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Eggs Over Easy Rider

My Journey from Rock & Roll Producer to

Motorcycle Star and Web Radio Host

By Garrison Leykam

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Eggs Over Easy Rider:

My Journey from Rock & Roll Producer to Motorcycle Star and Web Radio Host

Copyright: 2013 Garrison Leykam

Published: March 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system,

copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or

otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate

Find out more about the author at www.ThoseDinerAndMotorcycleGuys.com

Email: Garrison@ThoseDinerAndMotorcycleGuys.com

Twitter: @MotoDiners

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"It was a pleasure to chat with Garrison, an informed and enthusiastic host who really

listens!"

Jon Herington, Steely Dan

"Thank you so much for interviewing me. Garrison, you are a terrific interviewer and it was a

pleasure being on your show. I appreciate your generous spirit."

Alexandra Paul, Baywatch TV star, actress, athlete and activist

"(Garrison) was very well prepared and asked great questions. It was a most pleasant

experience and the time was over before I knew it."

Dr. Charles M. Falco, experimental physicist

and curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's "The Art of the Motorcycle" exhibit

“Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys were so much fun! I had a great time speaking with

Garrison…he made me laugh and feel really comfortable.”

Supermodel, actress and PETA activist Elisabetta Canalis

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"I've done tons of interviews over the last few months. Imagine my surprise when I learned

that Garrison actually read my book in prep for our interview. Not only was he

knowledgeable about the content, his questions were directly related to the book, and some

stuff I'd left out like riding motorcycles. Garrison is without a doubt the best at what he does."

Ron Eckerman, manager for The Doors and author of Turn It Up!

"Garrison is like a biker buddy you've ridden with for years. It was great fun to hang out and

swap stories from the road with him."

Paul James, Director of Consumer Influence and Product Communications, Harley-Davidson

"What could be finer than a show that celebrates two of the best things ever given to the

world by America...diners and motorcycles."

Christine Ohlman, SNL Band

"Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys 'get it.' The only thing I missed was a cup of coffee and a

nice piece of blueberry pie."

Author Tom Cotter, Harley in the Garage

"Food, bikes and music...what more is there?"

Carl Verheyen, Supertramp

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Dedication

I want to thank first the people I love and who are closest to me: my son, Christopher, my

daughter Morgan and my life partner, Nanci Fox.

A huge “thanks” to my radio show co-host Ralph DeLuco for being my ideal other half.

And, my heartfelt thanks to all the people in my life and career who’ve influenced me in so

many different ways: Rich Eisenman, Peter Hay, David Morris, Walt Maguire, Dudley H.

Toller-Bond, Betty-Lynn White, Lorry Mann, Martha Glaser, Howie Mann, Harry Hirsch, Bill

Ham, Erroll Garner, Jay Sperco, Bob Burg, John Woram, John Leykam and Gerry Hoff.

A special “thanks” to Chip Gengras for supporting “Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys” and for

offering the Gengras Harley-Davidson dealership as the show’s home.

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Table of Contents

School Daze…5

The London Wave…15

The Divestiture Wave…30

The Internet Radio Wave…37

Working at Home…39

Choosing an Internet Radio Platform… 41

Equipment…43

Define Your Show…45

Booking Guests…46

Scheduling a Show…48

Hosting Your Show…49

Booking Guests, PreRecorded Interviews and Editing…51

Interviewing…53

Promoting Your Show…54

Monetizing Your Show…60

I M Possible…64

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School Daze

Two events influenced my life and career: The Beatles arrival in the United States in 1964 and

reading George Plimpton’s Paper Lion.

From my living room in New Rochelle, I watched and listened to The Beatles first appearance on

The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th. Along with a record-setting audience of 73 million U.S.

viewers, I heard the look and sound of rock and roll change forever as John, Paul, George and Ringo

sang and played “All My Loving,” “Til There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There”

and “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” It was the first wave of the British Invasion. As I sat cross-legged

in front of the TV, I was completely unaware that just 6-years from that landmark broadcast I would

be caught in the undertow of the British Wave and my passions for guitar would bring me to

working with the many of the UK superstars that were landing on The Ed Sullivan Show and

creating a musical beachhead right on my TV screen.

The Beatles’ release of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album was a musical inspiration

to me and would influence my approach to audio engineering and record production long after the

vinyl on my LPs succumbed to hundreds of playings. Sgt. Pepper's marked an improvement in the

quality of the foursome’s music production while they explored with their producer, Sir George

Martin, groundbreaking experimental recording techniques. Although eight-track tape recorders

were already available in the US, the first eight-tracks were not operational in commercial studios

in London until late 1967, shortly after the album was released. Like its predecessors, the recording

made extensive use of the technique known as "bouncing down" in which a number of tracks were

recorded across the four tracks of one recorder, which were then mixed and dubbed down onto

one or several tracks of the master four-track machine. This enabled the Abbey Road engineers to

give the group a virtual multi-track studio.

Although it had long been recognized that using multitrack tape to record "doubled" lead vocals

produced a greatly enhanced sound, it had always been necessary to record such vocal tracks

twice; a task which was both tedious and exacting, especially for John Lennon who hated tracking

sessions and regularly expressed a desire for a technical solution to the problem. Martin, having

fun at Lennon's expense, described the new technique to an inquisitive Lennon as a "double-

bifurcated sploshing flange". The anecdote explains one variation of how the term "flanging" came

to be associated with this recording effect. Also important was varispeeding, the technique of

recording various tracks on a multi-track tape at slightly different tape speeds, which was used

extensively on their vocals in this period. The speeding up of vocals became a widespread

technique in pop production. The band also used the effect on portions of their backing tracks to

give them a "thicker" and more diffuse sound. Even though I was not yet a recording engineer, the

mind has a way of filing information away and making it available decades later. And, although the

digital age passed its prior analog predecessor at warp speed, ultimately making available to every

audio neophyte a world of online gizmos and gadgetry, what stayed with me the most was how a

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monumental album like Sgt. Pepper could be produced without today’s warehouse of audio

wonders and that less is truly more; that the message, the music, is what’s important and not to let

technology get in the way.

In 1966, my junior year of high school, George Plimpton’s book Paper Lion came out about his

experiences playing professional football with the Detroit Lions. The New York Times praised

Plimpton for his “endless curiosity, unshakable enthusiasm and nerve, and a deep respect for the

world he enters," personality traits which I continue to emulate to this day. Paper Lion probably

would have escaped my attention entirely had not my brother brought it home to do a college

book report about it. The title got me so curious that I started reading about how Plimpton

attended preseason training with the Lions and then ran a few plays in an intra-squad scrimmage.

Shortly thereafter he would join the Baltimore Colts and actually run plays against the Detroit Lions

in an exhibition game. I was fascinated by Plimpton’s participatory journalism and how he tried

things he had never done on a level few of us would even attempt, like training as an ice hockey

goalie with the Boston Bruins which he chronicled in his book, Open Net. Across his career he

would add to his list of professional adventures that of stand-up comedian, movie bad guy, circus

performer, boxer, tennis player and he even wangled a temporary percussionist's job with the New

York Philharmonic playing sleigh bells, triangle, bass drum and gong for which Leonard Bernstein

himself, who was trying to conduct the piece, burst into applause.

Before I graduated from Iona Prep in 1967, The Beatles and George Plimpton had already set the

tone for what would evolve over the coming decades into my love of the entertainment industry, in

particular, music, combined with my Plimptonian philosophy of life, namely, that if we are to

discover who we truly are and what we’re capable of accomplishing we must continually equate life

with limitless opportunities to push the boundaries of our potential outwards so as to go after

those very things that everyone is too tempted to readily dismiss as ‘beyond my capabilities’ or

‘inappropriate’ or ‘self-centered.’ Life’s greatest rewards are where the highest fruit is to be picked

no matter how challenging the climb. And, for me, becoming a radio talk show host was to become

one of the most wonderful challenges I thankfully accepted and continue to do today.

The salve for the course curriculum and studying levied on us by the Irish Christian Bothers at

Iona Prep was playing guitar in a band along with classmates Joe Maffucci, Bob Tennyson and John

Capps. Except for the guitars which were Fender and Gibson along with my Sears’ Silvertone, the

amplifiers and reverb boxes were all made by Joe’s dad who owned and operated an electronics

fix-it shop. Though the customer home electronics filling up that shop were the closest The Impacts

would ever get to TV, we were limitless in our musical aspirations and booked ourselves into every

high school dance in Westchester County. At lunch in the Iona Prep cafeteria I would often sit with

upperclassman Tommy Mottola, future ex-husband of Mariah Carey and head of Sony Music

Entertainment, and collaboratively spin dreams of becoming big in the music business. Years later

those dreams would converge in New York City when as an executive at Chappell Music Tommy

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would contact me in my role as Assistant Vice-President of A&R at London Records, Inc. pitching

coverage of early Hall & Oates songs for the roster of London Artists. But, I jump ahead…

After graduating Iona Prep, I attended Iona College which shared the same campus. I pursued my

college courses with an amount of interest reflecting the majority of my Liberal Arts peers who had

not yet figured out what they were going to do with their rudderless degrees. The one thing I did

know, however, was that my love of music had grown within me so much so that I couldn’t see

beyond the weekend when I would be able to play and sing again in front of an audience. The

Impacts had succumbed to diverging paths of the band members and I had traded my Silvertone for

an acoustic guitar with a built-in amp so I could take the singer-songwriter route. My path of coffee

houses and colleges intertwined like stands of DNA with where fellow Iona alumnus and future

“American Pie” artist Don McLean was appearing. Sometimes in those early days I’d fantasize that

“Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway,” the title song from the three-act musical by George M.

Cohan about the 45-minute train ride from New Rochelle to Broadway had been written by

“George M” just for Don, Tommy and me and the musical journeys each of us would ultimately

take.

Iona College became my runway into the skies of the music industry. The school was host to

concerts by many popular recording artists and I had the opportunity based upon my growing

regional reputation to open for on the steps of Spellman Hall for such acts as The Four Tops and

The Beach Boys. I also led a huge campus protest of the Vietnam War singing our anthem “Get

Together” by the Youngbloods. My father, a U.S. Army ‘lifer,’ had the already red-hot flames of his

lack of encouragement for my music fanned when he heard about my leading the protest. I’d never

seen him so angry until I drew number 343 in the lottery which dashed his hopes that I would ever

go to Vietnam via West Point and find myself. New Rochelle, one of the largest cities in New York,

was shrinking in musical opportunities to express myself and New York City beckoned me to

explore its venues.

I auditioned at Malachy’s II on 72nd Street and Lexington Avenue and got the green light to open

for singer-guitarist Turley Richards. Turley had been blinded in the left eye at the age of four in an

archery accident and lost sight in the right eye as well some years later. He had just released his

debut album on Warner Bros. Records and would score two minor hit singles in the States in the

early 1970s. I relished the opportunity to warm the stage for him and to perform in front of a Big

Apple audience. My two passions, entertaining and doing things out of my comfort zone, were

taking me to new places. I became a regular at Malachy’s II and was featured on the weekends. I

was covering songs by many popular artists like Simon & Garfunkel (I did several songs from their

“Bookends” album) and Donovan (my version of “Sunshine Superman” was often requested and

the body of my guitar unprotected by the pick guard was rapidly showing signs of the unique attack

I gave the song).

I began to know by first name many of the folks who regularly came to listen to me and who

would jockey for a table up front. However, there was one regular who always stood toward the

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back of Malachy’s II. On one occasion as I was packing up for the night he said, “Great show” and

then left. The following week he showed up again and at the end of my last set asked me if I was

going to add any original songs to my set list, inserting “I think you should” before he seamlessly

ended his sentence with ‘Good night.” Within a few weeks I had written my first original songs and

introduced them strategically into my set list, being sure that they were preceded and followed by

some tried and true crowd pleasers. The stranger was there. I played my originals with conviction

and energy, driven by the need to satisfy someone I didn’t even know. After each one, he sent a

wink of approval to the stage and a nod of affirmation. His evening ‘goodbye’ was still

characteristically upbeat albeit short yet very different: “I like the songs. Here’s my card. Why don’t

you stop by Tuesday at 10AM and let’s talk.” He didn’t wait for my reply but shook my hand, smiled

and left. I read the card: Walter A. Maguire, Vice-President of A&R, London Records, Inc. I could

feel the British Wave reach my toes and the chills ran up my spine.

Unable to sleep thinking about the meeting with Walt, I went through my record collection and

took the albums out that had a London logo on them. How often I had listened to pioneering

English blues singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall with his band the

Bluesbreakers. I’d listen to Eric Clapton on “Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton,” playing along

countless times until I could mimic his chords and riffs on my Silvertone. And there it was, right on

the album: PS492 London Records. I held the LP tightly in my hands acknowledging a new

relationship with it. Behind that one in the box was PS645 London Records “Blues from Laurel

Canyon” with a young Mick Taylor on guitar and guitarist Peter Green on the track, “First Time

Alone.” And, how many times had I “sat in” with Justin Hayward on “Nights in White Satin” from

the classic LP “Days of Future Passed” until I had worked it into my own set at Malachy’s II and on

the coffee house circuit, my hands instinctually alternating between the E-minor and D chords.

“Days of Future Passed” was released on the British-based Decca Deram label which was

distributed by London Records here in the States. Deram Records was the vehicle for promoting the

“Deramic Sound” of pop and rock artists. The new technology allowed for more space between

instruments, rendering these sounds softer to the ear. The Deram label had been the launching pad

of Yusuf Islam, born Steven Denetre Georgiou aka Cat Stevens whose album “Matthew and Son”

spawned “Here Comes My Baby,” another tune that had made it into my acoustic set. David Bowie

was also an early Deram alumnus. The “David Bowie” album was in my collection and I could sing

and play “Please Mr. Gravedigger” and “Little Bombardier” by heart. “PS428 London Records”

seemed to shine like neon on my “Go Now” LP by The Moody Blues. I held the albums in my arms

like they were lost relatives showing up at a family reunion and feeling like in some way they had

significantly changed since the last time we were together. The Rolling Stones were in my

collection, too, except that on this night the words “London Records” seemed to overpower even

the band’s name. “The Rolling Stones,” “12 X 5,” “The Rolling Stones Now,” “Out of Our Heads” and

“December’s Children” each bore the name of where I would be going to my meeting.

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I caught the first train out of New Rochelle at 6am, even though my appointment wasn’t until

10:00am. There was a distinct contrast between the 3-piece suiters reading the Wall Street Journal

or The New York Times and the construction workers with their torn sweats, helmets and tool

belts. I sat by myself in the last car where I could live in the moment without distractions. I closed

my eyes and thought about where I was heading. London Records arose in the 1940’s as the

American headquarters of UK-based Decca Records, a British label established in 1929 by Sir

Edward Lewis. London came about from the split in ownership between the British branch of Decca

Records and that same company’s USA branch. The American London label released British Decca

recordings in the States, since it could not use the name “Decca” here. Decca was a classical

powerhouse with such artists as Sir Georg Solti, Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti. “ffrr” (full

frequency range recording) was a spin-off of British Decca’s development during WWII of a high

fidelity hydrophone capable of detecting and cataloging German submarines by each one’s

signature engine noise and enabled a greatly enhanced frequency range (high and low notes) to be

captured on recordings. “ffrr” wowed critics who commented on the startling realism of the new

Decca recordings, especially when the company segued from 78-rpm discs to the introduction of

long-playing records in 1949. British Decca would later introduce its “Phase 4” process in the ‘60’s

and ‘70’s, which produced even greater sound reproduction. For me, on this day, London Records,

Inc. was the Holy Grail of British rock stars.

I was en route to a meeting with the Vice-President of London Records, Inc. a record company

that was at the crest of the British wave with a roster of superstar recording artists. I would later

find out, but for missed opportunities by British Decca executive and head of the pop division, Dick

Rowe, London could have signed The Beatles. Rowe had turned down a chance to record the boys,

instead signing local band Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. His reason for rejecting The Beatles is

now legend, having told the band’s manager, Brian Epstein, “We don’t like their sound and ‘guitar

music’ is on the way out.” George Harrison and Dick Rowe would later co-judge a talent contest

together and at George’s suggestion that Rowe give the Rolling Stones a listen, he quickly signed

them to a contract. The roster of British Decca rejects (Rowe-jects, as I learned later to call them)

included The Yardbirds and Manfred Mann. But, on this day, all of the missed opportunities didn’t

matter. London Records was one of THE major players in the recording industry and I had an

appointment with its Vice-President of A&R.

The train pulled in to Grand Central Station. I walked west on Vanderbilt Avenue to 9th Avenue

where I caught the downtown bus. I got off at the 23rd Street stop and walked to 10th Avenue and

then two blocks north to 25th Street where I paused and took a deep breath on the street corner. I

was half a block from 539 West 25th Street, the home of London Records. The area was basically

warehouses, some lower income housing, a taxi stand and a gas station. But, as I started toward my

destination, walking past trailer trucks, forklifts and industrial workers, I could have been on the

yellow brick road in near sight of the Emerald City. Halfway between 10th and 11th Avenues on the

right side were a few concrete steps and a wrought iron railing leading to a red metal door. There

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was no signage other than “539 West 25th Street.” I entered into a small waiting area with a black

leatherette couch across from which was an older woman behind glass sliding doors operating a

telephone switchboard. I announced myself and told her about my appointment. A few minutes

later, a young woman dressed in tight, funky clothes, spiked heels and sporting black hair with the

trademark Farrah Fawcett “do” extended her hand and welcomed me to London Records. Her

voice was the reality that had so eluded me for the past few hours, half-believing that this was still

all a dream.

