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All posts for the month May, 2014

Try My Mushroom Pizza

Posted by Bud Weiser, WTIT on May 31, 2014

Posted in: Saturday 9. 11 Comments

Thanks to Gal for authoring this meme. Click on the Sat-9 header directly below to play.

Saturday 9: Meet the Fucking Flintstones

1) The song promises that, “When you’re with the Flintstones, you’ll have a yabba-dabba-doo time.” So clearly Wilma was one accomplished hostess. What about you? Do you enjoy having company? Oh yes! Except for last night. When those police officers arrived they were not amused when I said the costume party was on Sunday. I should be out in 5 to 10.

2) Since lyrics say, “Let’s ride with the family down the street/courtesy of Fred’s two feet,” we’re assuming the pedal-powered Flintstone car didn’t require much gas. Are you loyal to a particular brand of gas? Or do you fill up with whatever is nearby, or least expensive? I always go for the most expensive gas. It must be worth more, no?

3) Clearly a sharp-dressed man in stone-age Bedrock wore a long tunic and no pants. What are you wearing right now, as you answer these questions? A long tunic but I accessorize with jogging pants.

4) Pebbles Flintstone grew up with Dino the Dinosaur and Baby Puss the Saber-Tooth Cat. Did you have any pets as you were growing up? Yes. My pet vulture’s name was “Disposal” since we pile food up and gave it to the following week.

5) Mr. Slate is Fred’s blustery boss at quarry, and he frequently threatens to fire Fred. Have you ever had a bad-tempered boss? Who hasn’t? You either have to reason with them and if they are really bad you poison them with a wild mushroom pizza.

6) It’s estimated that during The Flintstones original run (1960-1966), it was viewed by as many adults as kids. Now that you’re a grown up, do you still watch cartoons? It’s hard not to love “Family Guy”. It’s not a “can’t miss” cuz Jill Hennessy is not in it.

7) In 1961, The Flintstones was nominated for a Prime Time Emmy Award as Outstanding Comedy Series. Do you watch awards shows? No. My brother Mark (seriously) was invited to the Grammys and Oscars and could be seen on TV and I didn’t even watch that.

8) There are at least two Flintstones-themed amusement parks currently in operation. Do you enjoy scary rides? Only when there’s a chance of serious danger. I search for the amusement parks that have the crappiest wood made roller coaster and hope for the worst. I was SO disappointed when one time when I got off the next group of people went off the tracks and landed in a tree. Why can’t that happen to me.

9) Flintstones Vitamins are still on store shelves. Do you take a vitamin each morning? Yep, along with oxycotin for a kick start.

(Feel free to not read this continuing saga of my dad. It just helps to talk about it.) My dad has a major infection in his blood that started as a UTI. He knows I can relate since a staph infection nearly killed me in 2003. When I visited him at both the hospital and now at a rehab facility, he thinks his room at his assisted living place and gets mad when I tell him it’s not even in the same state. Kathy and I stayed through dinner with him yesterday and he was in decent spirits. He was talking to Kathy. Last time for some reason he was mad at her. He gave me his mail box key to check his mail. The key was to his apartment mail box that we were forced to cancel six months ago. He had lived there 20 years. I miss the non-dementia version of him. But he still knows who everyone is and loves to talk sports and politics. We’re back with Stealing mañana. Join us. Same time. Same blog.

Because He Got High

Posted by Bud Weiser, WTIT on May 25, 2014

Posted in: sunday stealing. 8 Comments

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Thank you Allison for hosting Sunday Stealing. to join in click here.

1. How old is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet? 546 years. I went to this fair and they had Elvis Presley’s great-great-great-great- great-great-great-great-grandfather’s shoes. No seriously, that’s what they said they were a bargain at $250.

2. Did you buy Girl Scout cookies this year? If so, what variety? They still have Girl Scouts? I thought they weren’t around anymore. No wonder that girl’s mother was so upset that I lectured them that it wasn’t Halloween and were too old for the costumes. Oops. My bad.

3. Do you know how to ballroom dance? Of course. I went to old-fashioned balls when I was growing up. There’s nothing like the fucking fox trot.

