The reason I’m not rich is because of cars so I guess better said, I’ve been car-poor my whole life. In fact, every time I got a raise, I got myself a new car, but it all ends now.
No more paying for parking, no DUIs, no rising insurance costs, no license fees, no gas, oil, new tires, or all the maintenance bullshit.My addiction to automobiles began when I sat on my father’s lap so I could reach the steering wheel and that’s all she wrote.
In fact when I turned seventeen, I’d saved up enough money pumping gas to buy a 1948 Pontiac straight eight rag top. (See above) and I’ve been buying them ever since.

Those who have read my stuff know that I used to frequent Duffy’s Sports Grill in West Palm Beach almost every night.
And it was at this Duffy’s that I met a fascinating guy named Buzz Braman about ten years ago. Damn, it feels like 10 minutes.

Buzz (Shown on top back in the day with Shaq), who is part of the Braman car empire here in South Palm Beach, used to be the assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and then the Orlando Magic, where he coached Superstars like Shaq and Penny Hardaway.

His job was to improve the players’ shooting skills; the weird part was he was better than all of them.
He is known as the “Shot Doc” and once threw a record-shattering 738 free throws in a row, plus 246 out of 250 3-pointers and made 1121 out of 1144 free throw attempts in one hour, not mention beating Larry Bird in a three-point shoot out.  See trophy above

Even now, Buzz is talking to the NBA about a new shooting technique he’s created that he claims will revolutionize basketball, which he said took a nice right turn last night.
Unfortunately, as he told a good friend of his in Orlando recently, he’s a little nervous because of his severe back problems, so he hasn’t been able to shoot a basketball in about eight months. His buddy said, “Hell, Buzz, it’s like riding a basketball.” 🙂

Anyway, back at Duffy’s, where I seldom go now because, as the saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”
I guess I must have overstayed my welcome, so when the service went south, I switched to BJ’s and brought a few of my friends with me.

Okay, enough of my whining; let’s get back to the story, enough of these sidebars.
Anyway, one night. there’s Buzz and I at Duffy’s having one or three adult beverages at the bar, talking about all the guitar links we’ve exchanged over the years. (Buzz and I are both big Blues guitar fans.)

After a while, Buzz, needing another drink, starts looking around for a bartender, but none are around, so he turns to me and says, “You would think with the thousands of dollars we spend in this joint, that they’d buy us a fucking drink once in a while.

Less than 30 seconds later, from out of nowhere, the GM comes over and says, “Can I buy you guys a drink?”
Buzz and I fell off our stools.

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

I wonder what percentage of female athletes are gay?

It takes a lot of courage to speak out and a lot to not.

The future don’t look anything like the past.

What President ever halted inflation?

Were there ever any signs that read, “No whites allowed?”

When I got into radio, I thought everything was too fucking long, so I spent most of my career shortening everything.

My biggest failure in life was trying to make the people I love happy.

Speaking of failure, NOT! I’ll never forget the day we were all gathered in Jim Hilliard’s office in Indy because the new rating book for Indianapolis had just arrived. We’d just come off our best ever, which was a 17 share, and were quite anxious to see if we maintained it. We laa lean forward as Jim turns to page 54 and says, “Damn it, Johns, I was sure you had a twenty; you only got a 19.3.

The best part about getting into a Hall of Fame was the amount of money you made while getting there. Trump kinda reminds me of a used car salesman because, like all salesfolks, he lies for a living.

Who took down the “Looters will be shot” signs?

A noble person is one who can give and forget but receive and remember.

Is there anything more boring than being in a meeting where everyone agrees? Hell, I was already gone after the first “yes.”

Wouldn’t you just once like to hear someone say no when asked in a movie if they’re okay?

If you ever wonder if you’re crazy, you ain’t. Crazy people don’t ask themselves silly questions like that.

When people don’t answer your questions, it’s a good reason to keep on asking them.

Has anybody in DC ever read a book?