I followed Roseanne up the two short flights of stairs taking in the surroundings, all the while

sliding my hand along the wall to help grasp the reality of the world I had just entered. I looked at

the watch hanging upside down from Roseanne’s belt loop, instantly feeling like she was the rabbit

who I followed into Wonderland. The office was basically a maze of brightly colored metal

partitions behind which I could hear competing songs being played at the same volume supported

by a mosaic of conversations. The metal walls of the cubicles turned everything audible into what

seemed like one cacophonous funnel of sound. The halls were a buzz of activity. There were older

“suits” talking with younger men and women dressed in contrasting jeans and t-shirts and a

number of folks scurrying between ‘cubes’ carrying records and posters. Roseanne made a left and

directed me to follow her. We took few steps up to the office of Walt Maguire. My heart began to

race.

Roseanne opened the door, directing me to enter. It was a very unassuming, windowless office

with curtains covering the far wall, in front of which were two guest chairs. Walt came around from

behind his desk, smiling broadly and extended his hand. “Great to see you! Welcome to London

Records.” At this point my heart was pounding so hard that all I could muster was, “Thanks.” His

trademark smile which I remembered from Malachy’s II had an immediate calming effect on me

and I smiled back. He asked me if I had found the office okay and I replied, “No problem.” Little did

he know I had left home four hours early to be sure I found it. He explained to me that London

Records had decided on this location because it was the American distributor of records

manufactured and packaged at British Decca. Logistically it was a short trip from ship-to-warehouse

where the distribution process began.

“Before we talk,” Walt said, “let me take you for a spin around the office.” We walked together

down the near corridor between the cubicles where I met Bernie Fass, Director of Production, and

his assistant, Fred Russell, Vince Biondi, Art Director, Herb Goldfarb, National Sales Director, and

Terry McEwen, Classical Division Manager. I also was introduced to Paul Livert, Head of Rack and

Special Product Sales, and Jack Welfeld, who was in charge of pop single sales. We continued past

the Tab soda machine into a second corridor to another set of cubicles, which Walt told me housed

their publishing subsidiary, Burlington-Felsted Music, which was affiliated throughout the world

with the British-based Burlington-Palace Music Group. Walt introduced me to Mimi Trepel,

Managing Director of Burlington-Felsted, and Carolyn Kalett, Assistant Manager. I remember Mimi

saying, “Walt’s told me a lot about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Before I could respond, Walt

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interjected, “We’ll meet with Mimi in a bit.” We worked our way back to Walt’s office via the

corridor parallel to the one we started in where I was introduced to John Stricker, Treasurer, then

passed by the door of the President’s office, Dudley H. Toller-Bond, where Walt said, “You’ll meet

‘D.H.’ when he returns from his trip abroad.” That meant I’d be coming back? What was in store for

me now that we had done the office tour?

When we returned to Walt’s office and sat down he asked Roseanne to call Mimi Trepel and have

her to join us in his office. “I’ve been telling Mimi about you, as you can tell,” Walt said after Mimi

joined us and took a seat next to me, “and about your music. I’ve been impressed with your

performances at Malachy’s II and the way the audience responds to your music, in particular, the

new songs you’ve written. There is some real talent in you that I’d like to see developed and

shared,” continued Walt. “We would like to sign you as a songwriter on a per song basis and if

things go the way I think they will ultimately sign you as a staff writer” to which Mimi added,

“We’ve arranged for you to cut a demo tomorrow at Bell Sound Studios of the two songs Walt’s

referring to. Do you have lead sheets?” I replied, “no” still trying to digest that I would be coming

back tomorrow to record my originals in a New York recording studio. “I’ll have lead sheets made

in-house from the tapes and we’ll create a contract for you to sign as well as copyright

assignments,” Mimi continued. She handed me a piece of paper with the address of Bell Sound

written on it with a telephone number and told me that “they are expecting you at 10am. Ask for

Dave Teig when you arrive. Welcome to the family.”

It was all happening faster than my brain could process. Walt, knowing that this was all new to

me, came from behind his desk to congratulate me and put his hand on my shoulder. His smile

seemed to have grown even larger as it turned into a half-chuckle of gremlin glee. Mimi gave me

her business card and told me to call her if I had any questions tomorrow at the studio. After saying

our goodbyes, Walt asked Roseanne to escort me downstairs. I was both ecstatic and numb.

Not ready to take the train back to New Rochelle yet, I walked down to the Empire Diner on the

corner of 22nd Street and 10th Avenue to get a cup of coffee and process what at just occurred. My

emotions went into overload. It began to hit me that I had just been offered a publishing deal for

two songs that I had written with the publishing company associated with London Records, Inc. I

was both nervous and excited about my first recording session tomorrow.

The next morning I caught the same first train out of New Rochelle, this time with my guitar in

hand. I let my eyes close without falling asleep and simply tried to relax, my excitement and anxiety

weaving in and out of each other. It wasn’t a far walk from Grand Central Station to 237 West 54th

Street, which had a calming effect on my nerves. And, the August morning was pleasant and warm

as the sun started to rise over the Manhattan skyline. My senses were acute to everything around

me, as if the people, the cars, the buildings and all the activity were somehow all playing parts in

my initiation into the music industry.

As I entered the doors of Bell Sound I reached into my jeans pocket for the piece of paper Mimi

had given me in Walt’s office, which was already beginning to fray from my fondling it over and

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over in my pocket as my proof that this was all really happening. I looked at it, said “good morning”

to the receptionist then told her I had an appointment with Dave Teig. “He’s expecting you,” was

the reply, which made me feel important. “I’ll ring him and let him know you’re here.” Dave Teig

was the General Manager of Bell Sound Studios and coordinated everything that took place in the

studios. A few minutes later a man with a go-tee and a broad smile extended his hand to me. “I’m

Dave. It’s great to meet you. Walt and Mimi have told me a lot about you.” I had hoped that my

nervousness wasn’t audible as I replied, “thanks,” limiting myself to the one word so as not to risk

saying something stupid. “We have a few minutes. Let me give you a tour before I take you to the

studio you’ll be recording in.” I welcomed the tour as a way to settle my nerves before recording.

Dave showed immense pride as he recounted in his radio voice the artists that had recorded at

Bell Sound Studios, including Paul Anka, Hal David & Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Connie

Francis, Sammy Davis Jr. and a host of artists from the Roulette label, including Tommy James, Joey

Dee, The Flamingos, Frankie Lyman, Little Anthony and The Imperials and Jimmy Rodgers.

He explained that 35% to 40% of Bell Sound Studios’ business came from radio and TV

commercials, which was an industry I knew nothing about. He reeled off the names of what he

referred to as “the major ad agencies” that included Ted Bates, J. Walter Thompson, BBD&O,

Benton & Bowles, Young & Rubicam and Ogilvy & Mather. I related more to the brands Dave said

commercials had been recorded for at Bell Sound Studios: Pepsi, Ford, Coke, Barney’s and a list of

other household names. “Here we are,” he suddenly said, as he gestured me to a small staircase

leading up to a control room. “Meet Eddie Smith. He’ll be your engineer. I leave you in good hands.

Eddie, call me if Garrison needs anything.”

With a quick “will do,” Eddie efficiently directed me to get my guitar out of the case upon which

he escorted me to the vocal booth off the larger recording room. “I’ve got a stool set up in here.

The acoustics will be tighter and warmer and I think you’ll feel more comfortable.” Were my jitters

visible? This was my first recording session and I was a web of nerves. There were two

microphones, one of which he placed near my mouth and the other in front of the guitar. “I’ll need

to get some levels,” he said and as he left the booth he lowered the dimmer light. “A little club-like

intimacy,” he smiled which I returned. “I heard you’ve been performing at Malachy’s with Turley.

Very cool.”

“Let’s do a sound check,” I heard through my headphones. “Play some of the first song so I can

get some levels.” I started singing and playing. It was the first time I had ever recorded and the song

coming through the headphones sounded foreign to me, yet amazing. Every note, every word was

so clear and crisp that I almost didn’t recognize it as me. “Good. Let’s go for a take whenever you’re

ready.” A thumbs up from behind the control room glass accompanied Eddie’s words. I started my

first song and played it all the way through. He then played the take through my headphones and

instructed me to do one more after which he directed to come into the control room and listen.

Hearing the song on the huge studio monitors was amazing. We both agreed that the second take

was the better of the two but I surprised myself by assertively asking if we could do one more as I

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wasn’t satisfied with the tempo. Eddie said, “Sure,” and coached me on a few phrasings in the

chorus. We sat behind the recording console playing back take #3 and nodded in agreement to

each other that this was the keeper.

Eddie directed me to play the next song. Halfway through he accompanied me back into the

studio and reset the microphones. We nailed the song in one take. We listened back and he

suggested I overdub a harmony to my vocal during the chorus. Without a pause he restarted the

playback, lowered the volume and improvised a harmony. “What do you think?” I replied, “Cool.” I

went back into the booth and donned the headphones, this time without the guitar. After a couple

of takes I notched the harmony line. When we listened back it rocked and we high-fived each other.

Eddie played back the two songs as he moved a host of knobs and dials to adjust volume as well as

the high and low frequencies, balanced the new harmony with the lead by adding a bit more echo

to blend the two voices and then dubbed down from 4-track to mono. The songs sounded great.

He took the tape off the machine and directed me to put my guitar in the case and follow him.

We walked down the corridor to a smaller room. “Here’s where we do the mastering. This is Sam

Feldman.” I shook hands with an older gentlemen standing near a rack of equipment, knobs and VU

meters. He was standing next to a tape machine and behind him was a turntable on top of a large

monolith of a platform. “See you later. Good luck,” Eddie said, leaving me with Sam. “I’m going to

make a disk from your tape, which we’ll messenger over to London Records.” Sam threaded the

tape through the tape machine and played it back, making some of his own changes. “I’m going to

add some compression as well and lower the gain a touch so we don’t get any distortion going from

tape to disk.” I simply watched the process my new songs were going through at the hands of Sam.

He reset the songs to the beginning of the first one, started the lathe and pressed the start button

on the tape machine. We watched the lathe burn grooves into the black disk as he used a long Q-

tip to wipe tiny plastic threads from the disk while the grooves were created. At the end of the first

song, as the tape machine passed through the paper leader tape before song number two began,

Sam pressed another button to create a space between the two songs on the disk. Before I knew it,

the process was over. Sam took out a thick cardboard box the size of a 45 and after wiping the disk

off placed it inside and placed the top over it affixing a label with the London Records address and

Walt’s name. “Do you want a disk for yourself,” Sam asked. “Sure,” I replied excitedly and he began

the process again. He put my disk in a paper sleeve and then took the tape off the machine and

returned it to its box, which Eddie had already affixed with a label that read, “Walt Maguire-London

Records/Burlington-Felsted Artist: Garrison Leykam.” This was all so surreal.

Sam told me that Walt would have his package within a few hours and said he was glad to have

met me. I picked up my guitar, clutching my disk. “Let me put a label on that for you,” Sam offered

and with a black magic marker wrote Garrison/London Records on a round Bell Sound Studios label

from which he peeled the backing off and pressed it onto the center of the vinyl. I thanked him and

headed out. When I passed the receptionist she said with a smile, “Have a great day, Mr. Leykam.”

Little did she know that there was no way that this day could be anything but great. I left the doors

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to Bell Sound Studios clutching my disk in one hand and my guitar in the other and looked up

between the tall buildings at the sky. My nervousness was now replaced with elation as I laughed

out loud to myself and yelled at the top of my lungs, “YES!”

17

The London Wave

Summer of 1970 was a strange time for me. I had been signed to the publishing wing of London

Records as a writer and I wanted more. As far as college went, I had gotten through the first three

years by a combination of Nodoz, black coffee, borrowed lecture notes from the classes I cut and all

night study groups that consisted of Dave, a new college friend, Jack Shea, from Queens, Caesar, an

honors student, and me driving to Caesar’s parents’ house in Lodi, New Jersey, so we could stay up

all night before exams cramming and asking each other questions. These trips never made any

scholastic sense but the early morning breakfasts made by Caesar’s mom were extraordinary and

justified the trip. Except for Caesar who studied all semester and always earned top grades, the rest

of us celebrated a C or, on the rare occasions when it happened, a B.

Anticipating that my senior year at Iona College was not one of great career optimism for me and

feeling that my connection with Walt was positive, I called his office and left a message for him

with Roseanne. I felt a strong but vague need to reach out to Walt, not just to find out what he

thought about the demo, but to open up about college. Shortly afterwards the phone rang. “Hello.

My name is Walt Maguire. Is Garrison there?” My excitement went from the zero it was a moment

ago to sixty in an instant. “Hi, Walt. This is Garrison.” “I listened to the demo of your songs,” he

continued. “They sound great. Why don’t you stop by first thing on Monday and let’s do the

paperwork.” “Okay. See you then,” I replied, deciding to hold off on my discussion about college

until I saw him again.

I spent the weekend relaxed in the approval I had received from Walt over the phone for my

music and looked forward, relaxed, to Monday morning. It wasn’t long before I was walking back

down 25th Street to the familiar red door and sitting with Walt and Mimi. It only took a few

minutes to sign the contracts after which Mimi expressed her congratulations, shared her plans to

start circulating the songs and returned to her office leaving Walt and I to talk. I thanked him again

for all he had done and he responded in a very business-like tone, “let’s see what happens. The

songs are really strong and we’ll do all we can to get them placed.” “Speaking of which,” I

responded on the same track of realistic thinking, “I start my senior year of college next month. I

know that the music business is very selective and only a few people make it. If anything should

open up on the business side at London Records, would you please keep me in mind?” I would never

attend another class at Iona College.

The very next morning a cheerful Roseanne called and transferred me into Walt’s office. The

normal “Hello” was passed over and Walt got right to the point. “Are you still interested in working

here?” I could almost see his trademark gremlin-like smile which caused his eyebrows to arch up.

“Sure” I eagerly responded. “You’ve got a good ear for music and songwriting. I need someone to

work with our mastering studios to make sure that our albums and forty-fives sound as good on

vinyl as they do on the finished master tapes. Dominic Romeo and Sol Kessler over at Media Sound

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and Sam Feldman at Bell Sound will show you the ropes. I’ll send you to the Institute for Audio

Research to take engineering courses with John Woram. You’ll need to learn how to edit longer

songs to get them under three minutes so we can get airplay but that’s more of a musical sense

than an engineering skill and you already have that. In between I’ll want you to listen to demo tapes

sent to us to see if there are any artists that might be worth signing. Does it sound like something

you might be interested in?” I was dazed and in shock but my response was quicker than lightning:

“When do I start?” I forgot to even ask what the pay was. His response was, “Be here Monday at

8am. Talk to you then.” He hung up and I continued to hold the phone to my ear. I didn’t want to

let go of the call for fear it would dissolve into a dream. My hero George Plimpton believed that it

was not enough for writers of nonfiction to simply observe; they needed to immerse themselves in

whatever they were covering to understand fully what was involved. And, just like he believed that

there was a ‘secret world’ made up of football huddles and conversations on the bench, I was

about to enter the inner sanctum of the music industry where I would immerse myself in every

opportunity to learn new things.

I was brought back into reality immediately, realizing that I would need to quit college right away

which, for me, was not that big a deal compared to the opportunity to work for London Records as

well as be a songwriter for their publishing company. But, it would hurt my mother whose dream

was to see my brother John and I graduate from college. My brother had already made his share of

the dream come true. I was about to disappoint her.

That evening, my mother and father were having dinner in silence as I entered the kitchen. Dad

heard me come in but didn’t even look up. My 343 number in the lottery and pursuing my love of

music had severely altered our father-son relationship. Mom rose from her chair and on autopilot

went to the stove and started putting food on a plate which she set at the table at my place

between her and dad. I sat down and said, “I have an announcement to make. I’ve been offered a

job with London Records. It’s one of the biggest record labels in the world and they want me to start

Monday. I have to quit school to take the job.” “Is it what you want, Gary?” my mother asked,

choking through the words, and surprising me with how quickly she sidestepped the jolt of the

announcement to inquire about my own needs. “Yes, with all my heart and soul. The music

business is me, mom. I need to do this.” “Then follow your heart,” she replied, her remark almost

aging her before my eyes. I could feel the hurt she didn’t want me to see or hear mixed with pride.

“I love you, mom. I promise you I will finish college and make your dream come true.” My father

didn’t look up, his hopes for my enlisting in the Army after college now completely dashed.

As I entered the now familiar red door the receptionist smiled and said, “Welcome to London

Records. Mr. Maguire’s expecting you.” Roseanne met me at the top of the stairs with her huge grin

combined with an excited clapping of her hands. “It’s very cool you’re working here.” We headed to

the stairs leading up to Walt’s office but she directed me to turn left first upon which we entered a

large partitioned office with a desk. “This is your office.” I just dropped out of college and now I’ve

got my own office at London Records. Pinch me, someone. There was a small box on the desk

19

which she opened from which she took out a business card: Garrison Leykam, Assistant to the Vice-

President of A&R/Director of U.S. Recording Studio Operations. “Walt had these made up for you.”

