Pat's Peeps Podcast
>p. 100 Today's Peep Celebrates 100 Episodes with some "BEST OF" as we look back on the First 100 Peeps, Grant Napier's Revelation on Cancel Culture, Iconic TV Game Show Voice Randy West, DJ Coyote J Calhoun's Rebellious Spirit, Marshmallow Peeps and I Ca
Celebrating our 100th episode, Pat's Peeps takes a heartfelt journey through the milestones of our podcast. We start by thanking our loyal listeners and reflecting on the diverse topics that have shaped our path since November. One highlight includes a candid and powerful conversation with Grant Napier, the former Kings play-by-play announcer. Grant bravely opens up about his decision to relocate to Thailand to escape the pressures of woke and cancel culture in the U.S. and offers insights into his experiences and ongoing legal battles following his controversial dismissal.
For fans of classic television, we take a delightful trip down memory lane with renowned game show announcer Randy West. From working with icons like Johnny Olsen and Alex Trebek to sharing amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes, Randy's stories capture the golden era of game shows. We also introduce the rebellious spirit of DJ Coyote J Calhoun, who famously defied his station's restrictions to play his favorite tracks live on air. Finally, we wrap up with a whimsical segment on marshmallow Peeps, rare 45 records, and heartfelt thanks to our audience for their unwavering support, hinting at exciting developments to come.
Celebrating our 100th episode, Pat's Peeps takes a heartfelt journey through the milestones of our podcast. We start by thanking our loyal listeners and reflecting on the diverse topics that have shaped our path since November. One highlight includes a candid and powerful conversation with Grant Napier, the former Kings play-by-play announcer. Grant bravely opens up about his decision to relocate to Thailand to escape the pressures of woke and cancel culture in the U.S. and offers insights into his experiences and ongoing legal battles following his controversial dismissal.
For fans of classic television, we take a delightful trip down memory lane with renowned game show announcer Randy West. From working with icons like Johnny Olsen and Alex Trebek to sharing amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes, Randy's stories capture the golden era of game shows. We also introduce the rebellious spirit of DJ Coyote J Calhoun, who famously defied his station's restrictions to play his favorite tracks live on air. Finally, we wrap up with a whimsical segment on marshmallow Peeps, rare 45 records, and heartfelt thanks to our audience for their unwavering support, hinting at exciting developments to come.
Hello, there we are back. It is a very special privilege to be with you here. I'm Pat Walsh and it's Pat's's Peeps and it is our milestone 100th episode. I'm very proud of that and thank you for being a part of our Pat's Peeps family. Very much appreciate that. I began this what back in I guess it was very early November, I think it was the 6th of November, 5th or 6th of November when I came back from northern Italy with conservative tours, which conservative tours won a Pat's Peeps in terms of businesses, and here we are at 100. Again, I'm very, very excited and I'm looking and seeing that we're growing our listenership on a daily basis and I'm very, very grateful for that. I'm grateful for you. So thank you so much. And seeing that we're growing our listenership on a daily basis and I'm very, very grateful for that, I'm grateful for you. So, thank you so much.
Speaker 1:And, being a milestone episode, I'm thinking, well, can I do this kind of different? Well, today by the way let me just get this out of the way is the 11th day of June 2024. And I'm looking out the studio windows into the beautiful foothills of Northern California, gold country, eureka. It's beautiful out, man. I'm not sure how hot it is. I don't think it's as hot today. It's a gorgeous day, not a lot of breeze or anything but wherever you are, thank you, hope the day is beautiful for you and I just greatly appreciate, like I said, you listening and helping me to continue to build our Pats Peeps family.
Speaker 1:Now, what could I do? That might be a little bit different. Well, I thought one of the things that might be kind of fun to do is to go back and explore, or revisit, should I say, some of the Pats Peeps that we have done in the past. And, believe me, we've covered everything on this podcast, from, I mean everything, from being forced to watch Lawrence Welk to, you know, talking about Jim Boyce. I mean just the gamut, everything. Life. That's what we talk about here and that's what we've been doing for 100. And we're going to go for many, many more.
Speaker 1:So, with that in mind, I thought it might be kind of interesting and fun to go back to some of the podcasts that I hear a lot about, and I go back and I, you know people say, well, I listened to this, I listened to that. We had people on my show. I host the Pat Walsh Show on KPK, as heard nationally and internationally on the iHeartRadio app, and I had people calling last night. It made me so happy saying, yeah, I'm binge listening to your podcasts or I'm going to. You know, I'm just starting to listen to them. You know whether it's Octane or whether it's Rip, or whether it's Darlene with a Y, or whether I mean Lori Wolf Harner, or I mean I'm going to leave someone out now, now that I'm going down this rabbit hole, you know who you are, cecilia, all of you, vincent. See, now, I'm afraid I'm going to leave someone out. Listen, I don't mean to leave anyone out. Suffice it to say, eileen, if you guys are listening to my podcast, I'm very grateful that you're spreading the word as well.
Speaker 1:So, with that in mind, I thought, like I said, we might go back and revisit some of our previous Pat's Peeps. We've had guests on this show. Sometimes I just go off and rant Other things. That, of course, every show. One thing that we do on every single pod, every single peep, is we end the show with music, and so we'll do that. We'll play some examples of that. But let's go back to Pat's Peep 64. I hear a lot about this one. Darn it, I had the whole thing set up here. Now it's kind of reverted back to the beginning, so I might have to find my place because I don't want to play my intro and everything here.
Speaker 1:But going back to Pat's Peep 64, we interviewed Grant Napier. Grant Napier if you're not heard the podcast, I highly recommend all of these please go back and listen. Grant Napier Grant Napier if you've not heard the podcast, I highly recommend all of these. Please go back and listen. Grant Napier was a longtime Kings play-by-play announcer. He was fired and let go by the team and by his radio station for responding to a DeMarcus Cousins tweet and saying you know what all lives matter every single one. For that he was fired. Let all lives matter every single one. For that he was fired. So I talked to Grant Napier about a number of things, including his possible relocation to Thailand. Let's see where I can pick it up here on the podcast.
