Episode 144 - Charles Laquidara

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recorded December 02, 2019
published December 5, 2019

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WBCN legend Charles Laquidara and also the infamous Dwayne Ingalls Glasscock joined us for a conversation at the recently opened Woods Hill Pier 4 in Boston.

This just a week before Charles as well as Red Sox Hall of Fame pitcher Bill “Spaceman” Lee take the stage at The Wilbur Theater in Boston on Tuesday, December 10.

So many of us listened to WBCN on our morning commute joining Charles on his program The Big Mattress. Charles was part of a family of DJ’s and personalities at BCN that created the radio renaissance in Boston with their groundbreaking irreverence and general hilarity that accompanied so many of us on our radios.

It was so great to sit with Charles and our only regret is that we only got an hour. But we discovered that Charles is as raw and honest as ever. We had so many questions and topics we wanted to cover. But fortunately, we really didn’t get to any of them.

Charles didn’t skip a beat. It was like listening to The Big Mattress all over again. We just let him riff, tell us some non PC ‘not for live radio’ stories, recall a regret or two, give a few anecdotes and even offer a haiku.

Charles 0:00 Hi, I'm Charles Laquidara and you're listening to Above The Basement - Boston Music and Conversation.

Duane Ingles Glasscock 0:07 Hello this is Duane Ingles Gg-gglasscock and you’re listenin’ to ab…be….low? Above The Basement - Boston Music and Conversation.

Chuck Clough 0:27 Hello This is Chuck from Above the Basement Boston - Music and Conversation that was WBCN legend Charles Laquidara and also the infamous Duane Ingles Glasscock.

We were lucky enough to have them both join us for a conversation at the recently opened Woods Hill Pier 4 in Boston, Massachusetts. This is just a week before Charles as well as Red Sox Hall of Fame pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee take the stage at the Wilbur theater in Boston on Tuesday, December 10. It should be an amazing evening.

Okay, so many of us listen to WBC and on our morning commute. Joining Charles and his program The Big Mattress. Charles was part of a family of DJs and personalities at BCN that created the radio renaissance in Boston. The Big Mattress was an incredibly popular show with groundbreaking irreverence and general hilarity that accompanies so many of us on our radios in the morning. It was so great to sit with Charles and our only regret is that we only got an hour but we discovered that Charles is as raw and honest as ever. We had so many questions and topics we wanted to cover, but fortunately, we really didn't get to any of them. Charles hasn't skipped a beat. It was like listening to The Big Mattress all over again. We just let him riff, tell us some non PC, not for live radio stories, recall a regret or two, give a few anecdotes and even offer a haiku.

So here is our conversation with WBC and legend Charles Lockwood era recorded at Woods Hill pier four in Boston, Massachusetts.

Chuck Clough 3:26 We can we can do f-bombs on this. Put it a little closer.

Charles Laquidara 3:29 Oh, Jesus, gee, they never heard of levels. He said put the mic closer to my just yeah. And would you turn the mic that way?

Ronnie 3:36 Why is he using the wrong mic? Why?

Chuck Clough 3:36 Because we're amateurs. We're not the professional that you are. for god sakes.

Charles Laquidara 3:45 Why are you letting me use the wrong mic?

Chuck Clough 3:47 No it the Ron mic not the wrong mic. I just threw the mics up therel.

Charles Laquidara 3:52 Is that your name Ron?

Ronnie 3:53 That's it, but it's an honor to have you spit in that mic.

Chuck Clough 3:57 No I've got the same name as you They call me Chuck that I'm not so sure.

Charles Laquidara 3:59 So Chuck and Ron or is it Ron and Chuck.

Chuck Clough 4:02 It's Chuck and Ron,

Charles Laquidara 4:03 Because alphabetical because of senior because he's older.

Chuck Clough 4:07 All three of those things are correct. Yeah and older and

Charles Laquidara 4:10 When are we going to start recording because I'm worried. I'm ready to go.

Chuck Clough 4:13 We're recording right now. We've been recording for the last five minutes.

Charles Laquidara 4:15 Oh, that's great. Yeah.

Chuck Clough 4:17 Okay, so, Charles, thank you so much. You've been on my you've been my white whale for a while.

Charles Laquidara 4:21 I thought he was gonna say you've been on my mind.I started seeing somebody stirring a rabbit into stew you know? I know you guys don't get this because you're too young. But that's okay. A lot of people will get it.

Ronnie 4:33 Are you talking about Fatal Attraction?

Charles Laquidara 4:34 I guess you guys get it?

Chuck Clough 4:35 Yeah, of course. Yeah.

Charles Laquidara 4:40 Right now I am just giving Ron a high five because he got that thing but I had to tell you this because it's not video we're not a video right?

Chuck Clough 4:47 no, no, okay.

Ronnie 4:48 No, but Chuck has been actually sort of secretly creating he does don't weird Charles Laquidara stews and stuff like this.

Charles Laquidara 4:59 Should I play Misty for you, dude?

Chuck Clough 5:03 You can do whatever you want Charles you have you have carte blanche to do whatever you want.

Charles Laquidara 5:07 I love carte blanche.