There was my name together with a title next to the London Records logo. This was all too much.

“In the file folder is the new hire paperwork for you to fill out but you can do that later. Walt has

someone in his office he wants you to meet.”

We left “my” office and walked up the stairs. Roseanne held the door open and, with a smile

betraying a surprise that she was keeping in and that was about to be sprung on me, gestured me

to enter. Walt immediately stood up, walked around his desk and smilingly welcomed me. The

gentlemen sitting across from Walt got up as well and invited a handshake. “I’m Gerry Hoff,

President of Threshold Records.” THE Threshold Records? THE Moody Blues? As if reading my look

of disbelief, Walt reassuringly said, “Gerry is President of The Moody Blues record label. He’s here to

oversee production of their new album, ‘A Question Of Balance.’ You’ll be in charge of the

mastering, listening to test pressings and running quality control at the pressing plants.” Not on the

new job for a half hour and yours truly, the college drop-out, is planning production of The Moody

Blues new album with the President of their label and the Vice-President of London Records, Inc.

Gerry Hoff was a tall good-looking mid-thirties-ish guy with shoulder length hair and dressed in

denim with a leather pouch affixed to a belt that supported a huge buckle. I don’t know why, but I

was fixated on that leather pouch, as if Gerry was some kind of Gandalf who possessed potions and

talismans that would help me pass into this new world. Except for being born in the States, he had

the look of a British rock star and could have passed for a “Moody.” “Walt’s told me a lot about

you. I’m looking forward to working with you.” (Really??? You should be feeling what I’m feeling

right now!!!). He handed me several thick, heavy-duty cardboard boxes containing the master

tapes to “A Question Of Balance.” “Tony Clarke, the producer, is looking for a flat sound from tape

to disk; not adding highs and lows and mids. You’ll have to spiral the crossover fades (it was a

trademark of the Moodies that each song blended into each other without silence in between) so

we can see them on the disks. I’d like you to do the mastering, get test pressings from each plant,

tell me what you think and we’ll review what you find. I’ll be staying at a hotel nearby going over

the artwork as well. I’ll stay as long as you need me.” Gerry left for the Art Department upon which

Walt proceeded to ask me, “So, how do you like your first day?” We laughed together over the

irony of it all and then he reviewed with me what studio we’d be using for the mastering, what

engineer I’d be working with, the pressing plants we’d be using, who to talk with and other details.

Walt basically guided me through the whole process and checked in with me every step of the way

hosting lunches or dinners with him, Gerry and me on a daily basis to review progress. “A Question

Of Balance” was a departure from The Moody Blues psychedelic style in favor of their wanting to

record a sound that was reproducible in concert. “Question” hit #3 in the American album charts,

testimony to the band’s growing success in the States.

My experience working on The Moody Blues “A Question Of Balance” was followed a month later

with another super group’s LP: The Rolling Stones’ “Get Your Ya’s Ya’s Out!: The Rolling Stones In

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Concert.” Titled after Blind Boy Fuller’s song “Get Yer Yas Yas Out,” Lester Bangs called it “the best

rock concert ever put on record” and I was in charge of overseeing the mastering and production.

During my first year at London I would also work on two albums by Ten Years After, an English

blues-rock band that scored several recordings that entered the U.S. Billboard Top 200, notably

“Cricklewood Green” and “Watt.” “Looking In” by Savoy Brown would also fall under my mastering

supervision as would Engelbert Humperdinck’s “We Made It Happen.” I was living the dream big

time.

The commute to New York City from New Rochelle was getting tiresome, especially since in

addition to now working as well as songwriting for London Records I had enrolled at Fordham

University at Lincoln Center to finish my degree. Moving to New York City was a major step for me.

I was right in the center of everything that was happening. I no longer had to commute on the

Metro-North trains which led to my parting with my train station commuter car, a Studebaker Lark I

called “Smokey.” By this time its consumption of 10W-40 was insatiable so giving it to a local trade

school for mechanic students seemed a fitting send-off. The apartment was described by my new

landlord as “conservatively furnished,” which translated into a bed in one of the two bedrooms, a

table and two chairs in what was a combination living room-dining room and a large bureau in a

small walk-in closet. For the rent I was paying for a large apartment at 313 West 57th Street it was

unreal. The landlord was a close friend of Bob Walters, head of Media Sound Studios next door,

who I’m sure negotiated a deal on my behalf.

1971 opened up with the debut album of “that little ole band from Texas,” ZZ Top, on our

London label. Guitarist Billy Gibbons met his future manager and London Records promo rep,

Waxahachie native Bill Mack Ham, backstage at a Doors concert in Houston in 1967. Gibbons' band

at the time, the Moving Sidewalks, had a local hit with the song "99th Floor." They soon opened on

the Doors' Texas tour. After later opening for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hendrix named Gibbons

his favorite guitar player during an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." The

Sidewalks broke up and Gibbons and Ham contracted to form a new band with a new roster

including Dusty Hill (vocals, bass) and Frank "Rube" Beard (drums), both former members of Dallas-

based band American Blues. According to Gibbons, the name came from one or more of the

following: the two brands of rolling-paper, Zig-Zag and Top, a tribute to blues legend Z.Z. Hill,

and/or Gibbons seeing the two words running together on a dilapidated billboard.

ZZ Top's “First Album” showed that the Texas trio had already nearly perfected their signature

down n' dirty, blues-boogie-rock style. The album was an ass-kicker that had me listening to test

pressings beyond the obligatory one or two from each pressing plant. The album-opening twang of

"Shaking Your Tree," the vicious "Brown Sugar," the big rock of "Goin' Down to Mexico," and the fat

blues groover "Bedroom Thang" had me hungering for more. Few other rock guitarists have

sounded as confident as Billy Gibbons does on ZZ Top’s “First Album.” Bill Ham was very protective

of the privacy of Billy, Dusty and Frank but he and I had a good working relationship which gave me

access to the band. Our friendship was solidified with my giving him a high-end pair of Tony Llama

21

boots, which he told me he still has to this day. Working on ZZ Top’s music was an absolute joy for

me. Being a guitarist myself, I could appreciate every note Billy Gibbons played and the sounds he

created.

When I was growing up and learning guitar, my brother’s collection of 45’s was my inspiration.

My 1963 Silvertone, made by Danelectro and sold by Sears Roebuck. It had a black sparkle finish,

two lipstick pickups and the hard-shell cases had a built-in amplifier and speaker. All I had to do was

open the case, plug-in and play. Songs by Johnny and the Hurricanes, Duane Eddy, Elvis, Bo Diddley

and so many other legends solidified within me that guitar would always be a special part of my

life. Working with Welsh singer and guitarist Dave Edmunds’ on “I Hear You Knockin’” from the

album Rockpile was an intensely creative experience for me, as the hit Fats Domino had with the

song had been a favorite of me and my Silvertone. The song reached #4 on the Billboard charts. It

gave me the chills to know that I had worked with Dave on it. The Moody Blues released “Every

Good Boy Deserves Favour,” the title borrowed, tongue-in-cheek, from a mnemonic used to

remember the musical notes that form the lines of the treble clef: EGBDF. Justin Hayward’s single

from the album, “The Story in Your Eyes,” charted at #23 in the United States. By now Gerry Hoff

and I had established a strong relationship and I respected the trust he had in me with The Moody

Blues music. I also supervised the mastering of Savoy Brown’s “Street Corner Talking” and the

growing musical relationship between guitarist Kim Simmonds and me grew. His respect for my

judgment regarding the final sound of his recordings meant a lot to me.

I put the final touches on Tom Jones’ “She’s A Lady” and Engelbert Humperdinck’s “”Live and

S.R.O. at the Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas.” But, the real thrill that year was working on The Rolling

Stones’ “Hot Rocks 1964-1971.” Those were the golden years for the Stones. I had grown up with

their music and I was now in charge of the mastering and final audio production of the super

group’s retrospective collection. “Hot Rocks 1964-1971” is the ultimate greatest hits album. Seven

years of the Stones’ astronomical musical climb are reflected in the 21 tracks. All of the iconic

material is there: “Get Off My Cloud,” “Time Is On My Side,” “Satisfaction,” “Let’s Spend The Night

Together,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Sympathy For The Devil,” “Street Fighting Man,” and so much more.

The album is the perfect sampler of everything musical that was great about the Rolling Stones.

1972 would be a major step up in my career at London Records. Gordon Mills, producer and

manager for Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, introduced a new singer on the MAM label

named Gilbert O’Sullivan. After supervising the mastering on the 45, “Alone Again” rocketed up the

Billboard charts followed that same year by another smash hit, “Clair.” ZZ Top released its second

studio album, “Rio Grande Mud,” further solidifying the “the little ole band from Texas’ position as

the hottest new group on the American blues-rock scene and building on my professional

relationship with Bill Ham who I would come to increasingly admire and respect. Allen Klein’s

ABKCO Records (who usurped control of the Rolling Stones’ Decca/London material in 1970 after

the band’s departure from Decca and Klein), released the second compilation album of the band’s

material as a follow-up to the hugely successful Hot Rocks dubbing it, “More Hot Rocks (Big Hits

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and Fazed Cookies).” The album was chocked-full of hits that had no room on the LP’s predecessor

as well as unreleased gems and hit #9 on the U.S. earning RIAA gold status. I supervised putting the

final audio touches on Savoy Brown’s “Hellbound Train” and Tom Jones’ “Closeup” album. My

growing relationship with The Moody Blues’ producer Tony Clarke led to our mastering

collaboration on the “Seventh Sojourn” album which added the Chamberlin keyboard to the

Mellotron, both created by Harry Chamberlin. “Seventh Sojourn became a chart-topper in the

States and spawned two singles, “Isn’t Life Strange” and “I’m Just A Singer (In a Rock and Roll

Band)” which, in spite of the commercial success of each, were overshadowed by the re-release of

“Night In White Satin” which took 2nd place in the U.S. charts, the highest position of any of the

previously released singles. To have played a studio role in all of these commercial successes was

immense for me personally and professionally. But, the real thrill was yet to come.

Willie Mitchell, a trumpet player and classically-trained musician who had long been part of the

Memphis music scene, had been signed to Hi Records in 1963, a label distributed by London

Records. I worked on many of Hi’s recordings by such artists as Ann Peebles, Bill Black and Ace

Cannon, as well as Willie himself. Willie had signed Al Green to Hi in 1969, a singer with an

uncommonly graceful, soulful voice which slipped effortlessly into his trademark soaring falsetto. Al

Green would have his first hit in 1972 with “Tired of Being Alone” which would begin the golden era

of Hi Records with Willie at the production helm. AL Green would make his performance debut that

year in front of the press and media at Catch a Rising Star and I was asked to handle the

engineering. I was thrilled. The classes I had attended at the Institute of Audio Research with my

mentor John Woram gave me all the confidence in the world to handle Al’s debut. He would

perform an acoustic set playing guitar and singing with me at the sound board. The night was a

huge success and I am sure that the rush I felt was as big as the one Al Green experienced. It was a

banner night for both of us. We both had arrived in our own ways. I would oversee the mastering

later that same year of Al Green’s #1 hit, “Let’s Stay Together” as well as “I’m Still in Love With

You.”

I always loved it when Roseanne would tell me that Walt needed to see me. Since he basically

had learned to trust me and let me do my own thing in the studio, when he did ask for me it usually

meant that he had someone important in his office that he needed me to meet with. This time was

no exception. A short, rather plump woman with blonde streaks in her hair who could have passed

for a bag lady given the several shopping bags on either side of her rose when I walked in as Walt

said, “Garrison, this is Martha Glaser, Erroll Garner’s manager.” I knew the name Erroll Garner

instantly from the stories my Uncle Howie told me about his unique playing style. Dubbed by

AllMusic.com as “one of the most distinctive of all pianists,” this self-taught “ear player” started

playing the 88’s at age 3, was performing on Allegheny riverboats by 11 and at 14 was playing for

saxophonist Leroy Brown. The 5’2” piano virtuoso had to add phone books to sit high enough on

the piano bench to reach the keys but his music reached high enough to garner him multiple

appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Erroll was affectionately known for his

23

grunting while he played as his right hand would often play behind or ahead of the beat while his

left hand rocked steadily creating the trademark tension in his music. He would often tease his

audiences by playing introductions of just weird sounds that had nothing to do with the songs

creating an element of surprise often accompanied by listeners’ “ohhhhh” when they recognized

the familiar tune. “We’re releasing an album by Erroll Garner called ‘Gemini,’” Walt continued, “and

Martha would like you to handle the mastering. Here are the master tapes.” “I’ve heard you do

great work in the mastering studio and I’d like you to perform your magic on this album,” Martha

chimed in. I was flattered.

Martha was a lady that had a penchant for wanting to know about one’s personal life, not in an

intrusive way, but she was generous to a fault, often giving me small gifts for my apartment, like a

vase or bookends. Knowing I was single, I would often find gift certificates for a free meal at the

Bluebird Diner next door. Martha had managed Erroll’s career for years and knew the man and his

music better than anyone. Working in the studio, she would often provide tidbits of insight into

Erroll’s recorded performances and explain why he played certain parts the way he did as I had the

engineer make changes to the highs and lows to capture the best sound possible on the finished

vinyl product. I enjoyed working with Martha immensely. She had a tough time separating business

from personal life and I always felt that there was some sad, unrequited bond she had to Erroll but

I never intruded on her privacy by asking questions I had no right to know the answers to. We

would often have dinner after our sessions that lasted well into the early morning as we had

endless discussions about jazz. We filled voids in what we knew was each other’s personal lives but

we always kept our talks on the level of music. She was my adopted aunt and I her adopted

nephew. In 1974, the mutual trust that would grow out of this relationship would thrust me right

into the center of Erroll Garner’s musical legacy.

One of the songs I loved to play in high school with The Impacts was “Gloria” by Them. It always

got the sock-hoppers onto their feet, dancing and singing, “and her name is G-L-O-R-I-A.” In 1972 I

was put in charge of assembling a compilation album that included practically every song recorded

by the Northern Irish band Them during the two-year history when it featured Van Morrison as the

vocalist for the group. Putting the album together was a blast and I never got tired of listening to

the test pressings. “Backtracking: Them featuring Van Morrison” was a big seller for London

Records as well as a rock and roll collectors’ item.

I earned my editing stripes in 1973 when I streamlined Bloodstone’s “Natural High” garnering it

huge airplay and making it a smash single for the band and for the label. Willie Mitchell had me

supervise the mastering of Al Green’s “Call Me” album, a critical sensation and one of Al’s most

fondly remembered LP’s. Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Get Down” would continue the rock crooner’s string

of hits on the MAM label. I would follow the Them featuring Van Morrison compilation with David

Bowie: “Images 1966-1967” including “The Laughing Gnome,” “Little Bombardier,” Please Mr.

Gravedigger,” “London Boys” and so many more gems. Bill Ham entrusted me carte blanche on the

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mastering of ZZ Top’s “Tres Hombres” album as well as smash hit from the LP, “La Grange” which

solidified the “little ole band from Texas’” legendary musical stardom.

A new band for London Records whose music I was thrilled about working on was 10cc, an

English art-rock band consisting of Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart (the predominantly pop-

songwriters) and Kevin Goldley and Lol Crème (the experimental half of 10cc). All four members of

10cc were multi-instrumentalists, singers, writers and producers. Gouldman had already made a

name for himself as a songwriter penning “Heart Full of Soul,” “Evil Hearted You” and “For Your

Love” for The Yardbirds as well as “Look Through Any Window” and “Bus Stop” for The Hollies and

“No Milk Today,” “East West” and “Listen People” for Herman’s Hermits. Eric Stewart had been a

member of Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders of #1 “The Game of Love” hit fame. The

foursome’s song “Donna,” a Zappa-influenced ‘50’s doo-wop parody, brought the band to the

attention of Jonathan King of “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon” fame. He signed 10cc to his UK label

which was distributed by London Records in the United States. The song peaked at #2 in the UK and

was followed by “Rubber Bullets,” a catchy, satirical take on “Jailhouse Rock” that gave 10cc their

first international hit. Working on their debut “10cc” album and their follow-up “Sheet Music”

which paved the way for their U.S. tour was truly a gas. The band’s songwriting genius, lush

harmonies and brilliant productions, was the stuff that made my job exhilarating. It also gave me

the opportunity to work with Jonathan King who I consider a genius of the recording industry.

I received my Bachelors Degree in Psychology Magna Cum Laude from Fordham University at

Lincoln Center in 1974. Somehow, I had managed to combine my new career with attending

evening classes, completing the obligatory papers and passing the exams. I was proud of my

achievement but much more so keeping the promise I had made to my mother when I quit Iona

College to begin my career at London Records. Call me masochistic but going to school had become

so much a part of my life that I enrolled and earned my Masters at the Graduate Faculty of the New

School for Social Research.

I remember the day in 1974 when I entered Walt’s office and Martha Glaser and he had Cheshire

cat smiles on their faces. “Garrison, we want to release another album by Erroll Garner and Martha

wants you to handle production. You will handle everything from A to Z.” It was that brief and that

direct. “Martha, I…” were the only two words I was able to verbalize before she interrupted me.

“You proved yourself on ‘Gemini’ and now we think it’s time for you to do your own magic on

‘Magician.’” “You’ve got what it takes, Garrison, to make this album sound great,” chimed in Walt.

