Skip Happens Podcast - Every Boot Has a Story!

Radio Still Matters: From Nashville Nights To Local Mics

• Skip Clark

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SPEAKER_00:

Subscribe and skip happens on YouTube and don't miss an episode.

SPEAKER_04:

And here we go. Here we are. Hi everybody.

SPEAKER_03:

Hello. Hello.

SPEAKER_04:

So this is the uh, by the way, I love I love that intro thing we just did. That was kind of cool, but uh, this is the best part. Uh, the part where we pretend we have it all figured out, but we do not. Right. Uh, I'm just saying, uh, it's another edition of Skip Happens. We do have the stories and we have opinions.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_04:

As you know, we're like two different people here. Uh, and also, you know, the conversations you don't usually hear on the radio, you know, with me each and every afternoon, and soon to be Miss Ray's gonna be on the air with us too. Uh, we're pretty excited. But uh, for those of you that do not know, my name is Skip Clark, and of course, that is I'm Miss Ray. Yes, she is, and uh, this is the Skip Happens podcast, and uh where we talk music, life, relationships, everything in between, everything, everything life, everything experience. You guys know, yeah, you know, life throws curveballs every once in a while, so right, yeah, and then that's you know, that's why skip happens. But uh Miss Ray, here you are back in the pond zone. It's good to see you.

SPEAKER_02:

The new year, it is.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, brand new year.

SPEAKER_02:

I can't believe it. Yeah, I'm I'm just thinking a lot of things rocking and rolling for us this year.

SPEAKER_04:

We do, we do a lot of good stuff, man. I'll tell you, you know, um, now that you're on board with us, uh, not only here with Skip Happens, but with the radio station at well as well. Um, just so much going on. You've got to, yeah, you know, and I wish I could go back to when I was your age because I get it. I totally get it, you know. But uh, it's a lot of fun and a lot, a lot of things to look forward to.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, for sure. For sure. Everything's like, you know how a baby, like when they eat their first thing, they get so excited, they're like, What is what is this? They're so interested in it. It's kind of how this feels like you're you're like a baby to the career, you're just fresh to everything, everything's new. So even the the silly things, the silly work sometimes is like exciting in a weird way because you're like, I'm still doing it, I'm still doing it. So how can I be like, oh my gosh, like uh it is weird though.

SPEAKER_04:

No, you're right, you're right, you're right.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, this this year is really gonna be a good year. I'm excited.

SPEAKER_04:

Good stuff, good stuff coming down. We'll be talking about that as we go on, but uh you know, uh both of us uh really into what we do, and uh you know, I'm a country guy, and uh I haven't been that way all my life, which we've talked about before, but uh you're not a country girl, you you're more of a rhythmic hip hop. I get it, I totally get it, totally respect it. And I think that's you know, we can play off of each other really well with that for sure.

SPEAKER_02:

Talk about the music and the different things going on, so it's yeah, you know, they always say opposites attract. So I think that our our knowledge can can be put to good use, even though it's it's different, it's opposing, it yeah, it might not be the same, but it's they're both great ideas, not yet, not yet. Yep. Sometimes I'm like, skip, you gotta, I need a break. But wait a minute, you probably'm just teasing, I'm just teasing.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, I don't know about that. But no, no, because I know how I am. I'm one of those guys where you know, I I don't want to micromanage, but I do, I think. And uh, we had this a discussion. I was going through doing certain things on the website because I've done it for so long and so used to doing it. It's hard to pull away from that every once in a while. It's it's hard. Well, I should pull away entirely and let you do that because that's going to be of what you're doing. And I went ahead and changed things, and you know, and I don't blame, you know, I'll be honest with you. And if you're watching this and listening to this right now, I'm just she was a little upset, and I totally get it. My heart broke because of that. I just I felt so bad that I didn't mean to do it that way, you know. It's just because I changed things that you had worked so hard at, and I just went ahead and did it without going, hey Miss Ray.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my goodness, I know. I just I don't even see it as that. I see it as, you know, you're a very experienced person. You've been in the radio industry a long time. You have just a few, you know. You've you've mastered, I guess you can say, the art of communication. You have um been able to network and meet people that I can't even imagine. Like you casually have pictures with Taylor Swift in the studio. Like that, that just doesn't happen. You know, you don't take pictures with those types of people, get those opportunities. Let alone I think another thing that you um I praise upon you is your your like hosting abilities, your ability to control and narrative.

SPEAKER_00:

I have no idea what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_02:

I think I think that's if you really break it down, it's controlling a narrative. I mean, you've you've gone to Nashville. Yeah. Have you you've attended uh have you attended the CMAs?

SPEAKER_04:

Uh I've been to the CMA several times.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and then what's in March?

SPEAKER_04:

Uh we have the what the uh oh in March, uh it's a little bit later this year, but it's what they call the country radio seminar, where it's an educational type, you know, uh seminar. You go and you you you go to sessions and you're in and out. But uh not only that, but you get to meet the you know the label, the people uh that are in charge of the labels, you get to meet the artists, uh especially new artists, those that um are just trying to make it. Uh they you know the best thing they can do is come out and meet the program directors and and the people that matter that are gonna play the music, whether it's and whether it's radio or even one of the DSPs, the digital service provider. Um, you know, everybody's there. It's it's crazy. It's crazy, but it's crazy fun.

SPEAKER_02:

It is it's crazy fun. It is fun.

SPEAKER_04:

It is. We're gonna have to get you there.

SPEAKER_02:

I would love that.

SPEAKER_04:

That'd be so have you ever have you ever uh like made the trip to Nashville at all?

SPEAKER_02:

I've never been to Nashville.

SPEAKER_04:

I feel a girl trip come out.

