Interview with Jeff Blazy
As promised … the interview with Jeff Blazy~
When did you begin your journey into Radio and what sparked your interest in being on the air.
My dad took my older brother, sister, and me to a radio station when I was four. He worked for GE and we had a lot of interest in music, radio, and television.
My older brother Martin was into so much new music, that I learned all of it from him. I was always a funny kid, so put it all together and entertainment was pretty much it.
When did you come to 98.5 KOME and had you heard of the station before you started on air there?
End of ’86,I was doing mornings in Denver at KBPI and the program director from KOME called and said he heard of me and that he had 65 tapes in front of him and mine was his favorite. It had been sent by a friend. The call was a total surprise. I had only been in Denver for a couple of months and turned down the offer. A few months later, Denver was not working out so I called KOME back and by January 2, 1987, I was the new morning guy. Bob & I began on the air two weeks later. I had heard of KOME, but did not know of the legendary status of “Don’t touch that dial it has KOME on it.” While I was in Texas starting my morning show career, a listener had given me a tape of bay area radio and KOME (Lori Roberts) was on the tape.
What was it like when you began working at the station, was it a wild place to work?
They were trying to get away from the “KOME” (come) references. It had gotten them in trouble with some advertisers. This was the mid-80′s and things had changed. As for wild, we all worked separate shifts, so we really did not bump into each other much unless it was big events. I mean, we were all cordial with each other, but we were all radio personalities. It is a strange existence.
I have asked this of Bob Lilley and Dave Wohlman but would love to hear from you on this….. what was it like to be around all the raw rock talent that graced the halls of KOME?
Well, since I was a kid I would dream of meeting some of them. Then all of a sudden they are next to you in the studio singing live. It is like your own concert. All the work pays off. Gregg Allman is unforgettable. He did “Melissa” and “Midnight Rider” on acoustic guitar. His voice is so strong that it penetrated through my headphones. It blows you away. Same with Melissa Ethridge and Brian Adams. Their voices are so forceful.
A few times it was not only the guests who were noticeable, it was who they were with. Richard Marx (while he was rockin’) came in with his wife. We thought she looked familiar, as well as hot. ”Hey, isn’t that the blond chick from Dirty Dancing?” I asked. It was. The biggest movie of the year and Cynthia Rhodes was sitting in the lobby. It’s funny, because we did not ask to invite her in. It was Stephen Page’s lunchtime interview with Richard.
Comedian Craig Shoemaker (the Lovemaster) and I became really good friends. Early in our friendship he came in to do the show and I said “Your girlfriend looks like that actress in Robocop.” He said, “That’s because she is.” It was Nancy Allen. So the next time Craig was coming on, I asked if Nancy was coming it too. She was. So I rented all the big movies she had been in like “Carrie” and ” Dressed to Kill.” We cued them up to all the scenes where she was naked. She did not know.
So we are asking Nancy legitimate questions like working with John Travolta, what she did during the infamous blow job scene (“chewed gum”) and all of a sudden I would say “Oh, here’s the shower room scene.” Nancy would be talking about it much like you would hear on a DVD extra nowadays, and suddenly it would hit her that she was going to be soaping up completely naked. She playfully screamed, Craig was cool enough to run with the joke. ”Hey, that’s my girlfriend!” he would shout.
Very funny.
As for rockers though, Alice Cooper, Brian May of Queen (who did the dedication on the KOME Acoustic Aid CD I co-produced to raise $ for SF Aids Foundation) and the list goes on and on. It is always the perk of the job that most of us like so much. Many times Bob and I would have listeners come in so they would get treated to a one of a kind event. That’s when it is the best, for the listeners, because they will never forget that performance. That is why we did those “Blazy & Bob Breakfast Clubs,” so the audience could see what we were seeing and get their chance to hear great musicians doing it “Live, Dammit!”
You and Bob did the Blazy and Bob show from 1987 until 1994 ( if I am correct) treating the fans to the creme de la creme of Rock music, that must have been pretty awesome for you. Were there ever times when you were just in awe of who you were talking with?
You are correct on the years. The one I remember most was Graham Nash in LA during Grammy’s Week Live. He even said, “Blazy is freaking out.” I could play almost every CSN song on guitar and now here’s Nash sitting next to me. I picked up the guitar, and as Bob said, I would ask them to play. When they wouldn’t, I would start playing their stuff. I played the intro to a Hollies song and Nash was blown away. I kept playing and he finally said he would not sing. Well, I tried. Many others took the bait.
