I was a pre-teen Glicknick.
October 18, 2007 8:26 PM Subscribe
This man kept me awake at night as a child, As I stared, bleary-eyed, at my flip-card style analog alarm clock, willingly watching the hours go by, thinking, "How am I going to be able to wake up for school tomorrow?" And laughing, laughing. I place the blame for my night-owl-ness squarely in his lap.
Larry Glick, aka The Godfathah Lorenzo Glickiano ("Do me a favor." "A Favah's a favah, what is your favah?" "Shoot me off the air, Godfathah!"), aka Commander Glick. He held down the late evening and overnight shifts for most of his career - primarily at WBZ AM 1030 in Boston - from the 1960's until the cusp of the 1990's, a golden era in AM Talk radio.
He would scat out the sports scores, snapping his fingers. He'd spin discs: Spike Jones, Orson Bean's Baloney Song, and "Who Stole the Kishka?". He'd read articles at random from the National Enquirer. And Larry would chat with anyone about anything, if they could get through the busy signal at 254-5678. Callers would recommend interviewees: boxers, politicians, what-have-you, for the chance to receive a Glick University T-Shirt, should Larry have their guest on the air. People would relate stories of UFO encounters. Larry would interview psychics without the least bit of condescension.
It was Larry's mission to keep you awake at night, to listen to him and the wide range of insomniacs whom he'd keep company with... and of course, his sponsors. (At that hour, with his listenership spanning 30+ states and provinces, the station would run as many ads as on the daytime drive.)
Anyway, it was Larry Glick that I was listening to, after my parents had fallen asleep, in the years before I discovered Dr. Demento. Just Larry, his crazy callers and interviewees, and me, under my blankets, rueing missed sleep -- but not much. I even called up, twice. (First-time callers got a round of applause.) I was a pre-teen Glicknick.
So if any of you remember Larry, you'll probably feel his presence is missed on the AM waves. (He's not dead, though, just comfortably retired in Boca Raton, FL, in some role as an ambassador to Legal Seafoods down there). To you, I present many links, in case you want to reminisce, or to hear Larry's avuncular voice again.
A thread on someone's blog attracted a lot of appreciative nostalgia for Larry.
A June 18, 1965 TIME magazine interview with Larry.
Airchecks (via NortheastAirchecks.com) from:
1975: part 1, 2, 3.
Larry, by now on the mid-afternoon shift, during WBZ's 65th Anniversary: Part 1, 2.
From 1986
RealMedia Links
Via Staffannouncer.com: .wma format
From 1975
From 1975?
Four shows from 1979 are available as links in .mp3 podcast format, via this link to http://larryglick.podomatic.com/
An interview from 1979.
Here's a youtube link of someone sitting in his car listening to classic Larry. (Somewhat anachronistic, but I'll take it.)
A links to clips of classic calls, which Larry would often play at the request of a listener:
The Orangutan RealMedia
The Cop in the Graveyard .mp3
The Guy Who Shot the Vending Machine .mp3
The Champagne Lady .mp3
And that's about all I could find for you. Now download those files, arrange them in your various media players as you wish, hit play, turn out the lights, crawl into bed, and stay up with Larry.
Larry Glick, aka The Godfathah Lorenzo Glickiano ("Do me a favor." "A Favah's a favah, what is your favah?" "Shoot me off the air, Godfathah!"), aka Commander Glick. He held down the late evening and overnight shifts for most of his career - primarily at WBZ AM 1030 in Boston - from the 1960's until the cusp of the 1990's, a golden era in AM Talk radio.
He would scat out the sports scores, snapping his fingers. He'd spin discs: Spike Jones, Orson Bean's Baloney Song, and "Who Stole the Kishka?". He'd read articles at random from the National Enquirer. And Larry would chat with anyone about anything, if they could get through the busy signal at 254-5678. Callers would recommend interviewees: boxers, politicians, what-have-you, for the chance to receive a Glick University T-Shirt, should Larry have their guest on the air. People would relate stories of UFO encounters. Larry would interview psychics without the least bit of condescension.
It was Larry's mission to keep you awake at night, to listen to him and the wide range of insomniacs whom he'd keep company with... and of course, his sponsors. (At that hour, with his listenership spanning 30+ states and provinces, the station would run as many ads as on the daytime drive.)
Anyway, it was Larry Glick that I was listening to, after my parents had fallen asleep, in the years before I discovered Dr. Demento. Just Larry, his crazy callers and interviewees, and me, under my blankets, rueing missed sleep -- but not much. I even called up, twice. (First-time callers got a round of applause.) I was a pre-teen Glicknick.
So if any of you remember Larry, you'll probably feel his presence is missed on the AM waves. (He's not dead, though, just comfortably retired in Boca Raton, FL, in some role as an ambassador to Legal Seafoods down there). To you, I present many links, in case you want to reminisce, or to hear Larry's avuncular voice again.
A thread on someone's blog attracted a lot of appreciative nostalgia for Larry.
A June 18, 1965 TIME magazine interview with Larry.