Speaker 2:I just fell in love with country. So we're talking about Thailand here. I believe it's been really part of my life. Since then I've tried to come over to Thailand maybe once every three years to buy suits. Unfortunately, pat, I don't need suits and shorts anymore. I gave them all the way. I mean, I don't have to dress up anymore, so I don't have an excuse to go to Thailand like I used to. But seriously, the people in Thailand are phenomenal. The food it's extremely inexpensive and you know not to get all political, but there's no woke culture over here in Thailand. There's no cancel culture. People are happy. They don't judge you based on your ethnicity or sexuality. Everyone's accepted. Everyone is happy in Thailand. The work ethic is great. I'll tell you, america could take a lot of tips from you know being over in Thailand, because it's really a breath of fresh air. It really is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, many of us are just quite fed up with the woke culture. I'll be honest with you. It sounds like some other folks are as well, but I certainly am. I rail about that not only on my radio show but on my podcast as well. So as you're talking about that, a couple of things occur to me. Number one Scotty Pollard. You know you're friends with Scott Pollard. I miss Scott Pollard.
Speaker 1:You know, if we go back into the days of the sort of the primetime kings, we're talking like early 2000s when you had Peja and Vlade and you know the whole group and Scott Pollard and John Barry and the whole group, you and Vlade and you know the whole group and Scott Pollard and John Barry and the whole group. You know Scotty Pollard as I was a reporter. I was the sports guy for many years, as you know, and I'd always see you after Kings games. I never bothered you because I knew you had a game to do and I know how these things go. But Scotty Pollard to me, was always a guy who was such a special, fun guy. I can remember like I can't remember everyone's soundbites as I would interview them, but I can remember a couple of Scott Pollard soundbites because he was, you know he had fun. You know he was kind of like George Kittle in that he had fun in his sport.
Speaker 1:And I remember interviewing Scott one day and he says, and the Kings had won the game. And he says V is for victory. I just thought, man, he had that samurai look going on. And I also recall asking him one time about an injury. And he says someone asked him. They said so because I mean, there's a little group gathering of reporters, how you doing. I'm about 73.8% back to normal.
Speaker 2:I love you. Scott Pollard man. He was a fun guy, wasn't he?
Speaker 1:Grant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, bum Phillips once said the great running back Earl Campbell. He may not be in a class by himself, but it doesn't take long to call the roll. I think Scott may be in a class by himself. I mean he is. He's funny. I'll tell you what. Scott is extremely bright. He's one of my best friends and obviously he's going through a very challenging time right now. Three weeks ago he just had a heart transplant and I was blessed to fly to Nashville on a red eye and be with him the day after his heart transplant at his hospital room in Nashville and I was amazed at how coherent he was and while I was there he actually got up on his feet and he's doing really well.
Speaker 2:But I would say one thing I loved about Scott he brought his lunch pail to work every day. You know, whenever you watch Scott play, he always played with tremendous effort and I think that's why Patty became such a fan favorite. Kings fans love hard work, they love the effort and Scott always gave the effort. Every time he was on the floor and then off the floor, he was great in the community. He always had time for the fans, was always, you know, making jokes and having fun, but when it was time to play basketball there was no messing around. He was very serious about his craft and had a nice 13 year career, but I've gotten to nose cut very well. As I said, we've vacationed together in the past. We've traveled together in the past. I've been to his home in Indiana many a times and I got to tell you, seeing him in that hospital bed in intensive care at the Vanderbilt medical center is a day that I will never forget.
Speaker 2:Scott has had heart disease in his family. His dad passed away when Scott was a teenager and it's sad to see what he's going through, pat, but not to get off on a tangent here. But I'm blessed for the donors and the people that make the ultimate sacrifice. I mean, while Scott and his wife are in jubilation and celebrating, you have another family in an unknown part of the country because they don't know where the heart came from. That's in mourning and they are, you know, saying goodbye to a loved one. So you know, it's uh, it's quite um, I guess it was quite a scene for me to be in the hospital and see the emotions of everything. But uh, I just texted Scott a little while ago. I, I reach out to him every day. He's still having some ups and downs, but the good news is the heart is doing well and that's the best news of all.
Speaker 1:You know, I didn't even realize Scott he was going through that. I'm sorry to hear that and I certainly wish Scott Pollard the best. He's a good man. Like I said, all my interactions with Scott and as you just pointed out, what a good guy you know Scott he is, and my best wishes to Scott, his family and, as you point out, you know, to the family who ended up having to donate that from that individual who gave up, made such a sacrifice. But I wish Scott Pollard and that family and Scott's family all the best and I'm really sorry to hear that. You know, um, I love talking to you.
Speaker 1:We're talking with Grant Napier, a longtime Kings announcer, and you know, as we start talking about that Grant, you know because I was around there for a long time and I remember the early days of being a sports reporter and going and being the sports guy and going out the Arco arena the old, you know, the Arco that we experienced for so long there and it would be very difficult to come up with questions at the end because the Kings would constantly lose. If they're winning, it's easy to come up with a question. So I went off on this tangent about this and I come and interrupt myself there. I want to get to some stuff here where Grant is speaking about being fired for his comments in a woke culture.
Speaker 2:So forgive me as I try to find that for you.
Speaker 1:So we're talking about. So here's what's kind of interesting is I have to search for it for you on the fly here is to kind of give you an idea as well. What we talked about Right there we're talking about the playoff game and I guess it was oh, two kings, lakers the controversial playoff game where people felt that the uh, it was a fix and that national tv wanted the lakers instead of the kings. So we do talk about that and a variety of other things let's see if I can find it, kings fans and the players on that team yeah, yeah, I remember going to Utah playing there, so we're talking about the longest sellout streak in the year.