Ringo Starr on satellite was also a big deal for me. We were always instructed “don’t ask for ID’s or autographs.” During the interview, I mentioned that “my brother Martin played Ludwig drums because of you.” A week later, the NBC radio rep had sent me a Ringo Starr autograph, made out to my brother, Martin. I had it framed with a circa 60′s picture of Ringo by his famous drum set. My brother wept when I sent it to him in NY for Christmas.
How was it to work on a morning show on the radio, was it very different from the other time slots?
Blazy & Bob mornings 6 to 10 (fast paced), the relaxed and conversational style of Stephen Page 10-3 (he was great…he plugged in separate mike so he could walk around the studio while he talked to you on the air…brilliant) Weird Uncle Frank afternoons, and Dennis Erectus at night. Very different. Very distinct styles from each show. It made a great radio station. A lot of variety throughout the day, instead of the monotony of most stations today.
This is a question that I personally hope to know more about, was it easy to do the interviews you did or was it a learning process? Was there ever an interview that just did not go well and if so how did you work it out?
Oh, I learned a lot, but I mostly remember us having great interviews. Dia Stein in NY gave us a great compliment one time. She told us after Sam Kinison died that she had guests grade each morning show after each interview. They would usually be on about 10 shows in a morning. She sent us Sam’s scorecard. We were the only one’s to get an “A” other than his pals in Houston. That meant a lot to us. And Craig Shoemaker told Nancy, “See? They always have something different.”
Many guests would tell us of morning shows that did not even know who they were, or that they just did a horrible job. Many comedians told us the same thing.
Most interviews went well, but when I was told by a publicist NOT to ask them to play, I did anyway. One live show, I begged the classic Robin Trower to play “Bridge of Sighs” with my band, The Blazers. As the crowd cheers at the idea, Robin leans over and says “Do you want me to knock you of of that f#@king chair?” No one could hear what he said to me. It is faintly heard on the tape. But Bob and I made sure he had a great time and moments later he said he would play “Rock Me Baby” with the band! Pat Simmons of the Doobies also played after we told, several times, NOT to ask. He played two songs. One, my fave from him, “South City Midnight Lady.” It is amazing to hear and realize that it was 8:45 on a Friday morning, live from Mountain View. Pauly Shore was also on that show and did “Lisa, Lisa” with The Blazers.
Your band the Blazers ( original members Peggy Bertsch – Keyboard, Dennis Coulter – Drums, Brian Cutts – Bass, Greg Mullins – Guitar) that backed you during the Morning Show jams, how did you get that started and do you still keep in touch with the members?
Don’t forget our other bassist/vocalist, Marcus Miller. He ended up doing such a good job when Ronnie Montrose was a live guest, that Ronnie asked his to tour!
The Blazers started when I thought about doing live shows. The station was behind the idea, although many thought, “Who is going to show up at 6:30am to see a couple of guys do a radio show?” They did. 300 of them every month. So to find band members, we did a week with live auditions, over the phone. One day guitarists, then drummers, etc. Dennis and I are still best friends today. He still owns the Shark’s season tickets we used to share, beginning with Season 1 at the tank (anybody else out there have the inaugural season puck proudly displayed?).
As for the others, I mastered many of their live performances on CD a few years ago and sent them out. I thank them to this day for their rehearsing, performing, and professionalism. Think of what they did for our show…they set up starting at 4:30am to go live at 6…they got paid next to nothing in the beginning. Later we had a budget where they got paid better than if they were doing a gig at a club. The real payoff was they got to play WITH some big names. And those performers always said that the band was great. Oddly enough, the only guy who would never let us replay his tune was Rick Springfield. Douchbag.
What is the weirdest thing you experienced while on the air at KOME?
It’s not really the weirdest, but the funniest odd moment was when we were having one of our many satellite conversations with Gilbert Gottfried. Gilbert was at NBC studios and saw SNL classic announcer, Don Pardoe, walking down the hall. He ran to get him, stuck him in front of a mike, and began to make Don announce anything he (Gilbert) said. He was saying, “See Disney’s Aladdin, featuring the voice of Gilbert Gottfried!” That big voice of Don’s would be interrupted by Gilbert’s loud whining. Then Gilbert turned it into a classic bit by making Don say “Gilbert……who was unjustly….fired from Saturday Night Live….” But Don wouldn’t say the last line, so Gilbert began yelling “Say it!” Don: “No….not gonna do it!” …still in his announcer style.
Bob and I were in hysterics. Don Pardoe was the voice of our show for several years…”It’s The Blazy & Bob Show….Live!”
