Straight From the Mouth

out. There was actually a struggle and its all on tape. It was a big news story in London. They had been shooting a story on me and they kicked out the TV reporters. I just thought that they were taking a break.

What effect did your stint in England have on you, as a personality?

There I was really on the edge. I was saying things and doing things on the air that English radio hadn't heard before. I pride myself on doing interviews in a different way. Being in a city like London, you got Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Cruise and people like that. They would come over there to promote a movie and London was basically it. So, I had access to great people and my interviewing style grew at that point. I wanted to do something different with these people, not just say, "tell us about the movie." That was something that I really tried to develop. As an example, we had Tim Burton the director. He's not a real interesting guy. I had him direct the morning show, rather than interviewing him, he was directing. He was yelling, "action" and "cut" and giving us tips on how to do the weather better or something like that. So it turned into something that was much more fun than just a run of the mill interview.

I'm sure our British readers will enjoy this question. What did you find out that you can do in England that a lot of people didn't think you can do?

You can step all over vocals. You can cut songs off after a minute. That's perfectly acceptable there.

How does the BBC feel about that?

They actually encourage stepping on vocals and cutting songs off.

Would you find it poetically just, that one day your show is broadcast internationally, including England?

Well, Actually that might be happening sooner than anyone thinks, but I can't say anything more about that. What is your idea of funny? All of the morning shows that are on against me.

No, I think our show is very funny. What I've tried to do is really create characters that people care about. We learn this at Boot Camp. It's like with any successful TV show. You look at a show and you see characters that are very well defined. I was talking to Barry Bostwick about Spin City, and I think it's a brilliant sitcom because of the character development. A character on that show can say one word and you know, even if you aren't looking at it, and you can't tell the voice, by what they say you can tell who it is coming from. My goal with the radio show is to have that kind of identity, where someone can get little bits and pieces and know who is saying what, just because the characters are so strong.

Help me with this. A lot of personalities say their goal is to come off very real and yet they describe the show as being character based. How does something real allow for role play?

The way I like to say it is, "our show is based in reality, but it doesn't live there." It doesn't necessarily mean you are talking about a cartoon character. You are talking about different aspects of a personality that make that person interesting. If you focus on those things, it doesn't become unreal at all. It becomes more interesting. Off the air I am very shy and reserved. When I tell stories off the air I bore people to tears. There's something about being on the air, with the adrenaline and that excitement that makes my character and that part of me come alive. I've had to really learn that, but it is part of what makes me really love what I do. I can actually be cool for four hours a day.

I understand you got into radio at a rather young age?

I was twelve years old. This was in a little town near Aspen, CO. I ran an automation unit and did an occasional forecast. That was my illustrious beginning.

When was your first fulltime air shift?

When I was in high school, I was working for a daytimer. I would get out of school and go over. That happened full time when I was 15.

I think when I was in London. My first job in San Francisco (KSAN) didn't last that long. Well, I was fired.

That was a country format. Do you think that lent itself to things not working out there for you?

No, not necessarily. It was a company thing, not a country thing. When I went to London, they gave me all the support and freedom that I needed. With management's confidence in my abilities, I came into my own.

You've described yourself a student of morning radio. Who do you consider its masters, both past and present?

Oh, boy! It's the same group of people that we have been hearing about for years. It's not about copying these people, but learning and taking little bits and pieces. Scott Shannon, Kidd Kraddick, Jeff & Jer, you look at people like them, even Stern has things to offer. Even Don Imus, all these people have really set the stage for what we are doing now.

Who do you see, excluding yourself, as being in the next wave of radio super stars?

I can't really say names. I think that the state of radio now is going to make it a lot harder to reach that kind of status, just because the training grounds are disappearing. You can't go to a medium market station and cut your teeth like you could before.

So, you're saying there's no far league?

It's dwindling, that's for sure.

Out of curiosity, do you know what that small station in Colorado where you began is doing today?

Satellite Oldies.

Were you one of those kids that collected airchecks?

I collected airchecks. My early radio exposure was KOMA in Oklahoma City and KFI in Los Angeles.

Do you think radio is as much fun now as it used to be?

