I’m a classic rocker from all those days of working in rock radio. It’s meat and potatoes stuff for me. Stones. Zeppelin. Beatles. Moya says that my music choice is very heavy. It’s not. I’ll occasionally slip in the odd Iron Maiden or AC/DC track, but I think most people would be surprised that there’s also quite a bit of ABBA, Bee Gees, and even the odd Village People song.

BB: Oh, my God!

BD: Come on, man!

BB: YMCA!

BD: Absolutely. On a Saturday night, when the beers are flowing, you have to do the old Y-M-C-A. [Brad and Bev sing a bit of the song and act out the familiar refrain. Brad is much better at it than Bev is]

BB: I’m keeping this question. I get a different answer every time.

BD: It’s a good one. Who was your favourite Village Person?

BB: I think The Cop.

BD: Everybody says The Cop!

BB: What was his name? Victor Willis?

BD: You see, the scary thing is, you know that guy’s name. Do you know another name on The Village People? I’m busting you right now!

BB: I don’t know any other names.

BD: OK. Thank God. Victor Willis actually got in a lot of trouble recently. He went to jail or something like that.

BB: I hadn’t heard. They’re still around in some capacity.

BD: I believe one or two of them have died. But, they can find another guy to fill the spot and tour casinos world-wide.

I didn’t know the whole interview would be about The Village People, so let’s move on.

6. Please say something about the following people

A. Moya Farrell

BD: One of the kindest and most generous souls that I’ve ever met. No ego at all. On air, she has this great sense of who she is and how to get it done. She’s so reliable and good at what she does. I’m damned lucky to work with her.

BB: When you came on board, was there a redistribution of duties among the three of you? Peter always does the news; Moya always does the weather and the entertainment spots. Was there discussion about what roles people would play on the air, with the new fella coming on board?

BD: I’m the one behind the boards, so I guess I’m the quarterback. But, you know what? The thing that I like about the show is, it’s not just one person. It is a team. It’s a 3 person show. It’s The Breakfast Club with Brad, Peter, and Moya. Everybody has a say, and everybody gets to play. We try to include all 3 of us. We try to develop our characters on the show. Moya is the Newfoundland girl. Loves her husband. Loves running. Hates her dog.

We just had a conversation about that the other day. We phoned her husband and asked, “If the house was burning down and you had to choose between your dog and Moya, who would you choose?” Kevin loves his dog, Charlie. He had to think about it for a little while. He said, “Well, I think I would take Charlie, because Moya’s smart enough where she could just get out on her own." Let me tell you: He was sleeping in the doghouse with Charlie after that call.

Peter loves good wine, but isn’t drinking as much of it anymore. He’s really getting into shape and looks great.

I’ve got my wife. I call her The Honeybunny on the air. I never use her name because sometimes I say a little bit more than I should. You always want to try to relate to the listener, so nothing’s off limits with me for the most part. I’ll talk about how my wife likes to pee with the bathroom door open. Or, how, occasionally she’ll fart in bed. Well, she doesn’t want her name being said, and I can see why. So since I started talking about her, many years ago (before Halifax), I’ve always referred to her as The Honeybunny. She comes on the air as well. She’s great; she takes it in stride. She’s got a good sense of humour about it.

BB: My nickname for my fiancee is “Sugarbunny”.

BD: Oh, Sugarbunny!! I think I’m going to be sick.

B. Peter Harrison

BD: Peter’s a true pro. We can be seconds from on air with no idea of how we’re going to get out of a break, and Peter just knows how to do it. He’s always cool under pressure. He’s a great newsreader, too. He has this way of transitioning from serious news to saying some really whacked out stuff throughout the show. I find it amazing, because he never really loses that news credibility of his. It just comes from years of doing it. He’s so comfortable and in touch with his sound and his style, that he’s able to pull it off.

BB: I asked him for an interview last year. He said yes. We haven’t been able to interface yet.

BD: Well, I’m going to kick his butt, and I’ll make sure that he’s coming your way, bud. That’s my promise to you!