Wow, Jimmy Buffet is gone at 76.

COMMENTS

Wendy Homes: The most important thing about playing Poker is to remain calm and retain your Poker face. Years ago, when we had our cottage on Lake of the Woods, we usually played Canasta in the evening with two other couples. One evening, our adult children convinced us to play Texas Holdem, which I had never played before. Well, I was one of the last remaining two, and I laid down three of a kind! The whole table erupted, and one of the kids asked me if I was sure that I’d never played before; what a gas!! I’m really good at Blackjack, too but I never tried it in Las Vegas.
Geo: Wendy, I don’t usually like to play games of any kind. However, when I was taking my Grandson Nathaniel college shopping on the train, at some point, he got bored and asked if I’d play poker with him.
He’d previously heard the “Deal Me In” story, and because I adored him, I reluctantly agreed to play.
So, there we were in the dome car, using M&Ms and Skittles as chips, and he was kicking my ass. Finally, he says, “Buppa, I always know what you’re holding because if you’ve got a good hand, you do this, and if you’ve got a bad hand, you do that.”
I won the next hand and most of the rest, and he couldn’t believe it and when he asked what just happened, I said, “You forgot the part in the “Deal Me In” story where Jim Hilliard says, “If George Johns ever sits in, cash me out.” He knew that if I ever sat in, I knew the rules. Hey, grasshopper, you taught me the rules!

Bill Gardner: You think it’s fun visiting Las Vegas, you ought to live here as we do! It’s Disneyland for grown-ups.
Had to laugh when you describe my former WFIL Philadelphia Program Director Jim Hilliard in the air as a “white knuckler.” Take it from a now airline captain, Jim has every right to! He’s the ONLY guy I know that survived an airline crash! I believe it was a DC9 aboard Hughes AirWest. (Deal Me In)
Geo: Bill, what was so weird about all that, Bill, was, he was sneaking up to Winnipeg to interview for the CKY position and when Pat O’Day saw the list of survivors, he was only one of the few who knew Jim’s real name and was pissed. As Pat told me later, when they sent Jim to KNEW in Spokane Pat asked him how much money he wanted so the company wouldn’t have to worry about him looking for work. Jim told him, the company paid it and a few weeks, Pat, was reading about Jim flying to Winnipeg for obviously a job interview.

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, and Religion, but mostly about Life, primarily written with men in mind.
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It’s hard to believe it’s already been sixty years since I met the man who changed my life.
Somehow, he managed to open my eyes to a future so bright that there was no doubt that I was gonna need some cool shades.

His name was Jimmy Darin, and he was the Program Director at CKY in Winnipeg, where I had just been hired as a board op.
Who could have known that ten years later, after blowing up Philly as the PD of WFIL, I would become his National Program Director when he was the CEO of Fairbanks Broadcasting?

However, by the time he started running Fairbanks, he was no longer Jimmy Darin; he was using his real name, Jim Hilliard.
Things at Fairbanks back then were going so well that Jim would take my sales counterpart, Dick Yancey, and me on a 3-day junket to Vegas each year.

Cramming as much as we could into three days, we didn’t want to waste a lot of time in airports, so we’d make an illegal connection in Chicago.
Our tickets had us on a later flight but because a different Vegas left from the gate right next to us in 15 minutes, we jumped on it.

On one of our more memorable trips, as usual, we were sitting up front, having a Bloody Mary, but then the pilot’s voice came over the intercom saying, “Hey folks, you’re in for a real treat today.”
He then went on to say, “Not only are you going see the Grand Canyon, but you’re gonna see it from the inside.”

Wow, there we were in one of the most giant airplanes ever built, a 747, looking out the window up at the rim of the Grand Canyon. Unbelievable!
However, what  I remember most about that moment was Hilliard, a white knuckler saying, “George, tell that fucking pilot to get this fucking airplane outta here right now!.”

About an hour after all the excitement in the plane subsided, there we were checking into Caesars, my favorite hotel in Vegas.
After Jim put a bunch of money into their bank we headed to the tables. 

