THROWBACK: Bob Kevoian Of Bob And Tom Calls Into Hoppe Hour With Ryan Hoppe

WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.560
What up? What is happening? This is Hoppy Hour.

00:00:03.779 --> 00:00:08.160
I am your host, Ryan Hoppy. And on the phone

00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:11.359
line from the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom

00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:14.359
show, Bob is on the phone line. What's up, man?

00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:18.089
How you doing, Ryan? I'm doing great, man. First

00:00:18.089 --> 00:00:21.129
of all, I'm a big fan. I used to listen to you.

00:00:21.230 --> 00:00:23.510
I sort of picked up the reception when you were

00:00:23.510 --> 00:00:27.070
on 100 .7 in Illinois, and I would listen when

00:00:27.070 --> 00:00:29.929
I can. So this is an honor to have you on Hoppy

00:00:29.929 --> 00:00:32.630
Hour. Well, thanks very much. It's my pleasure

00:00:32.630 --> 00:00:36.009
to be here. And so the last two months you were

00:00:36.009 --> 00:00:38.820
on. What seemed like a very nice vacation, I

00:00:38.820 --> 00:00:41.140
saw you and your wife Becky would live tweet

00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:43.840
it, and I was a bit jealous. It seemed like a

00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:46.359
fun time. So how was your vacation this summer?

00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:50.780
Oh, fantastic. Our main trip was through the

00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:53.439
Adirondacks in New York. I think most people

00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:56.560
think New York is just a big city, where in fact

00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:58.359
it's one of the most beautiful states in our

00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:03.060
country. And what were some of the best parts

00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:08.810
about the vacation? Let's see. Traveling, camping.

00:01:09.390 --> 00:01:13.209
We did, I guess, what you call a little boondocking

00:01:13.209 --> 00:01:17.829
where you don't need electricity. You just run

00:01:17.829 --> 00:01:25.590
off the land. Camp like you used to in the old

00:01:25.590 --> 00:01:27.769
days, but you actually have an Airstream with

00:01:27.769 --> 00:01:30.590
you. You don't have to sleep on the ground. But

00:01:30.590 --> 00:01:34.930
it was a great trip. Saw a lot of places we had

00:01:34.930 --> 00:01:36.609
never seen before. That's the beautiful thing

00:01:36.609 --> 00:01:39.549
about traveling on highways. There's so much

00:01:39.549 --> 00:01:42.730
in America to see that, you know, we want to

00:01:42.730 --> 00:01:46.090
see as much as we can. So that's our goal here

00:01:46.090 --> 00:01:48.730
in the future. Was it one of those, like, things

00:01:48.730 --> 00:01:52.450
where did the vacation begin to drag on? Like,

00:01:52.530 --> 00:01:55.290
were you itching to go back on the radio or did

00:01:55.290 --> 00:01:58.049
you love every second? Oh, loved every second.

00:01:58.370 --> 00:02:01.269
Absolutely. You know, there's a... Radio is a

00:02:01.269 --> 00:02:04.709
fantastic form of media. I love it with all my

00:02:04.709 --> 00:02:07.650
heart. But I didn't have to wake up at 4 o 'clock

00:02:07.650 --> 00:02:10.930
in the morning. And it was nice to sleep in that

00:02:10.930 --> 00:02:15.669
long. The body really enjoyed it. Does that take

00:02:15.669 --> 00:02:18.930
a toll on you for the last, let's say, like 30

00:02:18.930 --> 00:02:22.530
years to wake up every morning at 4? Or is that

00:02:22.530 --> 00:02:24.729
something where you wake up every day and you

00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:27.270
go, I love my job? Like, how does that work for

00:02:27.270 --> 00:02:31.900
you? When the alarm goes off. It sucks to no

00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:35.599
end. But once you get into the studio, it's fantastic.

00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:38.500
The toughest part, in my opinion, they pay me

00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:44.159
to get out of bed. So I struggle to get out,

00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:46.740
but once you have your shower and a cup of coffee,

00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:49.520
everything's right with the world, and you go

00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:54.020
in and talk about it. People say, oh, you must

00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:57.719
be used to this. No, no, you never are. It is

00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:00.699
hard to get out of bed every morning. What is

00:03:00.699 --> 00:03:04.060
the key to having a great show when you're on

00:03:04.060 --> 00:03:06.879
very little sleep? Because I can imagine it must

00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:09.439
be weird since you're heard in so many cities

00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:11.900
when that mic's on and you're like, crap, I'm

00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:14.259
talking on the radio. Do you ever have that moment?