Airchecks (via NortheastAirchecks.com) from:
1975: part 1, 2, 3.
Larry, by now on the mid-afternoon shift, during WBZ's 65th Anniversary: Part 1, 2.
From 1986
RealMedia Links
Via Staffannouncer.com: .wma format
From 1975
From 1975?
Four shows from 1979 are available as links in .mp3 podcast format, via this link to http://larryglick.podomatic.com/
An interview from 1979.
Here's a youtube link of someone sitting in his car listening to classic Larry. (Somewhat anachronistic, but I'll take it.)
A links to clips of classic calls, which Larry would often play at the request of a listener:
The Orangutan RealMedia
The Cop in the Graveyard .mp3
The Guy Who Shot the Vending Machine .mp3
The Champagne Lady .mp3
And that's about all I could find for you. Now download those files, arrange them in your various media players as you wish, hit play, turn out the lights, crawl into bed, and stay up with Larry.
Holy crap. I've never heard of this guy, but the volume of linkage and passion of nostalgia makes me want to actually check this stuff out. Thanks, not_on_display!
posted by TheNewWazoo at 8:59 PM on October 18, 2007
posted by TheNewWazoo at 8:59 PM on October 18, 2007
I have never heard of Larry Glick, but this post is a thing of transcendant midnight beauty. It has that 1 am feeling. Well done, n_o_d!
posted by mwhybark at 9:11 PM on October 18, 2007
posted by mwhybark at 9:11 PM on October 18, 2007
Dude! This is a great post, and you didn't even say "Go easy on me this is my first post" like I did so many years ago. Good one. Also a much better post than my first.
posted by nola at 9:13 PM on October 18, 2007
posted by nola at 9:13 PM on October 18, 2007
Even though it's not cool to place a comment on your own post: thanks for appreciating it. I figure I wanted to give something of interest back to Mefi, after having enjoyed so many people's posts and comment threads over the past few months. <>
posted by not_on_display at 10:02 PM on October 18, 2007
posted by not_on_display at 10:02 PM on October 18, 2007
As late as 2007, Larry was the Ambassador of Good Will for the Legal Seafood Restaurant in the Boca Raton (Florida) Mall.
Ah... well... that's not a bad way to go out I suppose.
posted by wfrgms at 10:15 PM on October 18, 2007
Ah... well... that's not a bad way to go out I suppose.
posted by wfrgms at 10:15 PM on October 18, 2007
I was a pre-teen Glicknick too. Now if we can just find enough to post on the equally sublime Norm Nathan...
posted by quarterframer at 10:19 PM on October 18, 2007
posted by quarterframer at 10:19 PM on October 18, 2007
Very nice post, not_on_display! Has me thinking about Shep again.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 2:24 AM on October 19, 2007
posted by Turtles all the way down at 2:24 AM on October 19, 2007
I remember listening to him from the time I was 6. I just saw him on a video tribute to Rex Trailer's Boomtown. I kinda lost interest when he went all paranormal.
There will always be the Larry Glick Salute.
How ya doin? Dunno, lemme check...pulls open pants at waistline, looks and whistles...pretty good.
posted by Gungho at 4:18 AM on October 19, 2007
There will always be the Larry Glick Salute.
How ya doin? Dunno, lemme check...pulls open pants at waistline, looks and whistles...pretty good.
posted by Gungho at 4:18 AM on October 19, 2007
The linked blog/thread entry about Glick is a cracking bit of writing. This is a fantastic post, thanks.
posted by Jody Tresidder at 6:23 AM on October 19, 2007
posted by Jody Tresidder at 6:23 AM on October 19, 2007
Proof that not all posts containing the first-person pronoun are bad posts. Good stuff.
posted by GuyZero at 7:37 AM on October 19, 2007
posted by GuyZero at 7:37 AM on October 19, 2007
This was Art Bell for me. A little kookier and more humorless. I'd lie awake at night listening, scared shitless but completely captivated, unable to fall asleep until the first hint of daylight.
posted by decoherence at 8:21 AM on October 19, 2007
posted by decoherence at 8:21 AM on October 19, 2007
1) It's totally cool comment on your own post. At least, I hope it is cuz I do so all the time.
2) More inside is great. In your case, though, I think it might have helped to have a bit more outside. Like, a link to on of the audio files, perhaps?
3) Great FFPP.
posted by Deathalicious at 6:17 PM on October 19, 2007
2) More inside is great. In your case, though, I think it might have helped to have a bit more outside. Like, a link to on of the audio files, perhaps?
3) Great FFPP.
posted by Deathalicious at 6:17 PM on October 19, 2007
I was also a pre-teen Glicknick (born in 1972).
Sadly, I first learned about Watergate from the song Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Dean. The presidents' card game was classic, too.
posted by jpbutler at 4:32 AM on October 20, 2007
Sadly, I first learned about Watergate from the song Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Dean. The presidents' card game was classic, too.
posted by jpbutler at 4:32 AM on October 20, 2007
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