BB: I’ll hold you to it.

C. Terry Williams

BD: I like and respect Terry a lot. He’s been around a long time, and he knows his stuff. One of the things that I really liked about working with him was how appreciated he’d make you feel…that you were the most amazing talent in the world. This motivated me to work even harder and do even better the next day. I think that’s a really important trait for a programmer to have.

BB: What’s it like to compete with him now? You guys are going for the same demographic.

BD: I don’t know. We’re all friends. I’d be interested to hear what the other people that you talk to say about that question. I think they would be relatively similar to what I say. We’re all just trying to do our thing. Competition keeps you sharp. We’re all friendly. I see all these people out and about, and I like them.

I don’t think about it as competing against him; we just do our thing. Think about yourself. Terry hired me for Halifax, and our time working together was too short. I actually knew Terry 10 years before coming to Halifax.

BB: He bounced around for quite a while before settling in Halifax.

BD: He has worked in other markets, for sure. About 10 years before coming to Halifax, I was in Calgary. It was determined at that time that I would be going to Newcap. But, was it going to be Afternoons in Edmonton, where Steve Jones worked; or was it going to be mornings in Halifax? It was eventually decided it would be more beneficial if I went to Edmonton. I’m glad I did at the time. It was a good move. I enjoyed Edmonton. It was a good stepping stone for the next moment in my career.

BB: Somewhere on my Facebook, Ian Robinson linked to a picture of the old CJCH on air staff, circa 1974. There’s a picture of Terry Williams there with a big beard and hair. He was a jock back in the day.

BD: He’s been around. He knows a lot of people. He has a lot of stories. I think we all do. It’s been 25 years for me. You get to know everybody. It’s such a small industry. That’s why you never want to burn your bridges in an industry like this. You’ll eventually run into these people again. And, I like to think that my track record is squeaky clean.

BB: Even for the years that you worked in rock radio where you had to be a little edgy?

BD: Be edgy. You know, I was never an overly blue announcer. That wasn’t my style. I would occasionally go over the line. It happens. When you’re spur of the moment, and you’re having fun, and there’s something going on, on the air. Sometimes, it happens. But, I think the successful jocks know where that line is. I think I’m one of those guys who has a pretty good feel about it.

D. Cub Carson. He told me to call you “Oatmeal”.

BD: Damn you, Carson.

BB: I don’t know what the Hell that’s all about. First of all, what do you want to say about Cub Carson? And where does this “Oatmeal” come from?

BD: I’m a big fan of Cubby’s, although I don’t know how big of a fan I am right now after he told you about the oatmeal thing. He’s very talented. He’s got great timing, and he’s really quick with characters and voices.

On a personal level, I’m glad he’s in Halifax because he’s fun to drink beer with.

BB: Did you help him make the decision to come here? Did he consult with you before making the decision?

BD: He did. Absolutely, which I think he should have. It’s not like you’re just moving down the road. A trip from Ottawa to Halifax is a big move. I know that his wife was leaving her job to come out here. I told him, “Halifax is a great area. Great [radio] market. Great people. And a great opportunity for you.” I’m glad he took it. I think he’s going to be great at that station. I know he’s just started, but I think he really fits the whole mold of what that station’s about.

BB: Do you check out the competition from time to time?

BD: I can only hear so much in the morning. I’ll be honest with you: When I’m on holidays, absolutely. I’m tuning around to see what’s going on out there.

BB: Do you have a favourite competing station you listen to? Do you want to say it? [Bev laughs evilly]

BD: I like it all for different reasons. I’m a radio junkie, so in the morning time, I’m not listening for the music. I’m listening for what goes on between the records. But, I’ve got my rock roots. I like to listen to a little bit of Q or maybe Hal or maybe Live, or even Kool for that matter. They’ll play the odd Gold track that I grew up on. But, C100 and Bounce? They’re great, too. They’re upbeat stuff. Hey, even CBC and Rogers for talk. So, I basically have named every station in the market. I like it all. I really do. I’m a fan of radio, so I like to hear what everybody’s doing.