00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:18.139
Well, you have a good support staff. When you

00:03:18.139 --> 00:03:21.259
have Tom, Christy, and Chick, it makes things

00:03:21.259 --> 00:03:24.800
so much easier. They're great broadcasters. And,

00:03:24.860 --> 00:03:27.780
you know, if one of us is not feeling well, someone

00:03:27.780 --> 00:03:31.479
else picks up and you just keep going. And, yeah,

00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:33.159
we can tell. I mean, we've been together for

00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:37.240
so long. We can tell when somebody is not hitting

00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:43.340
on all eight pistons. So it's a good mix with

00:03:43.340 --> 00:03:48.400
the group. And we know how to, I guess, you know,

00:03:48.419 --> 00:03:51.639
just. figure out what the other one's feeling

00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:53.300
that day. If someone's not feeling all well,

00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:56.520
I mean, you kind of step up and help them out.

00:03:57.120 --> 00:04:00.099
What is it about everyone on your team that is

00:04:00.099 --> 00:04:03.219
so special? Like, how have you guys made it work

00:04:03.219 --> 00:04:07.699
for so long? Well, everybody brings it to the

00:04:07.699 --> 00:04:12.740
show, and if you have a problem outside, you

00:04:12.740 --> 00:04:15.419
don't bring it into the studio. You come in and

00:04:15.419 --> 00:04:21.980
do your four -hour show, It's like, I don't know,

00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:24.680
it's like being an actor or something where they

00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:27.720
have to go on stage, they have to portray a part,

00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:30.379
and no matter what's going on in their life,

00:04:30.620 --> 00:04:34.639
they have to keep going. I mean, you can't walk

00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:41.899
out being, say, a court jester and not be funny.

00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:45.180
If you're not funny, you're not going to, well,

00:04:45.220 --> 00:04:51.079
that's off at your head, I think. I don't know.

00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:56.620
It's just a good group of people who are professionals,

00:04:56.660 --> 00:05:00.740
and we know what we're being paid to do, and

00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:04.639
we do it. How did you meet everybody on the Bob

00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:08.920
and Tom show? I met Tom in Petoskey, Michigan.

00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:15.800
I was working at a radio station, WMBN in Petoskey.

00:05:17.550 --> 00:05:22.589
It was FM, AM. The AM was WPZ. Pardon me. And

00:05:22.589 --> 00:05:26.269
I wasn't making a whole lot of money because

00:05:26.269 --> 00:05:29.829
it was small -time radio, and I attended bar

00:05:29.829 --> 00:05:34.689
at night to supplement the income. And Tom came

00:05:34.689 --> 00:05:38.050
in after a Jay Giles concert, and I served him

00:05:38.050 --> 00:05:40.629
a drink, and we started talking, and he came

00:05:40.629 --> 00:05:45.329
by the station the next day, spoke with my owner

00:05:45.329 --> 00:05:49.639
general manager. And she hired him as my program

00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:53.959
director. We have been working together ever

00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:59.500
since. And that was in 1980. What was it about

00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:08.060
Tom that drew you in? Confidence. Humor. He was

00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:11.019
a good guy, good hang. And were there some things

00:06:11.019 --> 00:06:14.339
you guys would do to hang out? When you first

00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:17.100
began doing a show, I feel like you guys don't

00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:19.540
know each other that much. So would you guys

00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:23.160
hang out outside of the show to get to know each

00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:25.300
other? Oh, yeah, we did that for quite a while.

00:06:25.420 --> 00:06:31.339
In fact, after the first year, we ended up being

00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:35.060
roommates. So we got to know each other very

00:06:35.060 --> 00:06:42.509
well. And it really helped with creating the

00:06:42.509 --> 00:06:51.589
team. And it was, I guess, radio magic because

00:06:51.589 --> 00:06:57.689
we never intended to be in radio. It was a total

00:06:57.689 --> 00:07:01.250
mistake for us. I walked into a radio station.

00:07:02.949 --> 00:07:08.110
the, you know, the NBN and WPZ. And I, you know,

00:07:08.129 --> 00:07:10.670
my knowledge of radio was zilch. And I walked

00:07:10.670 --> 00:07:12.509
in and asked if they needed someone to spin records

00:07:12.509 --> 00:07:17.250
for the disc jockeys. And the general manager

00:07:17.250 --> 00:07:20.490
guy, his name was Gary Buffington. He goes, no,

00:07:20.610 --> 00:07:22.170
they do that themselves. Do you want to be a

00:07:22.170 --> 00:07:25.949
disc jockey? I said, sure. And that's how I got

00:07:25.949 --> 00:07:29.930
into radio. It was a total fluke. And meeting

00:07:29.930 --> 00:07:32.790
Tom was a total fluke. Having a morning show

00:07:32.790 --> 00:07:35.129
was a total fluke, never something that we prepared