“And, it’s time for you to take the next step in your career. Martha and I have been discussing it and

we are in full agreement that you take the reins.” Handling production on Erroll Garner’s

“Magician” album was an honor. Songs on the album included “Someone to Watch Over Me,”

“Watch What Happens” and “I Only Have Eyes For You.” The album went on to be a critical success

and it took its place within the portfolio of the piano master’s work. During the production of

“Gemini” I had the growing feeling that the decision to have me handle production was not just a

musical one. Martha had lost some of her trademark energy. During our communications there

25

was now a tiredness I had never associated with her in our long all-night conversations at the

Bluebird. It would be the last time I would work with Martha Glaser and I miss her to this day.

Ray Thomas of The Moody Blues requested of Walt in 1975 that I handle production and

mastering for his solo project, “From Mighty Oaks.” Ray was staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel so I

booked a room for myself there and joined him for dinner the night of my arrival. We hit it off

instantly. He took an immediate fascination to my first name and thereafter always referred to me

as “Father Garrison.” I rented a red Jaguar convertible and in between mastering we drove around

LA and Beverly Hills checking everything out from custom leather boutiques, record shops that

specialized in collector vinyls and whatever unique restaurants caught our culinary curiosity. That

same year Justin Hayward and John Lodge released a collaborative album called “Blue Jays.” I was

again asked to oversee production and mastering with one significant addition: “Blue Jays” would

be premiered at Carnegie Hall and I was asked to supervise the audio. I was ecstatic. I was

presented with a blue guitar in appreciation for my involvement. Willie Mitchell sent me the master

tapes to “Al Green Explores Your Mind” which contained Al’s self-penned “Take Me To The River”

which was turned into a #7 R&B hit by Hi label mate Syl Johnson and later covered by Talking Heads

on their second album. When Bill Ham sent me the master tapes to ZZ Top’s “Fandango!” album

and I listened with Walt to “Tush” we both looked at each other and knew instantly that the song

was going to be a smash hit; and, it was. I listened to the test pressings over and over again in my

office and still couldn’t get enough. It seemed like for weeks I had the single and the album playing

non-stop as loud as I could tolerate through my headphones.

The State of Texas would have another musical surprise for me, this time out of Austin. Peter

Hay, a new member of the A&R Department at London, was sent a demo tape by an Austin-based

band called Greezy Wheels which he asked me if I would listen to with him. From the opening track,

as unpolished as it was, their sound was contagious. Peter and I looked at each other with the kind

of silent smile that conveys consensus. We decided to go to lunch and discuss what was already

unfolding in our individual minds as the direction we wanted to take. At the Empire Diner, we

talked about our first step being to give Walt a listen and convince him we had to fly to Austin to

hear the band “live” to get a well-rounded appraisal of Greezy Wheels potential as a prospective

London Records artist. We already knew from the buzz out of Austin that the band was a hot on-

stage act but hearing them on their own turf would solidify our confidence in pushing forward with

the next stage of our plan which was to produce them ourselves.

We could tell from Greezy Wheels’ opening lyric on their demo, “Oh, Lord, get my mind

together,” that the band was not going to be well-received either musically or religiously by Walt’s

devout Irish Catholic upbringing. Throughout the listening session, Walt had that deer in the

headlights look made even more exaggerated by his upturned, pointed eyebrows. We reminded

him of the success we were already having with Texas-based ZZ Top and that this was the next

band out of the Lone Star State that would give London a truly American rock roster. “I’m not

hearing it,” acquiesced Walt, “but go down and check them out and we’ll discuss it.” Peter and I

26

were thrilled, partly because our plan was working, but also we knew that any flights west of the

Mississippi could be ticketed first class which we were all too ready for.

As soon as we landed we checked in to our hotel then headed for The Armadillo World

Headquarters (usually called simply The Armadillo), the premier music hall and entertainment

center in Austin, Texas where Greezy Wheels held the unofficial title of “house band.” In 1970,

Austin's flagship rock music venue, the Vulcan Gas Company, had closed, leaving the city's nascent

live music scene without an incubator. One night, Eddie Wilson, manager of the local group Shiva's

Headband, stepped outside a nightclub where the band was playing and noticed an old, abandoned

National Guard armory. Wilson found an unlocked garage door on the building and was able to

view the cavernous interior using the headlights of his automobile. He had a desire to continue the

legacy of the Vulcan Gas Company, and was inspired by what he saw in the armory to create a new

music hall in the derelict structure. The name for the Armadillo was inspired by the use of

armadillos as a symbol in the artwork of Jim Franklin, a local poster artist, and from the building

itself. In choosing the mascot for the new venture, Wilson and his partners wanted an "armored"

animal since the building was an old armory. The nine-banded armadillo was chosen because of its

hard shell that looks like armor, its history as a survivor (virtually unchanged for 50 million years),

and its near-ubiquity in central Texas. The hall held about 1,500 patrons, but chairs were limited, so

most patrons sat on the floor on sections of carpet that had been pieced together. The clientele

became a mixture of hippies, cowboys, and businessmen who stopped by to have lunch and a beer

and listen to live music. The unique blend of country and rock music performed at the hall became

known by the terms "The Austin Sound," "Redneck Rock," progressive country or "Cosmic Cowboy."

Artists that almost single handedly defined this particular genre and sound were Michael Martin

Murphy, Jerry Jeff Walker and The Lost Gonzo Band. Many upcoming and established acts such as

Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, and ZZ Top played the Armadillo and Freddie King, Frank Zappa, and

Commander Cody all recorded live albums there. The final concert at the Armadillo took place on

December 31, 1980. On August 19, 2006, the City of Austin dedicated a commemorative plaque at

the site where the Armadillo once stood.

Greezy Wheels opened or headlined Austin gigs for the Flying Burrito Brothers, Willie Nelson,

Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willis Alan Ramsey, and others. Fiddle player for the band,

“Sweet Mary,” participated in some of the wildest jam sessions in the history of the Armadillo with

Jean Luc Ponty, Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia, Leon Russell and. Peter and I met Cleve Hattersley,

leader and founding father of Greezy Wheels, in the Armadillo beer garden where we conversed

about the demo tape he submitted, Peter’s and my roles at London Records, the reason for our trip

down and our enthusiasm about the band’s music. He was obviously excited that two execs from a

major record company had flown all the way to Texas to hear Greezy Wheels perform. He gave us a

tour of the Armadillo including a visit to resident artist Jim Franklin’s studio upstairs. Greezy

Wheels’ performance that night was nothing short of electric. Songs that we had originally heard

on the demo came to a whole level of musical life on the Armadillo stage. And, the crowd was not

27

shy about showing their enthusiasm as the beer flowed, the marijuana cloud filled the massive hall

and people danced in all states of self-expression. We went backstage after the show and met the

members of the band: Pat Pankratz ((guitar and vocals), Mike Pugh (bass), Madrille Wilson

(percussion), Tony Airoldi (guitar), “Sweet” Mary Egan (fiddle), Lissa Hattersely (vocals, mandolin),

Tony Laier (drums) and Cleve Hattersley (guitar, vocals). Peter and I shared our enthusiasm about

the band and told them we were catching a morning flight back to recommend that London

Records sign them. There was a collective cheer accompanied by the raising of Lone Star beer

bottles and assorted morsels of Mexican food made available by the Armadillo.

While Walt may have had a shot at rejecting either Peter’s or my individual recommendations to

sign Greezy Wheels based upon the fact that it was a musical style he could not relate to, our

combined and relentless reasoning for bringing the band on the label were easier to agree to than

to trying to dissuade us. He agreed to Peter and me producing an initial single to gauge what the

response was. I spoke with Bill Ham and he recommended using a small studio in Tyler, Texas to

record the 45 that he had used with ZZ Top. Since I believed in karma I booked the studio and

worked out the logistics with Cleve. We’d record both sides in one session and go with “Cadillac” as

the A side. Radio stations throughout Texas put it into regular rotation and reviews were all

favorable; enough to convince Walt that an album was a natural follow-up…with one catch: we

were given a budget that was so low we’d have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to pull off producing a

quality debut LP.

Greezy Wheels was touring the southeast so geographically we’d have to find a studio and living

quarters sufficient to house the band, Peter and me and cover meals but, more importantly, enable

us to record the entire album without going over budget. After countless research calls and

negotiating, I cut a block time deal with Studio in the Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana that included

unlimited recording and mixing, a bunkhouse on the grounds big enough to house more than our

entourage and a woman who would come in and prepare three meals a day. We worked round the

clock, had very little sleep those eight days and welcomed the endless supply of fresh cornbread.

In addition to the single “Cadillac,” the track list included “Get My Mind Together,” “(Whatever

Happened To) Romance,” “So Sad, What A Dilemma,” “All Of My Time,” “I Never Cared For You,”

“Smooth Operator,” “Standing In The Light,” “Chevrolet” and “Peace In The Valley” which we

produced in such way as to capture the “live” feel and spontaneity that was the band’s stage

trademark.

Pedal steel legend Jimmy Day drove over to add his moan and wail and whoop and slur. He

added the same raw emotions onto the recording as was his steel signature on music of everyone

he backed, from Hank Williams and Elvis Presley to George Jones, Willie Nelson and Don Walser.

One night we decided we wanted to beef up the percussion so we did a club run into New Orleans’

French Quarter and were fortunate to find Alfred “Uganda” Roberts who, in return for scale, free

meals and a place to bed down, added some fabulously complimentary conga parts to Madrile’s

performances. Born and raised in the historic Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, Alfred had

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established a relationship with fellow Treme resident and neighbor, record producer Allen

Toussaint, leading to Roberts becoming a house percussionist in Toussaint's Sea Saint Studios.

Greezy Wheels were very good musicians and performers but novices in the studio and Peter and I

had all we could do to not let chaos break out with each member focused only on his or her part

and wanting to work all the newly-discovered knobs and buttons. But, engineer Lee Peterzell was a

master politician as well as a talented engineer and he always reinforced what musical direction

Peter and I were taking the album by deferring to us as the final word. It could have turned into a

major ego bash but all worked out well and on the 9th day Peter and I were airborne back to New

York City with a finished album that we brought in under budget and a sound that any Austin music

aficionado would be proud of. Even Walt couldn’t hold back a smile and seemed himself delighted

to congratulate and compliment his new producers after listening to every track. Jim Franklin did

the original cover art and I had a photographer take the photos at Studio in the Country that

appeared on the back of the album cover. I couldn’t be more proud of the result of those whirlwind

sessions and the beginning of a long-time friendship with and respect for Peter Hay.

Based upon the critical acclaim of “Juz Loves Dem Ol’ Greezy Wheels” Peter and I were given the

green light in 1976 to produce a second album, “Radio Radials.” We kept the jazzy blues to gospel

to progressive country to funky palette of musical colors that were Greezy Wheels, changing only

the recording and mixing studios blessed as were with a bigger budget. We recorded at the Record

Plant in Sausalito with engineer Tom “Superfly” Fly and mixed back in New York City at the

Columbia 30th Street Studio, considered by some in the music industry to be the best sounding

room in its time and others dubbing it the greatest recording studio in history. The finished album

was even crisper and livelier than its predecessor. That same year I would oversee the final sound

on Ray Thomas’ next solo venture, “Hopes, Wishes and Dreams.” Unlike his earlier album, “From

Mighty Oaks,” the sound here is closer to the early-’70s Moody Blues and Ray is in excellent voice

throughout; probably the best vocals of his career. I also oversaw the final studio touches on

Canadian rock group April Wine’s “Forever For Now.” I was living the dream. But, the tide would

begin to change.

Late in ’76 I would put my audio signature on the final sound and production of ZZ Top’s fifth

album, “Tejas.” The album kept the super group at the top of the charts as it embarked on its

massive "Worldwide Texas Tour" soon after the album's release which included live animals as part

of the stage's props. However, drained by the tour and unhappy with the support of London’s

promotional efforts, ZZ Top took a three-year break during which time they negotiated a switch to

Warner Brothers, who put out their next album and bought London’s back catalog for re-issue.

Unfortunately, ZZ Top’s departure was a portending of a worse cataclysm yet to come.

In 1977 I extended my production credits and produced a single by Leslie Pearl, an American pop

songwriter who wrote cover song hits for Crystal Gayle, Karen Carpenter, Kenny Rogers, and Dr.

Hook, among others. Leslie was also a very successful jingle writer (Pepsi, Folgers Coffee, Ford,

Gillette) so she knew had to come up with a commercial hook. Following the positive reception to

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the 45, I became Executive Producer on Leslie and Debbie Pearl’s debut album: “Pearl.” Supporting

Leslie Pearl (lead & backing vocals, keyboards) and sister Debbie Pearl (lead & backing vocals) was a

who’s who of superstar session musicians: Dean Parks (guitar), Dan Dugmore (steel guitar), Mark

Levine (bass) and Russ Kunkel (drums). “Pearl” was Leslie's show with all the tracks written by the

more famous sister moving in unison with the popular sounds of the day that included Captain &

Tennille, Melissa Manchester and MOR queen Helen Reddy. While the “Pearl” album was chock full

of commercial-worthy hits, the London Records promotional staff was again, like with ZZ Top,

unable to push the recording over the top and Leslie departed the label for greener grass. She

recorded an album for RCA Records scoring a chart hit single with "If the Love Fits Wear It". The

song peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Leslie’s hit

single with RCA validated my belief from day one that she had the makings of a pop star but her

departure from London was a major disappointment.

In 1978 The Moody Blues released their eighth album, “Octave” which followed a brief hiatus by

the band following the success of the best-selling Seventh Sojourn in 1972. The album proved to be

the last for the group with keyboardist Mike Pinder, who departed during the album's sessions and

declined an offer to tour with the group. Pinder would be replaced by former Yes keyboardist

Patrick Moraz in time for their 1979 tour, beginning a new era in the band's history. The LP went

platinum in the United States and I was proud to have worked on the final sound. I was invited to

join the band on a leg of its tour which included St. Louis where I met and began dating Janis

Schmitt, an American model and actress and Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its

February 1978 issue. “Octave” would be the last album The Moody Blues would record for Decca

Records and its American subsidiary, London Records. The departures of ZZ Top, Leslie Pearl and

The Moody Blues were more than what were referred to politically as “roster changes” to maintain

morale in a company struggling with the gathering reality that the British wave was now receding

and promising domestic artists were jockeying their label affiliations to assure their long-term

success and profitability.

Budgets tightened up in 1978 at London Records as artists departed the family of labels to

pursue their careers elsewhere. Once lucrative revenue streams started to dry up. Monies formerly

allocated for A&R trips to scout new acts in the United States disappeared altogether. There was a

cloud of serious change hanging over 539 West 25th Street that touched everyone. In an

environment that had always resounded with loud music emanating from every cubicle, there was

now a deafening silence. What were once engaging conversations about the record industry now

took the form of guarded inquiries such as, “Have you heard anything?” in desperate search of

answers to what was happening. The London classics, though not the stuff of hits on the Billboard

Hot 100, had always provided steady income to the company and maintained London’s reputation

in the industry as the leader in “serious” music. For Peter and Walt and me it was always tough to

get excited about the latest Joan Sutherland or Sir Georg Solti release, even with the corporate

respect we had for these premier classical artists. London Records tried to bridge the gap between

30

pop and the classics with recordings of music composed by Erik Satie and repackaging of

Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” to make it look like a pop release. However, the disguise

was obvious to everyone. Terry McEwen, London’s head of the classical division, even tried to

promote Luciano Pavarotti as the newest London “pop” star but the charade was forced, at best.

While Pavarotti certainly forged new ground in the classic arena as an early crossover artist, we

were still reeling from the departure of the likes of ZZ Top, The Rolling Stones and The Moody

Blues. For Peter, Walt and me, the attempted sell of the classics by Terry McEwen as the new wave

of London pop was more of an ego trip on Terry’s part then a realistic vision of what audiences

were going to buy at this pre-Josh Groban period.

The red light was given by parent Decca that no new artists were to be signed in the United

States or Canada. The sword of Damacles had truly fallen on us. Walt and I searched the existing

catalog of London artists but we had already repackaged everything from the Stones to David

Bowie to Them featuring Van Morrison to John Mayall with Eric Clapton. The demise of our

company was now a looming reality. On January 22nd, my birthday, in 1979 Dudley H. Toller-Bond

chaired a meeting in a packed conference room of people to announce that British Decca had been

acquired by Polygram and that everyone in the room would no longer have jobs at London. Even

“T.B.’s” polished English accent could not give the announcement an air of believability. Though

almost all of us had surmised this day would come, we had all lived in denial, believing that London

Records keeping its head above the British Wave as a giant among giants would weather any storm

the ship might encounter. But, as T.B. passed the talking stick to Dante Zilli from Finance to tell us

we’d each be receiving “packages” including severance based upon the number of years of service

the reality was now slowly sinking in. A pit opened up in my stomach and my emotions became a

physically feelable thing. This was it. My almost decade at London Records was coming to an abrupt

and unthinkable end. A career that had given my love of music a place to flourish, expand and grow

was suddenly no more. After my 15-minutes severance meeting with Dante Zilli I walked around

the office trading hugs, extending gestures of ‘good luck’ and saying ‘goodbye’ with promises of

staying in touch which were never kept except for Peter and me. It was like being in a zombie

movie watching the catatonic parade of glazed faces. My last ‘goodbye’ was to Walt who, for the

first time since I had known him, hugged me and cried, asking if I’d be alright. I couldn’t cry back.