BB: All right. Have you seen Cub very much since he came to Halifax?

BD: We were supposed to go out for a beer today. The bugger canceled on me because he’s got big wigs from Evanov in town. He’s got to meet with them. I mean, seriously? Really? Them over me? Come on, Cubby! I was even going to buy. Your loss, suckah!

Oatmeal. I like to wear oatmeal. See? I’m wearing oatmeal today. My pants.

BB: The colour?

BD: Yes. “Oatmeal” pants. That’s all it came from; and now, it’s starting to catch on here in Halifax. There’s a few people on our staff: A couple of people in the sales department. At the Christmas party, they saw something on Facebook. And, they called me “Oatmeal”. My butt cheeks clenched. I just couldn’t believe it. It was like, “Oh, no. This is following me, 1500 kilometres to Halifax from Ottawa. I’m never going to live it down.

BB: Did Cubby come up with that name?

BD: Yes. I have 2 young sons as well, Mac and Jamie. He always calls them “Mac and Cheese”. He’s a character. He’s a good guy. I’m glad he’s here. I think he’s going to do really well. I think he’s going to have a really great time. There’s a lot to do here.

E. Earle Mader

BD: Such a great guy, and a strong team player, who was at every event that C100 did. To look over and see your boss busting his butt for your product meant a lot to me as a member of the team. It was sad to see him go.

BB: 30 years of service with the company I think it was. It is sad.

F. Tom Bedell

BD: Tom’s got a great on air delivery and really knows his music. He’s a skilled interviewer, too. I don’t know him that well, but whenever we’ve talked, I’ve always had good conversations with him.

BB: Do you listen to Route 104 very often?

BD: I don’t. When’s it on?

BB: Sunday nights at 9.

BD: No. It isn’t going to happen for me. Sunday night at 9 o’clock I’m either already in my jammies or eating a big box of Cheez Doodles. Or, I’m getting ready for the show.

7. Tell Me About a Typical Work Day

BB: What time do you have to go to bed at night?

BD: It depends on what’s on the night before. If there’s a good game on the night before, or something like that, or the Academy Awards, I’ll stay up later.

BB: You’ll stay up until 2 o’clock in the morning?

BD: No. But, I’ve stayed up until midnight if it’s something big that I should be watching. Part of your show prep has to be knowing the pop culture and what’s been going on. My day is: In bed about 10 o’clock. Up at 4. A nap in the afternoon for sure, from about 1 until 3, so I’m not falling asleep at the dinner table. Then, the cycle continues. Having 2 young boys and the Honey Bunny, it’s busy.

But, having young kids really provides a lot of on air banter. It’s stuff that our audience can certainly relate to, because I think a core of our audience is probably in my shoes. They’re in their late 30‘s or early 40‘s. Couple kids. Mortgage. Hockey practice. We really like to relate a lot of our personal experiences on the air.

But, we do other things, too. We’ve got, “One Minute Inside A Woman’s Head”. Neville [MacKay] joins us on Friday mornings. Dean Leland from Empire Theatres joins us on Friday. So, we have some benchmark features. Brainbusters at 6:45. Wheel of Games at 8:15. These are some games I brought with me from Ottawa. We have some other features such as Moya’s Daily Dirt as well. You add stuff like Beat the Bank to that or the $10 000 Give Away, and it gets busy. Time flies. Then, back home we go to hang out with the little ones and go to bed. That’s my life. That’s what happens. I don’t know if there’s any morning person you talk to who really has a life outside work, especially the week, when it’s just “to bed, get up, work”.

BB: Well, oftentimes at night, you’re doing other things, like Blind Date with the Stars. There are all kinds of other ancillary events that you’re expected to participate in.

BD: Yes, you’re absolutely right. There’s just a plethora of events throughout the year. They happen every year at the same time. You always look forward. You plan for them. And, you have a blast doing them.

BB: You do, but it sucks time away from the family and even sleep time. I wonder, how do you budget your time to do everything. There must be times when you’re dead on your feet.