Speaker 1:We're talking about playoffs, playoffs. I can't even say playoffs without thinking of Jim Morris Sr. But that's some of the adventures of me going on the road with the Kings and, during the playoffs, their on airplane where they weren't flying commercial anymore.
Speaker 2:The Kings went 1 and 40 on the road that year. I'll never forget this. We land in Sacramento after the final road game and we're getting ready to get off the plane and it goes. Man, it's a good thing, we had our F and our own F and plane. This year we may have gone 0 and 41 and I I still, to this day, think that's one of the great lines ever Having your own private set. You were able to win one game on the road. Had it not been for that, you would have gone 0-41.
Speaker 1:So we talked about a variety of things there. Let me see.
Speaker 2:And I had a couple people go. You really need to do a podcast. We miss hearing you. You really need to.
Speaker 2:So this is what he's up to now doing a podcast Figure out a way so we can reconnect with you, and so I decided to do a podcast, and one of the first people to reach out to me after I lost my jobs was Charles Barkley, and I couldn't believe it. I wasn't really answering the phone that much and I don't know why. I answered a phone that day. It was an unlisted number. It was a number that it was a area code that I wasn't familiar with and I don't know why. But I answered a phone and it was Charles Barkley and he didn't have my number. He got my number from somebody else and Charles talked to me for about 15 minutes and then, when I decided to do my podcast starting in October of 2020, I reached out to Charles and I said, hey, hey, I'm starting a podcast and it would really mean a lot to me if you would be my first guest. And he said, hey, whatever you need, I will do so there you go.
Speaker 1:Grant napier has a podcast talked about a variety of things. Like I said, he kind of baits you into this in a way. I would say. So I think this is demarcus cousins and the reason that grant was let go. In my opinion, it was ridiculous, it was wrong talking about a tweet from demarcus cousins, I believe that's where we are here. And then comes this tweet and when you say all hey, how are you thought you'd forgot about me, haven't heard from in years.
Speaker 1:All lives matter, every single one, grant. There are many of us who applaud you for that. There are many people and I can say this on my podcast, you know, you know that feel you're absolutely right, and how could a man get fired for that? So you go to court. The thing is kind of dismissed initially for this reason of that. You have an update on that. Uh, that I'd like to get to. But I just want I just want you to know, grant, that I can tell you overwhelmingly, everyone I talked to said you got railroaded on that. For the radio station to not back you on this, for the kings to not back you on this.
Speaker 1:I think it's ridiculous, and if you would talk about that for a moment. Let me ask you this too. I'd like an update on it. But let me ask you this. Talk about that for a moment. Let me ask you this. I'd like an update on it. But let me ask you this Ever since then, have you been sort of gun-shy or shy to say all lives matter? Because a lot of people are for a while like, oh my God, if I say that somehow I'm a racist, I don't believe you're a racist.
Speaker 2:I believe you're a good human. I have no problem saying all lives matter, every single one. That's how I was raised. My father was a civil rights activist. That's what it was like in my household. I've shared many of the stories about what it was like growing up in my household. So no, I don't have any problem with that at all. Let me just first of all update you on the lawsuit.
Speaker 2:The judge gave us an opportunity to amend our original complaint and once we did, we had a hearing and the judge decided that the case would move forward. And we've done all of our discovery and now we will have summary judgment in June and if the judge rules in our favor, then I will be going to trial beginning on November 13th, and that's what I want. I've always wanted to go to trial. I want a jury to decide this case, which is so absurd and so ridiculous that I am in court, you know, trying to justify all lives matter, every single one, pretty much three years, speaking to a lot of different people in a lot of different countries, different ethnicities, different religions, different generations. I'm very proud to say and if people don't believe me, then don't believe me, but 95% of my friends in South Florida, where I have lived for the most part during the last three years, are people of color, and I say people of color because I have friends that want to be referenced as African-Americans. I have people that want to be referenced as black. I have a lot of friends that are from Caribbean islands, that, for instance, I have a very good friend and his wife. They're both podiatrists in North Miami. She is from Panama and we had a long conversation once and I said, hey, I'm just curious. And we talked about all this and she said I'm neither. She goes, I'm not African-American and I'm not black. She goes I'm Latin. And so we talk about all of those things because I think in America, correct me if I'm wrong here, all of those things, because I think in America, correct me if I'm wrong here.
Speaker 2:But so many people think that it's politically correct, the right thing to do, to call a black person automatically African-American. Well, there are a lot of people that aren't African-American and yet white people seem to be so damn afraid because they're afraid of, you know, upsetting someone. I don't really have an issue with DeMarcus Cousins or his tweet to me If you would respond, if you would put out a tweet to me, pat, and you asked me what I thought of BLM, I would have responded the same way. I would have said all lives matter, every single one. If Wayman Tisdale was still alive and he put out a tweet to me, I would have responded all lives matter, every single one. The reality is, all lives matter could not be true if the lives of black people didn't matter, or the lives of Asian people didn't matter, or Hispanic people, and I would tell you that.
Speaker 2:Getting back to my friends and I have a lot of friends that I've met in South Florida we've spent hours upon hours upon hours talking about all of these topics. You know that there's only one person that felt that I should have lost my job. Of all of the people that I've talked to in South Florida and around the world. I've talked to people in Thailand. I've talked to people face to face in Montenegro. I've talked to people face to face in Croatia.
Speaker 2:I had a gentleman the last time I was in Thailand. There's a gentleman that does a lot of international travel and I've gotten to know him and he's based in an island called Koh Tao in Thailand, but he travels a lot to the UK, travels a lot to Dubai. He's a very successful businessman and he's an attorney. And he was telling me oh my God, I'm so glad I ran into you, he goes.