Chuck Clough 5:08 Yeah, that's the only French I know is that French

Charles Laquidara 5:11 Carte Blanch I believe is French

Chuck Clough 5:13 We are in this brand new building. Charles and my sister has a brand new restaurant downstairs.

Charles Laquidara 5:19 Oh, hold on. I have a call.

Unknown Speaker 5:23 Hello, Charles. Charles Mike Joshua. WATD. How are you sir?

Charles Laquidara 5:26 Oh, pretty good. Listen, we're on the air now. With with Chuck and Ron above the basement. You're live. You're live right now.

Unknown Speaker 5:40 Fantastic. And here I am setting up some more promo for you.

Charles Laquidara 5:46 You know, it's been a Let me tell you. And I'll share this with all of you. This has been one of the craziest weeks in my life since I've been here, because I've never had done so many. So many different interviews and stuff and I get all mixed up and poor Jeannie Smith is my producer and Adam. Klein is the PR guy and they're going crazy. And they're saying, well, Charles, you got to talk to w m o in Vermont tomorrow. And then you're gonna go do this podcast and I said, I never done a podcast and then was it you I talked to what did we talk about in our last conversation? Because I recognize your voice.

Unknown Speaker 6:26 Yeah, we talked about tomorrow. So I asked, you mentioned maybe a handful of songs that that brought you back to the

Charles Laquidara 6:35 Oh to that era. Yeah. Yeah. Is that I gave you the songs?

Unknown Speaker 6:39 Yes, you did.

Charles Laquidara 6:40 Okay. So now are you going to do the interview?

Unknown Speaker 6:46 Tomorrow at two o'clock,

Charles Laquidara 6:47 Jeannie, can I do tomorrow too? I think so. Hold on. Let me look at my calendar. Hold on. So this is if…

Ronnie 6:54 Does anyone have any questions for Mr. Lockwood or while we're while we're on the air?

Charles Laquidara 6:58 These guys want to know if you have any questions? This thing is Americana-Rama. That's you right?Oh, that's great. Okay, or do I have to dress any special way?All right. Well, thanks. I'm dressing for radio and I'll definitely be now my calling you you call me?

Unknown Speaker 7:20 I'll call you.

Charles Laquidara 7:21 Cool. All right, thanks a lot. I appreciate it. Sorry about that.

Chuck Clough 7:26 It's okay. We got an interview and an interview happens all the time.

Charles Laquidara 7:29 Now my my producers taking my phone. That's, should I put it on silent too, so you don't hear it back in the background. Okay, there it is. It's It's crazy. Like, like, I started to tell him it's like, I've been going all over the place and doing all kinds of interviews and stuff. And it's, and it's crazy, but it's for good causes for David Biebers. Anybody who doesn't know David, do you know David Ron.

Ronnie 7:53 I've met him. You met him but you're so you know,

Charles Laquidara 7:56 He's got a Jewish… Guy with the afro. Yeah, yeah!

Ronnie 8:00 We Jews can look at each other and we gave each other a little wink. Oh, look, it's my dad calling. I won't answer it.

Charles Laquidara 8:07 Put it on speakerphone. Let me talk to him. Don't even tell him. Don't tell him.

Ronnie 8:12 He's in Vermont, but Yeah, hello.

Charles Laquidara 8:15 Hi, what's up? What did you want to talk about?

Ronnie 8:22 Dad? You're talking with Mr. Charles Lockwood era the veteran of Boston radio w Bcn for 30 years. And he's here on our on our radio show.

Charles Laquidara 8:26 You just interrupted your dad.

Ronnie 8:27 Sorry, dad.

Charles Laquidara 8:40 What did you, What's his name?

Ronnie 8:41 Roger talking to a total stranger.

Charles Laquidara 8:43 Hey, Roger.Roger. No, wait, Roger. I get, all right. Roger, can you hear me? Yes. Okay, listen, ready? Okay. A little Jewish guy sitting in a restaurant, and you never heard this. I'll bet you how much, you want to bet? I'll bet you $5 in run pays of if you've heard this. Before Okay, okay, if you have not, if you have not heard it, okay? A little Jewish guy is sitting in a restaurant, and he's just looking down at his soup. So the waiter comes over and says, “Is it Adam Klein? How do you like? How do you like the soup, sir?” And the guy says “Try it.” I had this joke and the waiter goes, “Sir, I can't try the soup. You don't try the soup. I'm just supposed to try it” says Sir. “Just seriously, how do you like the soup? Try it.”So the waiter looks around, sees his bosses not looking. So he says, “Okay.Where's the spoon?”

Ronnie 9:37 Haha. I know that joke. I know it.

Charles Laquidara 9:42 Did you that know it? You have heard that. All right, dad. Your father. He actually did here. Yeah, man.

Chuck Clough 9:56 Poor Dad.