Even though I’m not a gambler, I love Vegas, and I love to watch.
What I love hearing as I watch is the pit boss strolling over and saying to Jim, “Mr. H, you and your guests’ accommodations have been comped.”

Then after watching Jim and Yance gamble for a little while, it was time for me to check out all the cool new stuff in the shops.
The best thing about the clothes in Vegas is you never see them anywhere else, which is very cool if your goal is to be cool.

Then, every hour or so, I’d wander back to where Jim and Yance were playing.
Upon arrival, Jim would hand me a bunch of black chips and say, “No matter how hard I beg, don’t give these back to me.”

At some point, Jim would finally wind it down, and we’d go to the lounge where, Louis Prima and Keely Smith, usually played.
However, it was during one of our Vegas excursions, that we learned that our all-time favorite, Fats Domino was playing in the big room.

Now, being from Canada, I had no idea how things worked in America, but I was about to learn.
Once inside the big room where Jim scored tickets because he was Mr. H., the usher led us up to the back row of the theater.

When we arrived at our seats, Jim introduced himself, and as they shook hands, Jim asked if it was possible to get us a little closer.
The next thing I knew, we were being led down to our new seats, which were so close that I was almost sitting at the piano with Fats.

When I asked Jim why the hell the usher thought we wanted to sit in the back instead of here, he said, “I think it was $100 bill I slipped to him while we were shaking hands that gave him a clue.”
Ahh, another life lesson that would make life a lot more pleasant as I moved forward. Hello Grammys and backstage passes.

When our 3-day adventure was over, I would give Jim back all the black chips I held for him.
Now, depending on how many of those black chips I gave him, decided whether or not we’d have a pleasant flight home.

Oh, yeah, what about me and gambling?
Jim loved playing cards, so every once in a while, he’d have a bunch of the guys over to play poker at his place.

As I said, I didn’t gamble, but because I liked hangin’ with the guys, I’d bartend.
Throughout the night, they’d try to get me to sit in, but I’d say that I was too busy mixing drinks.

One morning, on our drive to work after one of those late-night poker sessions, Jim said to me, “Johns, you know why you don’t gamble, right?”
“Of course,” I said, “It’s because it doesn’t do anything for me.” “No,” he responded, ” It’s because you don’t know the rules.”

Then he added, “Know this, squirrel, whenever that day comes when you decide to sit in, cash me out!”
(Jim and me shown below)

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

One should always become childlike but never childish.

There are three types: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who say, “What the hell happened?”

Speaking of what the hell happened, I remember when the whole world wanted to live in America.

One of the things I like about California more than Florida is California’s baby Hurricanes.

You choose your future when you choose what you believe and who you hang out with.

I know this is a silly question I know, but I gotta ask: Why is it so easy to buy things but not so easy to cancel them?

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a couple of games out front of the pack in the western division of the CFL, and I think If the lads get up on their tippy toes, they probably can see the playoffs and the Grey Cup. Go, Big Blue! 

After he retired, Ron Chapman of KVIL in Dallas told me that even though he’s been inducted into three different Radio Halls of Fame, the thing he was most proud of was being asked by Paul Harvey to fill in for him when he was ill. Ron did it perfectly for a whole year.

Speaking of Paul Harvey, here’s the real thing. Check out why he had twenty-two million radio listeners. ….,https://youtu.be/RYmTl7iM6ks 

COMMENTS

Jed Duval: How did you keep the limo perk a secret from Gary Todd or Chuck Riley?
Both would have wanted it or some other perk like it.
I had never heard about it until just now. As Jim Hilliard would always tell me after meetings: “Remember, loose lips sink ships!” (C-Mo or L-Mo)
Geo: I never communicated much about what was happening at any of our radio stations, Jed. When I made a market visit, I wanted them to deal with the stations in their market. I didn’t want our stations competing with each other; they had enough competition in their own market to keep them busy. Gary only talked to Jim in Indy, so he would have to hear about the Chapman perk from him. As for Riley, he didn’t give a shit.