Speaker 2:I was just in Dubai last week and I was at a table and we were talking about Black Lives Matter and I said, oh wow, I've got a friend. He was fired because he put on Twitter all lives matter every single one. And three of the people at the table go oh wow, is he that guy, the basketball announcer in America? And he said yeah, the people of Dubai knew about my story. This is unbelievable to me how this has not only been a story in America, but people in other parts of the world have heard about me. I've run into a couple people not Thai people, but foreigners, not Americans, but foreigners from Europe and Australia that have heard about my story. It's mind boggling to me. And again, pat, listen, I'm going to let a jury decide my fate and get my name restored. So I'm not patting myself on the back here, but I really believe that if you have a problem with the phrase all lives matter every single one, then you need to look in the mirror because you've got a problem.
Speaker 1:It's Grant Napier. Grant Napier, if you want to hear that entire interview, go back to Pat's Peeps number 64,. Just one of the many interviews I've done on the Pat's Peeps podcast here. Another one I did going back to Pat's Peeps number 76, I had a great time talking to this gentleman, randy West.
Speaker 1:Randy West is a legendary television announcer. The price is right. I mean you'll hear everything that he was a part of. And Randy West, just a super talented guy, loved listening to his stories and he talked about a variety of things I mean just all of the legendary announcers that preceded him, talking about working with people like Dick Clark and others. And I thought you know, if you really want to hear a good interview, I would encourage you to go to Pat's Peeps number 76.
Speaker 1:Randy, right after we lost Bob Barker, which we'll get into that but you know, one of the guys I'm curious about something before we really kind of get so, randy West, I mean, if we give you some background about the gentleman I'm talking to right now, I admire this guy because this guy you are a I mean geez. You've been an announcer, one of the top announcers in the country for years and years. You've worked with people that I respect. You know Bob Barker. I mean, the list goes on and on.
Speaker 1:I would love at some point we have to talk about Chuck Woolery, because I know I think you spent a little time working with Chuck Woolery back in two and two. You know the guy. I always loved that guy, but you started in radio. I wouldn't mind talking about that. Randy was the voice of the Price is Right, and, as I understand it, you really and I want to get into this a little bit but you kind of, you know, when Johnny Olsen, you met Johnny Olsen, he kind of didn't, he kind of take you under his wing and you kind of learned from him, or how did that go with Johnny Olsen? Because everyone knows Johnny Olsen and everyone knows you. I mean, tell us how that kind of works.
Speaker 4:Well, I wouldn't go that far.
Speaker 4:I was 14 years old. I used to cut classes in New York and go down to 30 Rockefeller Plaza and watch these TV shows tape and there was this hysterically funny guy doing the audience warm-up and that oh fantastic announce you know, the price is right, come on down. He had all that energy in his voice and he encouraged me to get into the business and I got into radio, which was the entry point for most of us, and lo and behold, a 40 year journey. But later I'm standing in his footsteps at the Price is Right that the show he was most famous for, working with Bob Barker and that's just like it's a Twilight Zone episode. But yes, it was the thrill of all thrills to be able to do what I saw that guy doing when I was 14 years old. And as far as being a guy on a Price is Right, just to satisfy this, now the show's been on the air for 52 years, so I'm one of those guys. There's a half a dozen, so you know, just don't put it all on me.
Speaker 1:Well, listen, you we respect. Obviously you've had this incredible career. I mean geez. I mean look at all the stuff that you've done. There's some shows in there that I look at, like Supermarket Sweep, and some of these shows I'm like geez, I remembered all of this stuff. People like Gene Rayburn on the Match Game, which was one of my favorite shows, you know you talked about Tom Kennedy. We were talking off air Tom Kennedy, who was a great. You know Bill Cullen Talk about, like what are some of the great game show hosts that you worked with? Randy?
Speaker 4:Oh my God, the list is incredible. I mean, if you loiter in show business long enough, your path will cross with pretty much everybody else, because it kind of is a small little town in the sense that people want to hire and work with people who are established. You know them, you know they're reliable and they're going to be good and they're not going to cause a second take or going to keep the crew there longer into overtime so you can work with the same folks over and over. So for me and I'm working off the top of my head I should probably put a list down. But Dick Clark, chuck Woolery, gene Rayburn, bob Eubanks, wade Martindale and I have done a half a dozen shows together over the years.
Speaker 4:And now you know, now that I'm halfway down this road, I'm going to start forgetting or leaving people out of the thing. But if it's somebody that you've seen on as a game show host at one time or another, I pretty much work with. I worked with Alex Trebek doing uh, not jeopardy, but uh, he used to co-host with uh, my, my, my, my sitcom actress. Uh, oh, it'll get back to the Brady bunch. What was her name? Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1:Florence.
Speaker 4:Henderson. Yeah yeah, alex and Florence used to co-host the daytime Emmy awards and I was the announcer. You know, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome three time Emmy winners. So and so and so and so for the you know whatever, and I would do that. You know, backstage voice of you know introducing. So we used to share dressing room suite, so to speak. It was like one big room with three little closets off of it and we spend the day there because there's rehearsal and crew walkthroughs and stuff like that.
Speaker 4:So you know, even though I didn't necessarily work, these people like in Alex Trebek's case, their signature show, you know spent the day with them on several occasions working all these various different things that come across. So, if you can, you know, I the day with them on several occasions working all these various different things that come across. So, if you can, you know I never worked with Bill Cullen. I mean, he was a generation older than I was. So there's some of the names that may come to mind that I didn't work with, but most of the other folks that you've seen doing this stuff I was thrilled to have an opportunity with. And just magic Monty Hall, I mean, I keep thinking names will come flying from the back of my cerebellum here, but there's a lot of people.
Speaker 1:Togo and Randy West longtime announcer TV. I mean just so many platforms, so many things. I'm really honored to talk to you. You know Gene Rayburn. I remember Match Game like Match Game, 75. Gene Rayburn, it would be like fanny flag and charles nelson riley and uh, what's the guy? I can't think of the guy that brett summers, brett summers, and richard dawson, of course, right gene rayburn.
Speaker 1:Always he had that long, skinny microphone. It was this long, thin microphone. He always seemed like this was my impression of him like he's one of my all-time favorites, like maybe in between maybe went, had a martini or something tuned up a little bit came out, oh yeah, and he was having fun.