Charles Laquidara 9:58 Seriously, David Bieber was one of the coolest People in the world and I have been lucky enough to be a David Bieber's house. And you guys can't even imagine when you walk in his house.Like we videotaped, he let me videotape a little bit and so I'm videoing or whatever they call recording. I'm recording it because they don't have tape anymore. So I'm recording it. And as soon as you walk in his house, you see a picture I'm making stuff up like Marilyn chambers, the first every snow picture, a monkey clapping with assembles the first Mad Magazine ever. Notice from Steve mendacious, or, you know, an autographed photo from a beetle. He said everything. So like if you took just a three square feet of his of his house, you could just if you stole it, you get rid of it. I don't want to say I don't want people. They will be with houses in Bronx, the Bronx anyway, what's the what's the address? It's in the Bronx.] Anyway, so he's got a warehouse. Absolute In fact, he might have a dinner to the warehouse. Yeah, but you haven't been to his home admin his house now. Yeah, they've been as long as even more. I mean, I don't even know where he sleeps. If he sleeps. He probably sleeps with a Charlie McCarthy dummy. Yeah. You know, you don't know who Charlie McCarthy Of course I do. Do you know Charlie McCarthy and he had the top hat and the black and the black. Seven image of David.

Unknown Speaker 11:31 It was a puppet.

Unknown Speaker 11:33 And Tony went over 70 knows it's Sean McCarthy and mortar listener. Yeah, I know those. But I am you know, I'm like 50 give or take for decades. I know about all that kind of stuff. But I've been to the a bit of the warehouse. The warehouse is incredible. And we are so lucky that he sent me Boston history and I mean, all the ephemeral to stuff like all those just like the posters that you used to be able to put up on the on the on the boards, and I got

Charles Laquidara 12:00 Yeah, if you ever go to the verb is a verb a verb, the verb cartel be a party. Yeah, I've been there. And it's like, all this stuff is just over the place. Like, this is David Bieber shit. Yeah, yeah. This is he told place and I'm not getting any money for that for this thing, right? Maybe hopefully they'll maybe they'll pay for my Uber. Yeah, didn't hear stuff like that. But no BS This is for the archives of Boston, the history buffs. But isn't it also is he also giving items to the folk Americana roots Hall of Fame? Adam? Yes. So they have already has, right because he has a whole corner. Yeah. So it's all about, it's all about keeping Boston strong. And remember, it's it's amazing. And I'm so glad that they finally catalog it. And yeah, because thanks to Jeannie and Chucky… Yeah, and whoever else was, yeah.

Chuck Clough 12:50 Yeah, that's what you're doing right now. Use the Dewey Decimal System.

Charles Laquidara 12:58 Oh god, what she says they have even gotten the Dewey Decimal System? They just unpacking boxes still? No Yeah. You know why I keep saying what don't you know about my hair? And I don't? Yeah. Well, you know when I was little, this isn't from being like over 50 give take it from other rock concerts. This is from right yeah, yeah. Concerts getting the best seats. Yeah, VIP seats right right there in front of The Who. The speakers are 30 feet tall. Yeah. And I walk out of there, my ears are ringing. No, and I'm going like this, like being smug.

Hey, everybody? How does it feel to want? Yeah, and and now I'm pretty definite. So I have hearing aids and I haven't turned them on yet. Because the hearing aids I have, I like, cost $20,000. The nuclear hearing aids you can hear across the street and there's no noise gradient if I if I turn them on right now. I can hear a conversation in that building across the street. It's like a superhero- superhero. Yeah. Now you're supposed to say can you do you know you're supposed to say what kind is it? What kind of conversation Are you so go ahead. What kind is it? For 20?

Ronnie 14:08 I can't…

Chuck Clough 14:10 Copy one person high fives for you. You give him one thing. Don't give him any more high fives Charles. We heard you are a foodie. Is that correct?

Charles Laquidara 14:20 Who knows a freak a foodie? Oh yeah, yeah, this restaurant around this the food better be good. It's supposed to be eating hamburgers and fries.

Chuck Clough 15:32 It's my sister's place.

Charles Laquidara 15:34 It's your sister's place.

Chuck Clough 15:46 Yeah, she just opened it up last week. And this used to be where Anthony's Piriform was. It's a farm to table restaurant. And we're going to go have dinner right after after we talk.

Charles Laquidara 14:57 Isn't it nice? Yes. Yeah. But you know what I realized, as when I said is, it's a three word, It's a three word phrase. By the time I get through with the word, all of a sudden I realize I'm fucked. Why hasn't the beat to thing? I can't? You can't do that stuff anymore. genie back there was all of a sudden her. You see the veins in her neck? No, I didn't let me let me tell you how to bill. The comedian, the standard community. What's his name? [Bill Maher.] Yeah, Bill. No, not Bill Maher. The mosque the plastic.[ Bill. Bill Burk?]. Oh, yeah. Yeah. funniest guy. So I was watching a video of him at Albert Hall. Here's this Boston guy with a thick Boston accent. Yeah, in England and Great Britain on stage at Albert Hall, how many holes and he walks out on stage in a cycle in his jeans and like a lumberjack shirt.

He just starts talking to these British people. And, you know, he accuses him of being old and fat and what an ambassador. Yeah. But but then they know so I liked it. It was one of the funniest shows I've ever seen in my life. Well, that's funny right there just picturing it. Yeah. Well, so yes. So Jeannie, my producer. Yeah. And my other producer Julie. Okay.