SPEAKER_02:

I that's definitely who I would go with if I went to Nashville. I feel like the girls are is is who it's gotta be. You know, we're gonna we're gonna go out, we're gonna get dressed up. Um, I would do the whole shebang for sure.

SPEAKER_04:

You have to do that at least once.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_04:

Do the whole shebang. Yes, you need to go to what they call Broadway. Uh, you need to get involved with all you know, the crowds that are down there. I mean, it gets crowded, believe me, it gets crowded. I've done that several times, but if you've never experienced that whole thing, you need to do that. I think you do. So, and you would definitely enjoy it. There's so many different uh what they call honky talks and bars, and now all the artists they've got their names on some of these bars. Yeah, it's crazy. And you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He does. It's like four or five stories. The thing is huge.

SPEAKER_02:

Really?

SPEAKER_01:

Where is it?

SPEAKER_04:

It's right in the heart of Nashville. In Nashville, yeah. Right in the heart. Yep, yep, yep. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01:

That is crazy.

SPEAKER_04:

It is crazy, let me tell you. But I'll give you for anybody watching this and listening. If you're gonna go to Nashville, uh, yes, go to Broadway. If you've never done that before, you got to go at least once. All right, then you're gonna go, wow, it's way too crowded. Well, but at least you've gone. But at least you've gone. Yes, then you go to the honky talks outside of town because that's where a lot of people go and hang out, if you know what I mean. So you never know who you're gonna see where and when. Right. You never know, and and you may not even recognize them. Maybe they don't have their hat on. Yeah, maybe they're just you know, I saw Toby Keith, you know, God rest his soul, but years ago, just in a t-shirt and shorts, and you would have never known that was Toby Keith. Just casually, uh, you know, you didn't have the wranglers or the boots or anything like that. It was just, you know, just being an average Joe.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's cool. That's that is so cool.

SPEAKER_04:

It is and go ahead.

SPEAKER_01:

No, go ahead.

SPEAKER_04:

I was gonna say there was one time Keith Urban was playing on the corner, um, right in the corner of Broadway and uh right there by the uh big event center, the Bridgestone. But he had a wig on, like out on the street, out on doing the street corner, had a little thing out in front, you know, you throw money in that in that little uh bucket, and uh yeah, he was doing that, and he didn't tell anybody until afterwards that you know that's what he was doing, and then you know was he already um yes, he was he was already like famous at that point? Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, he was already famous.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you think that artists like that should do surprises like that? Like surprise concerts, maybe a surprise album. Do you think that they should pop up like that?

SPEAKER_04:

I think they should, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I do keep people on their toes.

SPEAKER_04:

It does because you'd be going, Oh my god, you know he just came out and he started playing and he was singing. It was just like a pop-up concert. Yeah, you'll never forget that, and you're more likely to go buy the music, which is of course what they want you to do.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Become a fan.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So how cool is that?

SPEAKER_01:

That is cool. That's very cool.

SPEAKER_04:

It's like my phrase of the night, how cool is that? So I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

And I think it's amazing that uh a small, I mean, Syracuse isn't super small, but I guess you could say small town radio DJ to be able to go to a an award show like that. What do you do you think it's important for local DJs like that to be at those events?

SPEAKER_04:

I think so.

SPEAKER_02:

I think because normally, I mean, maybe I I would assume that they would have um people there to already speak, to already talk about or talk about the music. You know what I mean? Talk about the event.

SPEAKER_04:

You mean like like hosts, like they would have hosts, like to go to the CMA awards and things like that, or are you talking about uh the country radio seminar?

SPEAKER_02:

Not the radio seminar, the um the CMAs, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

The CMAs, or maybe go to the ACMs and be a different award show. I think it's very important. I think it's great for networking purposes. Um, and if you work at a radio station, you talk about Syracuse being small market. Uh, it's actually in radio terms, it's a medium market, but uh really, yes. We when we first started, when I first started in radio, I want to say we were like market, I don't know, I'm just gonna say guess here, around 70. Now we're like 101. So, you know, our population is is dropping, which is that means we're we are lower down on the scale. We're right on the edge of a medium market to a small market, but market size, I don't think it really matters anymore. It depends on who's playing the music and how much you're playing it. Um, just because there's so many different avenues to get the music. But um I it's just if you're like a media base, media base is what really matters to a lot of the artists. And if you're a media base reporter, um, then you're gonna matter. It doesn't matter what size market you're in, you matter.

SPEAKER_02:

Right, right.

SPEAKER_04:

And even if you don't report to for somebody watching this that's been in radio, um even if you don't report to media base, you still matter because there's music row and there's other ways of you know, people are watching and listening to what you're spinning and what you're playing. When I say spinning, that means you're you're playing the music, so yeah, it's pretty crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So um today you mentioned that Gary, which we played a few podcasts ago by I had the Gary shirt on then actually by Steven Wilson Jr. Um, it made radio, it's on radio. Does do you think that songs making radio is still like relevant and important today?

SPEAKER_04:

I think it's very important. Radio's a piece to the puzzle. Uh maybe uh there's a lot more pieces now, so to speak. Radio is just one of those pieces. I mean, we have you know Spotify and Pandora, we have Apple Music, we have Amazon Music, we have, you know, we can go on and on and list all those, but radio is still very, very important. And believe it or not, a lot of people uh we have satellite radio, but still with terrestrial radio, it's so important because a lot of the new music is being heard on actual radio. I mean, yes, some of it, you know, you get satellite radio and you you hear some songs there too, a whole lot of songs, but radio in general still plays a very important role. And if you can, I'm trying to think how to say this, that um with the music that we play on The Wolf, for example, and we stay up to date with the music, we play a lot of the new new music. You're talking about Gary, uh, one of those songs that now is heard on The Wolf. Um, probably the only station, a country station in Syracuse that's gonna be playing that, by the way, just because the way things are, and because we do everything locally, we make the decisions here. Um, they get offered, you know, to me, like, hey, this song, this is what they're gonna release. Do you want to play it? I'll say yes. And that's what I do with Gary. Because I know that's that's gonna be huge. Let's just it I call it a skip pick, but still, uh, that's gonna be big. But radio is so very important. If we could mix what we're playing, the new songs, the new country, the music that we play, along with the local information that you will not get anywhere else, it's gonna be very successful. So if you put all that together, then yes, it's very important. It's very important to the artists, it's very important to the listeners, it's very important to people like you and I.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_02:

It definitely makes sense.