4. Were you a responsible child/teenager? That damn judge didn’t think so. I didn’t have a car. I know? What sup with that? So I just “borrowed cars”. I used to bring them back and no harm was done. That is at least till I hit that school bus. Bus drivers have NO sense of humor. If my lawyer hadn’t got those nude pics of the judge with the hooker we hired, I don’t know whether I’d still won the good Samaritan award for finding five stolen cars.

5. How many of this year’s Oscar-nominated movies did you see? Zero. When a porn film wins I’ll be all over that show.

6. If you’re going to have a medical procedure done, such as having blood drawn, is it easier for you to watch someone else having the procedure done or have it done yourself? I’d rather watch two docs do it to each other.

7. What is your favorite day of the week and why? Sunday. And Saturday. Good meme days.

8. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? I’ve got a lot of emails about how much better these memes are now that I’m not writing them. I frame those.

9. Do hospitals make you queasy? After 10 back surgeries I don’t mind hospitals when it’s me involved. Watching someone I love in a hospital is another story.

10. At which store would you like to max-out your credit card? Family Dollar. It would only take about $1000 and then you can open the infamous “Family $2” store. Great plan, no?

11. Are you true to the brand names of products/items? If I had a fucking clue what these question is asking I’d have a response.

12. Which is more difficult: looking into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when he/she is telling you how he/she feels? Oh just blow me.

13. What’s one thing you’re deeply proud of — but would never put on your résumé? Getting out of those auto thefts but what’s with all these “é”s?

14. What’s the most out-of-character choice you’ve ever made? Getting married or giving up the French twins. Although the two had something to do with each other.

15. What’s your personal anthem or theme song? “Because I Got High” by Afroman.

Hope you are having a great Memorial Day weekend. I salute those who’ve served. I am so sick of all the wars we get into. I’ve got a lot of respect for the military, but none for the Presidents that have got us to war after the Second World War. If we just stayed out of civil wars we’d be a lot better off. Peace. We’ll return. Same time. Same blog.

Glass Onion

Posted by Bud Weiser, WTIT on May 18, 2014

Posted in: sunday stealing. 4 Comments

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Thank you Allison for hosting Sunday Stealing. to join in click here.

Sunday Stealing: Random 20

Gary Hunter was the name that I used in radio.

1. Last time you had butterflies in your stomach? My last significant nightclub job was in a comedy club. I took requests and did so stand-up to warm up the audience. I worked hard at it because I thought of doing some stand-up at the time. After I had left the club, I brought a date and some buddies to the club. The owner insisted I did a bit of stand-up. There were several problems with this, The first was that I wasn’t prepared and the second was more significant: I was too high to be on stage. We had been doing shots. The butterflies were enormous. But I carried it off. I just looked at the audience and joke about what they were wearing, asking couples what motel they were headed for after the show – all part of what I did there. Then I reintroduced the owner and rushed back to my seat while the getting was good.

2. What was your last alcoholic beverage? I haven’t had it yet. When it comes to alcohol I am not a quitter.

3. Who can you trust? In the past my first answer would have been “my dad”. But his mental health is not great. There’s my wife and kids. And all my WTIT friends. Johnnie Walker just did a cross country trip seeing Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago, California & Colorado. He’ll have great stories when we record this Friday night.

4. Where was your first kiss with your current significant other? In her car as she dropped me off after we met to discuss her idea of doing a Dialtone Disco reunion. She was a huge fan of mine who tracked me down some 35 years after the fact. We never had that reunion, but we wound up married. Go figure. If you don’t know about those days, there was a recent letter to the editor in New London’s newspaper “The Day”. Click here to read it.

5. Favorite Band? The Beatles. Here’s another clue for you all: The Walrus was Paul.

6. What is something you’ve learned about yourself recently? I’m remarkably lucky at my age to have never lost someone close to me other than grandmothers. I was prepared (as well as one could be) for my parents to pass. She’s 90 and he’s 88. I did not plan on my father going out with delusions and dementia. What I’ve learned is that I’m not handling it well at all.

7. Do you like anyone? Oh, a high school meme. Whoopee!

8. Do you know anyone who is engaged? The realtor that sold us this house is a radio buddy of mine and once was my boss. He and his now fiancée came to our wedding. They got engaged recently. It’s his third. So is mine.

9. What’s your favorite number? 3.

My Dad & I at my sister Amy’s wedding.