Julie. Brummer from from Lancaster. Yeah, those two women are with a friend of their so we have. I'm surrounded by estrogen in Maui on Maui. By the way, it's on Maui in Hawaii. Right? You're not in Maui. You're on Maui. You are an island in Hawaii. So they come out to visit me. So here's these two. I won't say hot because you can't do that anymore. You can't say that. We're surrounded by wonderful estrogen. So I say to them, Hey, you guys, wonderful estrogen. I like that. You have to come and see this. This fucking guy is brilliant. He's from Boston. He's one of us. Yeah, that's right.

So they sit down, like what they're holding their little sombreros. Nobody caught those little vodka drinks. Yeah. And they're sitting there, and they're all said to be entertained. And Bill Barbara goes onstage and like about five minutes, and he says, so you know what's wrong with the world? white women? So there's a silence. Yeah. Even though bill Berg was still talking, there was a silence in my room, the room I was in because the three of them looked at each other and get up and fucking walked out of my house. They just went and as they're walking, I said, Wait, what, what? And they and they said, Kavanagh, fuckhead, and they just went right out the door. So you can't, so you can't say one thing. Is this your sister You do? That's my sister. Chris, we were just talking about doing a podcast right now. So if you guys want to Charles is my sister Kristen. Hi, how are you? Good to see is the owner of the restaurant downstairs. Oh, yeah. So I heard your food is much better than that.

Burger King. Burger King has impossible burgers now. Do you guys have a possible burger?

Unknown Speaker 18:07 Myself?

Unknown Speaker 18:10 Could you come over here because I'm hard to hear me I where I am. Ah, yeah, sure I pasture raised on animals, pasture raised, which means they're all rotationally grazed and we moved our cows twice a day. So they're constantly getting fresh, fresh pasture. So if one of the cows gets sick, do you spend thousands of dollars, like my wife with a horse with a sick horse? Even though the vet says that they only have two months left to live and you would spend $1,000 to save the car? We would give that cow medicine, but we would take that cow out of the food system. We would not eat that cow guts.

Charles Laquidara 19:00 Yes. 300 pair for Boulevard and it overlooks where the old Anthony's care for I'm just looking outside it is absolutely breathtaking. I know and you get it around. Bluebird from downtown. Me. 15 minutes right in written away. Yeah. And don't forget I live on Maui. So when I say it's breathtaking, that's really good. Well, Chris is going to need a Maui vacation after this opening because it's what I'm putting my house up for sale because I was going to tell these guys because I want to go spend time with growing with my grandchildren. So I'm putting my house up for sale. So but before I sell it, you and whoever, welcome to just come and visit. [Let's go.]

Ronnie 19:36 All right, bye. Thanks, guys. Very nice meeting. Thank you. Yeah, we'll talk to right at the dinner. Woods Hill, Maui. Yes, well, yeah, we should open it with telling Maui that we have to so we edit things all the time. So if we were to talk about things we don't want to say we're going to edit out with your sister. No, keeping it in

Chuck Clough 19:58 A double episode. That's right.

Ronnie 20:00 Everything Chuck says will edit out. Yes, that's his joke. Yeah, I'm usually the expense of that joke. But, you know,

Charles Laquidara 20:10 There’s Lou Costello but there hasn't been a lot of editing over the airwaves. For your career. There's been a lot of editing over the airwaves for my career. But in the moment, so there's there's a joke about editing, but I mean, there's… there's been… what, 30 plus years of Boston airwaves, where you can't take back what you say. That's right. In fact, there was one show one time where there's this clone called Dwayne Ingles Glasscock and he on WBCN, he did a show every Saturday from from 10 in the morning to one and it was pretty popular. As a matter of fact, they had this Arbitron research I don't know if they still do that, though. I know of Arbitron.

[Which at the time was pretty a pretty big number?] Yeah, if you had a four you could you could sell a lot of commercials, you know, for the sales department. So Dwayne every Saturday from 10 to heaven 13, which was the highest ratings ever. It's, it's, it's verified and Carter Allen's book and you can, you know, look it up and stuff, but Dwayne had a 13 every week. So he was needless to say, he was very popular. Dwayne had a wicked Boston accent. And so he was doing a show right after the ratings came out. And so he went on the air and, and he says to everybody, something like I forget what it sounded like when I was listening to it, it sounded like, it was like, Hey, everybody, you know, this is real fat cats, the cigar smoking guys and Cadillacs and drive around on these black Cadillacs and, and in Maryland, and they, they just tell everybody like what, what what stations make the most money just by giving them ratings and stuff.

They call them ratings and, and they those guys as they they must take PayPal or something because they said that the WBC n announces only get a four. And, and, and I know they got higher than a four because and they gave me a stupid freakin 13 and, and I know I like there's five people on holding the phones right now and outside the window and the potential here is like 13 people so I know that I get at least a 17. So they lie in and so and they're bad people and they're evil and and if you want their address, you send them a bag of shit. It's Arbitron Research Bureau, a Abby and it's a 14 whatever the street was, and he said and in every every break, he did that every break for the entire show, really saying that Oh, and then one time he said and put put the shit in a cellophane bag so that the mailman doesn't get his hands and kept doing it. So now Show's over Monday.

I'm on the radio. Okay. My boss Clark is a manager station manager. He wore whatever shoes that people who have boats were without socks. He’d come in every day, you know with long pants. Yeah. You know, he’s preppy, he just like dressing like a drain would call a boat people. Yes. And he anyway, he peeked in the door and he says, “Charles, see you after my show?” And I said, “Sure.”