00:07:35.129 --> 00:07:39.949
for in life. It just happened. And I don't know

00:07:39.949 --> 00:07:44.370
if that was the key to our success, but it certainly

00:07:44.370 --> 00:07:47.009
helped. Who are some people that have helped

00:07:47.009 --> 00:07:49.970
you and Tom in maybe giving you guys some advice

00:07:49.970 --> 00:07:52.250
through all these years? Were there some radio

00:07:52.250 --> 00:07:55.089
consultants, or were there people that just kind

00:07:55.089 --> 00:07:58.310
of helped you along the way? No, it was since

00:07:58.310 --> 00:08:02.160
we started in small -time radio. We kind of,

00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:05.399
we had a, there was a guy that when I first got

00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:08.500
hired by Gary Buffington, he was a great guy,

00:08:08.579 --> 00:08:10.279
had been on radio forever, named Tom Chorley.

00:08:10.339 --> 00:08:13.300
And Tom showed me all the ropes of what you do

00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:17.040
and what you don't do. And so I learned, you

00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:20.939
know, I guess it was kind of an on -air internship,

00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:25.300
although I was being paid, to learn radio. And

00:08:25.300 --> 00:08:28.060
the same thing happened with Tom while he was

00:08:28.060 --> 00:08:30.910
in Deland, Florida. He was on air for a year

00:08:30.910 --> 00:08:36.289
there. So we both learned what radio was. And

00:08:36.289 --> 00:08:41.110
when we had finally met and we started goofing

00:08:41.110 --> 00:08:43.330
around in the air, we knew what the rules were

00:08:43.330 --> 00:08:46.590
and what they weren't and what we could do and

00:08:46.590 --> 00:08:50.710
what we couldn't. And it just happened. We were

00:08:50.710 --> 00:08:53.389
just two guys who wanted to make people laugh.

00:08:59.950 --> 00:09:02.649
the small radio station in town to the large

00:09:02.649 --> 00:09:06.629
100 ,000 -watt radio station in Petoskey. It

00:09:06.629 --> 00:09:11.330
was WJML. And we did mornings, and we just kicked

00:09:11.330 --> 00:09:14.809
ass. It was a lot of fun, and there were consultants

00:09:14.809 --> 00:09:18.490
who would tell us, hey, you're doing it wrong.

00:09:19.529 --> 00:09:24.389
But, you know, we were making people laugh. And

00:09:24.389 --> 00:09:28.350
when the ratings came out, The day after the

00:09:28.350 --> 00:09:31.429
consultant told us we were doing it wrong, we

00:09:31.429 --> 00:09:34.490
came out with a 44 share in the morning. Oh,

00:09:34.490 --> 00:09:38.009
my goodness. Yeah. And it was like, what? We're

00:09:38.009 --> 00:09:40.769
doing it wrong? And next thing you know, we're

00:09:40.769 --> 00:09:44.950
getting offers from around the country to go

00:09:44.950 --> 00:09:50.370
places. And we got hired at WFBQ in Indianapolis.

00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:53.820
And that was in 1983, and we have been there

00:09:53.820 --> 00:09:57.379
ever since. What is the key to having great ratings

00:09:57.379 --> 00:10:00.080
all these years, especially since you've been

00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:03.820
at the same place all these years? Program content,

00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:11.379
making your people laugh, making them, just keeping

00:10:11.379 --> 00:10:13.139
them abreast of what's going on in the world

00:10:13.139 --> 00:10:15.179
today, making fun of what's going on in the world

00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:18.879
today, just giving them, I guess, the lighter

00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:24.419
side of life. Instead of the 9 to 5, oh, I don't

00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:28.220
want to go to work today routine, make them happy

00:10:28.220 --> 00:10:33.220
to get in their car and take a lesson. If I knew

00:10:33.220 --> 00:10:36.480
exactly what it was, I would be the richest man

00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:40.159
in radio, but I don't. I don't know. It's just

00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:44.960
the main thing is to, I guess, make your listeners

00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:47.600
happy, if that's what you're intending to be.

00:10:47.639 --> 00:10:52.309
If you're intending to be a... A news broadcaster,

00:10:52.409 --> 00:10:53.950
well, you have to broadcast the news and you

00:10:53.950 --> 00:10:58.950
have to do it, I guess, that will, a way to entertain

00:10:58.950 --> 00:11:02.450
and inform is the key to good ratings, in my

00:11:02.450 --> 00:11:05.649
opinion. How did it feel when you guys went from

00:11:05.649 --> 00:11:09.269
just being on in Indianapolis to then being syndicated?

