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The stars at night are big and bright...
Monday, October 24, 2011
The South 40 Is Rockin' With The Zoo!
Labella and Rody- Radio Gods in the late 70's - early 80's. They inspired me to enter radio and I actually wound up working right across the hall from Studio H at Belo. I also got to meet John Rody when I backed into him trying to snag a parking spot in the Communications Center parking lot.
Belo had the mother of all overcrowded parking lots in downtown Dallas. I had to report by 2pm for my shift as a rookie mobile traffic reporter on 570 WFAA-AM and it was 1:56. I finally spotted someone backing out, hit the brakes and put it in reverse. I barely took my foot off the brake when I felt a bump. Oh shit! I backed into somebody... I jumped out of my van (it was very cool looking red custom Chevy Van than was a total POS, but it looked very cool) ran to the back and saw a late model Lincoln Continental with a completely totalled front end. I looked at my bumper and saw nothing but 2 tiny scratches. I looked back at the Lincoln and saw $4000 worth of damage, easy. Completely stunned I look at the driver... John Rody. The man that inspired me to get into radio in the first place. John Rody... the biggest star of Dallas rock radio. Me , the lowly part-time traffic reporter on the AM side.
What can I say? I had a panic attack that would make Tony Soprano proud. I sounded like Ralph Kramden, "humina, humina, humina". Rody looked me square in the eyes screamed at the top of his lungs "I'm late for the news!" and burned rubber getting out of there.
I... am a dead man.
I did my shift and tried to find him in the offices after work, but he was already gone. I don't think I slept a wink that night knowing I had to face him the next day. I missed him after the morning shift and went back right after lunch. He was at his desk and I went in literally hat in hand ready to plead mercy. I had no idea my Chevy van was a tank and Lincolns were beer cans. I introduced my self and started to beg mercy. John stopped me after a few seconds and said "Don't worry about it, kid. I had a wreck on Central 2 days ago." Thank you Jesus! Here I was sweating losing my career, my car, my... wait a second. You knew I didn't cause the damage and made me sweat it out?
Thanks a LOT!
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2 comments:
Until just some years ago I could always spot my boyhood truck around town by the ZOO sticker with the wings cut out of other stickers (obtained form Sound Warehouse) arrayed up over the monster in the middle to look like it was flapping it's wings or whatever.
'member that?
I didn't listen to the Zoo that much at the time - was more likely tuned to KNUS or KFJZ/Z-97, but became a fan of Rody's during his stint at 92.5, and could mimic his catchphrases, cadence and intonations really well.
Belo was well regarded at my school, as both Jim and Mike Mo attended (I think Jim was '73 or '74, and Mike was '77 - a couple years ahead of me). Three or four years ago, I attended homecoming and Mike came up and started talking with me, addressing me by name, which I thought was sorta cool, as I didn't (and don't) run in his social circles, and had a more-or-less undistinguished high school career.
Enjoyed the makeover clip comment about working in a bank, or Sanger-Harris, as I've done both. (The scions of S-H management also attended my school, though it had no part in the seasonal job I had in 1980.)
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