SPEAKER_04:

I don't know. I don't know if I make sense.

SPEAKER_02:

That makes sense.

SPEAKER_04:

Okay, it made sense. So if you said it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that made sense. Radio's important, and y'all heard it. Radio is important. It is, it is. Radio is very important, very important for the artist, for the local talent, for the community.

SPEAKER_04:

Um yeah, but what is you know, we we talk about what is radio. I mean, look at look what we're doing right now. We're both on, you know, both on the radio.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you do you think that podcasts are a time of radio? I agree. I kind of I agree. I know a lot of um our colleagues that do podcasts, it's a great way to segue their content into other other avenues.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, not only is this my own thing, and I've welcomed you to come on board, which is great, but it's also an extension of what we do on the air.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_04:

You know, I'm on every afternoon. So this is uh on top of me being on the air where you don't see me, I'm on every afternoon. This is an extension of you know what I do in radio. That's the way I look at it. It's an extension of the radio station. If that makes sense. There I go again. Does it make sense?

SPEAKER_02:

It does. It does. I think it's kind of just saying that one thing doesn't really fit. Like you can't compartmentalize one thing into one thing, you know. Like when you you look at radio, like, sure, up front, you would think like your job just entails being a DJ. No, there's um promotions. We we work together on that aspect. There's production, there's this aspect of it, where there's now a digital uh and visual aspect that uh you you really hadn't had to take into consideration, like buying cameras, making sure that we can have a split screen, making sure to go live and stuff along those lines. Like there's it doesn't one thing really isn't just one thing, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. No, no, no, no. That makes sense, by the way.

SPEAKER_04:

So no, I totally get that. Totally get that. It's not just one thing anymore, right? It was a long time ago. I mean, when you know, hey, the program director was the program director. Now the program director is an on-air host, he's a production manager, he's helping out with promotions, he's uh scheduling all the music.

SPEAKER_02:

He's going to events, he's going to events, he's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So, I mean, the days of just being that one thing, forget it. It's gone.

SPEAKER_02:

Right.

SPEAKER_04:

It's gone.

SPEAKER_02:

Long gone. Right. Long gone. And I think that we can apply that to genres. You know, we talked about genre bending um a few podcasts ago, and we never really looked at how like genres are broken up to kind of fit them into a niche to better understand them the way that I see it. I mean, what is the purpose of a genre?

SPEAKER_04:

At one time it was just the different forms of music. But you're right, what is the purpose? Because to me, music now is music. Um, the way everything is crossed over, there's a little bit of this with a little bit of that, a little bit of that, and with more of this, and you know, your hip hop is now you have a lot of some of those artists, shouldn't say a lot, but you have some of those artists doing the countryside, and you have some of the country artists doing the hip-hop, you've got uh rock, you've got it, it's but you're right. What is how do you define a genre? That's interesting. It is very interesting. I don't know, how do you think?

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know. I think it I definitely depends on the genre and the the vibe. I see it as a way to to break down it's it's kind of like how you said how it's it's the certain it's how it makes you feel per se, and the style of music, the format of music. But I think that like you said, we're kind of breaking away from that nowadays. And even on the radio, I I see that I was listening to um The Wolf, the Beat. I was going between the wolf and the beat, and you'll actually get a kick out of this. So there, um, I think there's a Luke Bryan or Luke Combs song with Big X the plug. It was on the beat, and I could hear country on the beat, and I was like, oh my gosh, this is exactly what Skip and I have been talking about. Exactly. Like genre slipping, like, how is country on the beat? That's immediate. That's also what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_04:

But is it really country?

SPEAKER_02:

That part too. Is it really country? Because is it what makes country country? Is it the what they're saying? Is it the I think that it's all of it, but it's it's also just stereotyping it and just trying to better understand it.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, and and for those of you, maybe you don't know this, but the the beat is one of our four radio stations underneath one roof, which is more of a rhythmic hip-hop station. All right, with the wolf, is considered a country station. But with the wolf artist, for example, a Luke Combs, it wasn't a Luke Bryan, had to be a Luke Combs. Um, you know, they are now that that goes back to what I was saying just a couple of minutes minutes ago that they're they're getting into that that a whole other side of things. So it it just kind of blends, blends it all together, you know, and it's socially agreed upon because you're not gonna have somebody that normally listens to the reading, go, oh, that that sucks. So I see that no, because it's all working. It's all working, it's all coming together, you know. So whether it's written, spoken, digital, all of that, it's all coming together. So that's pretty cool. See, I don't have a problem with that. Maybe somebody that's a diehard country fan. Um, we go back to what Beyoncé did a while ago, and we've already talked about that, but still a lot of uh people are like, she doesn't belong in country. That's it that no, wait a minute, just hold the phone. That's not true. Country welcomed her with open arms because it brought new listeners. We exposed some of the the artists that you would hear on the wolf, for example, as a country station, supposedly country station, that uh you know, just you were exposing our listeners to that and the other way around.