00:11:09.370 --> 00:11:15.809
How did that work? Well, we had done 60 comedy

00:11:15.809 --> 00:11:20.700
albums. and there was, I guess, a survey in the

00:11:20.700 --> 00:11:24.200
radio industry asking who was the most stolen

00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:26.279
from show and radio, and it turned out to be

00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:30.200
us. We would put these comedy albums out, and

00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:32.879
disc jockeys around the country would grab them,

00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:35.519
and they'd play little pieces of it, but never

00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:38.620
give us credit, or they would take one of the

00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:44.500
bits on the album and re -record it and claim

00:11:44.500 --> 00:11:48.340
it was theirs. So we decided, hey, if we're the

00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:52.100
most stolen from Showell, why don't we try syndicating

00:11:52.100 --> 00:11:57.240
and see if that works? And Frank Wood out of

00:11:57.240 --> 00:12:00.799
Cincinnati had just acquired our radio station.

00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:04.559
It was Broadcast Alchemy. It was the name of

00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:08.419
his company. And he goes, hey, why don't we get

00:12:08.419 --> 00:12:11.460
this syndication thing started? So we started

00:12:11.460 --> 00:12:15.480
with... Evansville, Indiana, and Fort Wayne,

00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:21.539
Indiana, just to stay with us. And it spread

00:12:21.539 --> 00:12:24.820
like wildfire. We went from two affiliates to

00:12:24.820 --> 00:12:28.240
150 affiliates in about two years. How does that

00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.460
feel? Does it seem like real life, or does it

00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:34.299
just seem like something that is fake? When you

00:12:34.299 --> 00:12:38.840
go from having two towns to 150, what is that

00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:41.799
like, Bob? Well, you know what? You don't realize.

00:12:42.570 --> 00:12:46.570
I still don't realize that I have, I should say

00:12:46.570 --> 00:12:49.649
that we have, listeners all over the United States

00:12:49.649 --> 00:12:53.549
and, you know, parts of Europe and the World

00:12:53.549 --> 00:12:56.590
Wide Web, which is amazing. But you're sitting

00:12:56.590 --> 00:12:59.429
in a room with three other people, and all you

00:12:59.429 --> 00:13:02.549
do is talk with them every morning, and that's

00:13:02.549 --> 00:13:06.590
what radio is to me. I don't think of it as how

00:13:06.590 --> 00:13:08.669
many people are listening. I think of it as I

00:13:08.669 --> 00:13:11.429
go to the studio in the morning. and have the

00:13:11.429 --> 00:13:14.610
time of my life. So I don't even think about

00:13:14.610 --> 00:13:18.730
how many cities we're in. It's just go in there,

00:13:18.809 --> 00:13:21.169
and I try to make Tom, Christy, and Chick laugh

00:13:21.169 --> 00:13:24.750
as best I can. And now when you are syndicated

00:13:24.750 --> 00:13:27.470
in all these different cities, were you ever

00:13:27.470 --> 00:13:30.870
worried about the ratings in each town, or was

00:13:30.870 --> 00:13:33.909
it one of those things where you just said, I'll

00:13:33.909 --> 00:13:36.509
just keep doing my show and hope for the best?

00:13:37.149 --> 00:13:40.539
Yeah, you just keep doing the show. If we, you

00:13:40.539 --> 00:13:43.899
know, and when you move into a new city, it takes

00:13:43.899 --> 00:13:46.039
a while for people to change their morning habits.

00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:49.279
You know, they're used to what used to be the

00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:51.320
rock station, and many people complain because

00:13:51.320 --> 00:13:53.179
they don't get the rock music they once had.

00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:56.679
And it takes a while for everyone to change,

00:13:56.899 --> 00:14:01.059
you know, how they wake up. And once they get

00:14:01.059 --> 00:14:03.720
a little hint of what's going on, they want,

00:14:03.779 --> 00:14:06.179
oh, let me try that again. I'll try it again.

00:14:07.309 --> 00:14:12.710
It usually takes one to two years to get decent

00:14:12.710 --> 00:14:19.250
ratings in a city. And so far, we've had great

00:14:19.250 --> 00:14:26.450
success. And we don't change anything to hope

00:14:26.450 --> 00:14:30.309
that, oh, that someone at St. Louis is going

00:14:30.309 --> 00:14:32.690
to really love us if we talk about St. Louis

00:14:32.690 --> 00:14:35.200
all the time. No, what we do is... We talk about

00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:37.080
the world and ourselves, and we may, you know,

00:14:37.100 --> 00:14:40.139
make fun of ourselves. And in my opinion, if

00:14:40.139 --> 00:14:42.879
you can make fun of yourself, it gives you carte

00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:47.679
blanche to make fun of others. So that's what

00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:54.259
we do, and you don't change to hopefully be big

00:14:54.259 --> 00:14:56.500
in one city and small in the others. You make

00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:59.929
it all the same. What are some of the most diehard

00:14:59.929 --> 00:15:02.850
cities that you guys are syndicated in where

00:15:02.850 --> 00:15:06.950
these fans are just so loyal? Believe it or not,

00:15:07.009 --> 00:15:10.370
every one of them. We have the best listeners

00:15:10.370 --> 00:15:14.470
in the world, and we're very fortunate to have

00:15:14.470 --> 00:15:18.730
people who know who we are. It still blows me

00:15:18.730 --> 00:15:24.350
away that this happened. It's just hard to believe

00:15:24.350 --> 00:15:28.120
at times. What is it about your fan base that

00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:30.919
is so great? Why are they the best in the world?