Speaker 4:Man, he was having fun he was a kind of a pecs. Bad boy is an old expression, but but he was a rascal might be a better word for it. He would like to press the edges of what the boss wants, like a good disc jockey. The program director wants to keep him in format and a good disc jockey will be creative and kind of stretch the rules a little bit, and Gene loved to do that. When they started doing the match game. Originally Mark Woodson, who produced the show, wanted him to stand behind a podium like most game show hosts. Do you know? You stand at your podium and he's. You know I like to walk around.
Speaker 4:Mark Goodson didn't like the idea, but you had to admire the way he would talk to the contestants and he'd walk across and talk to the panel of six celebrities. It worked so beautifully but it was not the way it was first envisioned. He made the show his own and got grief in some cases for Mark Goodson, who used to leave him memos saying now listen, this is a show with six professional funny people that I'm paying to be funny. We don't need a host to be funny. Now, if you think about it, peter Marshall, who just celebrated his 98th birthday two or three days ago still in great health. He came through COVID in his 90s and is doing spectacularly at 98. He just comes to mind because Mark Goodson referred to Peter Marshall. Now here's a guy who's straight man to nine celebrities. Peter Marshall on the Hollywood Squares for all those years really never said anything funny. You know, he was just a catalyst and a straight man and kept the game moving forward.
Speaker 4:And Mark Whitson's idea was that Gene Rayburn shouldn't be getting laughs, because that's what these professional funny people are for. And of course that idea went right out the window because Gene was hysterical, so he was kind of a bad boy, rascal kind of thing. But oh, he was so smart, so quick and so so funny. And when television started he was among the very first people to move from radio into television and you know, and made himself a home at it.
Speaker 4:And I'll tell you a sad story about Gene. You know we all get to a certain age when you know you're no longer telegenic or the research among the audience, oh, he's too old, or the viewers won't relate to him because he's at a certain age. Well, gene Rayburn spent his whole life on television, from when the TV camera first blinked on and he was very hurt when they brought the match game back in 1990 and didn't ask him to do it Now. Gene and I had the same agent. So the agent called the Goodson people and said well, you don't understand. He's so associated with this show, you want to at least have him on the panel. For goodness sakes. If you don't want him to host, all right, have him on the panel. He's funny, he's quick, he knows this game.
Speaker 1:No-transcript great conversation and that is just a very small portion of our interview. So if you want to hear randy west talking about working with dick clark and chuck woolery and so many other Monty Hall Again, go back to that. Pats Peeps episode number 76. Other things, other people. We did all kinds of stuff on the Pats Peeps in the first 100. I'm going to bring you back to Pats Peeps number 50.
Speaker 1:Halfway here, and initially I talked to Congressman Doug LaMalfa about being in the same most outstanding alumni class at Butte College in the year 2004,. Along with Larry Allen, who just passed away last week the longtime the Hall of Fame guard from the Dallas Cowboys played some time with the 49ers and Cheryl Leith, who was the Butte County Board of Supervisors. We were all in that class, as I explained on this podcast of 2004, the most outstanding alumni at Butte College. It changed all of our lives. Doug LaMalfa now a congressman. I was in that class with him and we talked about many things. I'm just going to jump in. I don't even know where I'm going to pop in here, but we talked about a variety of things. So let's see where we can start here with doug lamalpha. Let's see where we pick it up here you know 2025 or something.
Speaker 5:Well, what's our co2 number? To ask the whole panel, none of them was even close. No, okay, we're talking about global warming here they're advocated that we all have to go through this. I want to take our electric electric stoves, our electric excuse me, force us into electric instead of gas stoves.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 5:And our lawnmowers and our leaf blowers and our cars and even trucks. You know, for example, on a truck, a normal truck you see, going up and down the road, the gross weight of the truck, trailers and the payload is 80,000 pounds typically, unless it's got a special permit right. So a typical truck like one of my rice trucks with two grain trailers weighs about 24 000 pounds empty, just the truck. They call it the tearway t-a-r-e. So if you remove the, the diesel engine and the tranny that goes with it and replace that with an electric motor and especially the battery packs, you add 16,000 pounds for the dual battery packs you have to put in there to do that, and so that means you've taken 16,000 pounds of payload off of an overall, uh, 80,000 pound truck. Would break that into the payload, which is, you know, 56,000 out of the 80. I don't throw a lot of numbers here, but 16,000 loss that means you're going to have to have at least one-fifth to one-third more trucks going up and down the road to do the same job.
Speaker 1:Talking with Congressman Doug LaMalle.
Speaker 5:That's my rant. That's my rant on that. Yeah, I love your rants.
Speaker 1:I love your rants because, again, you speak for so many of us, but here's the thing you have to understand they're saving us, congressman, because now, very soon, maybe in the next few years, listen, we're going to have a bullet train from Bakersfield to Merced, so that should solve most everything, right? I mean, we have the bullet train.
Speaker 5:I to merced, so that should solve most everything, right? I mean we have the bullet train I always laugh at that.
Speaker 1:Remember the show called petticoat junction? I sure, sure I do, uncle joe moving kind of slow with the junction.
Speaker 5:Yes, sir yeah, it was about a little train that had been and the people that live along the route that had been cut off from the main line. So, basically, this is cut off from the main line and, uh, on the show they depicted three towns hooterville on one end, then the, the hotel in the middle of the route, and the other end was a town called pixley pixley yeah, you know what's funny about this? Right now, the route goes from very near pixley, california south end, to merced in the north is what they'll have done within 20 years. So it's just funny, man, it's funny that should solve everything, right there.
Speaker 1:I mean, forget about the fact that what the I mean just the cost of this thing is like tripled, I mean, since the beginning we've gotten nowhere with it. You drive down the highway, now is it quadruple, you know, and it's doing nothing. And then here's another part of this too, you know, going back to the electric cars, uh, there's a recent story out, congressman, where hertz, I believe, was hurt selling back their electric vehicle stock because no one wants these electric vehicles. When they're renting, people don't want to drive. You know, okay, a hundred miles now. Now, the next thing, you know where's it.