Peter and I embraced each other as soldiers must do after enduring the trials of a successfully

achieved mission. We had been through a lot together and on that final day at London Records I

realized how much of a brother he had become to me.

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The Divestiture Wave

The music industry itself was going through changes. MTV had not yet fully exploited the

marketability of videos which the Buggles portended in their 1979 hit, “Video Killed the Radio Star.”

The record pressing plants with which I had worked were sorting out what the new vinyl landscape

would look like with the imminent advent of CD’s. The music industry was in a state of flux with

reorganizations, budget cuts and layoffs everywhere. Jobs were scarce as record company

executives and production managers monitored the industry and played it safe. And, just as the

music industry was challenged to redefine itself, so too were my personal values. My parents were

more than a chronological generation apart from me. The belief that they had subscribed to and

always tried to impress upon me was that if you work hard and are loyal to your employer there is

a gold watch at the end of the road and you will be taken care of. The sale of London Records, Inc.

was timed in such way that not only was I out of a job but I had just missed being vested in my

retirement. It was a harsh lesson to learn and its full impact would not be realized by me until

decades later.

Once the initial shock wore off, George Plimpton revisited my consciousness like Marley’s ghost

in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol;” except that the message was less of a warning to Ebenezer

Scrooge to change his ways and more of a supportive coaching message to me to use the London

Records disappointment as an opportunity to try something I’d never done and to expand my

career opportunities by immersing myself in an entirely new skillset. My continuous immersion in

reading books By George Plimpton through the London Records years had developed within me a

belief that life is about continually discovering who you are; that “self” is not static but rather in

constant change and the more we step out of our comfort zone and acquire new skills the more

opportunities become available to us.

Headquartered in Washington D.C., MCI Communications Corp. had problems competing with

AT&T, which at the time had a government-supported monopoly in telephone service. MCI had

ordered interconnections from the local exchange carriers, which in most cases was a Bell

Operating Company, owned by AT&T. The relationship between MCI and the Bell Operating

companies were not that of a typical supplier and customer, as the local operating companies were

generally reluctant to do business with a company that its parent was attempting to put out of

business. In a decision that became crucial for the telecommunications industry, Illinois Bell

disconnected MCI circuits for what MCI claimed was no other reason than to restrain trade. MCI

filed an antitrust lawsuit against AT&T during 1974, and eventually changed the entire

telecommunications industry. On June 13, 1980, a jury in Chicago awarded MCI $1.8 billion in

damages to be paid by AT&T. The suit, coupled with the Department of Justice antitrust suit also

brought against AT&T, eventually resulted in the voluntary dissolution of the Bell System and the

opening of the long distance market enabling companies such as MCI and Sprint to compete for

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customers with AT&T. MCI was positioned to get the biggest market share possible during this

unique window of divestiture when everyone now had to choose who they wanted as their long-

distance telephone carrier. The company opened a huge three-building complex in Rye Brook, NY

and flooded the job market with opportunities. I was within a half-hour driving distance and

submitted my resume. Putting my ego aside after a decade in the music business, I was one of

twenty people hired on the spot by MCI to begin selling its long distance telephone services. The

race was on and I had now segued from the British Wave of music to the long distance wave of

history-making divestiture.

Within six weeks I was the top sales rep. I was promoted to supervisor two months later and

given my own sales team to oversee. We outperformed all the other teams housed under the same

roof in this mega center of over a thousand sales representatives. On one occasion, a VIP from MCI

corporate in Washington D.C. came to visit Rye Brook and asked me what my formula was for the

results I was producing. I surprised myself with the source of my answer. “I supervise like I produce

music. It’s all about bringing out the best in people and creating the conditions in which people can

excel. It takes a lot of listening and coaching. Bottom line, it’s all about performance.” I was

surprised a few weeks later to see my words in print in the MCI newsletter. The person I had been

talking with was none other than Bill McGowan himself, Founder and Chairman of MCI. And, he

was impressed enough by what I had said to share it throughout the company.

Within the next few months I would receive yet another promotion from supervisor to manager.

The Rye Brook center was being aligned with the actual MCI regions and I was to head up New

England reporting to Kevin Bennis who was based in Boston. In less than a month my New England

Region of sales reps would soar past all the other teams at Rye Brook to go from last place to first

place. Kevin and an entourage of regional executives came to Rye Brook and staged a celebration

party on the grounds of MCI. I continued my career with MCI receiving a string of promotions with

relocations to Austin, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona Denver, Colorado and Sioux City, Iowa. I could have

caved-in on myself when London Records folded, as emotionally devastated as I was. But, going

after the opportunity at MCI and trading my music industry hat for a corporate one, one of my

greatest takeaways was that we truly define ourselves and what we’re capable of accomplishing at

that moment when everything in our world seems about to collapse.

I went on from MCI to manage Powerlines, A Division of Synchronal, where I played a key role in

spearheading the growth of the sales and service divisions of this $250M direct-to-consumer

marketing company and the largest reseller of ½ hour television media time. My next move was to

become Vice-President of Sales for Grand Circle Travel where I increased net revenues 38% in less

than 1-year for this $180M provider of escorted international travel. The owner, Alan Lewis, asked

his employees to move outside of their comfort zones to try things they may not have tried before

and to push themselves to attempt things they were not sure they could do as keys to creating a

learning organization. Failure, according to Alan, results only when people do not even attempt the

well-intended risks, or when we do not learn from the outcomes. The ideas fit in nicely with my

33

Plimptonian value set though I believe to this day that Alan’s motivations were heavily based on

some disconnected, vicarious pleasure in watching people struggle with their own insecurities and

then making senior management assessments and decisions based upon those observations that

weren’t in synch with peoples’ career capabilities.

My next career benchmark was becoming Senor Director of Cablevision of Connecticut to

prepare the industry’s 12th largest cable system for competition by developing a new sales culture,

launching the Optimum programming package and redesigning the retail stores. My office was

adjacent to the Public Access TV studios and I availed myself of the opportunity to become certified

as a producer. I filled out the training workshop application, attended the obligatory classes and

passed Cablevision's proficiency requirements for producing programs on CATV. I was now versed

in script writing, staging, lighting, camera operation, recording, directing, editing, interviewing,

audio, multi-camera production, graphics, portable single camera system, mobile unit and fixed

studio techniques. I produced and hosted the TV program “Out Of Your Comfort Zone” which

showcased action learning as a conduit to corporate leadership. The show was nominated for a

Creativity Award at the International Conference of the Association for Experiential Education and I

was profiled on ESPN TV’s “Extreme Magazine” television show for a winter team building and

leadership expedition I led in the White Mountains for Connecticut business owners. “Out Of Your

Comfort Zone” enabled me to position workplace risk-taking in its right place and to distance

myself from GCT’s and Alan’s application of it.

My growing track record of performance achievement would bring other opportunities in

professional sports, high-speed Internet access and the Internet. I would continue to build a

portfolio of accomplishments very different from those in the music industry but tied to the

common thread of performing to one’s capabilities and redefining “self” at every turn and in every

valley…and my next valley was about to occur. At the peak of my sales management career, I was

presented with the opportunity to be in charge of sales and marketing for Phoenix Hardwood

Floors, New England’s largest supplier, installer and finisher of hardwood flooring, where I would

oversee five sales offices, one of which was the hub for the new commercial division I launched

after winning major projects including Trump Parc Plaza and 37 Wall Street. But, the home building

and buying crisis was about to hit hard as we slowly watched A/R increase by days to months and

then spec builders walking away from projects-in-progress and leaving their keys in the front door.

It was a new valley for me as the company ultimately was forced to close its doors. But, serendipity

played its role in my meeting by chance the Director of Programming for Cox Radio, Mike Raub. Cox

had two AM stations in Fairfield County: WSTC 1400 and WNLK 1350. During a casual conversation

about my background, Mike commented that I had a “radio voice” and had I ever considered doing

my own show. “This is a challenging economic time we’re going through. There are a lot of people

like you out of work. Maybe you could do a show on AM news-talk radio and be a motivator as well

as a resource to help people get through these tough times.” He explained to me the nature of

brokered radio shows. “As the producer, you pay a fee per show to be on the air. You can sell

34

advertising for your own show and keep the profits above and beyond the broadcast fees.” The idea

of combining my entertainment and sales backgrounds in a totally new way intrigued me and after

thinking it over I decided to do it. “Summit Your Life” was launched and I was suddenly an on-air

radio personality doing AM news-talk radio and speaking to a growing base of 50,000+ regional

listeners.

Started as a program designed to give hope and guidance to people who had never been

unemployed and to connect them with local resources, Summit Your Life gathered momentum and

was profiled in the nationally advertised Pepsi Refresh Project that recognizes grass roots ideas that

have a positive impact on their communities. The content of the show quickly evolved beyond its

unemployment coping strategies to focusing more broadly on creating value in listeners’ lives and

providing a broad spectrum of entertainment. An impressive number of notable people began to

take notice of the show and appear as guests, from CNBC anchors Maria Bartiromo and Michelle

Caruso-Cabrera to Lisa Kelly of Ice Road Truckers. Summit Your Life took listeners everywhere I

could reach them on the air from cave diving with James M. Tabor, author of Blind Descent, reliving

the Vietnam War with The Lotus Eaters author Tatjana Soli and taking a private look into the home

of the President with Connie Mariano, author of The White House Doctor. William J. Birnes of the

hit TV series UFO Hunters contrasted his UFO ideas with Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer at SETI.”

Mountaineer, educator, author and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Chris Warner, history-making

NASCAR racing twins Amber and Angela Cope, best-selling authors Bob Burg, Jackie Collins and

Steve Berry, economist Philip J. Romero, Bill Roedy, former Chairman & CEO of MTV Networks

International, physicist and best-selling author Michio Kaku, New York Times columnist and best-

selling author Joe Nocera and many other notables were all jumping on the Summit Your Life

bandwagon. I had practiced my lessons well that I learned from reading George Plimpton’s books

and immersed myself in learning as much as I could about hosting and producing my own radio

show. I took every opportunity to learn from the engineers and editors at the station who were

involved with airing the show, most notably, Matt Zako, Evan Goldman and Jill Camerota. I watched

closely at how they ran the engineering board and prerecorded and edited interviews. In addition

to being the voice and producer of Summit Your Life, I was the feet on the street, cold calling local

businesses and selling advertising and sponsorships.

I still continued to pursue my love of music, putting together my own band, The Garrison Project,

and performing at the legendary CBGBs, DownTime, The C Note, Toads Place and a host of other

venues in the New York City area. I wanted to produce and record a CD by the group and began to

network with local studios to find a cost-effective venue without compromising quality. I met Peter

Catucci, producer, engineer, bass player and owner of his home-based Rock Wall Studios, who

recorded, engineered and produced CD's under the name Cinematik and won several awards

including a prestigious CINE Award for best musical score for the independent film, "Alex's

Journey." We met, talked and negotiated a “spec deal,” a concept that I would come to embrace

and use often. We recorded the entire CD in a few weeks, partly because of my experience as a

35

producer and the work ethic I created for all the band members around rehearsals, and partly

because of Peter’s expertise at the engineering helm. Rob Fraboni, record producer and audio

engineer well known for his work with Bob Dylan, The Band, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Tim

Hardin, The Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, and Bonnie Raitt, was mixing advisor on The Garrison Project

CD and even loaned us some of his own audio equipment to get the sound we were going after. I

formed my own record label, B-LonG Records and self-distributed and marketed the CD. The

recording was well-received critically and opened up many new “live” appearance doors. The

connection between me and my love of music inspired by The Beatles was alive and well.

What I had learned from Rich Turcsany, Public Access TV Coordinator at Cablevision of

Connecticut, was also still fueling my creative juices and I longed to do more with television. My

vehicle of choice since I owned a Honda 50 in high school was always motorcycles, which was my

transport to my other love: classic diners. I decided that I would produce and host and a

documentary about classic diners and motorcyclists. George Plimpton would have been proud of

my continuous yearning to try new things that his books had instilled in me. Now, all I had to do

was figure out how to do it. I recalled from my time with Phoenix Hardwood Floors sitting in on a

presentation made by the owner of Janet Leslie Productions to try and get Phoenix to advertise on

television. While the Phoenix owners passed on Janet’s pitch, her presentation had been filed away

in my memory and now it was time to access it. I called her, re-introduced myself and arranged a

dinner with her and her husband/partner Harvey Adelberg so I could explain my idea. They loved it

and another spec arrangement was launched. They had been using Emmy Award-winning

cinematographer Steve Sattler on many of their TV commercial shoots for advertising local

businesses and our second dinner now brought Steve into the fold. Southwest Meerkat Productions

was formed and filming of the DINERS television documentary was about to begin.

DINERS would be a snapshot of being on a motorcycle and finding those out-of-the-way chrome

and neon eateries that beckon travelers in for a home-cooked meal and friendly conversation while

transporting them back in time. We began by holding an open casting call at Bridgeport Harley-

Davidson to audition bikers. Auditioning bikers were asked to tell us about their passions for diners

and motorcycles and to demonstrate any secret talents they had, the outtakes of which are among

the best footage and I kept them in the film. Five bikers were selected to ride with me to a classic

diner during which time viewers were treated to insight into who rides motorcycles today: a Braille

teacher; a restaurant owner, a mother of three who just began riding, a part-time actor and a

‘forever young’ grandmother. There was a surprise exit en route in which the cast had to

participate in a yoga session that produced some hilarious footage. DINERS was about freedom and

individuality – core values uniquely rooted in America and strongly embraced by that special group

of folks who love the wind in their face while exploring the back roads and byways atop their

beloved motorcycles.

We presented the final DVD to Connecticut Public Television Vice-President and Station Manager

Jay Whitsett who loved it and the show was given a berth on CPTV’s schedule. CPTV serves the

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entire state of Connecticut reaching an estimated 550,000 television viewers each week. PR and

self-promotion are in my DNA and once we got the CPTV “green light” I was off negotiating another

spec deal, this time with a local motorcycle customizer with a strategy in mind to help promote the

show. In exchange for publicity that would be otherwise unavailable to him, he would take my 2003

Yamaha V Star 1100 Custom motorcycle and convert it into an old school bobber which would

become the theme bike for the DINERS TV show. Regionally, the DINERS motorcycle wowed

spectators at a Hartford Wolf professional hockey game at the Hartford City Center Veterans

Memorial Coliseum & Convention Center, the Easyriders V-Twin Bike Show Tour at the Connecticut

Convention Center, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers professional hockey game at the Bridgeport Arena

at Harbor Yard, the Marcus Dairy Bike Show, the Super Sunday Reunion Motorcycle Show at the

Connecticut Expo Center and in regional media including the Motorcyclists Post, Connecticut Cruise

News, Fairfield County Weekly, the News-Times and the Connecticut Post.

The DINERS bike started to garner much wider attention. It became one of six bikes selected

from an international field of custom Yamaha motorcycles to be featured in the 2008 Star calendar,

top Finisher in the Big Twin Exhibit at the International Motorcycle Show at New York City’s Jacob

K. Javits Center, feature story and centerfold in New York Rider magazine, story and photos in

Motorcycle Cruiser, feature story and photos in Crossroads Magazine and story and photos in V-

Twin magazine. But, the icing on the cake was yet to be added as the bike was awarded the honor

of appearing in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum’s “MotoStars: Celebrities + Motorcycles”

exhibit alongside bikes owned by Brad Pitt, Carlos Mencia, Keith Urban, Peter Fonda and other

celebrities as well as bands including Journey, Rush and Foreigner. Yours truly and the DINERS

motorcycle were featured in a 2-page spread in the richly illustrated 168-page "coffee table"

companion book to the exhibit by David Morris. All from a spec deal with a local motorcycle shop.

DINERS was drawing praises from notables in the motorcycle industry which added to the publicity

and legitimacy swirling around the show:

“The diner and the motorcycle are cohorts. Each offers unexpected treasures. The motorcycle is the

faithful steed that transports its rider, making each road an adventure. The diner is the oasis whose

authentic expression provides simple, honest and reliable pleasure and replenishment along the

way. As a chronicle of the diner from a motorcyclist’s perspective, DINERS uniquely captures the

individuality and the intimacy of what is an American culinary art form.” David Morris, MotoStars

“Of all the motorcycle and food shows out there, DINERS is the most accurate portrayal I've seen

about who today's bikers are and the classic diners they frequent." Fred Rau, legendary motorcycle

journalist and recipient of the MVP Award from the American Motorcyclist Association as “Most

Valued Person in Motorcycling”

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"Like burgers and ketchup, bikes and diners mix very well with each other...the joy of being on a

motorcycle and finding those out-of-the-way classic eateries that invite travelers in for a home-

cooked meal and friendly conversation while transporting them back in time." Cyril Huze

Even Governor M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut shared excitement about the DINERS motorcycle: “It is

my pleasure to offer my most sincere congratulations to you on the occasion of the DINERS

motorcycle appearing in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum's ‘MotoStars: Celebrities +

Motorcycles’ exhibit. I commend and congratulate the talented individuals who have dedicated

their time and effort into the creation of this magnificent motorcycle. I am proud to join you and the

rest of Connecticut as your work is rewarded with the honor of being included in the Motorcycle Hall

of Fame’s exhibit.”

