April 7, 2007

"Behind the Mike"

Hi Guys:

For several years now, I have been considering writing a book about the experiences of my career over the last 30 years dealing with celebrities and their real persona vs the one the public sees. Here are a few of the stories which might be included in such a book.

There was the incident where a very public national politician famous for his supposed "moral convictions" and champion of the minority actually appeared on a debate where I was the producer. We had to make sure he had protection and a very nice hotel and some "female companionship." The TV station said okay to the protection and lodging but the "female companionship" was out of the question. Here is a guy who talks about how others should live, is married and does not follow his own moral ethics. Lifestyle is up to the individual, but this guy is just a hypocrite. He finally got busted in a morals case, but people still send his organization money. Wish I could mention his name. Not a good guy in my opinion.

Then there was the beloved national celebrity who was on a tour through Florida and as the crew slept in the early morning hours as the tour bus moved through the early morning fog, he could be seen, awake sitting up straight and waving to imaginary fans he believed were waving back! God Bless Him, he loved the adoration of the fans, even if they did not exist!

Let's not forget about the superstar Rock n' Roll Duo in Bangor, Maine. I was working as the promotion guy on the release of a new LP for RCA and it was sponsored by Pontiac. The car company had provided us with two (2) brand new "Fiero's" to appear on stage nightly as part of the act. This male duo has become the biggest in Rock history and at the time had 4 hit songs to their credit. The crew were all staying at the Holiday Inn in Bangor and I was sound asleep at about 2 AM one morning when the phone rang. It was the Maine State Police who told me that one of the singers of this famous duo was stopped on I-95 by a state trooper. He was driving one of the Fiero's (which was not registered as they were transported to each show by truck) and he had no drivers license. He told the cop to call me and the record label would handle it!
DUH!

A big television star who was also a male sex symbol used to meet his male lover, also a TV star at a Boston Hotel on a regular basis until his production company informed him that promotion guys were not paid to be his pimps! (The problem here is not necessarily the behavior but the hypocrisy in allowing views and fans to believe your phony image).

During my time as a Boston Talk Radio producer at WRKO we had occasion to book a well known personality of a regular basis. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us and was known for his edgy TV show on Channel 9 in Seacaucas , NJ , smoking endless cigarettes and a huge logo showing a "Big Mouth with Teeth". He had told the host of our show, whom he was friendly with, that he would fly to Boston from New York to do the show in studio and that someone should pick him up at Logan Airport. We did the show and everyone went home and just as I was arriving at home, the phone rang. (This was before cell phones). It was the guest whom the program host had never told me about - he forgot! The man had been sitting at Logan Airport for three hours and so I drove out to get him to a hotel. When I arrived he was standing at the gate about to get on a return flight to New York. He said, "I just wanted to inconvenience you the same way you inconvenienced me." He never spoke to our host again but we got together in Washington when I was his producer. Then, we laughed about the incident.

There are so many stories about my dealings with celebrities which would amaze and sometimes shock readers. But, no one would talk to me if I used real names and facts, so the book goes unwritten.

Finally, there is one real name that I can use. Mystery writer Stephen King lived in Bangor, ME at the same time I was program director at radio station WGUY-FM. It was a CHR station (Contemporary Hit Radio) and our competition was WZON ("The Dead Zone") owned by Stephen King. I hosted the afternoon drive show (3-7PM) and we did contests, tight playlist, high impact delivery etc. We a were very "in your" face about the competition. "What do you call a two story outhouse? A Mighty John" (John Marshall was the key personality on WZON).

When the Arbitron ratings finally came out we had decimated WZON in all demographics, so much so that by the next ratings book WZON had changed format. Stephen King showing the type of class few know he possesses, agreed to do the Sunday PSA show with me. It dealt with community events and local events, and he was very gracious. After the show I received a card in the mail from Stephen congratulating me and the staff on the win and informing me that another gift was coming by special delivery - "A Little Dog names "CUJO".

Jack