SPEAKER_02:

So and you're you're stepping out of your traditional listeners, I I think you're exposing yourself to even hip hop artists like Beyoncé's making traditionally made a certain type of music attracted a certain audience, even if I'm gonna I'm not I listened to Beyonce a little bit. I'm not you know, I'm not a diehard, but if I I'll be honest with you, if one of my favorite artists out of left field came out with a country song, I would listen to it. And I think it's because I love that artist and I resonate with the artist, and it doesn't even if that artist doesn't change a genre, comes up with a terrible song, I'm still gonna find a way to be like, no, this is gold because it's not about the song itself, it's about the person and the message that they share. And I think that that dives back into radio hosts and their importance and how having local talent, you're able to hear people share their stories and stand for a message in a more I dare like smaller scale.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, you could put it this way, maybe like I'm not choosing one box, I'm building my own.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04:

You know what I mean? Absolutely, yeah, bringing it all in together. It's what you want, it's your bubble, it's your box, it's whatever you want it to be. So that yeah, that's interesting, very interesting.

SPEAKER_02:

And can you how far can you push that? I mean, have you uh you've heard of cancel culture?

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, oh yeah, absolutely, 100%.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, I read an article today. I don't know if I think you saw the Bruno Mars is coming out with an album next year. Yay! I love Bruno. I love Bruno too, so I'm actually pretty excited. So he went through a little bit of a rough patch and he's releasing some more music. And I'm dying to know how this is gonna go because from a country aspect, we we talked about um other artists in the country, um, the country realm that that go through similar things, you know, they make a mistake and then they have to recover for that. And the question is, is like, can you recover? Can you can you go a little exactly? Can you come back? Can you come back?

SPEAKER_04:

100%. And you take somebody like Bruno Mars, who's so talented, can play just about any instrument that you can think of. He can dance any type of dance. He he's got he's just so vocally talented. Yes, um, he yeah, definitely would come back. Is he gonna come back to a lot of the uh newer, really younger demo? I don't know, but those that remember Bruno from before Uptown Funk and songs like that, yeah. I I think you know, I think he'd get him back.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, 24 karat gold. Oh, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_04:

Damn, damn girl. I mean, we were dancing at wedding receptions to that. Yeah, so yeah, that's cool. That's cool.

SPEAKER_02:

And then the the other albums like um talking to the moon, it's the beautiful nut, but look at bow with something fun.

SPEAKER_04:

Such a great guy, too. Um, he was at the fair. Bruno Mars played at the fair a bunch of times. Yeah, and it was here. Oh my god, hang on, I'll check here. Um, carry on the conversation, but I will definitely look it up.

SPEAKER_02:

But that is amazing. I definitely wonder if he's gonna go into his more old school music or if he's gonna break into something new, you know.

SPEAKER_04:

Um yeah, you know, with him, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know either.

SPEAKER_04:

Okay, here it is. Bruno Mars performed at the New York State Fair in 2011, drawing a record-breaking 35,000 fans to Chevy Court, and that was shortly after his debut album success. Uh, while the real Bruno Mars hasn't recently returned, however, we're talking about now. Uh, he could be back at popular Bruno Mars tribute band while 24k magic closed the Chevy Court lineup at the 2025 fair. I remember that. It was on Labor Day. That's right. They call themselves 24K Magic.

SPEAKER_02:

That is so it's amazing.

unknown:

Cool.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my gosh. I'm kind of jealous. Yeah, I was I was I'm kind of jealous that you got to see Bruno Mars. I saw him from a distance, but you could hear his voice live, right?

SPEAKER_04:

Hell yeah. You I mean that was loud and clear. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that makes me feel some type of way. So would you I mean so jealous?

SPEAKER_04:

You being who you are, then obviously you would love to see or hear Bruno Mars.

SPEAKER_02:

You would right, and you know what's honestly, Bruno Mars is a very interesting um artist to kind of bring up because Bruno is a pop artist, right? So you being a country guy and me being more of a hip hop person, pop is that I I don't want to say happy medium, but it's it's it can be it can be, but it's interesting. I think it's cool that you both see that artist.

SPEAKER_04:

We talk about me being a country guy, but if you were to if you were to get in my truck and let's go for a ride on a Saturday, you'd be surprised what would be coming out of my speakers.

SPEAKER_02:

That's true. I'm not I'm not just restricted to hip hop for sure. I listen to a lot more older stuff than you would you'd be surprised.

SPEAKER_04:

What gets played in your house? I mean, your mom and dad. What did what are the things?

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, so my um is it Frank and Kelly?

SPEAKER_04:

Are you guys listening? Okay, good.

SPEAKER_02:

So this is gonna be hilarious. So my dad is a country listener, primarily. My mom, I guess you could say, is like classic rock. Like she's very um, yeah, she looks like classic rock. And then I was um I'm into more hip hop, but there's other things that I really, really appreciate, like um jazz.

SPEAKER_04:

I think when do you listen to jazz? No, no, I mean this in a good way, though. What what time is it when you want to relax?

SPEAKER_02:

Is it when um I consider Amy a form of jazz? Do you know there's an artist named Ray, who's from she's a artist today. She sings like kind of like a jazz adaptation, but it's like jazz pop, I guess you could say. Um, so I like to listen to her.

SPEAKER_04:

I would have never expected that out of you.

SPEAKER_02:

I listen to that.

SPEAKER_04:

But I get it, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I love like softer, sweeter, very feminine, which I like like polar out. Like when I listen to hip hop, I want that like fast-paced, really aggressive in your face.

SPEAKER_04:

Male or female when it comes to the hip-hop, both of them. I actually um there's some really good female rappers out there. I mean, I know it, I get it.