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The Internet Radio Wave

When my decade with London Records, Inc. came to a close the industry was nearing its segue

from analog to digital audio. In a parallel fashion, as I was becoming an increasingly popular AM

news-talk radio host the industry was rapidly moving from a broadcast to an Internet platform. The

brokered program model had its built-in limitations, most notably, if you did a 1-hour show, even in

prime time, which I was doing, there was only so much intra-show ad time you could sell at a price

ceiling cap that the market would bare but not go beyond. The more I explored Internet radio the

more I realized that by moving my show’s platform I could build an international listenership,

reduce my cost per show significantly and sell ad space not only during the shows but online as

well. While talk radio has historically been associated with AM/FM, the technology for Internet-

based talk-radio shows was fast becoming cost effective in the form of podcasts. Now, it had

become possible for any individual to use a variety of services to host an Internet-based talk-radio

show without carriage by a traditional radio station. I was ready to take the leap to Internet radio.

At London Records, Inc., holding the role of Director of Recording Studio Operations, in addition

to being a producer and A&R scout, made me particularly supportive of any new or emerging

technologies that would benefit the artists I was working with. Dudley Toller-Bond, President of

London Records, Inc., had received his position from Sir Edward Lewis, chairman of Decca Navigator

and British Decca Records, partly in recognition for his participation in developing a radio

navigation system for minesweepers across the English Channel enabling a precise landfall at night.

Established on the south coast of England, Decca began transmitting on the day before the D-Day

invasion force landed. Had this radio navigation aid not been available, it is now believed that D-

Day would have followed a completely different plan. Dudley’s penchant for technology made us

good friends and colleagues and he got me involved in the Audio Engineering Society.

Conversations with him about what artists I was working with in the studio always leaned toward

what I was doing technically versus musically. I enjoyed the repartee with this English gentleman

who often accented a point he wanted to make by pulling his handkerchief out from his starched

white shirt sleeve and waving it in the air. My comfort with audio technology emanated from the

fatherly-mentoring approach he took toward our conversations. So, when it came time years later

to consider switching my radio show from a broadcast to an Internet platform, I was able to blend

the technical curiosity Dudley H. Toller-Bond had instilled in me with the penchant I had learned

from reading George Plimpton’s books to immerse myself in learning new things and how to apply

them.

I decided to write this eBook to share with those of you considering hosting your own Internet-

based radio show what I learned along the way that might help you achieve not only a similar level

of success as I did but to experience a similar level of satisfaction that makes me so thrive on what

I’m doing. Enjoy! !

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Working at Home

Probably the single biggest adjustment I had to make in taking my show to the Internet was no

longer broadcasting from the Cox Radio studios on Westport Avenue in Norwalk, Connecticut.

While the show itself was only one hour long, I had spent many hours there each week booking

guests, doing pre-recorded interviews, editing shows and listening to other hosts so as to

continually learn from them. I liked feeling the radio station buzz and being around the hustle and

bustle of reporters running to the studio with the latest news, account executives closing adverting

deals on the phone or running out to appointments, listening to the often hysterical stress-relieving

comments of on-air personalities like John Labarca outside the studio as prerecords were playing

and watching Matt Levine gathering up the latest sports scores for his report. I didn’t realize until I

considered producing and hosting my radio show from home how much the social network of my

music and sales careers had been driven by being around others.

As a baby boomer I was an evangelist for the value in personal interaction and collaboration. But,

I couldn’t argue with the statistical reality that Generation X Americans working either from their homes or

remotely at least one day a month had risen by 74% between 2005 and 2008 to more than 17

million compounded by the fact that if you add to that figure "contract telecommuters" the

number jumps to nearly 34 million people. By contrast, the chronologically adjacent Generation Y,

also known as the Millennial Generation born between 1983 and 1992, was using technology at

higher rates than people from my generation. Compared to my own teenage years, almost all

students now own a computer and a cell phone, were text versus talk in person as the preferred

means of communication, own an MP3 player and use the Internet as their primary news source.

Millennials are highly educated, self-confident, technologically savvy and ambitious. I only need to

spend time with my son Chris to fully appreciate Generation Y’s use of social media and texting to

feel the differences from the generation within which I grew up. As an Industrial Designer he works

for a cutting edge company that builds into his schedule an allowable percentage of time from

which he can work from home. For me, the Generation X water cooler had been a symbolic buoy in

the waters of my workplaces and I was about to give that up for the first time in my career. But,

there are definitely ways I learned to adjust to working from home.

The first agenda item was to identify my work space at home. This was easy because I already

had a small den with a desk and office chair and the house had remote Internet access via a

bundled package from our cable television provider. The office had a door that I could close when I

was broadcasting and the space was acoustically-friendly. My family knew the day and time my

show aired but I reaffirmed at a family dinner that since I was now broadcasting from home that

“show time” was to be considered “sacred quiet time.” Along the way I picked up on some little

things that I had to adjust, for instance, in the winter we ran the pellet stove which was adjacent to

my den and unless I turned it off a ½ hour before my show started the fan was loud enough that it

40

would be picked up by my very sensitive microphone. On one occasion one of the family members

started the washing machine before everyone left the house right before I was going on the air.

Since the basement laundry room was right below my den the various rinse cycles were audible

enough to be noticeable. Even the dog had to adjust to the show. Prone to bark at anyone who

came to the door, one day when the UPS delivery person dropped off a package and rang the bell,

Toots barked endlessly and loudly and there was no one else at home to quiet her down. Toots was

soon relegated to her own “green room” toward the back of the house out of eye shot and ear shot

of the front door. I remember on one occasion when I was doing a “live” show with no prerecorded

segments during which I could take a break hearing a “springy” sound coming from above me. It

sounded like a huge slinky. As it turns out, it was a family member exercising on a one-person

trampoline in the master bedroom above me. As you accommodate yourself to hosting your own

Internet radio show from home you’ll make your own adjustments to your space.

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Choosing an Internet Radio Platform

Before you do any research on the growing number of providers, Google online radio show hosts.

The Google Keyword Tool can be a big help here. For example, if you experiment with such

keywords and keyword strings as “internet radio talk show host” you’ll come across a number of

search options you can use. As you find online talk shows to check out and begin listening to be

wary that you can be easily distracted by many factors. For example, audio quality of the podcast

can be more of a reflection of the host’s own equipment and production expertise than a reflection

of the quality of the platform being used. Also, you’ll come across web design variations from great

to poor and everything in between. Don’t confuse the quality of the host’s website with the quality

of the Internet radio platform they’re using or the show itself. Sometimes the eye can be

influenced to overpower the ear. Remember: you’re looking for a platform. Don’t get distracted by

show content or the host’s expertise. See which platforms you’re coming across the most and then

check out each one.

Selecting the right platform for me was a major decision since I was about to switch from

broadcast-based Cox Radio with its professional studios and engineers. I was going to cut the

umbilical cord from all the benefits that being associated with Cox afforded me. I chose

BlogTalkRadio (http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com) after checking out many options and I will share

with you my reasoning:

• BlogTalkRadio was the largest online talk radio network with millions of listeners and thousands

of hosts covering politics, tech, entertainment, health and more.

• 2 million+ shows aired

• 16,000+ active hosts

• 35,000 new shows/month

• 25 million visitors/month

• 196 million page views/month

• Extensive learning library

• Online “live” support

What all of this translated to me was that BlogTalkRadio knew what they were doing. It was a

strong platform from which I could continue to attract significant guests off broadcast and onto

digital. It would be an easier ‘sell’ with an established, name platform. And, BlogTalkRadio’s overall

reputation and statistics would be easily integrated into the new media kit I would build for my

show.

BlogTalkRadio’s “Select Plus” program at $99 a month with the first month free was not only an

affordable option but it was a huge savings compared to the brokered fees I was paying at Cox

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Radio. With the Select Plus program I had the capability of hosting at least one show every day

(more than I needed but nice to know I had the option), I could handle 100 “live” concurrent callers

and 10,000 promotional impressions per month.

From the “Select Plus” program I could seamlessly and affordably move up to the “Select Pro”

program at $249 a month increasing the number of “live” concurrent callers to 250 and doubling

the number of promotional impressions per month to 20,000. Even the $249 per month was a huge

savings from doing brokered radio at Cox. But, the real attraction of having “Select Pro” as a growth

option was the online advertising inventory I could sell to prospective brokers and advertisers.

The onboard “studio” is not only aesthetically pleasing but it’s easy to use which at the time

meant to me that the dependence I had become accustomed to on the Cox Radio engineers

handling all the technical aspects of my show I could readily assume myself on a technologically-

friendly dashboard.

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Equipment

There are two kinds of Internet radio talk show hosts/producers along the continuum from

amateur to professional: those that are technologically-driven and those that are content-driven. I

am one of the latter and based upon my experience I shouldn’t be, having studied under John

Woram and graduated from the Institute of Audio Research. One of the people I learned a great

deal from technologically during my London Records years was Harry Hirsch who went on to

become a dear friend. Harry pioneered the recording industry’s technological evolution and was

one of the earliest proponents of digital technology. I had several opportunities to work with Harry

at Media Sound. He was a master engineer at the board and with his trademark pipe in his mouth

and long sideburns he would share his philosophies of recording and mixing with me.

As brilliant as Harry was technically, he influenced me in much the same way that Sir George

Martin did in his production of The Beatles recordings, namely, that it’s all about the content of

what’s coming across to the listener, not the technology. If as a radio host and show producer

you’re delivering good content with high quality, the average listener couldn’t care less about what

specific equipment you’re using. And, given the two types of Internet radio show hosts, I’ve seen

the more techno-drivens get lost in the equipment at the expense of the content. The reason Sgt.

Pepper was such a landmark album had more to do with the songwriting and performing genius of

John, Paul, George and Ringo. The title track, “With a Little Help from My Friends," “Lucy in the Sky

with Diamonds," “When I'm Sixty-Four" and “A Day in the Life" are what make the album so

memorable and so iconic to the listener.

I’ve always believed that what my radio show listeners expect from me is the best in

entertainment, information and intriguing ideas and they don’t care technically how I get there so

long as the quality doesn’t get noticeably in the way of content. And, 1.2 million+ listens reinforces

for me that I’m going in the right direction.

Here’s a list of the equipment I use:

• Samsung RV511 laptop

http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/laptops/NP-RV511-A01US

• Blue Yeti USB professional microphone which accommodates a Y-jack so you and a co-host can

use the same mic

http://bluemic.com/yeti

Suggestion: I bought my most recent Yeti at Best Buy. They price-matched Amazon

(http://www.Amazon.com, also a good source) but were located in my town and the extended

warranty was inexpensive).

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Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/professional-dj-headphones-HD-280-PRO_004974

I would recommend trying several different headphones on until you find the fit that’s right for

you. I personally prefer the over-the-ear models because of the outside sound reduction and

comfort.

Skype to launch my show from the BlogTalkRadio platform

http://www.skype.com

I use their “free” account.

Audacity open source, cross-platform software for editing shows and pre-records

http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Pamela call recorder software enabling me to pre-record interviews from Skype

http://www.pamela.biz

Logistics M305 wireless mouse

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/support/wireless-mouse-m305?osid=14&bit=64

You’d be surprised how loud the onboard laptop mouse can be when you’re trying to control noise

with a sensitive microphone.

I can’t begin to list the positive feedback I’ve received about the audio quality of my show and the

equipment packs neatly into a laptop backpack and a Calzone music equipment case.

http://www.calzonecase.com

I am very partial to Calzones because they afford great protection and also look very cool.

.

45

Define Your Show

One of my takeaways from reading hit songwriter Jimmy Webb’s book, Tunesmith: Inside the Art

of Songwriting was how he used the title of the song to ignite the creative songwriting process.

During the early, inspirational phases and after he decided the type of song he was going to write

(ballad, rhythm & blues, etc.), he would decide on the title, using it as an inspiration for developing

the form for the rest of the song (verse, chorus, bridge, melody, etc.). The inspiration for the title

can come from anywhere: conversations, comments by friends and acquaintances, feelings shared

by others, beliefs, convictions, you name it. By coming up with the title early in the creative process

and using a familiar phrase or everyday saying he believed that it not only was a source of

inspiration for him but it increased the possibility of listeners relating to the song and it becoming

popular.

Jimmy Webb’s approach to writing hit songs can be applied to creating your own radio show

theme and giving it a name. By reducing to a phrase what you want your show to be about you

start the process of deciding what the content will be, what guests you will interview, the listener

niche you’re going to go after and even what your logo and visual media will look like. The show I

currently host with Ralph DeLuco on BlogTalkRadio is called, “Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys”

http://www.ThoseDinerAndMotorcycleGuys.com

The title reflects my passions for classic diners and motorcycles and from the get-go suggested the

content platform on which I would produce the show.

I also recommend creating backstory to the show including not only what the show is about but

why it’s unique, how it came to be and what’s the value for the listener. Don’t ask or expect your

listeners to experiment with you in developing your show. You can make changes and adjustments

along the way based upon listener feedback but before you go live” you should have developed

what your show is about and what you’re going to talk about. There is a wonderful book written by

Jonah Sachs called, Winning The Story Wars: why those who tell – and live- the best stories will rule

the future that I heartily recommend reading. It will help you define your brand and your message

in order to be heard above all the media noise.

Those Diners and Motorcycle Guys is based on what a huge role classic diners played in my

growing up and how they are in danger of disappearing under the weight of the fast food industry.

The motorcycle piece comes in because riders have always been associated with being on the road

and frequenting these eateries. The two come together as naturally as burgers and fries and open

up a wider audience than either does alone, giving me the ability to draw from a greater pool of

guests. If it has to do with food, travel, diners, motorcycles and music I’ve got them all covered on

top of which the entertainment value overall draws from an even wider audience.

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47

Booking Guests

Having worked or been associated with celebrities in music, television and radio there is no guest

I am shy about going after. Frankly, the higher up they are on the celebrity ladder the more excited

I am about going after them because I conceive of the relationship between host and guest as one

based upon an exchange of value. The guest I go after booking has some relevance to my target

audience and can provide good content and entertainment to them (“win” for my listeners”). For

the guest, my show is an opportunity to reach new listeners and I provide the guest with a link to

the podcast for additional promotional opportunities. (“win” for the guest). In booking guests, I

always check out their Facebook and Twitter pages to see what kind of following they have. The

more friends and followers they have the more exposure my interview with them will receive so

the greater the opportunity I have to grow my listener base (“win” for me). Always look for the

exchange of values and the win-win for everyone.

I am a frequent visitor to stores like Barnes & Noble, always on the lookout as I am for books

written on topics that relate to my show. I never buy the book but I make a note of the title, the

author and, most importantly, the publisher. I then look up in either the current annual edition of

Writer’s Market or in the Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents the telephone

number. I call and ask to speak with the Director of Publicity. An option I sometimes use is to

Google “publisher name director publicity” (for example, “mcgraw hill director publicity” or

“mcgraw hill media contacts”) and I often get contact information for the person I want to speak

with about booking an author as a guest. On some occasions, I break the piñata and get a link to

each of the publisher’s subdivisions with the contact names and phone numbers. The process after

that can be somewhat lengthy but it comes with the territory and goes something like this: You will

leave one or more voicemails for the person you want to speak with. She or he will get back to you

and after a brief verbal qualifying exchange either ask you to send an email about the show along

with your request for an interview or decline on the spot. Either way, always be professional.

With celebrities from film and television the process is somewhat different. After deciding which

actor you want to try and book, a starting place is to check out his or her website (make sure you’re

not on a fan-based website). Go to the contact page and see if the press or publicity person is

listed. If so, you’re in luck. Another alternative is to Google “(actor’s name) press publicity contact

email” which often generates a business representative contact, such as on

http://www.TopSynergy.com. Paid services you may want to consider are http://www.imdb.com

and http://www.WhoRepresents.com. No matter which route you take, always be professional on

the telephone and in your emails. Don’t be offended at either a “no” or a less than “hi how are you

thanks for calling” response to your contacting them. Business contacts for any prospective

celebrity receive countless calls and emails each day so don’t take their abruptness personally. As

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you start to make more and more business contacts you might want to consider creating a

database for yourself on:

http://www.SalesForce.com.

It’s easy to use and will quickly become a great organizational tool for you for all your contacts.

Two invaluable lessons I learned from interviewing Bob Burg and reading his best-selling books

The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea and Go-Givers Sell More are (1.) the

importance of creating value in all you do which, in terms of having your own radio show, means

always creating value for the person on the other side of the microphone: your listeners and your

guests and making “value” the form of exchange in all of your interactions and (2.) the power of the

handwritten ‘thank you’ note which I take the time to write and send to anyone and everyone

involved with my show.

49

Scheduling a Show

BlogTalkRadio makes it easy to schedule a show. You start by entering the Title of the show and

the Description. (Be sure to use the Google Keyword Tool to use identify words that will draw

search attention). If you have a celebrity as a guest take advantage of his or her name, the book, TV

show or movie they’ve written or they’re appearing in and anything else that will draw attention in

your description and keywords. Always add your website and social media links after the

description as well as those of your guest. I suggest getting in the habit of checking out other shows

that are Featured on BlogTalkRadio and read their titles and description. Enter five Keywords,

select the Category for your show, the Duration (how long you want the show to run), the start

Time and the Date from the on-board calendar. You can then attach images to your episode to

appear in the player during your show. The first image will be used as a preview and will also

appear in RSS and iTunes feed for all your subscribers. BlogTalkRadio will automatically resize

images of all shapes and sizes to 400x300 pixels to fit.