So I go in after my show, and then I sit down and he's there with a big cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee black, and he doesn't have a stir. He's so pissed off. He's using his finger and he's stirring that coffee. And he says Charles Lockwood era is the consummate radio professional. Charles Lockwood era is a talented man, has a wonderful show, is very popular, and knows how to entertain people, and is very professional.

But Dwayne fucking Glass-COCK is a fucking idiot. And he's not going to be in my fucking radio station ever again. Do you fucking understand that Dwayne Glasscock is fucking fired? He's a fucking idiot. He is fired. And then I go quickly. You can't fire, join. I mean, he's got 13 he's, he's got the highest ratings everybody. I swear to God, he's still stirring with his finger, the veins in his neck, a community staring like this. And he says, you play with a full deck. You acting like Dwayne and you are two separate people.

And I said, “Fucking fired. And you kept me anyway, was like it was the funniest thing. And it was like two weeks later they had met the owner of the station overruled and they brought joints back. it Did anyone send a bag of shit to them? Arbitron is so big and so cool. They didn't give a shit and we never heard anything about it. People must get the highest ratings ever and rate and every break and we said something right many people is there

Chuck Clough 25:11 Must be photos of this for the Bieber. Shit. I don't know people maintain the boxes and open bags a ship that was before there's no evidence that it's the bag of shit there was but it's a tribute. First of all, AARP didn't do anything. They didn't sue us. They didn't say anything. They just ignored it. You know, I was looking at some of the I was looking at your website. I don't know it wasn't your website. It was someone made like a fan video. They just set up a camera in the studio. Well, you were just talking to people. You got it on YouTube. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And guy yeah, it was so great because it was utter chaos. These it looked like utter chaos because it says you surrounded by equipment and tapes and like the circular thing to get the tapes around. And this for people around you when I'm looking at the newspapers.

Charles Laquidara 26:00 Handing it to you like this is a newspaper here check this out and you get into sports. Yeah, it was. It was beautiful chaos and it was like you had to be they all had to deal with the fact that I have ADD and I'm also what do you call, that with everything has to be perfect OCD. I'm OCD and ADHD, ADD so I'd be talking about something first of all I would. I would. I was kind of an asshole, I would yell at the intern for bringing up orange juice. That was some concentrate. Yes, that a squeeze? And I mean, I wouldn't yell at him but I would kind of demean her and I would if somebody handed me a copy that I had to read Yeah. which no one could see if there was a typo. I would point out on the air, I said “I can't believe that Julie just wrote this and look how she spelled there, she used the wrong there.” There's a call that on the air, all live, all alive. Oh yeah, yeah.

There's an era and people would go, somebody would go, and my producers were too so tuned in to me. So tuned in on that when I would be right in the middle of something and I say the guy in rocket ship with the bear, what's his name? Chucky, Chucky or whatever

Ronnie 27:18 The hell they read you and you could read the room they so they knew where you were going now they would say Harrison Ford. Tricky the bear whatever his name was right. Oh, what is it? Chewbacca? Chewbacca, Chewbacca, I'd go the guy in the rocket ship with me. They go Chewbacca, Joe Harrison Ford, and then I would continue. Well, Adam, what did you say before about art? I radio was before radio was an art before as a business. So what I think that I wanted to connect about was just that the fact that you went to reserve the right word Island School design? Yes. Yeah. I don't know how I get in there. But I did. I'm a New York guy. I'm not a I'm not like Chuck. So I came to know you a little bit later.

So I've learned a little bit about you, but what it sounds like you're doing is you're conducting. I can see you can't say retarded. I can't say if I say what's okay because it would have been funny if I said it back in the day, but I can't say say it ready? No, I'm not gonna say I'll beat you up. Or you will believe you. Okay? So say your thing I know you're like a conductor…

Charles Laquidara 28:25 Man, you know. Anyway, NBC and we did a thing. We did a thing one time you know the song, “I want to kiss you all over” remember that one alone.

So we picked out kiss. And that sounds so dirty. Yeah.

[It's like what? What's that? What's his name?]

Jimmy Kimmel, he has fake beeps and oh, yeah, yeah, that's what we did with censorship. We were so far ahead of time I was going out with this airline flight attendant and her grandmother had just died a few weeks before. So we went to her grandmother's apartment and if you lived here you'd be home now you don't know that used to be a real Swank exclusive expensive place.

I don't know. I think they actually fixed it up but it's still it still says that that her grandmother lived there and one of the top floors or whatever so we went in to clean out her stuff. And by the way, that's called Swedish death cleaning, what you do? Yeah, wait now see how I just went? So hold that thought about that. I'm going to explain Swedish death cleaning but bring me back to flight attendant. Okay. I will, Swedish death cleaning is what they do in Europe. Yeah.

When like, when somebody close to you dies, somebody has to go and take care of all of their the things they've left over, you know? They have to go to their house, their apartment. They have to take the photographs that the love letters, the little ornaments, the metals, the tchotchkes and pictures. Yeah, the stuff good show and they have to do something with it. And so if that person has just been piling up huge loads of stuff, it's shit slow by the way not shitloads, its attorneys general, not Attorney General.