Speaker 5:They can't rely on them. Man, yeah, they can't rely on them. You saw a story maybe uh, about a year ago, guy, I think, in michigan was gonna. He took a rental. No, he bought a new. He bought a new electric pickup with the camper. The whole worst is he'd take off from michigan and go, I believe, to the west coast and he made it about two states and he he actually pulled into a dealer and and pulled in and traded it in, for I think he probably got a decent pickup. He traded in because he could not deal with the nonsense of having to stop and charge, you know.
Speaker 1:We talked. I had such a good time talking with the Congressman Doug LaMalfa. We talked about so many things, so many things. I'll just fast forward and see what it pops up with right here.
Speaker 5:We ran the camp Burned to the west, let's see, here we go. And we know 85 people lost their lives. The whole town of Paradise, pretty much, is gone.
Speaker 1:Talking about the campfire.
Speaker 5:Nixie Fire wiped out the town of Greenville, the town of Canyon Dam, completely gone. Is Canyon Dam, greenville three-quarters gone, and all the other threats we have up and down here. Because you can't do a simple thing like a common-sense person like, well, you better take that tree down and maybe it would be smart to clear along the power lines anyway. So you know, pg&e is the one that gets sued over it, right? So they have a level of fault, I guess too, but I lay a lot of the feet of the bureaucrats that don't allow what needs to be done. These power lines were built many, many years ago and they used to clear around them easily. It didn't require having to count every snail daughter out there before you could actually do the work.
Speaker 1:Talking about force management. We talked about wokeness. We talked about crime. Talking about force management, we talked about wokeness. We talked about crime. If you want to hear Congressman Doug LaMalfa, please check out episode number 50. It was really a pleasure speaking with him. You know, we also did some other interesting things, very different things along the line. For instance, going back to Pat's Peeps number 66, we played a thing for you with a DJ named Coyote. What is his name? Coyote? I'll set it for you. Anyhow. He, what's his name? Coyote? He burns his bridge on the air. If you heard the story, you know what I'm talking about, but I believe that's what this is. I sure hope that's what this is. Anyhow, let's pull it up here from Patspeep66. Speaking of crazy, I'm going to play this for you. This is one of my favorites Speaking of radio. I played this on my show before, but I'm going to play it anyhow because this is a guy who just got fed up with things on the radio. Coyote J Calhoun was a DJ.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Coyote J Calhoun. Thank you, Patrick. And he says you know what? I can't take the playlist, I want to do some other stuff. Why are we not being creative so?
Speaker 2:Coyote Calhoun decides he's just going to go ahead and do his own thing.
Speaker 6:The Coyote's howling at the moon the 102. It was my show.
Speaker 6:I'll do whatever the hell. I want Peace of mind. I can have a peace of my mind right now, ladies and gentlemen. I don't think we play enough Boston. I don't think we play enough Pink Floyd. We don't play enough Death Row, joe, we don't even play any Mountain who, mountain Shut up. So because I love me, oh, but more so because I love me, and in this mind, joe, I can do what I want. Let me continue and play Ooh for Boston. It's a long version of Long Times, but a long time ago music was heard on this radio station. We're going to remedy that tonight.
Speaker 6:Ladies and gentlemen, I feel so good, ooh, I want to take myself into a hotel room. I feel so good about myself. Z-102 FM. You know, tonight I decided to do whatever I want. Why? Because it's my show. I am the king of the city and sometimes you can follow. It's just so darn. Excuse me, I'm so sorry. You know I am a butthead. I won the butthead award last night. Everybody voted and said it was 93 to 12. They want a coyote to am a butthead. I won the Butthead Award last night. Everybody voted and said it was 93 to 12. They want a coyote to be a butthead. I thank you for your support and I can guarantee you my pledge to you is continued buttheadedness through the entire year you've ever seen. And believe me, ladies and gentlemen, I can do it. Why? Because I've had a lot of practice being a butthead. I appreciate your support, your confidence.
Speaker 6:What we're talking about right now is this station's format, which is buggy me. You know what I'm supposed to play next hour. Oh, madonna, open your heart, please every breath you take. We haven't heard that song enough. Have we? Please every breath you take many times? Do you think we've played that song in the past four years? Probably 5,000 times.
Speaker 6:My point is how many times have we played Pink Floyd off their brand new CD? Yeah, zero, none. Well, you know I've played two or three cuts off the Pink Floyd CD in the past three months. You know how I did it. I sneaked the CD in here and I played it without authority and without permission here. And I played it without authority and without permission why? Because I knew you wanted to hear it.
Speaker 6:The cd has sold four million copies. We play nothing off it. That's a good business decision, isn't it? Oh, I can tell, these people are smart. We hire a consultant to tell us hey, don't play that, it's all for me. And copies someone might like it. Keep it off. The station fly's my favorite bam. I'm gonna remedy the fact we don't play any pink flight right now. Ladies and and gentlemen, it's Z102. I hope you're behind me. Stand behind me, because we have to change this autocratic way and this completely fascist way this radio station is run. I'm sure you agree. You're tired of hearing the same old garbage day in and day out. Let's play some. What is that?
Speaker 3:Pink Floyd, I know he tell me Wow Walking Coyote Calhoun Walking for the diesel.
Speaker 6:That's so good. Ladies and gentlemen, I think my medication is finally on off. All I'm going to do tonight, as I was saying, is have a real-world request and dedication show.
Speaker 1:So he's having a meltdown, coyote Calhoun, pretty soon his boss catches on. No, here comes the boss. My hotline is ringing.
Speaker 6:Well, ladies and gentlemen, my hotline is ringing. I bet this will be interesting. How does that answer the hotline in the air? Oh, that's going to be fun. Don't tell anybody. Come on, Coyote 102 FM. Hello, what the hell are you doing? I'm playing one of my favorite bands, Boston. I'm playing Boston, Steve. A lot of Boston is what I'm doing. Why Is?