50

Hosting Your Show

BlogTalkRadio’s “Studio” is an easy-to-use dashboard for controlling everything that will happen

during the show. The Studio “dashboard” has a 3-panel layout that I find organizationally ideal for

me. I want to focus on hosting the show and talking with any scheduled guests I have as well as

callers, not on any complex engineering duties. Before you start your show make sure that your

connection to the Internet is working and that you’ve done a Skype test call. Check your

microphone levels. Since I use an external Blue Yeti mic, I always double-check to be sure that my

laptop mic is off. BlogTalkRadio enables you to connect with your show 15-minutes prior to going

“live.” I simply click-on the Skype logo and the Studio board lights up:

The Switchboard is where I control my call activity from. I can see the telephone numbers of my

guests as well as listeners calling in. I can elect to talk with callers, prescreen them or put them on

hold. If you have a “live” guest, be sure before the show to find out what telephone number he or

she will be calling in from so you can readily identify it. I also recommend to my guests that if it’s

possible to please use a land line for the best quality connection.

I control all of my audio clips from the middle panel. From your Account you can Upload and Edit

Audio files which will appear here. Any files that are relevant only to one particular show I delete

after the show first airs since I don’t want this middle panel to fill up with files I’m not going to use

more than once. They’ve already been used during the initial show and are included in the podcast.

Plus, I save all of my audio files on my external drive for future use. The files I do keep on-board are

my theme show opening and an intro file of a jukebox sound effect that I use from time to time. All

my prerecorded interviews are visible here with the play times which come in very handy when

organizing and laying out my show. Before each show I literally draw a circle, enter the clock

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numbers from 1 to 12 and in pie chart fashion I do a rough sketch of how much time I’m going to

allow for each segment of the show. I keep this next to me on a writing pad that I use to take notes

before, during and after the show.

The right panel is where I control my social media. 5-minutes before I go “live” I go to the

Promote tab and check off the Twitter, Facebook and BlogTalkRadio boxes which access

information in my Account. When the show starts I click the Send button and my online followers

are alerted that my show has begun. I can review information about my show from the Episode

Info tab. By clicking on the Chat tab I can converse online with listeners while hosting my show. I

recommend using this feature since it’s another way of connecting to your listenership and building

relationships. I’ve also found this feature invaluable in gleaning what’s on listeners’ minds and

instantly incorporating it into the dialogue and flow of the show. The Help feature is there if

anything goes wrong during the show. I can tell you from experience that it’s a fabulous feature at

your disposal and the folks at BlogTalkRadio that you can chat with really know their stuff. The blue

circle next to your Host Pin can be used to access your Host Call-In, Host Pin and Host ID

information for ready reference when chatting with a BlogTalkRadio representative.

When I have a “live” guest I always give them a designated time to call in based upon how I’ve

organized all the elements of my show. If I have them near the beginning of the show I tell them to

call in 5-minutes before I go “live” so I have a chance to say “hi” and answer any last minute

questions.

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Booking Guests, Pre-Recorded Interviews and Editing

I broadcast from the east coast but many of my guests are based either on the west coast or in

Europe. Asking a celebrity from Los Angeles to wake up at 5:00am PST to be a guest on my show at

8am EST is not cool, to say the least, and is not a good start to building a long-term relationship. So,

I offer to do a prerecord of the interview the week before the “live” show on a day and at a time

that’s convenient to the guest. I then schedule the prerecord on BlogTalkRadio as I would ordinarily

do except that I don’t give a detailed show Title or Description or add photos which would draw

attention from surfers looking for a show to listen to. And, since I’ve told my guest that this is a

“prerecord,” I am allowing a great deal of latitude for mistakes and do-overs that I will eliminate

during the editing process. I communicate with my guests that I will be conducting the show as I

ordinarily would a “live” show since there’s a lot less to edit out later on. However, I also reassure

them that I will be editing out any mistakes or unnecessary parts to make sure the interview

sounds the absolute best it can be. After I conduct the interview I go to the Episodes section of my

Account, access the Archived shows and Download the show. I begin the save file name with

“UNEDITED interview with…” Then, I Delete the show so that in its pre-edited format so it is no

longer available for public listening. Now, I have the audio file on my desktop ready for editing.

With guests from the later time zones such as in Europe I do my prerecords directly through

Skype and record them in Pamela from which I download the audio file for later editing.

Audacity is a free, open source audio editor for OSX and it is my software of choice for editing my

prerecorded interviews as well as my shows. It is easy to use and has standard functions including

Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, and Trim. The Effect menu allows you to do such things as change

amplitude, change pitch, reverse, fade in or out and edit in context. I most often use it to edit out

portions of the interview content that are duplicative or too lengthy as well as to get rid of audio

space, breaths, um’s, ah’s and guffaws. Actually, doing prerecords is a preferred way for me of

producing my shows since the interview is already done, loaded into the show and edited for the

best content and sound quality possible. I’ve eliminated the possibility of any “live” connectivity

issues and controlled the interview flow from start to finish. With celebrity guests, it also enables

me to respond to the occasionally requested interview before it’s aired “live” for final approval.

This may seem like an unwanted step but in truth when I’ve had to do it the guests and their

publicity managers see it as a very professional step and builds credibility and a solid business

relationship.

I personally love editing. It gives me the opportunity to take the raw interview up several notches

both from an audio perspective as well as content-wise. You’d be amazed at how simple and

tasteful editing can make a world of difference in how an interview sounds. It’s no substitute,

though, for being well prepared for conducting the interview and doing your homework. I learned

the craft of music editing during my years with London Records. We were analog back then and

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digital was a technological neonate yet to be born. I edited using copies of the 2-track magnetic

tape master mixed-down from the 8- or 16-track original. I used a tool affixed to the tape recorder

and playback console known as an editing block or tape splicing block. After listening to several

playbacks of the song I decided what parts I wanted to take out and marked them with a wax pencil

right on the tape itself. I then removed the longer section of the magnetic tape containing my edit

points and inserted them into the angled grooves in the editing block which held the tape in such

way that I was assured that it wouldn’t move and that my cut points were aligned with the block’s

guide. I then took a one-sided razor blade and cut the tape section out I no longer wanted and

joined the remaining two pieces together with special splicing tap which would not distort or

damage the magnetism of the tape and could be removed if I wanted to reassemble the edit and

take a different approach. After listening back, if I nailed the effect I was going after I made a safety

backup of the master edited original and added front- and back-end paper tape as a guide for the

mastering engineer.

I worked in the music industry at a time when 3-minutes ruled how much air-play time the radio

stations were going afford you to get your 45-record heard. Album cuts ran typically longer than

that so I had the responsibility of getting the songs we thought had the greatest shot at reaching

high chart numbers down to a playing time that the radio stations would accept. Having a musical

background as well as now knowing my way around the studio enabled me to take an approach to

editing that continues to serve me well today when I edit for my Internet-based radio show. One of

my first edits for London Records was American R&B –soul group Bloodstone’s “Natural High” and

streamlining its original 4:53 album cut time. The single went on to reach #10 on the U.S. pop

charts and #4 in the R&B charts. A short time before, my roommate and Media Sound engineer,

Mike Delugg (who went on to become Music Production Supervisor for The Late Show with David

Letterman), did the editing on Yes’ hit single “Roundabout” so we often shared tips and techniques.

The person who most influenced my approach to editing was none other than Michelangelo who

believed that in every block of marble he worked with he saw a statue as plain as though it stood

before him, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. His self-imposed challenge was to hew away

the rough walls that imprison the apparition and reveal it to other eyes as his saw it. You cannot

build a great interview beginning with the editing. In a way similar to Michelangelo’s, you have the

see the finished interview embedded in the unedited MP3 and remove the unwanted layers to

reveal the content gems within it.

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Interviewing

You would never go on a job interview not knowing anything about the company you were

applying to. It would be the kiss of death, especially when the often asked question presented to

you is, “What do you know about our company?” The same goes for radio show interviews. Never

interview anyone until you’ve done your homework, especially if you’ve worked hard to get the

guest booked. Put yourself in your listeners’ ears. What do they want to know about your guest?

Great interviews will turn your listeners into a captive audience and make devoted fans of them.

The Boy Scout motto comes in handy here: “Be prepared.” I would only add the word “Always.”

Familiarize yourself with your guest’s website. Read the latest press releases about them. Don’t

settle for one source. Google them and collect as much current information as possible. Check out

YouTube for any videos about or by them. Read, watch and listen to interviews already conducted

with your guest by others. This can be a great learning tool not only about your guest but what

other hosts did that worked or didn’t work. What questions did they ask that revealed more about

the person than others questions did. Structure your questions ahead of time and know what

you’re going to ask and what you’re going to stay clear of. Above all, LISTEN and be part of the

conversation. I’ve actually heard hosts that got so involved in what they were going to ask next that

they were oblivious to the fact that the guest had already answered the question. Not only is this

highly embarrassing but it’s impolite and diminishes your credibility as a radio talk show host.

In the five minutes before my show starts when I have an opportunity to talk with my guest I

explain that I conduct my interviews as if we are in a living room together sharing a glass of wine

and discussing things that we have a common interest in. Interviews should be conversations. They

should never feel fabricated, stiff or contrived. Since you are offering your show to the guest as a

value for them, allow for him or her to talk about an upcoming TV appearance, film role, new CD,

whatever it is that he or she can promote. Ask them where listeners can follow them on the

Internet, such as their website, Facebook and Twitter url’s.

After you conclude the interview and end your show follow-up with a ‘thank you’ email right

away. I always include links to: (1.) my website where I’ve promoted their show with a description

and photos and links to my guests’ website and social media and (2.) the podcast of the show.

Explain that they can use these to further promote their interview and get extra publicity mileage

from it.

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Promoting Your Show

Volumes could be written on how to promote your Internet-based radio show so I will list those

strategies that are readily available to you, cost little-to-nothing to implement other than hard

work and have an immediate return. Here are some suggestions:

Request to have your show segments Featured on BlogTalkRadio. The Feature My Show online

request can be accessed through My Account and is easy to complete. Make sure the photo you

use is 277 x 180 pixels. If not, you can use the Windows Paint function accessible from the Start

button on your computer to resize any jpeg you have.

Utilize the onboard Chat functions available in your BlogTalkRadio Studio to engage listeners

during your show and invite them to be part of what’s being talked about. It’s a great opportunity

to ask listeners questions about what a guest may have just said or to invite questions from the

listeners. You’ll also be developing lasting relationships with your listeners who will become

evangelists for your show and help spread the word based on their positive experiences. Solicit

feedback in your chat room while you’re hosting your show and incorporate it. Be sure to give the

listener acknowledgement. It creates a sense of community and participation. And, if you receive

positive listener feedback in the form of emails and it’s relevant, read the emails or potions of them

while you’re hosting. Likewise, with emailed questions; answer them on the air and solicit

additional feedback.

I’m an OPM addict and always look to share value with Other People’s Marketing. Booking guests

who already have a following brings with it the potential to increase your own listenership. But,

remember, your currency is sharing value. You have an obligation to provide your guests’ followers

with a unique interview experience that they would be unable to get anywhere else and you have

an obligation to give your guests a professional and fun platform to talk about and promote

themselves and grow their own follower base. Guests with good social media followings will

automatically help you promote your show by getting the word out about their interview with you.

Have a website. Blending in with my philosophy of focusing on content and not becoming

technology-driven (the likelihood of me learning HTML is nil…too much technology), I did research

on template-driven providers. The one I chose was recommended to me by an indie music artist I

know who told me the provider was a frequent choice among bands and musicians. I selected

Bandzoogle (http://www.BandZoogle.com). Their templates rock and the program is incredibly

easy to use. You can incorporate photos, videos, social media, a blog and much more with ease.

And, the good news is that it all comes at very affordable prices: Check out my website:

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http://www.ThoseDInerAndMotorcycleGuys.com. To extend the power of your website and to

integrate it further with your show:

• Incorporate the BlogTalkRadio player onto your website. I have mine on my Home

page. The player takes the interactivity of my website up several notches creating

greater time spent on the page.

• Make it easy for visitors to follow you. I have direct links to my Twitter (which I

focus on the most) and Facebook pages with their icons on my home page.

Whatever you choose to use for your social media be consistent about your

involvement on it. I have a 3x a day rule with Twitter. Remember: when you use

social media it should be an extension of your value currency. I adhere to a 1:9 rule:

only 1 out of every 10 Tweets is used to directly promote my show. The other 9

Tweets are sharing information and providing value to my followers. Use your other

Tweets to jump in on trending conversations and hot topics. Be authentic. Be real in

all you say and do.

• Make it easy to contact you. My website Contact page offers visitors direct links to

my branded email created through BandZoogle. Create an inviting email signature

for your emails that includes your contact information and links to your show as

well as to all of your relevant social media. Send me an email at

Garrison@ThoseDinerAndMotorcycleGuys.com and I’ll reply to show you what I

mean. I treat my email signature as an online business card.

• I created a Podcast page so that, in addition to the podcast library of my shows

available on BlogTalkRadio and iTunes, visitors to my website can see at a glance

what other shows I’ve done and listen to them with a click.

• On my Home page is a direct link to signing up for my newsletter which I create on

Constant Contact (http://www.constantcontact.com). My newsletter is another

form of value currency that I offer my guests in the form of additional publicity. It

also shows them that I’m on top of my game and professional about everything I do.

Subscribe to my newsletter and you’ll see what I mean.

Select your social media channels wisely. You will be dedicating time to building your

presence so make sure it’s time well-spent. It’s easy to get sucked into trying to be

everywhere but that flat-out doesn’t work. You end up overextending yourself across

channels without penetrating any to the fullest extent possible. I go by the 15-30 rule: I

spend at least 15-minutes but no more than 30-minutes a day on social media and most of

that is on Twitter and to a much lesser extent on Facebook. I prefer Twitter over Facebook

on the basis that I believe that Twitter is more relevant to business interactivity than

Facebook. Let me offer the lights going out at Super Bowl XLVII to support my rationale. 52

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national ads were shown on Super Bowl 2013 (per Marketing Land). Twitter was associated

with ½ of these ads (50%), twice as many mentions as it had in 2012, while Facebook had

only 4 mentions (8%), half of its 2012 Super Bowl showing. Don’t be misled by how many

monthly active users Facebook has. Twitter is where the big advertisers put their Super

Bowl dollars and you might as well start thinking big like them with your own show. Twitter

certainly wasn’t in the dark when the lights went out registering 231,500 TPM (Tweets Per

Minute) followed by 185,000 TPM when Jacoby Jones ran his 108-yard kickoff return. More

than 24 million game-related Tweets were posted.

Advertisers are all about real-time impact and your radio show is the same with post-

show podcasts as immense added value. I don’t believe Facebook “gets it” when it comes

to “real-time.” Check out some of Facebook’s “Top Stories” and see if they are in “real-

time.” From a platform standpoint, I also feel that Facebook is more of a friends and family

nest while Twitter followers have a broader, more world-wide orientation and seek

connections more on common interests than social relationships. And, if I’m capping my

max interface time on social media at 30-minutes per day, getting to the point is key and

140-characters keeps me to that while Facebook allows for a status of up to 63,206

characters. Big difference! Because you are treating your online radio show as a business,

you want your communications to be consistent and to the point.

Here are a few tips I’ve picked up in building my Twitter following:

• Apply my 15-30 rule to budget your time and to get the best results.

• Use HootSuite (http://www.HootSuite.com) to schedule some of your Tweets for

additional efficiency. HootSuite also has a really good dashboard, a URL shortener

and Google Analytics and Klout integration

• Apply the 1:9 ratio of business Tweets to non-business ones.

• Be authentic in everything you Tweet.

• Content on Twitter has a shelf life of 10-seconds so make sure yours is fresh,

relevant and worthy of ReTweets to extend your shelf life.

• Thank new followers for following you. Look for others on Twitter who “thank”

regularly as they are active on the platform and you may want to engage them.

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• Give value before you expect value by ReTweeting the Tweets of others and

commenting on their posts.

• Take advantage of HootSuite’s ow.ly URL to find out how many people clicked

your links.

• Twitterment (http://www.Twitterment.com) is a good tool for matching people to

your listener profile.

• Use Twitter’s Advanced Search functions (http://www.Search.Twitter.com) to drill

down to people, places, attitudes and much more.

• Keep track of your Klout score (http://www.Klout.com) and always be on the

lookout for ways to improve it.

• Only follow people who are worth following like active Tweeters, industry

notables, people of a value set integral to your radio show follower base,

prospective guests, etc. I recommend using the program Tweeter Karma

(http://www.dossy.org/twitter/karma) to unfollow people who are not following

you or who don’t get what being engaged means. You can also unfollow people with

very few followers as well as those who have lots of followers but in turn follow

almost none. You can also unfollow people using Twitoria

(http://www.Twitoria.com) using a threshold of your followers’ last Tweets as well

as Tweepi (http://www.Twitoria.com).

• Pay attention to the “Who to Follow” recommendations on Twitter based upon

matches to who you are already following.

