Sorry, but I loved that song from the big 80s.  Last week, Rob Kowal contacted me and asked if I would like to be a guest on his Sunday night Hockey talk show.  Right… let me think about it.  Done.  Ok!  Where do I sign?

 

Are you kidding???  After this incredible start to the season, I’m going to turn down a chance to talk about it?  To anybody?  Hardly!  Even Big Angry Man wanted in on this one.  I hadn’t been in a radio studio since I was in high school, and Dan was just very curious to see the set up.  Rob warned me. “It isn’t pretty.”  I laughed, because I just didn’t care.  I was just as happy and excited to do this as Webb20 was for Rob’s first show this season.  As I live a lot closer than Webby, I had no problem driving over there.

 

When I had accepted this gracious invitation, I had no idea I would be battling food poisoning from a lovely Saturday night out.  Living on no sleep, sick as a dog and contemplating a trip to the emergency room, I lied through my teeth when Rob called Sunday afternoon to ask if I was ready for that night’s show. 

 

We arrived at 8:30, just as we had promised, for the 9 pm show.  Rob was waiting outside for us.  I thought that was extremely nice of him since it was dark on the walkway around the building.  “I just locked myself out of the building, but the engineer is coming to open the door.”  Rob was laughing in disbelief as we introduced ourselves.

 

Once inside, the WGBB studio lobby isn’t exactly WKRP, but it’s not web-based, phone only radio either.  We chatted for about 20 minutes getting to know each other and what he may want to cover in the final segment of the show.  Rob is very personable, very detail oriented and very (as he told us more than once) neurotic.  But if neurotic means well prepared and professional, then he certainly is.  Everything was neatly typed out and planned.  He gave us a copy so we could follow along.

 

At 2 minutes to 9, we rushed into the little studio with its paneled walls covered in signed posters and news clippings.  There were three microphones atop two long tables and two computers set up.  The shoeless, disheveled engineer was in the control room setting up Rob’s intro.  I’m guessing it had been a long night for him, or maybe he had food poisoning too, because I definitely felt the way he looked.

 

In a split second Rob went from chatty, smiling, fellow hockey fan to on-air personality.  Dan and I sat quietly watching while seated against the wall.  Without missing a beat, Rob transitioned to his pre-recorded interview when his first scheduled guest didn’t answer his phone.  Yep, this was LIVE radio, where anything could happen.

 

For those of you who know me, you know how difficult it is for me to not put my two cents in when I’m listening to someone’s conversation.  So I bit my tongue for 43 minutes while he interviewed his other guests and before Rob motioned for me to sit in the seat across from him with the yellow microphone.

 

IT’S SHOWTIME!  Ok, so NOW I’m nervous.  I was really fine until that point…. Other than the food poisoning… Rob must have had to motion me toward the mike about five times before I actually got the idea.  I kept hoping I wouldn’t become so comfortable that I would slip up and have profanity flow from my mouth as it so easily does.  Chalk that up to one of my numerous faults.  (It’s right up there with leaving the cabinet doors open.  But there are no FCC fines for that.)  I spoke quickly, trying to get in as much as possible in the 12 minutes.  NYIC, my web journal, the Blog Box, the team, and sadly… Jason Blake.  When Rob asked how I felt when he was traded, my first instinct was to say I cried for three days, but I thought better of it.  Well, ‘because it would have been a lie anyway.  It was only a few hours, not days.  But in a blink, we were done, and the mikes were turned off and Dan and I were ready to leave.

 

As Dan and I were leaving in the dark, he assured me I had done a great job and then lovingly asked…. “NOW do you want to go to the hospital?  Good Sam is only a few miles from here.”

 

“No.  Just take me home so I can pass out.”

 

Thank you, Rob for a great experience that just capped off a fabulous week for me.  Being the nudge that I am, of course I had numerous suggestions for him for future shows.  But he looks like he has it all together, and I wish him great success with this show and beyond.  Of course, if I CAN be of assistance, just let me know.

 

 

http://www.nyhockeytalk.com/  Check out Rob’s archives.  Great guests and informative interviews.  A perfect hockey fix for any fan.