I read that you were on the air in 2000 in Honolulu Hawaii, that must have been a beautiful place to work. Was the experience of being on air there any different from stateside radio stations?
Very different. I was told “you can’t do that here.” I got to #2 in the male demo which was way up. I was also told that I would not be able to do stand-up comedy there because I was white. It was my first time experiencing racism. It is a tough “club” to get invited into.
Don’t get me wrong, it IS paradise, there were many great people. I was on some local TV, got a number of feature articles written about the show…
I still call it a wonderful chapter in my career. The Real World Hawaii was right down the street while I was there. They were also filming Baywatch Hawaii during that time. One day, I was in my office in Waikiki, and all of the model/actresses from the show were doing a music video down on the street in a big fountain. Many of us stood there watching in awe and I said, “Nowhere else in the world does anyone have such a great view.”
It is also where I met the great people of Sam Adams Beer and began a friendship with founder, Jim Koch. They are a great team of people.
I saw that you were in Palmetto with Woody Harrelson, how was that for an experience? Hollywood can be a strange place, did you consider going into acting after being in the movie?
I am only heard in the movie when they are at Gina Gershon’s house. You can clearly hear “the Blazy Show on YNF.” I was on the set many days, got to interview the cast… The producer asked if I could give him some info for an actor to read on a radio newscast. I told him I had a home studio and could deliver it to him tomorrow. I got paid, was credited, and was invited to the premiere in Westlake Village. I sat across the isle from Rob Reiner. Fun Stuff.
You are a stand up comedian, when did that spark hit you and do you still do stand up?
Funny kid, voted most funny in high school, did stand-up in beer bars, did it for fun while doing morning radio. You get to hear a large group laugh instead of the silence of a radio studio. Yes, I still do stand-up in Northern California. Most months at the Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa. Another great show is Mark Pitta’s Tuesday night show in Mill Valley. Three of the shows I have done there have featured Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, Kevin Pollak, and more.
Who has been your biggest influence in comedy?
I guess George Carlin. I was in the front row for his last HBO Special. You can see me in light colored clothes. I got to open for him in Texas, spend some real time talking to him, and he was cool enough when I was broadcasting live from Vegas one time to return my call personally and invite me backstage to do another interview. He was a one of a kind and brilliant with our language.
What is the most fun part of doing stand up?
Getting the big laugh.
What is your favorite genre of music? Who do you have on your MP3 player fav list?
I’ll say rock. I know it up and down. I have many styles on the iPod. I have a pretty good collection of rarities…I’m sure nothing close to what Dave Wohlman has…oh, I envy him. I heard a rumor that he got the KOME vault. I should let you know that in my entire career, there are not many stations that archived things well. KOME did. They had a wall of albums and when you needed to find the Rolling Stones first album for something, it was there.
If you were able to set up the dream line up of Rock Bands who would be on stage?
I don’t know. Todd Rundgren opens for the Beatles and the they invite him on stage.
What was your reaction to KOME being killed off and do you think that there is any way that KOME could be brought back in some pure Rock form or is that a pipe dream of mine that should be left alone?
The mid-90′s, when the business world really began to change things. Infinity wanted Stern in SF, not San Jose. So it didn’t matter. KOME had a huge audience. Very high ratings. They were making a lot of money. But it was in the wrong city for THEIR purposes.
And finally, last question ~ If it could be swung, would you possibly be interested in getting Blazy and Bob back on Bay Area air waves? Is there anything the dedicated and loyal Blazy and Bob fans could do to get the fires started?
Bob and I want very much to work together again. Email to this website if you want us on in San Jose/San Francisco!!! We will keep your messages and forward to the people who sit in the big chairs! We promise you a great show every morning. Then we will owe one of the biggest fans of KOME, the webmaster of this site, a big favor!
Thanks for tuning in to The Blazy & Bob Show!
*********** end of interview questions **********
I would like to thank Mr. Blazy for doing this interview with me, as always talking with these folks from my favorite Rock Station is a joy and these are memories I will never forget. I will be continuing the project to get all the folks I can to help support getting Blazy and Bob back on the air in the Bay Area. So I am calling all the fans of Blazy and Bob who feel like I do about both the Blazy and Bob show as well as KOME who would like to help me out ~ please get a hold of me at kystorms@live.com.
I will be getting the first newsletter ready to go by the end of this month, you can subscribe at the same email listed.
Thanks to everyone for all the support and comments!
Peace
~;-)