BD: Alcohol. “Mac, get me another beer!” You just find time. You know what? This is my passion. This is my job. My other passion is my family. You’re a busy guy. You’re getting married. I’m sure things are pretty crazy for you. You do what you have to do.

BB: Totally out of left field here. You’ve lived all over the country. How expensive is Halifax compared with other cities you’ve lived in?

BD: Real estate-wise, it’s not as bad. In Ottawa, we sold our home for more than here. And, what you’re able to buy here. We bought just over an acre [in a well-known HRM subdivision] for less than what we sold a house half the size in Ottawa.

Calgary? Edmonton? Forget it. Alberta is through the roof.

BB: How about food?

BD: Everything’s a bit more expensive these days. They’re getting you everywhere, right?

BB: You can’t complain too much too much about the cost of living here.

BD: You gotta eat. It’s not bad. Housing. Electricity. All the bills. You’re paying what you pay. It’s pretty comparable.

8. What is one thing about yourself (that you're comfortable discussing) that would surprise your listeners?

BD: You know one thing that I get a bad rap for on the air by Peter and Moya? It’s that I’m cheap, that I’m thrifty. It’s not true. You can put that in capitals. IT’S NOT TRUE!! I tip well at restaurants and the hair stylists. I buy gifts for people I know. And, I just want everybody reading this right now to know: If you listen to The Breakfast Club with Brad, Peter, and Moya, don’t ever believe what Peter and Moya say about me being a tightwad, because it’s not true.

BB: Is there any element of truth to it?

BD: It depends on whom you talk to. You’re giving me a loaded question, here.

BB: Do you recycle paper towel?

BD: No. Paper towel. Toilet paper. I never recycle them. I’m just sayin’. But, OK, maybe in the past I’ve been known to do the old, “Oh, I’ll grab the bill in just a second. Oh, you’re going to take care of it? Oh, thank you. I’ll get you next time!” That used to be a big phrase for me.

BB: And, there’s never a next time!

BD: That’s right. If I know that my time is coming, I ain’t showing!

So, I want our huge audience of listeners to know that I am not cheap.

BB: OK. You’re not cheap at all.

9. Tell me about a couple of things about Nova Scotia that you particularly like.

BD: The ocean. All the things to do when you have a young family. There’s still parts of the region that we haven’t had a chance to explore yet.

BB: Do you vacation here?

BD: We have, yes. Last summer, we went to Northumberland Strait. We went to North Port, just outside of Pugwash.

BB: My fiancee is from Pictou County. We spend a lot of time up there. We have a cottage up there.

BD: You do? Can I come sometime? I’ll call!

BB: Of course.

BD: I’ll bring the beer. We’ll have a great time.

BB: It’s a huge piece of property.

BD: That’s the best thing about this area. There’s so much to do in such a short drive. PEI is within 3 hours. People know all this stuff.

We love the usual spots, like Lunenberg, Mahone Bay. Acadia University? Gorgeous school!

BB: I went to Acadia.

BD: You did?

BB: So did Peter Harrison.

BD: I knew that about Peter. I didn’t know that about you. If the commute wasn’t so long, I would live in Wolfville.

BB: I love Wolfville. I love the Al Whittle Theatre.

BD: It’s a quaint, little town. There’s so many of those in this area. I love that. People out here are friendly. I’m having a blast.

BB: Well, had I known... my dad died last year.

BD: I’m so sorry to hear that. My condolences.

BB: Thank you. But, he had a rental property in Port Williams, and we just sold it. Had I known, we could have sold the house to you.

BD: Are you serious?

BB: If it falls through, I’ll contact you. My father built it himself.

BD: Is it winterized?

BB: Of course. It’s a house. There are houses around it. It’s on municipal water and sewer. I love that question, though.

BD: You have to go out and pee in a hole.

BB: There’s a little shack out back with a crescent moon above the door.

BD: When I hear the word cottage, I am just used to people going in the Summer and closing it up in the Winter.

BB: That’s what we do at the cottage in Pictou County. We could winterize it; we have not.

