Radio Geo’s Media Blog (Gar & Geo’s Big Apple Adventure) Part 1. 1/09/23

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Sadly, on January 02/16, one of my dearest friends, Gary Russell, passed away.
When I became a Program Director for the first time at CKOM in Saskatoon, Gar, who, like me, had started his radio career at CKY-FM in Winnipeg, was the first air talent I ever hired.

Gary had an incredible radio career culminating with his induction into the Radio Hall of Fame, which I was delighted to attend in Ottawa.
Throughout the years, we stayed in touch and got together at various radio conventions whenever possible.

I remember doing many things with Gar over the years, but my favorite memory was when we decided to hook up in New York for a little football.
We were both huge fans of Brett Farve, and because he was playing for the New York Jets, we picked out a game that we thought he could win and booked a hotel near Times Square.

We both arrived in New York around the same time, and after checking into our hotel, we had a quick late-night supper at a nearby Deli, and then it was off to bed.
Come Saturday morning, we were up bright and early and off to Central Park for a little morning run.

It was a brisk morning like you’d expect in New York in early November, but the iridescent brightness of the fall leaves made our run breathtaking in more ways than one.
After showering, we met downstairs for a little breakfast, and then it was off to explore Times Square.

It was a beautiful day as we strolled by all the Broadway theatres and we were almost tempted to do the unmanly thing of buying a couple of tickets for a musical.
Luckily, the $350  price tag to see “Jersey Boys” kept our manhood intact.

After lunch at another incredible Deli, we returned to our hotel to clean up for what we hoped would be an enjoyable evening.
Little did we know that it would turn into an adventure we’d never forget.

Once we were all spiffed up and ready to rock, we checked in with the hotel’s concierge for some restaurant recommendations and maybe a fun blues club.
He said that there were a lot of good places to eat within walking distance on “Restaurant Row” and some blues clubs were only a short cab ride away.

As we were leaving, he added, “Hey, and you guys might want to check out a bar on Restaurant Row called, Don’t Tell Your Mama.” 
Once we got to the right street, we began checking out the menus hanging on all the restaurant windows. 

We decided to go Italian, and as we were leaving after a suburb meal, I noticed  “Don’t Tell Your Mama” was right across the street.
Hey, what the hell? It was early, so why not pop in for a “quick one.”

The plan was to have a glass of wine or two and then grab a cab and find a Blues Club.
However, when we walked in, we quickly discovered that the place was mostly full of women. Hmmmmmmm!

After finding a couple of stools at the bar, we ordered the house red and looked around.
Surprisingly, even though the women didn’t look like they played for the other team, the only other guys in the place were a couple of sailors.

Wow, not a bad find for a couple of guys who just flew in for a little football.
Hey, now I’m thinkin’ maybe we should have another glass or two before we rush out into a chilly New York evening to look for some unknown blues club. What’s the rush? 

The entertainment was some guy who played the piano and sang some Broadway songs with a few Elton and Billy Joel tunes thrown in.
As Gar and I sat there chatting, suddenly, one of the servers reached over me, grabbed a microphone, and started singing harmony with the piano player.

When several other servers did the same thing, I figured out that most of the help must be Broadway talent between gigs.
Microphones were everywhere, and they were all singing background parts while they served food and drinks.

“Hey Gar,” I said; “Maybe we should hang in here for a while; this is getting good.”
What a wonderful night, just the two of us and a couple of Sailors tapping our feet to the tunes and hanging out with a bunch of beautiful women.

Hell, even the sailor boys sang a couple of songs as the ladies yelled, “Take it off, take it off.”
“Oh, What a Night” was the tune going through my head when we were invited to join some ladies at their table.

I don’t remember much after that, but when I woke up the next morning, my head was pounding.
When I asked Gar what happened, he said we had a pretty good time until the ladies started buying us Tequila Shots.

“Tequila shots,” I said, “I’m a wine drinker!”
Gar then added, “When the ladies invited us back to their place, and I asked you what you wanted to do, you said, I think I wanna go home!”

When we wobbled our way back to our hotel, Gary claimed that it was around 3:00 am.I’m not sure our leaving was a good decision, but I know it was a wise one.
(Gary and me pictured on top)

Part 2 of Gar & Geo’s Big Apple Adventure (Are you ready for some football) Posts on Tuesday.

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, and Life, primarily written for men.
For a peek at upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is not only encouraged; it’s appreciated.

One thought on “Radio Geo’s Media Blog (Gar & Geo’s Big Apple Adventure) Part 1. 1/09/23

  1. John Willyard: Wow, what a remarkable adventure you’ve written about! And “Don’t Tell Your Mama!” An unmistakably pithy, apropos name!
    Loved catching up this way, and sad over the circumstances of your friend’s passing!
    I seem to recall getting a call years ago about the Boston Country Club station I had been voicing, first as WCLB, then WKLB. Do you remember the wonderful TV spots that Bill Young Productions produced that I voiced? About 1992, 93? I’ve always been curious as to how y’all discovered me (since certainly pre-Internet): was it Rusty Walker and his team? I know that early on I would calls almost every day asking for a demo (FedEx’d cassette) and I’ll always ask: “How did you hear about me?” “Rusty told us to call.” (Big Apple)
    Geo: Hey John, so good to hear from you. I’m not sure how we got your name but it definitely wasn’t from Rusty, he was across the street from us. I met him years later and was very impressed with him. What a gentleman.
    You always sounded great John and I’m so glad that we got your name from Mr. Whomever.

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