00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:36.440
They're, in my opinion, smart, funny. They're

00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:39.279
educated. They're uneducated. They're just well

00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:43.200
-rounded people who all they want, you know,

00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:47.000
they can be doctors all the way down to, you

00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:49.240
know, ditch diggers. All they want is a good

00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:52.600
laugh, and everybody wants a good laugh. You've

00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:56.340
had so many great moments over these years on

00:15:56.340 --> 00:15:58.879
the Bob and Tom show. What are some that come

00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:02.740
to your mind? Well, the biggest for me is having

00:16:02.740 --> 00:16:05.960
the opportunity to interview Paul McCartney one

00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:11.139
-on -one. That was, you know, a huge, huge Beatles

00:16:11.139 --> 00:16:15.340
fan. And having that moment with, it was just,

00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:19.730
you know, me and Paul, it was... The highlight

00:16:19.730 --> 00:16:23.250
of my career, really. It was pretty special.

00:16:23.629 --> 00:16:27.429
What is that like when you walk into the room

00:16:27.429 --> 00:16:30.549
and there he is, Sir Paul McCartney? Did it seem

00:16:30.549 --> 00:16:33.629
like real life? Were you nervous? How did this

00:16:33.629 --> 00:16:38.330
go down? I was nervous, and it happened again.

00:16:38.389 --> 00:16:42.129
It was something I got a phone call from our

00:16:42.129 --> 00:16:46.450
program director the morning of his concert here

00:16:46.450 --> 00:16:50.539
in town. And he goes, hey, Bob, would you like

00:16:50.539 --> 00:16:54.139
to interview Paul McCartney? And I said, is this

00:16:54.139 --> 00:16:59.700
a joke? And I said, I said, I'd love to. He goes,

00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:03.879
well, be at the arena at, I don't know, probably

00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:05.619
his show was at 8. I had to be there at like

00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:08.579
5 or something. And I'm sitting in this room

00:17:08.579 --> 00:17:12.400
listening to them sound check. I can hear them

00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:15.450
in the distance. And it's over with, and next

00:17:15.450 --> 00:17:16.950
thing you know, the door swings open, and there's

00:17:16.950 --> 00:17:20.970
McCartney. And, you know, I was as nervous as

00:17:20.970 --> 00:17:22.910
could be. I mean, what do you ask the man who's

00:17:22.910 --> 00:17:27.529
had every question thrown at him? And you just

00:17:27.529 --> 00:17:32.849
hopefully you're able to engage a conversation

00:17:32.849 --> 00:17:34.549
with a guy, and you don't bore him to death.

00:17:35.369 --> 00:17:38.150
So, you know, we had about a 15 -minute chat,

00:17:38.289 --> 00:17:44.339
and, you know, it's still. as memorable as could

00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:47.359
be. It was definitely a highlight. We've been

00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:50.680
fortunate enough to meet many great celebrities,

00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:53.240
and you just realize that, you know what, these

00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:56.339
people are just like us. They are no different

00:17:56.339 --> 00:17:59.000
than the rest of us. They just have their picture

00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:01.640
in the paper more than we do, that's all. What

00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:04.920
is the key to having a great interview, and what

00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:07.480
do some people do wrong when these interviews

00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:11.420
go down south real fast? Well, I'll be informative,

00:18:11.579 --> 00:18:14.339
ask him questions that most people don't ask.

00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:18.140
I mean, we had one of my favorite interviews

00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:21.619
was when we had Michael Anthony from Van Halen

00:18:21.619 --> 00:18:25.599
on. And we started talking about him as a kid,

00:18:25.819 --> 00:18:28.539
finding out more about him as a human being.

00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:31.059
I mean, did you know that he was a trumpet player

00:18:31.059 --> 00:18:34.299
in a marching band? No. That's the kind of stuff,

00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:36.319
you know, that people want to know more about

00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:40.539
their celebs. You don't see in the tabloids.

00:18:41.259 --> 00:18:45.480
Get in there and find out about them. And also,

00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:47.200
you know, it's just like in journalism, who,

00:18:47.299 --> 00:18:53.119
what, when, where, why. And it really does answer

00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:58.000
and help you write questions and get good answers.