Hey, Radio, here’s the real problem: you haven’t kept up with the changes, nor do you realize how much money there is lying around out here
But you keep on schlepping 60s and 30s for chump change anyway, which is so old school; shame on you!

Everything always changes, as did my daughter Cami in just a few short years at USF in Tampa.
(The picture on top shows how she looked like on her first day at USF. The next photo shows her when she graduated, and the final reveals what she’ll look like on her first day at South Florida University, where she’ll be studying for her Master’s Degree in Psychology.) Color me a proud Dad.

Meanwhile, here’s an example of how things have changed drastically in the advertising world.
Bing paid Ryan Seacrest a million dollars to stop saying Google and say Bing instead and spiffed iHeart a Mil to let him do it. No spots involved.

Where did that two million come from, and what was the cost per point on that deal?
Is there something your Superstar morning team may be able to mention that would be worth a few bucks? Just askin’.

Don’t you wonder what it costs to have a stadium named after a company so the media has to chant your name every time an event is held there?
Where did that money come from, and what targeting techniques did they want? What do you suppose, Mr. CPA?

Why are they paying millions of dollars to a bunch of athletes to use their product? Where did that money come from?
Hey, what about all those digital billboards you see in arenas, stadiums, and on the highways and byways? What the hell has that got to do with accountability, cost per point, or targeting?

Oh, and did you know that your superiors foolishly gave away your databases to Facebook?
Hey, radio had no idea what to do with it, but Facebook sure did.

Oh, and did you realize that they’re spending as much on advertising as they always have, if not more?
They’re just not spending it in the same old way.

Hello, Hello. Are You Sales Folks Awake in Yet Another Sales Meeting? 
Come on out into the sunshine; as I said up top, million-dollar bills are lying around out here just waiting to be harvested; I know ’cause I can smell ’em!

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

.Last week, I was talking to my friend Buzz Braman about why we made the trek to BJ’s.
Not a tough question to answer; hey, when the bartenders started to seem annoyed that we were back again, it was time to move on. Oh yeah, and it was never a place that you’d take a first date to, whereas BJ’s is.

Speaking of dates, if you’re at BJs in West Palm with a date or a friend and because you read Radio Geo’s Media Blog, say to your server for the next thirty days, “Hey, Geo’s buying our first round.” Oh, and if you’re all by yourself,  no problem, I’m still buying.

My family has always been more important to me than my country.(I’ve lived in three.)

It’s your attitude that determines whether you’re facing an obstacle or an opportunity.

I find it so strange how we won’t let animals suffer, but we don’t seem to mind if people do. 🙁

Speaking of suffering, what irritates me the most about the left and the right is the far right wants to ban abortions, and the extreme left wants to let boys who think their girls compete in female sports.
Unfortunately, they are both loud about their positions. (Can you use your inside voices, please?)

When my Class format was really hot, every time I’d travel to a new city to install it, the local sales folks would always greet me with, “What if it doesn’t work here,” and I’d always respond, “What if it does?

Most of my life is an open book, but I gotta keep some things under wraps; hey, I got daughters.

When I became a father, all I  wanted to be was to be a better father than my Dad was, which wasn’t a stretch. However, then again, maybe I was just a bad son.

Most people don’t care how much they pay for something as long as they think they’re getting more than they paid for.

Don’t ya hate it when companies email you their shit with no reply emails?

Did you know that Elvis sold out all of his concerts, 1684 of them? (I was at three of them, including his last.) Hell, even the Beatles didn’t do that.

So, whenever I’m arguing with a woman who manages to bring it to the point where I would punch her out if she were a guy,  I’d bring up sex.

This would usually back them off, but the new generation of women now is not intimidated by sex.

One can only wonder if the new generation of men who have been taught to treat women equally knows that even though she may deserve it, you never hit a woman.