SPEAKER_02:

Definitely, and I, of course, I relate to them a little bit more, but I I like the I like the guys. There's some really, really amazing guys, um, like male artists that are out there in hip-hop. Um, but yeah, I like like softer females singing, like the Maria's. They sing. Okay. They're from Puerto Rico, but they sing um like music in English, and they're very like soft spoken, like Billie Eilish, like very like touches your heart strings, and you're like, this is polar opposite of what I was just listening to in the last song. So I I get it.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, you know, I I'll listen to jazz and the soft jazz, if you will, just to relax. I do. I'll come down, you know. I've got work to do here in my pod zone, and not necessarily on the air like we are now, but uh just maybe doing some stuff on the computers and I'll put it on in the background. And it's just it's just like it's just I chill and it's so nice and soft.

SPEAKER_02:

And I think instrumental jazz is uh yes, it's very uh therapeutic.

SPEAKER_04:

It is, it is. That's good. I love that.

SPEAKER_02:

That's very cool.

unknown:

Thinking about that.

SPEAKER_04:

Wow, no, I know you're like wow. Every time we get together and chat like this, I learn something new about you. Yeah, it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

What about New Year's? Can we uh we're gonna change the subject here for a little bit? Did you have a resolution? Did you what yes, yes? And are you gonna hold it up? Are you like still with it?

SPEAKER_02:

I am okay.

SPEAKER_04:

I'm afraid to ask, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_02:

No, it's actually a really good New Year's resolution. I think it's it's a little more untraditional. I don't know. I've really never done this resolution before. Drum roll.

SPEAKER_04:

I don't I wish I had one here.

SPEAKER_02:

That's okay. Um, I just want to be like more confident.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, and see, they like you already.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I just want to be just more confident and comfortable with my work and everything that I do. I think I I put this very, very high pressure on myself and a lot of things that I do. And I'm starting to learn that, like, while doing what I want to like you have to hold yourself to a different pressure, I guess. And I'm trying to learn how to like do that. So, in doing that, I think being confident is important because I need to know what I bring to the table and that I can actually do this and not like sometimes I like I get nervous coming on the podcast. I don't think that that's crazy, you know. I put it. But my resolution is to like be able to be like, no, like we're doing this, I'm on the podcast, let's make this happen. Just be more confident and comfortable.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, and I love hearing that because do you feel that you work better under pressure?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, me too. I do if the pressure's on, or I have a I'm very competitive. And yeah, I'm very competitive. So if it's like we gotta get this done, we're on a time crunch, like we gotta this has to happen. Like, okay, we'll make it happen. We'll we'll do what we gotta do to make make it work.

SPEAKER_04:

I love that. And uh Lynette says, and I'm gonna put it up right there, that uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh that's um, she's my aunt.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, how see, you know, you know what also I love about you, and I'll talk about my resolution here in a minute, but uh is that you're you're so involved with family, and family is so involved with you. Uh that doesn't happen a lot. I don't know if it's because you know you're from up north, a smaller community, I think more family oriented possibly. Um, but I just love that. And you don't see that much anymore. You don't, somebody your age, and there you just said that was your aunt, and I know I met your mom at our Christmas dinner. Um I haven't met your dad yet.

SPEAKER_02:

Don't worry, dad's coming. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

We gotta have a talk.

SPEAKER_02:

Dad's coming, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Um, but um, and if you need a new coffee mug, just let me know. For sure. We yeah, it's just so awesome to I can feel it. I can feel not only hear it, I can feel it, and I love that. And if you talk about my resolution, it's somebody that uh at my age, I just you know, at this point in my life, I just want to be happy. I just want to be happy, and it's things like this that make me happy, you know. I mean, I just I'm doing what I love. This is part of it. Yeah, I've always wanted to do this, and it's just it's taken a lot of years, but I'm at that point where I just want to be happy, and I'm happy. That's it, it's that simple. It's everything in my life right now that makes me happy.

SPEAKER_02:

That makes me happy.

SPEAKER_04:

I mean, I'll get the tissues in a minute.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I know. We're all about to start crying. No, yeah, no, just kidding. Yeah, but yeah, there's no crying on the podcast, by the way.

SPEAKER_04:

None, it's not allowed, no.

SPEAKER_02:

But yes, that's I love that resolution, just doing things that make you unhappy.

SPEAKER_04:

Happy. You know, it's just uh radio has not been easy over the years, been a lot of changes, and there's been a lot of frustration. And you know, sometimes you you know, with the big corporations, and I've worked for them, that you live by the numbers and you don't know one day to the next whether or not you're gonna be let go for whatever reason. It doesn't happen where we are now, and at least where you and I are now, and we're working for a local company, which is we couldn't ask for anything better. So, I mean, that's part of my happiness. It is. You know, okay, I know you're gonna say skip, I've seen you get pissed off before. So no, that's you know what? It's all part of being happy, though. It's all in that whole uh circle of mind.

SPEAKER_02:

So and what uh determines happiness?

SPEAKER_04:

That's a very good question.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you think it's uh something materialistic or do you think it's like just that emotion, just that overwhelming, like I think it's everything just all of a sudden seems happy, like that's how you've that's how you're happy.

SPEAKER_04:

I I think it's realizing that there's certain things you don't have control over, that you just gotta learn to deal with it. And you gotta you gotta know you know how you're gonna handle it. Um just make the best of every situation. That's what's gonna make you happy. And and if you do that, other people will see that as well. That's what I do. I try to make the best of every situation. Almost.

SPEAKER_02:

I think that's the best that you can do. You know what I mean? That's really all you can do is try to make the best out of out of every situation because I know for myself, it's if I start thinking negatively, it's a downhill spiral from there. It's like, oh my gosh, I'm thinking negatively, and then I stub my toe, and now I'm having a mental breakdown.