00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:02.000
Now, when it comes to interviews, you guys are

00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:05.099
so nice to comedians, giving them their big break.

00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:08.400
How does it feel that you guys have helped launch

00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:12.740
so many radio careers for comedians? Well, comedy

00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:15.420
is what we do and what we enjoy. And the one

00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:18.500
thing that we enjoy just as much as our listeners

00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:21.559
is we love a good laugh. And if you're a good

00:19:21.559 --> 00:19:25.339
comedian, we'll have you come on and hang with

00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:31.980
us. truly funny, and then how many comedians

00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:35.079
there are that are more like actors who have

00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:37.880
memorized monologues, and they go out and do

00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:41.420
a 45 -minute show. The ones who are truly funny,

00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:44.740
that are just naturally funny, are the ones that

00:19:44.740 --> 00:19:47.680
we like hanging out with, and they're usually

00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:51.440
the ones who go on to great success. And again,

00:19:51.900 --> 00:19:54.660
the reason we have them on is because we, just

00:19:54.660 --> 00:19:59.859
like our listeners, love laughing. So what better

00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:02.460
thing to do than to feature some of America's

00:20:02.460 --> 00:20:06.180
greatest comics? Who are some of the best comics

00:20:06.180 --> 00:20:08.619
that you guys have had on the Bob and Tom show?

00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:14.559
Well, you go through George Lopez. We got George

00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:19.039
Lopez. We started him when he was just a pup.

00:20:19.380 --> 00:20:23.559
We were his first radio thing, and we had him

00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:26.400
on as a regular. Both Tom and I were part of

00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:29.789
George's. I should say George is part of Tom's

00:20:29.789 --> 00:20:32.289
wedding. George is an old friend, and he's become

00:20:32.289 --> 00:20:38.809
a huge star. Brad Garrett, Tim Allen, some of

00:20:38.809 --> 00:20:41.750
my new favorites are Tommy Johnigan, Chad Daniels,

00:20:41.750 --> 00:20:45.210
Jimmy Pardo. There are just so many great people

00:20:45.210 --> 00:20:48.690
that are out there. And we've had hundreds and

00:20:48.690 --> 00:20:51.390
hundreds of, I should say, thousands of comics

00:20:51.390 --> 00:20:54.109
come through the doors, and every one of them

00:20:54.109 --> 00:20:57.460
are brilliant. There are a couple of exceptions,

00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:03.059
but we're very fortunate. And if you can hang

00:21:03.059 --> 00:21:07.059
with us for three hours and just be funny, and

00:21:07.059 --> 00:21:09.039
most of them aren't even using their material,

00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:11.700
because they're just naturally funny people.

00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:16.859
And it's a blast. I mean, again, it's all about

00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:20.420
the laugh. And now, when did you guys begin putting

00:21:20.420 --> 00:21:26.309
on live comedy shows? Oh, my. That would be more

00:21:26.309 --> 00:21:30.890
of a question for Tom. He and some other folks

00:21:30.890 --> 00:21:35.430
helped get that started. And Chick and Christy

00:21:35.430 --> 00:21:37.190
go out on those all the time. I don't know. It

00:21:37.190 --> 00:21:39.970
might have been 10 years ago. Now, with all the

00:21:39.970 --> 00:21:42.349
comedians that you guys feature at the show,

00:21:42.609 --> 00:21:45.950
how happy are they when they find out that they're

00:21:45.950 --> 00:21:49.190
not going to be at a comedy club for once and

00:21:49.190 --> 00:21:53.220
in front of a live, large audience? Oh, well,

00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:55.259
for them it's tremendous because they don't have

00:21:55.259 --> 00:21:57.299
to work Friday. It's Saturday instead of working

00:21:57.299 --> 00:22:02.619
Wednesday through Sunday. So it's a two -city

00:22:02.619 --> 00:22:05.660
gig, and they're in front of usually a sold -out

00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:07.819
crowd. So, yeah, it makes them very happy to

00:22:07.819 --> 00:22:10.740
be part of it. So now here are some big news

00:22:10.740 --> 00:22:13.880
for the Bob and Tom show. You guys are going

00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:17.700
to be going into the Radio Hall of Fame. When

00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:19.660
did you guys first find out that you were going

00:22:19.660 --> 00:22:24.309
to be nominated? Well, I didn't know I was nominated.

00:22:24.529 --> 00:22:28.190
I found out, believe it or not, from a Twitter

00:22:28.190 --> 00:22:33.289
follower that I'd gone, what's this all about?

00:22:33.390 --> 00:22:39.170
And I went to the link that he had on his tweet.