• Look at the topic trends and get in on the conversation.

• Utilize ReTweetist (http://www.ReTweetist.com) to find people who have been

ReTweeted the most in the past 24-hours and # them to get their attention about

your own Tweets, But, again, be a ReTweeter first before to expecting someone to

ReTweet you. You need to be on the high side of the value-as-commodity exchange.

• You can find out your Follow-to-Followers Ration (FFR) at http://www.tffratio.com

The ideal ratio is around 1.0 or 1.1.

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Make sure that all of the social media related to your show has a consistent theme and

brand. Continuity of your message goes a long way to communicating a singular and

powerful identity. If someone visiting your website, your Twitter page, your Facebook page,

reading your newsletter, etc. does not experience a consistent theme and content than

they will leave and your connection will be lost. Brand yourself in everything you do and say

related to your show and during it.

Get up from your desk, step out of your online comfort zone and promote you and your

show at “live” events:

• Some opportunities will come to you through serendipity. After interviewing

Steven Rosenfield, Director of the American Comedy Institute

(http://www.comedyinstitute.com) and described by the New York Times as "The

Best-Known Comedy Teacher In The Country," he challenged me to take his stand-up

comedy workshop. In true George Plimpton fashion I took the challenge to do

something I’ve never done, immersed myself in writing my own comedy material,

practiced my routine in front of my classmates, developed a comedic persona and

appeared at New York City’s legendary Gotham Comedy Club. I decided to film the

experience from classroom to stage. I contacted the Connecticut School of

Broadcasting (http://www.GoCSB.com) and scheduled a meeting to explain the

project. I was put in touch with Mike McGovern, an alumni of CSB, who volunteered

to direct and edit the documentary. “Comic On A Half Shell”

(http://www.ComicOnaHalfShell.com) was born. For Mike, it was an opportunity to

pursue his goal to become a filmmaker. As a graduate of the Connecticut School of

Broadcasting he had complete access to cameras and editing equipment which

came in handy for remotes. Indie singer-songwriter Rorie Kelly

(http://www.RorieKelly.com) volunteered to write the theme song as a gateway

opportunity for her to break into film scoring. My son Chris designed the artwork

thereby enhancing his own design portfolio. It was a value win-win for all. The

documentary aired throughout Connecticut (you can view the trailer on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/Ej_0nfdWnlI) and it garnered significant local press

(http://www.ct.com/entertainment/leisure/nm-nh32comedystandup-

20120802,0,3721912.story). As an added value, the documentary gave me the

opportunity to share my experiences with others in a series of lectures called “I M

Possible” targeted at encouraging people to pursue their dreams. And, guess what:

everything circled back to enable me to promote my radio show.

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•Because my radio show has diners and motorcyclists as a theme, I’ve recorded

remote podcasts with diner owners, right from booths in their eateries. I brought

my Yeti and my laptop with me, set-up and did the interview right into Audacity

editing it later at home.

• Think big: Following my philosophy of value exchange, I negotiated a space at the

Northeast Motorcycle Expo at the Boston Seaport World Trade Center with Kev-

Marv Productions head Kevin Clement in exchange for my show being a unique

value-add for his sponsors and attendees, for which he drew 15,000 a day. It was a

golden promotional opportunity all around and we were included on his website

alongside cast members from the hit TV series Sons of Anarchy

(http://www.kevmarv.com/expo.asp?type=show_boston).

Promote your live events to get the biggest promotional bang. Following hosting

“Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys” ‘live’ at the Northeast Motorcycle Expo, a

feature article came out about it in the March 2013 issue of Thunder Press, the

largest exclusively Harley-Davidson and American V-Twin motorcycle publication in

the United States with an audience reach of 250,000+ per month. The extra

attention was a boon for the show’s popularity. Always promote your show and

look for opportunities for press coverage. Facebook it, Tweet it, put it on your

website, include it in your newsletter. I was thrilled that Denise Coulson wrote in

her article, "Go to (Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys) website and check out the

broadcasts with your cup of coffee next Saturday morning. When spring arrives, take

your ride and head down, watch the show and join them on the diner run - I plan

to!" I’m already getting emails!

Write an eBook. I am a big proponent of giving back. Many people hold onto information

and don’t share it out of insecurity and a fear that by doing so they give up whatever “hold”

they have on the secrets to their success. In the words of Bob Burg in The Go-Giver, “Your

true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment”

and “Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests

first.” I believe that we all go ‘round life once and the more we can do for each other the

better we all are collectively and individually. Hence, this eBook. If what you do has value

for others, share it. There are many notable places to get your eBook to market. Just Google

“ebook publishers” and check them out. Pay particular attention to Amazon, Lulu and

Smashwords but do your homework on all the opportunities out there so you choose the

one that’s right for you. Amazon has a particularly good section called “Simplified

Formatting Guide:”

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(https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=A17W8UM0MMSQX6#build) which

I found refreshingly well-written for beginning writers, especially since formatting seems to

be an area that challenges most first-time eBook authors, even more than the writing itself.

Other books that you may want to check out are: The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by

Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier, Guerilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson et al

and The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry

Sterry. The more you learn about the world of self-publishing and marketing your book the

better prepared you’ll be to integrate a book into your marketing strategies for your radio

show. As great an accomplishment writing your own book is, always remember that

completing it is just the first step is using it to build your brand and to promote your radio

show.

I also took the Plimptonian approach to learning how to write a query for submitting a

book idea to a traditional publisher, one that would be about diners, one of the themes of

my radio show. The annual Writer’s Market has a wonderful “Query Letter Clinic” section

and the book is chock-full of listings of literary agents and book publishers. Also, Jeff

Merman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents likewise contains great

industry contact information as well as sections on writing query letters. When I’m at the

bookstore I always go to the magazine section and check out the most recent issue of

“Writers Digest” and “Writer’s Forum” for good articles related to writing and marketing. I

heartily recommend reading Create Your Writer Platform: The Key to Building an Audience,

Selling More Books, and Finding Success as an Author by Chuck Sambuchino. I have just

been awarded a contract by The History Press to write a book about classic diners in

Connecticut.

Submitting your show to podcast directories is a great way to not only attract listeners

but to become even more search-engine friendly. There are several of these including Guy

Kawasaki’s AllTop (http://www.AllTop.com), AllPodcasts (http://www.AllPodcasts), Podcast

Alley (http://www.PodcastAlley.com) and GigaDial (http://www.GigaDial.com). There are

many more you can find by Google’ing “podcast directories.”

When you schedule your show you’re creating show descriptions that give your RSS feed

online energy. Submit your feeds to RSS and blog directories to stretch your reach, like

http://www.ipodlounge.com

http://podcasting.meetup.com

http://www.podcastdirectory.com

http://www.podcastcentral.com.

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There are many more that you’ll uncover as to start to search Google. It can become

addictive! Here’s a link that’s useful in finding more of them:

http://web-marketing.masternewmedia.org/rsstop55-best-blog-directory-and-rss-

submission-sites/

Comment on blogs that have an affinity for your show topics. It’s a great way to spread

the word about you and your show. Offer to be a guest blogger to the administrator. It’s a

good transaction for your value exchange of reciprocal content, visibility and link sharing.

Use social bookmarks by posting your shows on del.icio.us (https://delicious.com) and

Digg (http://www.Digg.com). By adding a link to your show page and adding relevant

keywords anyone searching these sites using your keywords will find you.

Submit your url to all of the search engines. Here’s a brief how-to:

http://safehouseweb.com/how-to-submit-url-to-google-bing-yahoo-and-ask

Think online but extend your reach beyond podcasts. For websites that have affinity

subjects to your show, contact the webmaster and offer to exchange links so that your URL

will be highly visible and increase your search engine ranking.

Attend BlogWorld

http://www.nmxlive.com/2013-lv

It’s the largest blogger and podcaster trade show and a great opportunity to network.

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Monetizing Your Show

Making money from your Internet-based radio show comes only after you’ve created a

compelling brand, built a base of loyal followers and produced great content with terrific interview

guests. That’s what will attract advertisers and make it possible for you to generate income. Not

before you’ve accomplished these should you entertain monetization. It’s putting the cart before

the horse. So, let’s take a look at strategies for monetizing your show:

First and foremost, have a business plan, even if it’s only a rudimentary one when you start out.

Take the attitude that you’re building a business, not a hobby, and you’ll find that your priorities

begin to change right away. Determine your goals and write-out the action steps you’re going to

take to get there. Know who your listeners are so you can identify your projected target audience.

Create a timeline so you can measure your success and adjust accordingly. Review your business

plan often.

Build your listener base. Signs that you’re on the right track will include seeing your listenership

and social media following consistently grow. BlogTalkRadio provides online reports regarding how

many “live” listeners and subsequent post-show podcast listeners you have for each show. You

should monitor these numbers continuously and build them into your business plan as to where

you want to see your listenership grow by month, quarter and year. When you hit your goals, look

at what you’ve done and repeat what works, stop doing what isn’t working and always look for new

strategies to incorporate. Always remember that content is king. Without it, you have no value

currency to build an audience with and to exchange for advertising. Continuously ask for feedback

from your listeners and adjust your course accordingly. Great guests can give you great content so

work on your listening skills and remember that being a good host requires listening twice as much

as you speak. That’s why we have two ears and one mouth!

Take a stepwise approach in BlogTalkRadio. (a.) If you’re brand new at hosting an Internet-based

radio show I recommend starting with the BlogTalkRadio’s “Select Plus” program at $99 a month

with the first month free and focus on the singular goal of developing great content and growing

your listener base. For now, put monetization out of your mind. You’re not there yet and you need

these two things to compete in the marketplace for advertising dollars. (b.) Once you’ve developed

them, take a step up to the Select Plus program at $249 which will give you the opportunity to sell

online ads (4 300 x 250’s and a 728 x 90). Price these according to what your market will bear.

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Another revenue-generating opportunity to get in on early is to participate in BlogTalkRadio’s

revenue share program where you can receive a percent of ad revenue for advertising impressions

(video, audio, banner) displayed to your listeners that visit your profile or episode pages.

Build a media kit. Every advertiser and marketer I’ve ever spoken with always asks for a media

kit. The overall graphics of your media kit should reflect your brand so photos of you, photos of

your guests, what your show is about (remember to enhance this with your back story), traffic

statistics, advertising sizes/options available and your contact information. Your media kit should

be a seamless extension of your show which is why branding is so important. I recommended using

PowerPoint and saving it as a PDF. From a sales philosophy standpoint, I have a fundamental

disagreement with some of my colleagues who incorporate rates into their media kit with the

intent that the deck includes everything a prospect needs to make a decision. I, however, consider

the media kit a calling card to pique the prospect’s interest enough for them to want to talk with

me about getting their business involved with my show. If you show all your cards up front, more

likely than not your prospects will make a negative decision on their own and you’ll never even

have talked with them. You not only want to be part of the selling process you want to drive it.

What you’re selling up front via the media kit are all the success elements you’ve been working

hard to build: brand, base, content and guests. Your media kit should create in the prospect’s mind

excitement over your show and a compelling need to be part of it. Don’t talk rates and payments

until you’ve got them face-to-face or on the phone. BlogTalkRadio has a media kit that is very high-

end but one that is wonderful to aspire to. Take note of what categories of information they

present and in what order and start to think about how you’d build yours:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/docs/BTRMediaKit.pdf Be sure to include in your media kit any

press your show has received as well as guest testimonials (I always ask for them). Here are some

links from Bandzoogle, the folks who host my website and provide the templates, on the “how-

to’s” of press kits. Bandzoogle is geared toward bands and musicians but there is rich information

to glean and extract:

http://bandzoogle.com/blog/blogposts/how-to-make-a-press-kit-1078.cfm

http://bandzoogle.com/blog/blogposts/how-to-create-a-digital-press-kit-with-bandzoogle-

23645.cfm

Here’s another useful how-to:

http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-create-the-ultimate-online-media-kit.html

Staying with the value-as-currency formula for advertising, remember Bob Burg’s advice in Go-

Givers Sell More: “Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take

in payment.” Don’t limit yourself to selling only online advertising on your show page. You can also

sell in-show verbal spots while you’re hosting. Here’s an article about “The Top Ten Keys to

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Creating Great Radio Ads” that will give you good ideas about how-to write your own radio ad copy

that will get results:

http://www.strategicmediainc.com/radio-advertising-

articles/the_top_ten_keys_to_creating_great_radio_ads.html

Keep in mind that radio ads need to air multiple times before they sink in with the listener.

Running a commercial once a week for a month isn't going to be enough for your advertiser to

create brand awareness. Make that part of your selling and retention tool kit. And, you can also sell

online advertising on your website increasing your value currency even more. Check out a service

like Google AdSense (http://www.Google.com/AdSense). You can post-embed code they provide

that automatically generates ads, and creates revenue for you when someone clicks on the ad. As

far as ideal dimensions for ads, that is totally up to you. You can look up some popular websites,

and see how they handle advertising on their sites.

The content and theme of your radio show is your starting place for finding prospective

advertisers and sponsors. It’s what connects your listeners who have a heightened interest in what

you’re talking about with the manufacturers of goods and services who want to connect with them.

When you’ve achieved a solid level of good content and a growing listenership the opportunity for

generating revenue from your podcast through advertising becomes a reality. Affinity is the

keyword when scouting for advertisers. With my show, “Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys,” the

broader categories are “motorcycles,” “classic diners” and “food.” From there I can drill down

further. For example, in the motorcycle category are manufacturers, dealers, repair shops, after

market suppliers, insurance companies, and more. Google is a goldmine of information in sourcing

each of these. If you’re a local show, you can research by zip code. If you’re regional you can do it

by state. I check out industry trade magazines and newspapers to see who’s already advertising and

where since I know that they’re already spending on advertising.

Get creative with hosting your show at events. You can negotiate for free booth space in

exchange for your show being a unique value-add for the event’s attendees and vendors. Then, you

can negotiate for a revenue-share split on event advertising, some of whom will already be at the

show.

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I M Possible

Each of us has a hidden dream or fantasy that we have longed to fulfill but have never taken the

steps to make it a reality because we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s impossible to do or because

others have talked us out of it based on their own agendas, leaving an empty pit in our stomachs as

well as some unfounded guilt. I launched the “I M Possible” series of presentations to motivate

people to fulfill their dreams and to identify steps that will help take them there.

I’ve been fortunate in what I call “the first half on my life” to have had some wonderful and

varied experiences:

• I’ve been a Producer and Director of Recording Studio Operations for London Records, Inc. and

been blessed with opportunities to work with many prominent recording artists.

• I earned my BA and MA degrees at night while working full-time.

• I’ve been President of my own indie record label, produced The Garrison Project CD and

performed at such legendary music venues as CBGBs and Nashville’s Bluebird Café.

• I facilitated a winter leadership and team-building expedition in the White Mountains that was

featured on ESPN 2’s “Extreme Magazine television program.

• I hosted and produced the TV show DINERS that was aired on Connecticut Public Television

(CPTV).

• I appeared as a standup comedian at New York City’s Gotham Comedy Club and produced the

documentary “Comic On A Half Shell” about the experience which has aired throughout

Connecticut.

• I’ve been an AM news-talk radio show host on WSTC/WNLK on Cox Radio and spotlighted in the

nationally-advertised Pepsi Refresh Project.

• I’ve been featured in the David Morris book, MotoStars: Celebrities + Motorcycles.

• I’ve been a senior executive with such companies as Grand Circle Travel, Cablevision of

Connecticut, MCI Telecommunications and DSL.net.

And, the most wonderful part of those experiences is being able to share with others what I’ve

learned along the way and to motivate the people I’ve been blessed to meet to go after their own

dreams. The simple, 10-letter word “impossible” is part of a silent, often unconscious script that

people say to themselves over and over again leading to the depressing statistic that 70% of the

people here in the United States are unhappy with their jobs. The “impossible voice says things like:

• “In this job market I should be grateful just to have a job.”

• “I should settle for what I have and be glad that I can just put food on the table.”

• “It’s too late to go after what I truly would love to do,”

• “I don’t know where to start.”

• “I don’t know how I can make money doing what I really want to do.”

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Within the word “impossible,” buried under layers of negative self-talk and the well-intentioned

but misleading advice of others are two letters that spell the word, “ME” which should be

everyone’s priority in a positive way, namely, focusing on living the dreams which define who we

truly are. If you look at the word “impossible” and, without rearranging a single letter, simply insert

spaces you get “I M Possible” creating an entirely different meaning for the word. When you begin

to tell yourself that “I M Possible,” you begin to realize that there’s really no one stopping you from

realizing your dreams but you and that almost all obstacles are really in your own mind.

When you begin asking yourself who you really are deep inside where the spirit meets the bone

and you challenge yourself to go after everything you want only then do you truly come alive and

see the opportunities before you. Living your passion is like experiencing that wonderful moment

when the windshield wipers of your car start moving to the rhythm of the song playing on the radio

or when you feel the plane suddenly start to speed up on the runway before take-off.

Living your dream is not about your position in life, the size of your bank account or what path

you are currently on. And, it’s not easy. It requires commitment, openness to experience and hard

work to stay the course. But, if you’ve already started your own Internet radio talk show you know

the feelings I’m talking about. You’ve already started looking at your life with a new honesty and

excitement about staking your creative claim on the world. You’re living your passion.

Congratulations!