Oh yeah, absolutely, aside from the whole corporate mentality, doing a good show is still doing a good show. You have very different distractions than you did then, and I'm not that old. This change has happened recently.

You are suddenly in the market with the Lander and Matty in the Morning, did you think, "oh my God, I'm up against giants?"

Well, competition was the least of my worries. I was jobless. I needed a paycheck. I took the job. Boston has a reputation and taking nothing away from any of the people that are on against me, I have enough confidence in my abilities that I can succeed. I've always been accused of being an optimist, a rose colored glasses optimist, but it works for me. I have a great time doing what I'm doing and I try not to think about the competition too much and just do what I do.

Who else is on the show with you?

Well, first of all there's Heather Gersten, who was Danny Bonaduce's sidekick in New York, and local Boston legend, Karen Blake. Our producer is Mr. B. Mr. B. is a stand-up comedian and another local boy. He also has a couple development deals with the networks. He's a really funny writer/producer. Plus, we have Jim Stickler, who's our technical whiz.

What's the best and worst advice you have ever gotten?

Well, that would have to be from Steve Kingston, and I got this advice as I was going on the air at Z100, auditioning for the night shift, that Kid Kelly ended up getting. Steve's advice to me, two minutes before I opened the mic, was, "Charlie, don't fuck up my radio station." That was certainly encouraging.

Was that the best or worst advice?

I think that's all rolled into one there.

What's your favorite on-air memory?

I would have to say my interview with Paul McCartney.

What was that like? Was that in London?

No, it was in Minneapolis. I was the only radio person allowed to interview him.

What's it like interviewing a superstar?

I didn't even realize that I was sitting with Paul McCartney until half way through the interview, when he started mentioning John Lennon sitting a pub in Liverpool. It was kind of another interview and I had always kind of been a fan. He was the most charming gracious guy. He spent a lot of time with me. He asked me personal questions before the interview. He was really nice. The kicker was that nobody else was allowed in the room during the interview and so he left and we exchanged pleasantries, then my friends who had come with me, who were in another room, came out. I was walking down the hall, telling them what a great guy he was, and then I see Paul McCartney embarrassing, he is going to walk right by me and not saying anything. About ten feet away, he stops, he puts his arms out and he says, "Charlie," and he hugs me like we were old friends. It was the most magical moment.

What makes for a great interview?

I think, first of all, respecting the person you are talking to and knowing what they are all about. Take that a little further, know something personal about them. Say, like when I interviewed Will Smith I knew he was a golf freak, so that interview consisted of us hitting golf balls off the roof of the radio station.

Wasn't this in downtown London? Where exactly were you hitting these golf balls?

Into the backyards of people's homes.

What's your top wish for the New Year?

What would really make me happy? If I could date a woman for more than twice.

What seems to be the problem?

It's got to be me. I think radio has just fried my brain to the point where nobody wants to deal with me.

So your hopes for the New Year is to go out with a woman more than twice?

I would love a good relationship.

Charlie, it's so good to know that you have a great radio job and love it.

Yeah, well you know, I'm almost scared to get into a good relationship, because pathetic dating life provides so much material for the show.

What seems to be the problem? Do you talk about radio a lot when you are out on dates?

No, never. I don't want to talk about it. In fact, the last girl that I had a date and a half with, she kept bringing up the show. That's why I ended it. You know, that's not who I am, that's what I am.

I hate to be so personal, but when was your last date?

That's got to be three months ago.

Do you have another date planned?

Planned... with girl friends but not romantically.

Charlie, this is the first time in the history of the Morning Mouth we've ever done this, but in the spirit of season, would you mind us printing your e-mail address. In this way, if there are any interested parties, they'll know how to contact you.

Wildepilot@aol.com

Let me say this to all those reading this: Charlie would greatly appreciate hearing from you. In fact, the first person who ends up dating Charlie more than twice, who met as a result of this article, will get a free subscription to the Morning Mouth. Aren't we the merry matchmaker?

And they have to have been a woman from birth. That's the only criteria I have. I'm not picky, but you have to have been a woman since birth.

And on that note, Happy New Year to you, your show and your love life.