So they have to take shitless load of stuff and and deal with it. So the person who gets to be the the Woody calls the show the survivor, the Designated Survivor. Yeah, has to now. Probably hates the person who died and they get through yeah.

So they have what they called Swedish, Swedish Death things where you know when you reach an age of 60 or so yeah. You go through your house and you get rid of all the show you know you're someone else so yes. So I like that flight attendant. So the flight attendant so we're doing the Swedish Death and cleaning thing. Yeah. And on the in the closet on the on the top shelf in the closet are all these.. Do you remember when records were 70 eights and they were? No? Then, you could they would break that she had all these vinyl 78, so I pulled a few down.

I looked at one and it said Don Charles andThe Singing dogs, Jingle Bells. So what it was, you could tell by listening to it, this guy had a whole bunch of dogs, the big dogs and the little dog. So it was like so when you put the needle on the record and go in the other dog that barks at different times. Right, and it’s fantastic now, it was only May, the month of May. But I thought, you know what? This is friggin fantastic. So I make it the big matches song of the week. We figured out, I mean I had to, we had turntables then. And we could do 78 speed.

So we're doing this thing is which,you know, yeah. So I made the big batch of song of the week. I know that I swear to God, this is why, by the way You're from New York runs great. This is why people from Boston hate New York. Yeah, Guess What becomes the number one song in the country. From a disc jockey in New York, the jingle dawn Charles and the jingle bell rock from the UK, stolen from me.

And they do that to Boston people all the time. And then look at Howard Stern. People say that Howard Stern listened to my show, I don't know about that. I don't know he probably did Listen, there's mentors everywhere. Didn't Maddie and you, did he consider you a mentor? Yeah, yeah.

I tell you, I have these hearing aids that are Yes. Fantastic. I can hear right across this. I heard what kind of what kind? I did I know he's just tell him what to say. Okay, so I have these great hearing aids. Yeah, what kind is it? 740 see how it works. That's really great. You guys, that's awesome.

Well, as a doctor, you guys, you guys should go on tour is a medical school. Seriously. You guys should go on tour with that.

Chuck Clough 32:59 Answer his question.

Charles Laquidara 33:00 Yeah, he didn't, Chuck's an actor. Okay, I get attacked. I get out. Yes. I'm going to test them. Don't tell me anything else. We went to John who said Dart’s House, and his wife Victoria. This was years and years ago, was it…. Dart comes upstairs. I'm doing cocaine up, when I was doing drugs, I'm doing cocaine upstairs with Aerosmith or whoever. The next door neighbor, she comes upstairs. I said, Well, let's go downstairs, be great. Let's go downstairs. We get downstairs. And he's, he's sort of sitting on my sink like kind of sluggish and he's holding a marker or he's, he's holding a Manhattan. I go, “So you went to medical school?” He said, “Yep. Two years Princeton". I said, “Oh,” I said, “how's your uvula?” And he goes, “Hey, don't say that in front of your wife”. Right? What's wrong with that? Right, Ryan right now is pointing to his uvula. Up in his mouth, which everybody in the room is now to their uvula.

We thought he was mixing it up with Vulva. There you go. I know I always say that. Yeah. Chuck, do you want to say that? I don't want to say that. You're going to edit out? Vulva? No, no, he wanted me to say it. And that's not gonna say it. Everybody said it. I'm not gonna give you the satisfaction.

So what was I? Why would we talk? We went straight to Volvo. So I don't know, as you because I said he was talking about New York and the records, and how New York we hate New York people. And Chuck hates me and I'm a doctor. He said something stupid, I think and I said he's a doctor to mock him. Ah, right. And I wanted to test and see if he really wants a doctor, that you were, I was, I am and he was, an actor. Still a doctor now. He's also a musician. So you're you're a musician?

Ronnie 34:54 We're both musicians. Chuck works for Merrill Lynch. No, I don't. All right. You fired me got fired. This is Boston expos. That's right. He worked for Merrill Lynch. No, he was fired. He was a doctor by day and at night. He did a pilot and he go so blue.

Chuck Clough 35:03 What was that the storyline of the Boston Strangler?

Charles Laquidara 35:07 He started strangling people. Do you know about my story? I do know about this right so I brought it. Did you put you were going to be in that movie he edition for it. Tony Curtis. Yeah, that's right. I've seen I've seen the movie. It was funny cuz Tony Curtis beat me out and it was like, what's that restaurant? The German guy? Come on producer. Yes, Wolfgang Puck was bad. The restaurant had a restaurant Chewbacca.

I just did a hi-five to Chuck. I got a high five. Okay, so anyway, when that restaurant opened up, the first one was in, in Hollywood, and a friend of mine was the maitre D there, and she said, Charles and I was visiting California from Boston, and I'm sitting there, and they're over in the corner is Tony Curtis sitting with this with this woman.

