Archive for July, 2008
I participated in something good on Friday and I wanted to share some of the details with you. We received an e-mail a few weeks ago from a father who had a 5 year old son that had some medical problems. The boy had a liver transplant when he was 6 months old… his body was now rejecting the liver… and there are further complications, all leading to a childhood that’s probably spent more with doctors than playmates. Anyway, the e-mail said that this boy, Justin, really wanted to meet Kimbo Slice. The father e-mailed and asked if we were doing any events coming up where Kimbo would be there. I told him we weren’t, but that I would try and get in touch with Kimbo’s management and see if they had any time to meet Justin.
Team Kimbo could not have been more accommodating. When I told them the situation, they suggested Kimbo and Justin could meet at Boomer’s in Dania Beach and play some video games and have some fun. It took a couple weeks of planning, due to a ridiculously busy schedule that Kimbo Slice has, but the meeting date and time was finally picked.
The father told me Justin was tremendously excited all week. He had watched Kimbo fights on TV with his dad (who happened to be a big mma fan.) Justing would tell his dad that he thought Kimbo could beat the Incredible Hulk. The week leading up to the meeting, Justin asked his dad every morning, “is this the day we meet Kimbo?”
When I met Justin and his father at Boomers, I explained that Kimbo was a very busy guy and he would probably only be able to spend a few minutes with him, but I was sure he’d be able to take a photo with him. About 15 minutes later, Kimbo Slice, his manager, and two others showed up to Boomer’s… and proceeded to spend the next two hours with Justin. Two hours! Kimbo took a genuine interest in Justin, making sure he had enough to eat… making sure he got to play all the games he wanted… making sure Justin felt like a STAR. (And he did.) Kimbo also brought him autographed photos, merchandise, and lots of other great stuff. The entire afternoon was so touching on so many levels.
Justin was on top of the world… His dad told me he doesn’t really get to go to places like Boomers, because of all the immuno-supression drugs that he’s on. It makes it dangerous for Justin to be around a lot of kids (and a lot of germs) because his body would have a tough time fighting off even a minor illness. Justing took tons of photos with Kimbo, and Kimbo played games with Justin for the entire 2 hours. It was pretty amazing to see the power of an individual… Kimbo made this kid feel great, just by spending some time with him. What a great power to have.
I was just blown away by Kimbo doing this for a kid he didn’t even know. Kimbo’s manager was telling me that they get e-mails and letters everyday from sick people looking for help… He said they wished they could help everybody, but obviously they couldn’t. We never mentioned on the air that Kimbo was going to do this for the kid, because that’s not what it was about. We could have turned it into a media circus… There’s so much interest in Kimbo, we could have had every newspaper on site taking photos of Kimbo and Justin and made it into an event… But that’s not what it was about. It was about a super-celebrity badass, Kimbo Slice, taking a couple hours out of his day to make a sick kid feel great for a while.
I wasn’t even going to blog about it or mention it on the air, but Justin’s father asked if I would, so that everyone would know what lengths Kimbo Slice went to to make sure this kid had a great day. I myself have a 4 year old son, and after speaking with Justin’s father for a couple hours, I still can’t imagine the pain one goes through when they have a sick child. It was a truly moving day, an experience I won’t soon forget. A day that made me see Kimbo Slice in a whole new light… Kimbo Nice.
July 21st, 2008
I’ve been wanting to do a blog about run-ins with radio personalities for a while, so here it is. I mentioned this on the air last week… That I thought it would be interesting to hear stories from people about their encounters with radio people. I’ve always been a big fan of radio, so meeting radio people I’ve listened to all my life has always been some sort of bizarre thrill for me. (I warn you now- if this blog just becomes a tired, worn out Zaslow bashing response, I’m ending this blog forever.)
I’ve had a few encounters with radio personalities over the years… None worse than Sonny Fox. Sonny Fox used to be a big deal in South Florida radio. When I ran into him it was while he was the morning host for Majic 102.7. I was a young UM student, just trying to find my way in radio. I had a job running the tape for “The Best of Sonny Fox” on Sunday mornings from 6am10am. (The mere fact that there was something called “The Best” of Sonny Fox should tell you something about how weak this radio market is.)
So every Sunday I’d come in and roll tape for “The Best of Sonny Fox” and I’d get paid $5.25 per hour. Obviously, I wasn’t doing it for the money. I was hoping to use the experience to gain a foothold in the medium. After months of running the show, I finally got a chance to meet Sonny Fox himself. He had to be at the studio early one Sunday morning to take the van to a radio remote. I figured this would be my big chance to meet him, let him tell me how much he appreciated me running his “best of” show, and perhaps have him offer me a gig on his morning show.
He blew me off. He walked in the studio, I began to introduce myself, and he waved his arm at me, (as if to say “I’ve heard enough out of you,”) and walked out. That was it. Fuck Sonny Fox. I lost my job several months later when- no joke- I asked for a dollar more per hour. I wanted to make $6.25 per hour… It would have cost the company an additional $4.00 per week, but they told me no. So I quit. Fuck Sonny Fox.
Another big deal for me was meeting Phil Hendrie, who to me is the single most talented radio person that has ever lived. If you’ve never heard Phil Hendrie’s show, find it online and listen. It might take a while to figure what’s going on, but when you do, you’ll realize just what a genius he is. I had listened to Hendrie for a while when he was on WIOD. (Neil Rogers and Phil Hendrie on the same station— now THAT was a great radio lineup.)
At that time in my life, I was also DJing parties with a little mobile DJ system I had. I got hired to DJ the WIOD Christmas party one year, and that’s when I got to meet Phil Hendrie. That dude was awesome. Really nice… Really friendly… Really appreciative of kind words… Fuck Sonny Fox.
That was the first time I ever asked a radio personality for an autograph. (I had a “best of Phil Hendrie” CD with me, and he autographed it for me.) The only other time I’ve ever asked a radio person for an autograph was when I met Gary Dell’Abate’s mother at an event and I asked her to give my card to her son and ask him to send me an autograph. (Dell’Abate is Howard Stern’s executive producer, better known as Baba Booey.) I was working at a top 40 radio station in West Palm Beach at the time and I was working our booth at an outdoor art festival. A nice lady came up to our booth, and after conversing for a while, she told me her son was Baba Booey. Since I love the Howard Stern Show, I gave her my card and asked her to give it to Gary and have him send me an autograph. I had forgotten all about it, but a couple weeks later and autographed photo of Baba Booey showed up in my mailbox.
So, let’s hear some radio run ins you’ve had. Was Hank Goldberg an asshole? Was Footy a swell guy? I must know. And fuck Sonny Fox.
July 14th, 2008
Well, I finally did it. I made it over to Burger King and ordered the Loaded Steakhouse Burger I’ve been anticipating. But the experience left me empty and unsatisfied. The idea of a loaded steakhouse burger– a giant burger, covered in cheese, mashed potatoes, chives, bacon, and onion strings– sounds delicious. The concept is there. But my BK fell a little short in the execution department.
My dad and I drove to BK Thursday afternoon right around 12:15… Perfect time for lunch. We waited in a line of about 4 people, all the while I was anticipating the loaded steakhouse burger. Finally, it was our turn. I ordered. And then I was told they had run out of cheese. RUN OUT OF CHEESE. What kind of Burger King runs out of cheese at the height of lunch hour? Was this some sort of cruel joke?
Since we were already there, there was nothing we could do but continue our orders WITHOUT cheese. So I don’t feel like I really got the flavor of a true loaded steakhouse burger, because mine was lacking cheese. And cheese is important. Without the cheese, the flavor of the burger/grill was a little too prominent for me. I like the cheese to act as a “buffer” that brings all the flavors together. Without that “buffer” the burger was a bit too loaded. Great idea with the mashed potatoes on top… Great idea with the chives…. Great idea with the onion strings… Great marketing campaign within the store… But NO CHEESE is not acceptable. Not at lunchtime at BK.
So how would I rate the loaded steakhouse burger? I can’t. I just don’t feel that my steakhouse burger was truly loaded. It kind of felt like when I took my kid to see The Wiggles at The Bank Atlantic Center, and one of the Wiggles was ill that night, so they had a substitute Wiggle. Just didn’t seem the same. When I order something “loaded” I’m expecting cheese. No cheese=Not loaded.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.
July 11th, 2008
By the time you read this, I may already have found what I’m looking for. A Burger King loaded steakhouse burger. That’s right. I was out this past weekend with some friends, and my friend Pete asked me if I had tried the loaded steakhouse burger from Burger King. I informed him that I wasn’t even aware of the burger, and he told me I should go as quickly as I can to the nearest Burger King to get one.
I must admit, shamefully, that I do enjoy fast food. I know it’s not good for you… I know it’s loaded with fats and sodium… But, I like fast food and I’m not going to stop eating it. Then Pete told me about the Burger King loaded steakhouse burger, and my anticipation built… It’s not your typical BK burger- it’s angus beef. And it’s got cheese. And it’s got BBQ sauce… and it’s got- get ready for this- MASHED POTATOES ON TOP. That’s right… If you order the steakhouse burger “loaded,” it’s got a layer of mashed potatoes. Oh sweet heaven.
So I’ve been thinking about it all weekend. Anticipating it. I’m not a big BK fan, but this burger sounds perfect to me. (I could smother just about anything in mashed potatoes and enjoy it.) My real favorite fast food is Wendy’s. (Or Pollo Tropical and Chicken Kitchen if you’re feeling like something a bit healthier.) BK is pretty far down on my list. I remember several years ago seeing a commercial for a “Shaq Burger” at BK, so I went and tried that and I swore I’d never go back. The Shaq Burger was to hamburgers what the real Shaq is to speed.
So, my plan right now is to stop and get a loaded steakhouse burger from BK before work on Monday. I’ll keep you updated as to how it all works out.
July 7th, 2008