BD: It would be expensive, wouldn’t it?

BB: It would be pricey, yes. We love it down there. There’s no internet connection, but we go to the library for that.

10. Why did you agree to this interview?

BD: I think, first and foremost, you do seem like a real fan of the biz. I thought it would be fun talking shop with you.

BB: I hope it has been.

BD: It’s been a blast. Radio is such a great job. It’s one of those jobs where I can’t believe I get paid to do this. “It beats working for a living”, is what I tell people. I’m getting to that point now where more and more people come up to me and say, “I listened to you when I was growing up. You’re the reason why I got into this business.” Which makes me sound very old. But, I’m also really flattered by that. I’m hoping that if there’s somebody reading this who listens to the show, maybe they’ll be able to gain a little insight as to why it’s the best business in the world, and decide to do it for themselves, because it really is. It’s a wonderful business, a great way to express yourself, have fun. You sit around and drink coffee and play music and laugh.

I was always a creative person. I was never good at math and science, when there was one answer. I was better at Drama and English, where it was open to interpretation and creativity. That’s what I was always about: Creativity. How do you take something and put a different spin on it? “A different camera angle”, I like to call it. Everybody can do something one way; but find a different way to do something, presenting something, talking about something that everybody else is talking about. That’s how some of us separate ourselves. That’s how you separate yourself from the rest of the pack. I think, at the Breakfast Club, we do a pretty good job at it.

BB: According to Yolande, you signed a new 3 year contract or something?

BD: I did, yes.

BB: Congratulations.

BD: Thank you. You’re stuck with me for another 3 years, Bev.

BB: Is that the most stability you’ve had in your career?

BD: Yes. You know what? I’ve signed contracts in the past. They’re good things to have. You’re only as good as your last ratings book. But, it certainly is a nice show of faith when the company comes to you and signs you for a new deal. I don’t want to appear like too much of a suck up, but it’s true when I say that it is a great company to work for. Trent McGrath, our General Manager; Chris Duggan, our Program Director; and the team that I work with in the morning, and everybody on the air, it’s a really good bunch of people. And they’ve all been here for a long time for a reason. Zach Bedford, whom you met upstairs? He got in this business very young as well.

BB: He’s not exactly old now.

BD: No. He’s a young ‘un. And, he’s been here for a long time. He’s a talented guy. He stays here for a reason: It’s a good company. It’s a good building. It’s a fun business.

Wrap Up

BB: Brad Dryden, thank you very much for the last 90 minutes or so of your life.

BD: How long does a normal interview usually take? Have I been talking way too much?

BB: Heck no. I’ve talked to people who went on for hours. Frank Cameron talked for about 3 hours.

BD: Was it all interesting?

BB: It was all very interesting. Pat Connolly and I talked twice. We talked for about 3 hours total. We just scratched the surface of the man’s career. So, 90 minutes is one of the shorter interviews.

BD: It’s interesting because there are so many facets of the career. There’s so many different things I have had the pleasure of doing. I have no problem chatting about some of that stuff. It’s all a blur after a little while, unless specific examples are brought up to me.

BB: Well, I want to keep these interviews positive, so if you ever worked with a jerk, I don’t particularly want to talk about that, so that leaves out a certain range of stories. Sometimes I like to ask different types of questions.

BD: Absolutely. I think your questions have been fabulous. I’ve really enjoyed this.

[Radio] Where else can you sit on top of the Macdonald bridge on your first week here?

BB: I remember that! How was it?

BD: It was awesome. It was cool, although when you’re up there, and a big bus or something goes by, that bridge starts shaking.

BB: Anyway, Brad Dryden, thank you very much. It’s been a pleasure meeting you. I’ll work hard next time to draw you out. You’re so shy. It’s been an interesting challenge.

BD: Thank you very much, Bev. It’s been great. Let’s get together in the Summer and let me buy you a drink or two on the patio down by the water. It will be just us shooting the shit and having a couple of pints. How about that?

BB: I will hold you to it!