SPEAKER_04:

Like you hit your toe on the corner of the coffee table, nothing hurts more. Yes, and some really weird language comes out of your mouth, and noise, and you're like, oh my gosh. I know nothing more frustrating. Who do you um when you have a moment like that? Let's change it up here a little bit. When you have a moment like that, do you have somebody you go and talk to? You know, I mean, do you is it I mean, you seem really close to your mom.

SPEAKER_02:

I am very close to my my family. I will say I I like to surround myself with like my friends are all different from me. And I appreciate that about my friends because I can turn to them and be able to be like, hey, so I'm struggling with this, and this is my thought process. Can you tell me how you having a different outlook, having a different opinion, would approach this? And because we're friends, because we care about each other, there's no judgment there. It's it's understanding that people have two, people have different interpretations of life and how to approach situations and handle situations and being able to turn on somebody and be like, hey, like I don't know how to handle this. How would you possibly go about it? Um, you can turn I turn to different friends for different circumstances for sure. No, I get it. Um because if it's yeah, it it really depends. Um, but I do turn to my family, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_04:

And I can come home and talk about anything I want here, so which helps me through a lot.

SPEAKER_02:

You have the most amazing wife in the whole world. Miss Nancy is awesome, love her.

SPEAKER_04:

Go easy, Jesus. She'll be popping the door open any minute, guys.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you. I wish she was like my aunt or something.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, could be the uh could be the other aunt. Lynette, sorry, nobody's taking your place, Lynette. Nobody's taking your place.

SPEAKER_02:

Not yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_04:

So, no, no, no, it's great. Um, so you know, the whole family situation and all that, um with the holidays, are you know, yesterday was the last day you were supposed to have your Christmas tree up. You know that is yours down.

SPEAKER_02:

Everything's out of the house, aside, yes, gone, yes, and I can assure that everything's gone because I was the one that had to put it all back in the attic. So it's all taken care of. It's it's good. Um, and Valentine's Day is up. The lights are on the house.

SPEAKER_04:

All right, yeah, because who cares? That's in 30, I want to say 36, 37, maybe 38 days. I don't know. It's coming up pretty quick.

SPEAKER_02:

Does your family decorate for Valentine's Day?

SPEAKER_04:

Uh, we put little things up. Zach will and put little things up. Um, we put some hearts in the windows and things like that that light up, you know. But I can tell you with Zach, when when there's a holiday here, like um Valentine's Day, let's use that as an example. We put whatever we put up in the windows and stuff, but the minute it's over, they're down. Zach that night, he'll say, That's it, done, holiday over. And he takes up. Did you do that on Christmas? No, Christmas is the only time because he's been brought up where the tree goes up early, stays up through the holiday. But on New Year's Day, everything comes down. This house, New Year's Day, was like there were boxes everywhere. Uh, my pod zone was jam-packed with stuff that needed to be put away. Um, it's just it's crazy. But every other holiday, whether it's Thanksgiving, it can be up Valentine's Day, which is coming up. You have Easter, you got July 4th. You know what? It's like that day, it could be July 4th, but nine o'clock at night, the decorations are coming down. That's exactly puts them all away. So it's crazy. That's awesome. That's the way he is, though. It's it's it's awesome.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't blame him. Like you don't want to overdo it, you know, because I'm the type of person where I like, I mean, our family, we don't decorate for Christmas until it gets to December. And I used to kind of be like, why, why? And now that I'm older, I I respect it. Like, we don't want to not enjoy Thanksgiving or appreciate Thanksgiving, but we don't want to overdo it either.

SPEAKER_04:

So something about the holiday, the Christmas holiday, and the spirit of family, and the spirit of just everything that's going on and being kind to one another, you know? It's just yeah, and there's something about that.

SPEAKER_02:

So, but then it's we should try to do that. Yes, then it's over. Then it's over. No more nice, nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

No more Mr. Nice Guy. Yeah, it's no, it's like, all right, we're done with this.

SPEAKER_02:

It's survival of the fittest now. Good luck.

SPEAKER_04:

And New Year's Eve. What uh let's what happened New Year's Eve? Did you do anything?

SPEAKER_02:

I uh um drove in a snowstorm to karaoke night with some friends. Oh, Tom out, Tom out. You sing karaoke? I did not sing, so I have um, I'm not gonna lie, I've never really gone to a karaoke night. So this was my first like real karaoke night. Like they had the screen up, like this was like the real deal. Then the first song played, performed. Let me rephrase. The first song was performed.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

And I was so like, this is happening right. Like it was hilarious. It was like so funny. I just wanted to watch the whole time. Like the more people saying, the more I was like, it's fun. Yes, it was so fun. And I was like, I'm nervous because I was with some people, like I was with some friends and then some other people that I didn't know. So of course I was like, I'm too shy. I'm too shy. But now I'm like, no, put me in front of the mic. Let's do this again. I I regret not doing it, but I'm not, I'm not super upset.

SPEAKER_04:

I got to see some what would be your go-to song if you were to sing. Yeah, you probably maybe you sing in the shower, maybe you sing in your car where nobody sees you or nobody can really hear you. But what do you think you would sing?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, I would do I could do Yeah by Usher. I could do Can't Hold Us by Macklemore.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh my god, those are like my son's favorite songs.

SPEAKER_02:

I Can't Hold Us. Zach and I could go bar for bar.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And I mean that in the live, like oh my god.

SPEAKER_04:

We could I hear that every night. He has a rave going upstairs every night.

SPEAKER_02:

Loved that song when I was young. So when I was a kid, this should have told everybody. When I was a kid, we uh I had an iPod. Um on the iPod, like I tried to download music, and the iPod was so outdated that it like when I tried to download the song that I wanted, which was Can't Hold Us by McLemore, it deleted every other song that I had because it needed space, exactly. It needed space. So the only song, and then it couldn't download another song. So what I was stuck with can't hold us. So I was like, you want to know what I'm gonna learn this because I'm nine years old and this is just so fast paced. I have to like learn all the words, and I I did. I was like, this is so cool. I wanted to just I don't know, I really liked it, and I'll I'll never forget that. McLamore's Can't Hold Us is like such a nostalgic song.

SPEAKER_04:

It's a big I used to I worked a lot of weddings and used to play that a lot, a lot.

SPEAKER_02:

Does does nostalgia drive the charts, both in radio, but also like when it comes to weddings, like do people prefer or like events? Do they prefer the nostalgia or do you see people kind of falling into a genre to enjoy you know, no, no, I think it's the other way around.

SPEAKER_04:

I think it's you know, especially a wedding reception, because I I've done all so many of those over the years, and um way too many. I should write a book, but um the music is is all over the place, and the dance floor is always packed, and it doesn't matter what you play, everybody's having a good time. It it really, it could be something old, it could be something new. If it's popular, that's the other thing. And one thing I used to tell brides when I used to meet with them, if they booked me to do their wedding, was uh, you know, you can give me a music list, but if there's songs on there that people don't know, maybe just you like, that's fine, I get it. But you know what? They're gonna look at the DJ and go, what's this you're playing? Or they they're not gonna dance. So the the key to a very successful event is to play the music that they know, whether it's music from your aunt, your uncle, your grandma, your grandpa, and whatever, you know, growing up, what it just that's the stuff you play and you mix it together and you keep the beat going.

SPEAKER_02:

Is that a recommendation that you would give to somebody that's gonna have a wedding in the near future?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, absolutely. I would be very open-minded.

SPEAKER_02:

Ladies, take your notes.

SPEAKER_04:

I know, be very open-minded. Yes. Now, I understand. I know this is the wedding DJ coming out, but uh I understand where you're coming from. I understand it's your day, it's the biggest day in your life, and you want it a certain way. But if you're gonna have 150 guests, you want 150 people leaving there going, Man, I had to kick ass time. And you know why you had to kick ass time? Because the music was right on. The music is seriously, you're right.

SPEAKER_02:

You're you I just laugh because I think that people don't realize how important that is. And you imagine a wedding with no music. Oh no, well, imagine the bride walking down yeah, no, exactly.

SPEAKER_04:

Exactly, no music. No well, you're gonna have what if you're playing the music that nobody knows, or that too, you're not playing. It's it's about having a good time, it's about having fun, it's it's about singing, it's about celebrating the bride and the groom. And uh I don't know, it just oh I could tell you stories. Let me tell you, I could do that, but uh, you know, I had a very successful run doing that with Skip Clark Entertainment. Um, a lot of years, a lot of years. I started back in uh like 74, right in high school. I was DJing weddings, and I worked at clubs. I worked some of the clubs in town. I know, and then uh, you know, just up to the last couple of years, I just said, all right, I've had enough because I was going almost every weekend. So, but I met with a lot of brides, I've seen a lot of different people, I've seen a lot of stuff happen. So I mean a lot of stuff happened.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I'm I'm sure we've been to a lot of events.

SPEAKER_04:

Yep, yeah, exactly. Well, weddings. I'm talking about weddings.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, weddings specifically, you've seen.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh yeah, oh yeah, it's been crazy. It's been crazy. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, you know, but you know Do you ever get live music at weddings?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_02:

You get live music.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, what do you mean?

SPEAKER_02:

Do I like I mean, brides have you ever had to collaborate with a artist that's performing live and be like, okay, we have to figure out a way to play music and then come into this person that's singing and then recover. Right, recover. Exactly.

SPEAKER_04:

So it was a while ago, and it was um I remember doing one in Casanovia, New York. Um beautiful backyard. They had the uh big orchestra playing the wedding, and then when they took their break, I was the DJ. So it would, you know, we went back and forth. And that's you in an orchestra, yeah. No, I wasn't oh uh no, but I was the DJ, but then the orchestra would it wasn't, and that it was Stan Kalella. Um, I don't know if you've ever heard of him or not. It was a while ago, long time ago, but uh very prominent um name, very, very well known. Um, yeah, he was playing the wedding, I was playing the wedding. So and it was a very it was in you know one of those high high class weddings. So, but I remember doing that. We'll go and you know, they take a break, the DJ comes on. Then when they're ready to come back for you know another half hour, then I take a break. So it's pretty cool. Yeah, pretty cool stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

What is comes the question? Yes, because now I'm thinking like, so you've DJ'd for the radio, yes, you've DJ'd for weddings, yes, you've DJed for clubs, yes, those are very different, yes. Um, yeah, those are all very, very different. How do you adapt as a DJ to fit all of those forms?

SPEAKER_04:

Well, a club is a whole different atmosphere, and you're gonna be playing the music that's more up to date with the beat, mixing it together, beat matching, you do all that. That's the club. A wedding is everything from is you know, the jazz during the cocktail hour or whatever, to you know, that's it's just it's easy, it's easy. And I was able to take a lot of my radio experience and be the MC as well.

SPEAKER_02:

So, which double whammy, bam, yes, that's how it's done.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, and I'll do that once in a while now.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, and that goes, sorry, I was gonna say that just kind of goes back to our conversation earlier about not being restrained to one box, you know, because he's a DJ, but he's also hosting, you know, so he's he's going beyond his job duty and doing more, not because he's confined to that one right job, but because like that's just inevitable in this industry, I think, even for myself. Like I came in to do promotions, and now I'm possibly gonna be uh DJ on the wolf. Like, how how do I get to do all of this and evolve and and get to be able to have all of those opportunities and see I see that in you though?