00:22:39.910 --> 00:22:42.670
And I said, I'll be damned, I'm nominated for

00:22:42.670 --> 00:22:45.329
the Radio Hall of Fame. I had no idea. And then

00:22:45.329 --> 00:22:50.150
when I found that out, it was, I think, two or

00:22:50.150 --> 00:22:52.430
three days later that it was confirmed that we

00:22:52.430 --> 00:22:55.789
were indeed being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

00:22:55.869 --> 00:23:00.809
So it's a real, it's still a real shocker. How

00:23:00.809 --> 00:23:04.390
honored are you? Does this make all the work

00:23:04.390 --> 00:23:07.170
that you guys have put in all these years, does

00:23:07.170 --> 00:23:10.769
it just make it even more worth it? Well, yeah,

00:23:10.829 --> 00:23:14.049
it's nice being recognized by your peers. And

00:23:14.049 --> 00:23:18.819
it's, you know, it's still. somewhat shocking.

00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:22.900
I mean, we're just, you know, hanging out in

00:23:22.900 --> 00:23:27.039
the studio, yucking it up, and all of a sudden

00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:30.000
now we're Hall of Famers. It's kind of weird.

00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:33.039
Yeah. Now, it won't be for a few more months,

00:23:33.099 --> 00:23:35.740
but do you see you and Tom going to this event?

00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:40.660
Yeah, it is next month. It's on the 5th of November,

00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:43.619
and yeah, we are definitely attending. Because

00:23:43.619 --> 00:23:46.599
that must be such an honor to have put in all

00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:49.740
this work in radio and they nominate you into

00:23:49.740 --> 00:23:52.460
the Hall of Fame. Now, for kids like me that

00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:56.500
are breaking into radio in 2015, what is some

00:23:56.500 --> 00:24:00.099
advice you would have for us? Well, again, it's

00:24:00.099 --> 00:24:07.640
keep your listener entertained. It is entertainment.

00:24:07.900 --> 00:24:10.299
That's why people tune in. They love being entertained.

00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:13.180
They love being informed. They love laughing.

00:24:13.400 --> 00:24:15.339
They just want to know what's going on around

00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:19.660
them. And if you can do that, in my opinion,

00:24:19.660 --> 00:24:24.759
that's the recipe for a successful show. And

00:24:24.759 --> 00:24:27.799
now, where do you see radio going the next 10

00:24:27.799 --> 00:24:30.839
years? Because it has changed so much in the

00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:34.579
last decade because of PPM, this and that. So

00:24:34.579 --> 00:24:38.809
what is the future of radio and podcasts? Uh,

00:24:38.950 --> 00:24:42.430
radio and it looks like, and podcasts will be

00:24:42.430 --> 00:24:45.190
around forever. The, the one thing about, uh,

00:24:45.509 --> 00:24:49.990
uh, I guess broadcasting that it's kind of like

00:24:49.990 --> 00:24:53.490
cable and satellite television now, or there's

00:24:53.490 --> 00:24:55.670
a thousand channels. Which one do you watch?

00:24:55.970 --> 00:24:59.670
Yeah. I mean, now that there's a, you know, there's,

00:24:59.670 --> 00:25:02.250
I don't know how many podcasts, 10 thousands,

00:25:02.309 --> 00:25:06.210
which one do you listen to? Uh, and radio stations,

00:25:06.230 --> 00:25:09.980
there's, There's tens of thousands across the

00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:12.940
country. Which one do you listen to? The one

00:25:12.940 --> 00:25:15.339
you listen to is the one that entertains you,

00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:18.579
and you will eventually find it. There's a lot

00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:20.680
to go through, but, you know, I mean, what's

00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:25.059
your favorite channel on satellite dish? There's

00:25:25.059 --> 00:25:28.740
one that you always go to, and you'll eventually

00:25:28.740 --> 00:25:33.880
find that broadcast entity that will entertain.

00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:37.710
So, you know, there's always room. for more,

00:25:37.829 --> 00:25:41.369
but people weed out the bad ones and we'll find

00:25:41.369 --> 00:25:44.549
the good ones. And now, how much longer do you

00:25:44.549 --> 00:25:47.789
see yourself in radio doing the Bob and Tom show

00:25:47.789 --> 00:25:52.150
each morning? I'll always be in radio. You know,

00:25:52.190 --> 00:25:54.950
I'm getting up in years. I don't know how much

00:25:54.950 --> 00:25:59.750
longer my body will take it, but I just don't

00:25:59.750 --> 00:26:01.809
know. Is it one of those things where you're

00:26:01.809 --> 00:26:04.190
just going to sort of play it by ear since you

00:26:04.190 --> 00:26:06.619
love doing the show each morning? Yeah, probably.