Speaker 5:this on the air.
Speaker 6:Ladies and gentlemen, Steve Russell, our program director of WZBQ. Yes, Steve, we're on the air.
Speaker 5:Get me off the air now.
Speaker 6:Lighten up, Steve, it's just a bit just a joke. Get me off the air now. No, I'm not going to. I'll take you off the air, then you'll give me a bad time. Why don't you just tell the people since?
Speaker 3:Oh God, Uh-oh.
Speaker 6:Well, I'll tell you what. Ladies and gentlemen, let's not let that ruin our party. Let's play some more Boston. See you one more time.
Speaker 3:I don't eat children Rockin' for the team.
Speaker 6:Rockin' for the team run by fascist, communist, socialistic programming fatheads. It's an all catch 22. We play a lot of garbage. We're going to try to balance the garbage from now on on my show with some good, so we're supposed to play a commercial too. Let's do that. Okay, enough of that. I don't really feel like playing commercials. I'm on a roll. I'm feeling, I'm really worked up. I'm I'm a little woozy, I am seeing double. I think I'm gonna faint because after let's. Uh. Well, what you really should do, ladies, ladies and gentlemen, before we continue, is call Steve Russell back, because I really don't want him to be angry at me. He is, after all, the program director and he did sound a little miffed and a little peeved. Sometimes they take these things so seriously. So I'm breaking the format for one hour. Big deal, we're in ratings right now. So he's hyper. Let me call him.
Speaker 1:Best thing that ever happened to this station.
Speaker 6:We'll just call Steve and make sure that he's not angry with me. Hello, hello, who's this? It's Janice Janice, ladies and gentlemen, the lovely wife of Mr Steve Russell, janice, hello Janice, how are you? I'm fine, thanks. You still having a sexual problem? No, I don't, let me speak to Steve, please.
Speaker 3:He's not here.
Speaker 6:Where is he?
Speaker 3:He's on his way to the station.
Speaker 6:He's coming here? Yes, he is. Oh, okay, well, I'll talk to him when he gets here. Then, okay, okay, okay, nice talking with you, bye. Bye, janice, then. Okay, okay, nice talking with you, bye.
Speaker 3:Bye, Janice, Steve you want a two?
Speaker 6:Okay, I want to play. Let's play some Mountain. You should enjoy this. I think Steve will enjoy some Mountain. You know we don't play this either. Here's some Mountain Steve C-102 FM. Felix Papalardi, leslie Weston Mountain. We don't play any Mountain. Can you believe that? As big as that band was, a lot of followers and Felix Papalardi, a fine, upstanding gentleman that I knew personally and I believe he was shot to death at a Topless Nightclub. But we should play something out there because that Mississippi was the number one record in 1970.
Speaker 6:Do we play it? No?
Speaker 1:Shot to Death at a Topless Nightclub. Applause.
Speaker 6:You know all the records we don't play. You know what by Led Zeppelin. You know what we play by Led Zeppelin. You know what we play by REM One song, the one I love. They have seven albums out. We play one song and you know why this happens. It's really not Steve Russell's fault. I know he's driving to the station, probably listening to me. I hope you are listening to what I'm saying right now. Listen closely, steve. I don't hold you responsible for this. I know you're just a victim Of this machinery which we call radio. We're all victimized by this monster. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a consultant in Virginia that we pay big money.
Speaker 6:I need more money than anybody in the station makes to send us music lists on what we should play. He tells us what to play and dictates to you what you're going to hear, and he's in Virginia. Here's the music sheet right here. Look what we got. We got Madonna, Prince Huey, Lewis, Styx oh how.
Speaker 1:So meanwhile, Boss is on his way down to the station to put an end to this nonsense. I want him to state his position.
Speaker 6:I want him, man to man, to sit down in the chair and tell everybody why we listen to this Jeffrey's boob and why we. I want him to state his position. I want him to.
Speaker 1:I don't shut the mic off.
Speaker 6:We'll ask him why are we putting up with this? We know what to do. We've been on radio 10, 15 years. We don't need management to tell us what to do. Ladies and gentlemen, Shut the mic off. Ladies and gentlemen, the program director of WZBQ and my friend Steve Russell Hello. Shut the mic off.
Speaker 3:Back off.
Speaker 6:You're making it worse. Shut the mic off, the mic stays on. Cut the mic off or you're gone. I cannot believe that. This is a big damn deal. Cut the mic off now. The mic stays on. I'm sorry, cut the mic off If you damn deal. Cut the mic off now. Mike stays on. I'm sorry, cut the mic off. If you come close to the mic, I back off russell. Your mic is on, I'll kill you. Oh Shadow, oh God Shadow. Are you all right, shadow? Cut the mic off. Is someone playing the?
Speaker 1:Supremes. You playing the Supremes. That's where I expect Tommy Chong to come in. You playing the Supremes. Coyote Callone Going back to Pats Peeps 66. Here on Pats Peeps 100.
Speaker 1:Also on that particular one, the perils of fame, stalking stories, Aaron Donald's exit and Clarence Carter's soulful sign-off. So you know, we run the gamut here on Pat's Peeps, and there are so many others that I haven't even spoke about. But suffice it to say I think you'll be entertained at least I hope you will be and again, a huge thank you, as we are now at 100. This was a big milestone for me and I look forward to so much more and I promise you this. You're about to and I know I've been saying this by the way, here, hold on, here, listen to this. Somebody gave me these. This is I. These are actual peeps, marshmallow peeps, 10 chicks, 10 chickies, baby, gluten-free and fat-free. Even with that, I would not eat a peep. I'm just not. I just uh, I've never been. Know, I don't care for the edible Peeps, I'm just. I like my people, People who go on these trips with us, with conservative tours or use the businesses that I talk about, that I'm just trying to show you, or tell you about People who, on these podcasts you've heard in the background Some of the little things we've done here. On the Pat's Peeps first 100, you've heard Southgate glass installing French doors. You've heard American River flooring up here putting in shiplap. You've heard heck.