When he sees a woman with a cigar, what man can’t help but think about Monika Lewinski?

Hey, Superman, what’s more critical, the world or your family?

Speaking of dying, I can only wonder how many young people have died. for some an old man’s dream?

When are the left and the right gonna realize that it’s the media that’s driving us apart?

The only thing that can stop you is you. 

Is there anything better than McDonald’s fries or In-N-Out Burgers?

How about those Lions going to Kansas City and upsetting the Superbowl Champs?

Speaking of Football, my Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicked the shit out of the Saskatchewan Roughriders to further entrench them in first place in the Western Division of the CFL. Go, Big Blue!

Can you imagine how exciting it was for Lois Lane to fall in love with Clark Kent and then get fuck Superman?

Hey, Mr. Policeman, when you say get on the fucking ground, and they resist instead of yellin’, just shoot them and save us some court time. However, if they do get on the ground quickly, back the fuck off. Are we fucking clear?

In my book “Guitars & Radio & Wild Wild Women,” one of the wild women I was involved with told me that even though she didn’t like heavy metal music, she always went to concerts anyway.
The reason she said was, “I just wanna fuck the Guitar Gods.”

Speaking of a Guitar Gods, check this out:

COMMENTS

Wendy Holmes: George, I agree with your comment on Hockey players. They are tough as nails and provide that little extra with their fighting.
I have to say that Football players also have to be tough in order to survive all of that close contact their bodies endure. They add a little comedic relief for the fans each time they have achieved a good play on the field, which adds to their appeal. Not to mention all of that Spandex on those young men’s bodies, which adds allure for us women!! Naughty me! (C-Mo or L-Mo:)
Geo: I knew that naughty girl that I once knew was bound to show up again. Welcome back. 🙂

The other day, I had lunch with my friend Buzz Braman, whom I’ve known for at least ten years.
Buzz and I met at Duffy’s, where we started chatting because we’re into blues guitarists.

Anyway, at lunch, Buzz and I started laughing about how we were both national figures in our chosen professions, but in our hometowns, they probably wondered what ever happened to us.
Now, we both live in West Palm Beach, Florida, where nobody knows or cares who we are.

For many years, Buzz was the assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers before moving on to the Orlando Magic, where he coached Shaq and Penny Hardaway and was known as “The Shot Doc.”
After about twenty-five years, he retired from the NBA and rejoined the family business, Braman Motors, in South Florida.

At Braman, the employees have no idea who Buzz is other than they know that he’s a member of the lucky sperm club.
Braman is huge in South Florida, where they sell luxury cars such as Rolls Royce, Bentley, Mercedes, BMWs, and Porches.

Buzz’s Uncle Norm is the sole owner of Braman Motors, and not only is the company worth about 8 Billion Dollars, but it’s also big enough to hold its own convention.
Every year, all the employees, along with their families, gather at the West Palm Beach Convention Center. Each new employee must bring a video explaining who they are and what they’re all about.

Being a new employee, Buzz was no exception to the rule, so here’s his video/

https://vimeo.com/246835160

COMMENTS

@BruceMunson: George, toss great quotes around like confetti. My new favorite of yours:”When you understand why they put a round pizza in a square box and serve it as a triangle, you’ll understand women.”
Geo: Bruce, I’ve been studying women my whole life and even have two daughters, but I was closer to understanding them before I started studying them.

@WendyHolmes: George, Get your head out of the sand! Regarding your life liner, “Being a good-looking guy gets you laid; being a beautiful woman gets you a lot more.” Wow, time to get with the program and realize that the women of today have a lot more to offer a man than a good roll in the hay!!
We are better educated, have well-paying careers, and still take care of our families while adding to the family income.  Remember the old saying, “It takes two to Tango”?  Geez, time to smell the coffee, my dear! (Pretty Privileged)
Geo: You may have missed my intent, Wendy; only women are “Pretty Privileged,” being pretty doesn’t help men that much.