Neil Rogers loved ice cream. We had done a bunch of fondue, pizza and Mexican but now it was time for something sweet and cold.
Neil came into the studio (or called...not sure) and on the air, he said there’s a new ice cream place in Sunrise...Emack & Bolio’s on University in a strip shopping center.
And then he surprised everyone listening by inviting anyone who wanted to join us to be there in an hour or so. I had no idea he was going to do that...but that’s Neil!
He beat me there...and when I arrived I couldn’t believe it.
There were hundreds...and hundreds of Neil/Stan fans milling about...some actually eating Emack’s really delicious ice cream and others chatting with Neil at a table quickly set up with a couple of chairs for us. I think a mic and speaker too but I’m not sure. Our WINZ crack engineering guys are right on the ball.
The Sunrise police showed up wondering what was going on....and they were nice guys who immediately got ice cream from Neil. Their estimates of the crowd size later was around a thousand. That could go a few hundred either way. But there WERE a lot of people.
I arrived and was shaking hands and chatting with some of the crowd while Neil was blasting me for showing up late.
Before I had a chance to sit down a little brown haired girl came rushing up to me and almost jumped into my arms. (It was disputed in our family whether she actually did that for years!) She took me by the hand and led me to a new life.
There was her brother...Jeff...about 10 I’d guess...the little girl was around 5 or 6 and named Morgan...but of serious interest to me was her really good looking mother.
Laurie was blond (of course) and very pretty....and probably 20 years younger than me...I’d say around 30 at the time. I chatted with them..Jeff seemed to really be into Neil's show...and they hung around for awhile. I managed to get Laurie’s number before they took off and that’s how my life changed then and there.
Turns out they lived about four or five blocks from my apartment so things were going to be convenient.
We started seeing each other and spending time...including the kids, alot as we got acquainted.
One day about a month later I went on my show and decided to poll the audience on whether I should spend the future with Laurie...or Betty, back in Philly. It was a dumb “blond” versus “brunette” type poll and Laurie won. I think I called her and put her on the air with the results. She took it in good humor. Then...after being tipped off by someone in the building...Betty called on the air...from WWDB Philadelphia to ask what was up. It was an odd moment...but great drama. She was the brunette, of course, and took the poll results in ok...so all was well.
That segment was what we call “screenless” in the radio talk biz...with the host(me) pushing phone buttons and taking the “blonde” or “brunette” answer on the air all the while keeping my finger on the “dump” button. That button was an engineering marvel allowing me to erase any profanity or whatnot so it didn’t go out on the air. I only used it once...I pushed a button down and the guy said “whichever one gives the best head!”
Howard Stern would have loved it.
Next...Neil’s my best man...Laurie’s my bride.
stanmajor@aol.com
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