I go, Oh, I could walk over to Tony Curtis's and he's sitting there eating. Anyway, I get up and I go over to it. And I say, Tony, I'm standing up now you got a picture I'm standing out there sitting down just standing there me alone, a guy alone. “Tony, I hate to interrupt you, but I was up for the Boston Strangler, was me it? was between you and me?.” And I named the two other guys, Alan Bates…and, and somebody else, and I go in…

“You got the part” I said, I was working in a 20th at the time and, and I did a video but I said, I just wanted to say we were I had the script. I worked in the script department, and I had the script and so I audition for the part. He just looked up. He's a really, then he kept eating, holy left me there. Yeah, he left me there with my hand.

So I'm like, so I go. So that was it. I almost crawled back to my table I felt so embarrassed like to do and I just get up and eventually just left. I was so embarrassed now. Go ahead. 20 years yeah, I'm now a big ass director on WBC. Yes. My producer comes in and says “Charles, would you would you like to do an interview with Tony Curtis tonight?” And she said”You don't want to do Tony Chris?” I said, “Yes, I do. I do”

So the way they did it was they'd be in a studio somewhere, and it would sound on the radio like the person was right there with you, right there with it. Tony the next station. You got no walking x with Jim and Bob boo. And then after that you got you're going to go to Boston. Okay, we're going to Boston the show's called the big mattress. And so it'd be 321 go.

This is WBC in Boston. So listen, everybody. We're pretty lucky. Because with us right now is

one of the greatest actors ever. And he's got apparently he's got a book out he wants to talk about So ladies and gentlemen, this is Tony Curtis. And he says, hey, it's a big mattress. It's true.

The lacquer there on the big man. He's like a New York guy. You know, he did that New York thing. You know, I said before we talked about your book. I said a long time ago, I said, we were inspired ago, I went up to you and I stood there. And I told you that I also was up for the Boston Strangler, and you just looked up at me and and then you look down, you ignored me and you look down at your soup. And it's so weird, because I would see you every day when I worked at 20th. In the print shop, I'd see you walking with the director, going down to the cafeteria 20 Century Fox. So he goes, Yeah, yeah. I said, so I really did a better audition than you did. So why don't you just admit right now you blew the director.

To get the part you blew the director

was his last part of that and we were all prepared for him to just hang out. Yeah. He starts laughing so hard. It was like he almost fell off his whatever he was sitting on. He thought that was a funny

Staying in the world. And it turned out actually to be a great interview

Chuck Clough 39:03

turned out to be true. You know, I want to switch gears a little bit here. So there's a what you just talked really fast. So I want to I'm going to switch gears a little here. Okay, so and then can we go eat then we can go. So there is a documentary out right now called WBC and the American Revolution. So billikin Stein, he put it all together. Yep. And I saw it.

Last winter. I think I saw it before I hit Oh, you probably didn't see the final cut. It's even better. Oh, really. But it was fantastic. It was full of people who grew up listening to Bcn. I think the reason why people were so enamored enamored and in love with the way good word and in love with the way who Bcn was what Bcn was at the time because it was really the renaissance of radio like Bcn was the place was the radio station in Boston. And it struck such a chord

Charles Laquidara 40:00

People who were at that movie that people were just like, they couldn't shut up. They were just clapping and yelling, the moat movies. Brilliant. It took bill a long time to get to put it together, but it's worth, it's worth seeing. And they're there. I know, they're trying to raise money so that they can play it out in theaters everywhere, because right now they need to get the rights to the music. So that's still raising money for that's what that December 4 thing is about. Okay. The December 10 thing that I'm going to be in is is kind of it starts there. Yeah, yeah. And also, the audience is going to be an audience of that is normally for 30 years that new, so not so some of the people in the audience will know who joined glasscock is right. And some of them won't even know who the cosmic muffin is. And there are all these different things going on through 30 years of BCM that that will be talking about on December 10. Yes, at the Wilbur at the with Bill Spaceman. Lee. Yeah, I had said to do with sports at all. Yeah, you know who Spaceman was? No, he was before you know, I didn't know about

He's a left handed pitcher pick the shit out of the Yankees all the time. I just want to tell you that your dad is Yeah, he was a badass. And he They call him the Spaceman because he has a strict his manager, Don Zimmer. And Billy gave him a nickname called the jerboa because the guy hadn't played the middle platanus any funny or whatever. Anyway, he used to piss off

the manager, because he would say at the end of the game, if he lost, he would say, you know what, it's it, I don't care if I lose, I just love playing the game. He says, you know, the Chinese have a proverb, and he just go off into space. And so he's going to be this man, that'll be December 10. It'll be at the Wilbur theater, and will give all the information to like, wait and get tickets. And if you go to all you have to do is go to days in the life and spell it with a Z and tickets and yeah, there'll be a lot of stuff. We'll talk about a lot of stuff and also, but this will be my last time in public. I heard about this. Yeah. Well, it's going to be your first letter. Well, here's the problem. Thank you.

Ryan this between you and me and Chuck. Okay, okay.

