Keeping It In Neutral

Thursday April 2nd, 2009 - Kansas City, KS

Another serving of fresh hot radio this morning with an order of politics on the side. It’s an uncomfortable situation but I’m right in the middle of it and I really don’t enjoy it at all. It’s the ugly side of comedy, radio and show business in general and they’re overlapping.

There’s a rock morning show in town that’s got absolutely monster ratings. There aren’t many other situations like it and everyone wants to be on that show. I can think of but few other examples of this other than a Brother Wease in Rochester, NY or a Tom Barnard in Minneapolis and not many others. The guy here has been a big winner in town for years.

The last two times I was in Kansas City I was on the show and did very well. I liked the guy and his news woman and I thought they really did a strong show. I still think that and I just assumed I would be on again but there have been some politics going on and I have been blown off for two straight mornings. I may be on tomorrow but nobody knows yet.

This has nothing at all to do with me personally and I have to handle it delicately. This is between the radio guy and the owner of the club Craig Glazer. Craig is a true character in town and I mean that in a good way. He’s infamous and famous at the same time and he’s really into show business. He is an actor and producer and has been around the LA scene.

He just wrote a book about his life called ‘The King of Sting’ and it’s a true crime story of how he did stings for the government to catch drug dealers. He wasn’t an angel and did prison time but he is up front about everything and talks about it freely. I thought my bank robbery story was a good one until I met Craig. He can go toe to toe with me and more.

Although he has jet black hair and a tan and a deep gravelly voice and drives a Porsche and likes to play the role of a bad ass gangster type he really does have a heart inside and I genuinely like the guy. Maybe it’s because he’s a Pisces like me or whatever it is but he’s a teddy bear inside and we’ve always gotten along very well the times I came here to work.

He and the radio guy were in business apparently with a nightclub deal a while back and I really don’t know all the details. I don’t want to know and it’s none of my business but it is still a sore spot and there have been some feelings going back and forth between them.

I really don’t want to get involved in it and I don’t want to take sides but Craig is in the bad position because he needs the radio exposure more than the radio guy needs to put us comedians on the air. His show is already a strong number one and he can get along quite dandily without having me or any other of Craig’s comics on his show. I understand that.

I also understand that Craig and I are in business together this week and we need to get as much publicity as we can to put asses in seats so I have to be ready to go if they will let me and I will do exactly that. I don’t want to take sides in this. I just want to get on the air and pump up the shows. Again, this is part of show business most people never get to see. I don’t want to see it myself quite frankly but it’s a reality and I have to tiptoe around it.