SPEAKER_04:

Miss Ray. I see that, I see what your passion is, I know where you're dedicated, I know, and I know a little bit about your school, you know, your background, what you did. And I I'll be honest with you, somebody like me, we do not see people like you all that often. And I'm embracing the fact that you walked through that door, that you came to work for us. And I, you know, I know you want to be on the air. I know you're already doing what we call the commercials, and you do a public affairs thing, and you're gonna be doing more of that. It's you know, and you sound great. So I could just tell that you love it.

SPEAKER_02:

I do, and it's just it's very it's a learning thing for you as well. So, and what you you could learn so much from doing what you're doing that it could open up other doors, yes, yeah, it will, which is so exciting, um too, because the work that we're doing right now, like there and being able to do the podcast, like this is this is almost the dream. I want people to know that. Like, this is almost the dream, and the fact that more can evolve from this is just so exciting, and I just can't wait to see what happens.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, I think it'll go well. It'll go well. So it's been great.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. It's kind of like uh, yeah, I'm getting the nerves like how an artist gets nervous when they're like trying to release an album and they're like, is everybody gonna like this?

SPEAKER_03:

And that's the same thing.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm like, oh my gosh, are people gonna are people gonna like me? But that's where I have to go back to my new year's resolution. I gotta be more confident and be like what does it matter if they like you or not?

SPEAKER_04:

Seriously, you need to be Miss Ray. Yeah, don't worry about that. I I was the same way.

SPEAKER_02:

It's like it's normal, right?

SPEAKER_04:

It very normal. Don't ever, you know, you're worried about other people think you need to be Miss Ray, you need to get your personality out there, you need to do what you love, you're gonna be fine.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, all right.

SPEAKER_04:

Don't try to be somebody you're not just because somebody doesn't like you, don't try to fit their mold. You don't want to do that, just be yourself, and we know we see that almost every day because we we work with people that you know they're worried about everything else. It's like, no, don't, don't, don't. You just worry about yourself. I got this, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, because it's it's exhausting to try to keep up with everything and everybody's expectations and what everybody wants to do. Just do what you can, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Just do what you can and do it well. Yes, best you can. Yes, you do that, you're gonna be fine. Yes, just like with skip happens. Yes, skip will happen.

SPEAKER_01:

Sometimes, yes, it does.

SPEAKER_04:

Skip, yes, yeah, it it does, it does. Absolutely great conversation. I I love this, and so glad that uh you're sitting over here to my left. So that's good. Even though we got the split screen, we could do the whole thing, and and it kind of makes our TV look kind of screwy, but you like the graphic, your picture's now on.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's when you know updated graphics, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

That's when you know you've made it on the Skip Happens podcast.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, and if you go check out Skip's website, Skip website, skiphappenspodcast.com. Thank you very much. You can catch a wonderful, wonderful excerpt about well, biography of Skip and of me. So those are really amazing. They have really great videos, all of Skip's interviews, stuff along those.

SPEAKER_04:

There's gonna be a lot more, and as we go along, you know, you'll be involved even more and more because obviously, when the weather gets a little bit better, we're gonna be taking the the podcast out on the road, too.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, we've been hammered with the snow. I mean, we've been so hammered, we made national news skip.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, you girl, what do you get? Five foot? How many? How much did how much do you have at the house?

SPEAKER_02:

There's got to be like three and a half, okay.

SPEAKER_04:

Because and you didn't have any there for a little bit or very little, right?

SPEAKER_02:

We had like very little, and it happened so quickly, which is why I think it made the news was because it it happened. We got like three and a half feet of snow in like two days. Like that's crazy.

SPEAKER_04:

We got two and a half feet in one day here. That's right. Remember that and that made yes, exactly and that was not good, but it's gonna be 50 soon.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, and it will just flood.

SPEAKER_04:

You know, the thing is, I uh you know with skip happens. For example, last night I talked to uh uh Jacob Smalley, and I'm like, uh dude, uh what's what's the weather like? He's all we got up to 72 today. I was able to lay some concrete night, blah blah blah, because he's he's a contractor.

SPEAKER_03:

Could you imagine?

SPEAKER_04:

I go, dude, I don't even want to talk to you. Yeah, no, I actually do, but you know what I mean. So yeah, it's cool. All right, uh, Mr. It's so good to see you. Thanks for hanging.

SPEAKER_02:

Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_04:

And don't forget, if they want to subscribe, not only check out the website, it's skiphappenspodcast.net, go to YouTube, search skip happens. Uh, we'll be here every uh what day is it? It's Wednesday. We're gonna be here on Wednesdays, uh, unless if if not, we'll let you know. But uh, and every week we're gonna be chatting about something different. We'd love to have you come on board. Uh, we'd love your comments too. If you want to chime in, I know I don't see too many on the screen right now, but you're welcome to comment. You have a question, we're here to help out, we're here to answer anything we could do if you want us to bring somebody on. I mean, I'd love to I'd love doing interviews, I'd love doing interviews, so and that's something I want to start doing more too.

SPEAKER_02:

And well, is being able to do more interviews.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, soon. Yes, you nuts.

SPEAKER_02:

I know there's a lot that we that I we got that I want to do, but it's a lot of fun. We got this, all right. It's skip happens, everybody.

SPEAKER_04:

Exactly. Dream big, go for it. Skip happens, skip happens podcast, YouTube, subscribe. We'll see you next Wednesday. Miss Ray and myself, I can see with where's my camera? There it is. Good night, everybody. Thanks for watching.

SPEAKER_03:

It's Miss Ray, Skip Clark, Skip Happens.

Head Shot

Skip Clark

Host