Ronnie 42:04

My producers and promotion people wanted to make it funny because they thought it would be so funny like Sinatra. Yeah, like the farewell tour. This is absolutely going to be the last time I'll be in public ever. I mean, I swear that because I'm, I want to spend time with my grandkids. Well before we get to that for a second. So what I wanted to know is and, and thank you for your time we're going to we're going to eat and we're going to get out here in a minute. When you get up there on stage on the 10th though, the history is so implanted in these people's brains that are there, they're all the ages, they're probably gonna be what, like 40 to 80 or something, right? Yes. Right. In fact, you hit the demo. Yeah. So I'm thinking act. I'm glad I'm doing this thing because a lot of them are going I want to do it before they die. That's why one of the reasons I'm doing those memories about second muffin and big man, there's gonna be countless memories of people are going to just like they're gonna

Charles Laquidara 43:00

connect with you. And you're going to remember though, like you're going to remember things probably you don't realize right now. That's absolutely true. I mean, have you thought about that? No, because when I go there just like this, you know, we didn't rehearse I think today No. And I remembered stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Jeannie, by the way, save the story because she's given me the stink eye. Yeah, stink eye is Hawaiian for dirty luck, right? She's looking at me like, Oh, I cannot say that about anything.

Unknown Speaker 43:29

Yeah, so

Charles Laquidara 43:31

I'm white. And this is this. I am going to tell this story. I'm going to tell I'm a big ass DJ. I'm walking down Commonwealth Avenue. It's August. All the kids from New York from Los Angeles San Francisco all coming to go to school at BU bc all these different colleges they're all coming with they've got all the you know the vans What do you call those things? The loading vans is yes. And you know, moving things

Everything's Park double Park. So I'm walking along the street, I'm going up, whatever, it was calm and, and this most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life is walking toward me. And I'm thinking, What can I say? What can I say? I've got to say something you can't say what you're saying, You can't say that you just fall from heaven. I'm trying to think of a good line. And she walked right past me and I said, God, please make a mental note. You can't say those.

And I looked up at God, I said, God, even though I'm not sure you exist, if you can figure out something I can say to her, if I could somehow end up meeting her and marrying her. I swear to you, I will go to church, I will do everything. And I was just about to make the deal. And this other girl starts walking comes down. And I go, Wait,

wait, God, I changed my mind. And that's the difference between men and women. And that's why when women

Women are so much more evolved than men. Oh yeah. Because that is true. I wrote a haiku and then we'll end it with my hike. I like it. Okay. You know what a haiku is? 575 Japanese? Yes. Five syllables. Seven syllables. Five syllables. God made a mistake. We are not. must not go must. But we are jealous. That makes sense. You guys. Yeah, sure. Yeah. So anyway, and with a haiku Haiku. So anyway, I want to thank you guys and thank you. You look, you look great. You really do. Now he's hitting on me makeup. Which 1am

Chuck Clough 45:42

I just kidding. He just says just dinner and then we'll figure you know, it is seriously. I want to live to be 104 Yeah, because 104.10 Yeah, yes. Very nice. Yeah, yeah, you do look great. And it's an honor to meet you because I grew up listening to you and and you definitely someone that we wanted to have on

Ronnie 46:00

You have a great week up here. I'm sad to see that this is the last time you'd be in public hope you change your mind eventually, but I, but we get it you and with you. But thank you for visiting. I'm not Frank Sinatra. I said that somebody they said No you're not. I would never say that for asthma, Frank Sinatra. But I would say you're in a phrase. Well, I like I like that you're going to spend time your grandkids and I would, it'd be great to hear a conversation with with with you talking to them. I just know. I would love to hear that someday. You know what they comment on another podcast? You know what they told me one of

Charles Laquidara 46:32

my other producer Julie has three girls, little girls. And so they were at my house. When I was here when I lived here in Dover and Massachusetts, and they were all at the house. And my brother David walks in, and the Italian word for stupid or dumb or numbnuts or dummy, is the Italian word is church, church. So if an Italian says a church, it's like an insult right?

But my brother kidding, you know, like, he lovingly walks in the room and he says, Hey, George, what are you gonna do? You're gonna have potatoes. And her kids heard it. And so her kids thought it was true. True. So they call me uncle choo, choo. So then everybody saw that. All my my neighbors, my friends, their kids, they call me uncle choo, choo. So when my grandchildren were born, they call me Papa choo, choo. Choo, choo. Choo. I think it's great. Yeah, I love it. So puppet This is puppet choo choo. Saying, Thanks, you guys. Again, over and out. Let's go eat. Dude.

Chuck Clough 48:00

We would like to thank Charles very much for taking the time out of his crazy schedule to talk with us. Don't forget to see Charles and Bill Spaceman Lee at the Wilbur theater in Boston on Tuesday, December 10 2019. You can purchase tickets through his website : www.dazeinthelife.com or ticketmaster.com

Listen to more of Charles at Charles

Liquid arrow radio calm. And you can learn more about the David beber archives at David beber archives. com. We would also like to thank the lovely Jeannie Smith from the David beber archives as well as the also lovely Adam Klein of ck Communications Group, you can check out our show notes for all the links and information. Finally, we'd like to thank Kristen kindy, owner of woods Hill pier for located at 300 pure for Boulevard in Boston, Massachusetts, get more information at 6179814 or 577. Or at Woods Hill pier four.com. Go to above the basement calm where you can sign up for our newsletter. Listen and subscribe to our podcast like our Facebook page. Follow us on Twitter and look at all the nice pictures we post on Instagram. We are everywhere. From all of us at above the basement. Thank you for listening, tell your friends and remember Boston music like its history is unique.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai