Thanks Norton

Getting word that Norton Buffalo passed away yesterday. Very sad indeed.

Since the days listening to KFAT right up to today, he has been there always putting a smile on my face.

The day after Laura Ellen died when we were on the air celebrating her life (what a day that was!) Norton was one of many artists who called to share their condelences and stories, and he played Amazing Grace for Laura...I will have to dig that out and play it for him.

Thanks Norton...fly high!

Ralphie

Just kidding!

Beyond The Music

Back before I was a famous radio personality, I was a stand up comic. In the early seventies I started as a solo act, then I teamed up with my brother Terry. We called ourselves “Jeff & Stan”, because “Ralph & Terry” just sounded too much like some sort of stomach disorder! (Think about it, but don’t dwell on it!)

We played some of the hottest nightclubs with some of the biggest names in showbiz.


The summer we spent in Las Vegas headlining two shows a night at The Sands was really a turning point in our careers…We had the pleasure of working with two of the giants of the business, Chip & Dale.


It was kinda weird having Chip & Dale opening for us…I mean, these cats had been in the biz for years doing movies and TV and nightclubs before we came along. Their routines about nuts and berries were a little old fashioned, but they were polished and professional and well liked by the audiences….their act was completely opposite of the edgy drug humor that Stan and I were doing…it made for a very interesting evening of entertainment.


We bonded and hung out with Chip & Dale almost 24-7…Chip liked the booze and the broads, and Dale barley left the crap table, except to go out back with Stan and me to smoke a doobie or 2 or 5 before the show!

We were living large…the American Dream…Sammy Davis, Jr. started hanging out with us poolside and after the shows…and It was Sammy himself who dubbed us the New Rat Pack!

Stan became really close to our fuzzy opening act during our summer run in Vegas, and when the tour was over, Stan decided to leave the team and join Chip & Dale. They called themselves “3 Hairy Guys” (Hairy, by the way, was Dale’s real name!) and started doing and act that was a cross between the 3 Stooges and the edgy drug humor we had been doing. Sadly, they did only one tour, where they were booed off almost every stage, and then disbanded.



I went back to doing a solo act and had great success all throughout the seventies and eighties, until I was hired to work at KPIG in 1992.


Chip & Dale left the stage and opened a string of successful nightclubs featuring male dancers (turns out Chip didn’t really like the broads all that much).


And Stan…well, he lost his desire to perform, after winning the lottery!

There’s no biz like showbiz!


Ralphie

Traffic Trafficking

I drove my wife and her mother and sister to the airport in San Jose this morning. The traffic going over the hill wasn't bad, and I got back before the rain started!

Praise the Lord and pass the motorhome!

Aren't you glad you took the time to read this posting?!

(see posting from July 10th for disclaimer!)

Ralphie

Vacation Bla Bla Blog

Well here I am, on vacation. I did make my yearly pilgrimage to Monte Carlo...ahh the sites, the sounds, the smells!! I know you're thinking "Wow, that Ralphie is quite the jet-setter"...actually, Monte Carlo is THE best Italian Deli down in Beautiful Downtown Burbank. You can gain weight just going in and taking a deep breath....mmmm! Don't tell Cheri at the Healthy Way, but I took 2 deep breaths!! I'm such a naughty boy!

No other big plans for this vaction, which is good because on Thursday I started catching a cold. I finished catching it on Friday, and, well, here I am…sick as a dog…but not sick as a pig, just a regular old head cold!

The good news is at least I’m on vacation and don’t have to worry about getting up early and going to work when I feel like crap….the bad news is that I’M ON VACATION AND I’M SICK!!

Today I did make it to one of our planning meetings for our up coming Pearlington, Mississippi trip. It looks like we’ll be going for two weeks in December instead of just one…which is good because one week just didn’t seem like enough time to get ‘er done! Still hoping for donations from some of you Piggies, the blog down below has the address to send checks, and this year Brittany made it even easier to donate by setting up a PayPal account at her blog site http://www.ca2ms.blogspot.com/
For those of you who are actually lucky enough to still have a credit card…with a balance…just click where it says donate…and tell them it’s for Ralphie!

Actually, it’s for any number of people still digging out and rebuilding in Pearlington….you click, and I’ll do the rest! Remember, its tax deductable!

So…one more week off….I could get used to this…without the head cold of course!

Take care Pigs, and don’t forget the Purell!

Ralphie