Speaker 1:One day I I don't know what I was talking about anyone remember this for your listening. Like no one comes to my little mystery hut in the forest. But I had just I think I can't remember why they came up. Maybe it was the jacket I ordered from Italy, I don't really recall, but someone came up to my door right in the middle of podcast so I had to put the show on hold and I had the Muzak for on hold. Remember that your call is very important to us. Your listening is very important to us. Please hold on. So you know I heard a great story about that.
Speaker 1:By the way, Someone was listening to that podcast and laughing because I'm playing Muzak, because someone literally knocked on my door and I had to go attend to them. I couldn't just look at him and go hey, how you doing? I'm just doing a podcast. So, just for fun, I put the music on hold music. So he's telling me he heard that and he got to his destination. He's listening to his in his vehicle, gets to his destination, turns the vehicle off, goes in, does what he was going to do, Comes back out a couple hours later, starts his vehicle and he's listening to Muzak. And he says I'm sitting there for like 30 seconds going, what the hell am I listening to? What is this Muzak? And then, bam, I cut back in. He'd forgotten that he was in the middle of the podcast and somehow thought he was listening to Muzak station. But he was listening to our podcast. I wish I could find that right now, but it's in there.
Speaker 1:And again, thank you for those of you who called into my show last night and said you would binge watch Patrick Labrador. He was a child actor, Love Boat in Little House on the Prairie and he told some wonderful stories about seeing the real yellow brick road and so many other things working on the Love Boat, the time he wanted to meet Starsky and Hutch and he had to play dead. You got to hear that one, Patrick Labrador, a nice guy. He's on Pat's Peeps number 60. And one of the things that I have been consistent with throughout is, like I said before, is finishing each show by playing featuring one of the records from my rare 45 collection. Every day I just pull out a random 45. These were all, as I mentioned, from the get-go At this radio station I worked at in Chico, KPAY.
Speaker 1:There was a combo station, AMFM. They changed this office that was stacked with these old records into a more updated office. I got all these records that had been sitting on the shelves literally since the 50s, never even being touched most of them. So I own this extremely rare collection and they're all radio DJ copies, not even for sale copies, which makes them even rarer. So I'm going to end Pat's Peeps 100 with that and today I pull one out. It's on United Artists Records, Very, very common.
Speaker 1:Except one side is mono and it has a white label. It says promo, not for sale. The other side is stereo and it's yellow and there's two of these records in here in this generic green sleeve that they put these in. It's got a stamp on it from the radio station. I think it says, oh yeah, it says November 1974. So I'll look at the date when I start telling you about it. But there's two of them in here. I'm going to pull them apart. They're in beautiful condition, with the exception of. Excuse me, something must have got between the two, because there is a speck of something that each one of these records are sharing, one on the white side, one on the yellow side. But I'm going to play one of the good sides here. I'll play the side that has the November radio sticker on there. All right, put it back in there, just so I can. I don't want to get it ruined as I'm reading, so anyhow.
Speaker 1:So this particular song was and you'll know right away who I'm talking about when I say the name Jeff Lynn. I mean you talk about a great artist, great writer, great musician, great, I mean founder of a great band still going strong. Saw him not that long ago. I'm going to be seeing him again, I think, in October. A great producer, Although for me, even though he is a great producer, he's a very and a lot of the top people tom petty, traveling woolberries a lot of people used him as their producer. It's a very clean, clean, produced sound, if you like that. I like a little grit, but he's so good and I love the band anyhow.
Speaker 1:So this was originally recorded in november 74, just just like it says on their record November 74. It was first released on the band's fourth album, El Dorado, in September of that year. It's the second track on the album and follows the El Dorado Overture. I know many of you know already what I'm talking about here. I used to love this song by the way, I have a lot of records, a lot of 45s from this band and albums. But the song was released in November, like I said, that same year. I always liked this one when they played it on the radio. There's quite a few songs on this album. I love this album the album cover, by the way, featuring the ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz and you have the Wicked Witch's hands in there, those green hands and the little electric buzz or whatever.
Speaker 1:But the song became this band's first top 10 single in the United States. I didn't know that. I would have never guessed that. Wow, Not number one, but first top ten. It reached number nine and helped boost public awareness of this band in the US. The single and the record itself, the LP, failed a chart in the UK and in 1978, it was included as a lead song on a four-track EP in a UK release reached number 34 on the UK charts and it appeared on a bunch of this band's compilation albums, and Lin wrote the song partially in response to his father's criticism that the previous songs he wrote didn't have any tune His own father's criticism wanting to show that he could write a song with a beautiful melody.
Speaker 1:And Jeff Lynn stated that the lyrics were about a man who was dreaming. He sees the vision of loveliness and wakes up and finds that he's actually a clerk working in a bank and so will not be able to act on his dream. Not enough of us act on our dreams Without further ado. Elo Can't Get it Out of my Head, Love the drummer. The drummer just pounds it here.
Speaker 3:I love it here. I should call my life, and I can't get it out of my head. No, I can't get it out of my head. Now my whole world is gone for days, cause I can't get it out of my head. Break down.
Speaker 1:I love the background singers right here Reminds me of Wizard of Oz. The shoreline Can't move.
Speaker 3:It's an air time Morning, coming in tonight Searching for a silver light, and I can't get it out of my head. No, I can't get it out of my head. Now my whole world is gone for dead Cause I can't get it out of my head.
Speaker 1:Beautiful song, yellow, and again, I don't have the rights to it. I'm just trying to educate, turn people on to the music, provide a critique if you will. Thank you so much From the bottom of my heart. I thank you so very much. Can't tell you how much it means to me personally and to my friends who helped start this, for listening to Pat's Peeps. I promise in the extreme near future a whole new aspect that you're going to enjoy. For now, thank you. We'll see you on the radio.