00:26:07.160 --> 00:26:12.539
It's just right now, I just hope I wake up every

00:26:12.539 --> 00:26:17.190
morning. Yeah. I do know exactly what you mean,

00:26:17.230 --> 00:26:20.609
Bob. I'm the same way. I take each day as it

00:26:20.609 --> 00:26:23.630
is and I just come here prepared to put on the

00:26:23.630 --> 00:26:26.690
best show possible, which is what I respect about

00:26:26.690 --> 00:26:29.450
you. The fact that you have spent all these years

00:26:29.450 --> 00:26:32.529
putting in so much effort and so much passion

00:26:32.529 --> 00:26:35.190
each and every morning to entertaining your audience.

00:26:35.789 --> 00:26:38.809
So before I let you go, where can people find

00:26:38.809 --> 00:26:43.680
your work online and on the radio? We are at

00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:47.819
BobandTom .com and on the radio. There's too

00:26:47.819 --> 00:26:54.720
many to memorize, but our mothership is WFBQQ95

00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:58.210
in Indianapolis. And now, Bob, my ultimate goal

00:26:58.210 --> 00:27:02.069
is to be the next outspoken person for my generation,

00:27:02.349 --> 00:27:06.849
and you guys are one of my influences. So for

00:27:06.849 --> 00:27:10.349
you to even call into my podcast is an absolute

00:27:10.349 --> 00:27:13.150
honor. So, Bob, thank you so much for being on

00:27:13.150 --> 00:27:15.609
Hoppy Hour. It means the world to me. Well, thanks,

00:27:15.690 --> 00:27:18.289
Ryan, for inviting me, and great success to you

00:27:18.289 --> 00:27:23.390
and your future, and radio is red hot. Thank

00:27:23.390 --> 00:27:26.529
you, Bob. Have a good rest of the day. Bye -bye.

00:27:26.630 --> 00:27:31.329
And that was Bob from the Bob and Tom show. I'm

00:27:31.329 --> 00:27:34.730
in awe that he would even consider doing the

00:27:34.730 --> 00:27:38.769
interview. What happened was I sent him a tweet.

00:27:38.890 --> 00:27:42.170
I sent a lot of people tweets, celebrities, you

00:27:42.170 --> 00:27:45.509
know, big -time radio names. Like I've sent them

00:27:45.509 --> 00:27:48.730
to Howard. And you don't even think there's a

00:27:48.730 --> 00:27:51.630
chance in hell that they would even come on your

00:27:51.630 --> 00:27:55.839
show. But when I saw Bob tweet at me, yeah. I

00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:59.480
would love to. Let's make that happen. I can't

00:27:59.480 --> 00:28:03.440
explain how pumped I was and how much. That meant

00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:07.200
to me being a 22 -year -old trying to break into

00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:10.380
this business, being a 22 -year -old that has

00:28:10.380 --> 00:28:12.799
loved this business since I was in fourth grade.

00:28:12.940 --> 00:28:17.319
I remember they were on 100 .7 in Joliet, Illinois.

00:28:17.740 --> 00:28:20.460
But the thing was, I lived in the Chicagoland

00:28:20.460 --> 00:28:22.740
area, and that's a different city in Illinois.

00:28:22.940 --> 00:28:26.079
So I would barely pick up the reception on the

00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:28.619
Bob and Tom show. But each morning that I listened

00:28:28.619 --> 00:28:32.769
to it, I absolutely loved it. Also, I respect

00:28:32.769 --> 00:28:36.630
the longevity and the classiness that they have

00:28:36.630 --> 00:28:39.309
brought to radio and the fact that they never

00:28:39.309 --> 00:28:42.950
resort to exploitation or making fun of people.

00:28:43.009 --> 00:28:46.029
The fact that he just wants to entertain people,

00:28:46.130 --> 00:28:48.509
like he said, if it's someone working in an office

00:28:48.509 --> 00:28:51.769
or if it's someone that's digging a ditch, that

00:28:51.769 --> 00:28:54.910
he just wants to entertain them and to keep them

00:28:54.910 --> 00:28:58.700
entertained. each and every morning as they go

00:28:58.700 --> 00:29:02.359
about their 9 to 5 job. So the fact that Bob

00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:05.380
would even come on the show means the world to

00:29:05.380 --> 00:29:09.180
me. This has been Hoppy Hour. I am your host,

00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:14.380
Ryan Hoppy, saying peace out. Hoppy Hour. Hoppy

00:29:14.380 --> 00:29:21.160
Hour. This is an official broadcast of Hoppy

00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:23.279
Radio. For more info, check out hoppyradio .com

00:29:23.279 --> 00:29:26.900
and hoppysworld .com. Thanks for watching!