10. Who was the last person to make you cry? My dad.

11. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? Two miserable weeks. Ted William’s baseball camp. Ugh.

12. When was the last time you cried? I’d like to get away from this if it’s all the same to you.

13. What is one thing you miss about your past? Being a rock DJ. Morning shows and nightclubs. I was my best there.

14. What is one thing you’ve learned about life? Never attribute to malice what could more easily be explained by stupidity.

15. Are you jealous of anyone? Anyone who’s doing a good morning show.

16. Is anyone jealous of you? You’d have to ask “anyone” now wouldn’t you?

17. Has a friend ever used you? Oops, I forgot the high school thing. Yes, I’ve been used and abused.

18. Has anyone recently told you that they like you more than as a friend? Recess is over, get back into the fucking school.

19. Who was the last person you drove with? My wife.

20. What are you looking forward to? We are going to see Godzilla in 3D today.

My sister Diane just called from the hospital. My dad’s UTI has infected his blood. He has no concept of reality. But enough already. I swear I’m not looking to make these posts as pity parties. We will be back. Peace & love. See you then…

As Time Goes By

Posted by Bud Weiser, WTIT on May 17, 2014

Posted in: Saturday 9. 13 Comments

Thanks to Gal for authoring this meme. Click on the Sat-9 header directly below to play.

Sat 9: Vacation (1982)

Unfamiliar with this week’s song? Hear it here.

1) Do you know how to water ski? Yes and learning how is tortuous. Unless, of course, you enjoy having your arms pulled out of their sockets.

2) Do you have 2014 vacation plans? Not yet. I’ve discussed asking HarveyWallbanger up for a week. I haven’t seen him since 2011. We used to talk weekly and I’d have him up for a month when I was single.3) Do you have a passport? No. I haven’t been out of the country since the 90s. The last time I used a passport was for a trip to England in the 70s. My wife lived in England for over a year. We’d both like to go back. We’d also like to win the lottery…4) If you took a 7-night cruise, could you completely unplug — no phone calls, no texts, no internet? My daughter Heather is celebrating her 40th

Heather and I circa 1975.

birthday on a cruise and the entire family. The trip is to the Caribbean in August. Since her mother and step dad and I don’t talk it was an interesting invite. We passed for two reasons. Dollars and Kathy hates ships because she can’t swim. I let her know as soon as I got the invite, so she could let her mother know.

5) Do you own a travel alarm clock? Just on my iPhone.

6) Though the Go-Gos broke up in 1985, they frequently reunite for live performances. What’s the last concert you attended? A couple of years ago my son Ben and I went to a 90s concert to see Sugar Ray, Lit,Everclear and The Gin Blossoms.

7) Their first hit was “Our Lips Are Sealed.” Can you be trusted with a secret? History has proven that I suck at it. Did you want to tell me one?

Heather and I last Christmas.

8) In 1982, when this song was popular, the comedy Tootsie was in theaters. What movie makes you laugh? “Groundhog Day” was one of thebest ever. WhenI was living with HarveyWallbanger I the early 90s I decided to show it to my kids. Since myvcr was on my bedroom TV we were in there. It was a tiny room and three of my kids were sitting on my bed with me. We were laughing so hard that Harvey and a girlfriend poked their heads in to see what we were doing. They ended up sitting on the floor and joining us.

9) Sam is chewing on a Tums as she composes these questions. What’s the last over-the-counter medication that you took? Mescaline. Man, the colors dude.

I had a horrible visit with my Dad. He’s back in the hospital with a UTI. The combination of delirium from the infection and his dementia he’s really out there. He thinks his assistant living apartment is “down the hall”. When I told him it was in another state, he got angry. He then toldme he became a billionaire in the stock market the day before and what a help my sister Diane (stock broker for Wells Fargo) was. He then asked me to call my wife so we could go to a piano bar. When I said no he got so angry I decided to exit. I kissed him and told him that I loved him. He said, “Well you don’t show it.” I replied, “I do the best that I can”. My brother and his wife are visiting with him as I type. They seem to weather this better than I do. He’d gonna call me and tell him how it went. The assisted living place found him washing clothes in his toilet. They told my sister-in-law that they don’t think they can care for him any more even moving him to a dementia unit. It wasn’t because of his dementia, it is because he needs so much medical care. So when he gets released, he will go to a rehab place. And then it’s anybody’s guess. I was visibly shaken when I left him yesterday. I know he doesn’t mean anything. It just was the most out of it that I have seen him.

My wife Kathy has been doing office/office manager work since she moved in with me. She’s a phenomenal photographer and I’ve encourage her to start a business. She was not up for that. But, yesterday she got a call from a photography studio that she interview with. She is now a professional photographer and she starts on May 28th. Thanks for visiting the Tape Radio blog today. Thanks also for listening. We will return. Same time. Same blog.

To Mothers Everywhere!

Posted by Bud Weiser, WTIT on May 11, 2014

Posted in: holiday. Leave a comment

My DJ Nightclub Days Get Remembered Nearly 40 Years Ago

Posted by Bud Weiser, WTIT on May 10, 2014

Posted in: A DJs Take. 2 Comments

Inside the Dialtone Disco Dome. On the right, I’m Gary Hunter running a contest!

FOR SAT-9 Click Here.

In the three decades that I spent in radio and nightclubs as a DJ personality in the clubs and as a morning wiseass to host and co-host morning shows at radio stations I have never had a letter to the editor written about me.

My biggest success came in nightclubs. In the 90s I was the opening act weekly at a comedy club. It was concurrent with my days in sales at Star 104.1 & WPOP in Hartford. The biggest impact that I ever would come years earlier at a rock club that had closed to reopen as a personality driven DJ at the first discotheque in the late 70s. I was hired as the Thursday night DJ and it fit well in my schedule as a morning guy and Program Director at an album oriented rocker, Waterbury’s WQQW.

The progra 00Dialtone Print Ad jpeg m director that owner Dick Camerlin had believed that if you had a different DJ every night that things would never stale. I had no idea whether it was a good plan.. I just wanted one night of money and fun. The club opened on my Thursday night where I got the 20 or so folks (in a club that officially held 250 but could squeeze in 300. I thought it went well and I looked forward to the next week. On Saturday morning I got a much panicked call from Dick. He said the Friday’s DJ was a disaster and we need to talk. He also begged me to work that night and with a new daughter and the first of the line of my marriages, I frankly needed the dough. So I went in early to “talk”.

We came up with this idea to get the weekend crowd to join us during the week. We had DJs 7 nights a week…

Dick started the meeting with the fact that he had spent over $100,000 to renovate this club and its fate would rely on the DJs. And I was the one that was going to get him there. I explained that I was flattered but I already had a demanding morning show and was in management. Dick asked how much money I was being paid. I had no reason to lie. Although Waterbury is not big time radio, as the morning host and PD I was doing just fine feeding my family and making my car payments and the like. I got the gig because legendary WPLR PD Jay Crawford loved the show that I did at WILI in Willimantic. Anyway, at this point Dick said, “I’ll double it.” All of a sudden I was listening to him. He asked if I accepted the money would I have any other “demands.” I did.

I told him to fire the Program Director. I didn’t need his help at all. Then I said that I would purchase all the music and just charge him cost. He agreed and said that one time a DJ bought tunes he ripped Dick off big time. He said, “Gary, (my handle for most of my career was Gary Hunter) you are welcome to buy yourself some music. Just don’t keep 90% like the other dude had done. I would have not even considered buying myself albums with HIS money and yet now I had his permission. I always hired the DJ(s) to work when I did not. How did it work out?

We had 50 people that night. Enough to fill the dance floor if everyone danced at once. They did. They loved my contests and giveaways. They liked my jokes and music. Within three weeks we had three hundred every weekend night. It was a great party that lasted three years. I was able to buy my family a three bedroom condo and with a second kid on the way things were looking up. A little over three years later I left. I was ready for the rest of my life. It was the best gig that I ever had. No corporate bull, I picked the music and he opened two more clubs where I hired the DJs and bought their music. (You should see my record collection.) I always wanted to rent the club out on say a Saturday night (While Dick still owned the building he had sold the operation to various new nightclubs. I never got around to it.

Then in 2010 a woman would contact me to say that those three years were the best of her life and she was going to have a reunion. She said it would not work if I were not there. We decided to meet to talk about it. That lady, namer Katheryn became my wife (third if you are counting) in October 2012. I receive a similar email a month or so ago from the man who wrote this letter to the editors in the New London Day (a huge southern Connecticut newspaper). This made my day. It’s good to get this acknowledgment all these years later. Maybe a reunion isn’t such a bad idea.

To read the newspaper, click on it…

The Day – | News from southeastern Connecticut

I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You

Posted by Bud Weiser, WTIT on May 10, 2014

Posted in: Saturday 9. 9 Comments

Thanks to Gal for authoring this meme. Click on the Sat-9 header directly below to play.

Saturday 9: Your Mama Don’t Dance (1972)

Tasteful AND trendy!

1) This song is about how the older generation often doesn’t understand what the younger generation is up to. Do you keep up with trends? Yes. When we just ordered this year’s WTIT Tape Radio Thongs we did sufficient research that it was what’s trending now.

Also, what’s really trending in music: We witnessed what was the most dynamic Idol moment in Season XIII. Watch the video. Jennifer Lopez was so moved she got up & kissed Jena. This was a moment like Fantasia’s in what I believe was Season 3. The glitch in this video was aired that I was able to correct in an audio version. I don’t want to hear about when you though the show “jumped the shark”. Last year’s judging disaster with Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson last hurrah (thankful this season, not one “She’s in it to win it!”) saved only by Keith Urban’s wit, talent and thought provoking reviews. No country crooner this season. The return of the loveable Jennifer Lopez (and so hot), the return of Keith Urban from last year and Harry Connick, Jr. The final four were rockers. While we’ve predicted Caleb Johnson to win it at the Top 40 left, he is now just two weeks away. But I will always follow these four. If you didn’t join I this year you’ve missed a lot. Here’s that video.

2) This song was in the top 10 in 1972, which is also the year HBO was introduced. Do you have any premium cable channels? Just HBO. I love a lot of their primetime shows like “The Newsroom” and “True Detective”. I am a huge Bill Maher fan as well. And what football fan doesn’t love “Hard Knocks”?

3) Mother Winters taught Sam how to kill the lingering food smells in her microwave (take a bowl of water, add a few drops of vanilla extract, and heat it in the microwave). Do you have any useful household hints to pass along? Never try to cook pot in a microwave. Years ago, when I was into such things, I didn’t want my young kids to smell pot smoke. They never smelled more pot than on that day. Or I should say “They never smelled more pot than on that day as kids…”

4) The French word for “mother” is “mère.” What other French words do you know? Avez-vous ici celui au sujet du vieil homme qui n’avaient jamais eu un blowjob? Il a supplié son épouse un jour. “Je suis un vieil homme. Je n’ai jamais eu un. Juste une fois avant que je meure je veux une seule.” Son épouse a répondu qu’il n’avait jamais respecter son plus jamais. Le vieil homme gardé la mendicité et la femme l’a finalement cédé. Après qu’elle lui a demandé: “Avez-vous encore respecter moi?” Le vieil homme a ri. “Bien sûr. Cela ne changera jamais.” Elle a demandé à nouveau, “vous?” Il a répondu: “bien sûr.” La pierre à aiguiser a sonné et le vieil homme a répondu et a dit, “pendre sur un sec. C’est pour vous notoire cocksucker.”

5) Flowers and plants are popular on Mother’s Day. How is your yard or garden? Is it green and/or blooming? Sadly, I have no garden. The shame of it all I feel deeply about every day of my life.

6) Mother’s Day is a big holiday for card shops. So are birthdays, weddings, and St. Patrick’s Day. Hallmark sells greetings for everything from “Congratulations on Your New Job” to “Happy Retirement.” Who received the most recent card you bought? Someone when I was single in 2010 or 2011.

7) Have you put away your winter clothes yet? No. But I don’t have to. Kathy has a “wardrobe room, so the large bedroom closet is all mine!

8) Mother Winters used to scold Sam for leaving her dirty dishes in the sink. Sam admits it: as a grown up, she’s still a bit of a slob. Do lean toward “neat” or “messy?” A bit of both…

9) To celebrate Mother’s Day, Sam is giving away candy bars. Would you prefer classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate or milk chocolate with almonds? Dark chocolate. Godiva has a new Dark Chocolate liqueur that is to die for.

Be back. Join us tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!