I am not sure why it has become somewhat of a chore to write about the years spent in Puerto Rico. They were two good years; perhaps the last carefree years of my life (maybe this is why... Next stop is the Army years, and they were not the prettiest). I was single, had a couple of good relationships (not parallel but consequent, for those who may want to be asking that question), did some very interesting work in radio and dramatic art, as well as in hotel (mis)management and in direct sales. And, yes, I did go to school in the middle of this for some 4 semesters. I am sure other things will pop out once I start writing on the subject matter.
So, where to start? In order to end this, I mean… We have already talked about InterAmerican University and my beginning there. That school had nothing to do with what today exists in Rio Piedras as the main campus of a full blown university; I am told it is a beautiful campus and full of hopeful students. That small band of miscreants who attended the schoolhouse in 1964-1966 perhaps had a little to do with its possibility to grow and blossom. Being that the case, I am very proud and happy to have been a card carrying, founding member of that group.
“WVOZ; Your English Language Channel” – “Coming your way from the heart of Hato Rey, Puerto Rico!!”. A friend of mine knew one of the jocks who worked there. He was the afternoon drive time air personality and, when we met, we struck a decent friendship. I started coming almost every day to the station, and ended up helping him out in the process of choosing and preparing the music for his program. In small stations in those days, the “On Air” person did everything. The engineering, the music choices, the reports, including news, which were usually a cutout from the paper or from the teletype (ye gads!! We go that far back???)) and all chit chat which was heard on the air. Actually, doing this last is not as easy as some people may believe. I have heard some uninitiated folks listen to a radio guy on the air and make a comment like –“Oh well, anyone can do that”. I am here to tell you that no, not anyone can do this. A TV personality, who was known as the “King of the Late Night” and always praised for his quickness on air, said about this –“The wittiest and the funniest off-the-cuff remarks, are those which are best rehearsed” His name? Johnny Carson. (If you do not recognize this name, then I am really reaching the wrong group!).
After having met the owner of the station and having made myself somewhat of a fixture on the premises, it came as no surprise to me that when the week end guy quit (or was made to quit, I’m not sure) I was offered the job. Did I take it? Before the lady (the owner was a woman) had finished asking the question, I gave her the answer… -“Of course I will, and when do I start?” –“Tomorrow” she answered.
Well… one thing is to want the job and another is to get it and to have to do it with very little prep time. I have always like radio work; that has been already commented on somewhere in these entries. Yet, it had been some 3 years since my last microphone handling, and the cold feet tried desperately to come in. I was given initially a good slot actually: Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. That is a lot of time to cover. On Saturdays, back then, this was the best time, since people would be out and about in their cars, shopping and listening to the radio. And, even though most people in PR did not necessarily speak English they did, for some reason or another, listen to our station. Especially the younger set, since we played a lot of music which this group wanted to hear.
The studio was on the second floor of a corner house, on one of the main avenues (I’m still trying to remember the name) I think Kennedy Avenue. Just outside, there was a balcony that ran the length of the studio and went around the corner. At times when we were bored out of our skull, we would take the mike out to the balcony and start to shout down (this was live on air, mind you) to the cars which went by. Everyone thought we were nuts (sometimes that included us) but eventually we started to see more traffic on Saturday afternoons, with cars full of young people, shouting back and honking their horn (well, their car’s horns). The bloody drive-bys (no guns, thank you!) became a successful fixture, until we had to stop them at the request of the local police, who were concerned about potential accidents. We then became known as the “Crazy Jocks”.
Probably the high point of this tenure was the on air interview with a young, already successful local voice who brought his talent and his guitar along, and was happy to just talk and sing for a while. He was then a very simple guy and I understand he still is. His name was, and is, Jose Feliciano.
The life span of an “On Air” personality can be compared to that of a summer fly. Short and agitated. By the time I had to get back to school in September (some 5 months after I had taken over the Saturday spots) there had been some changes at the station and I was asked to do the Sat/Sunday nights and, for a live 19 year old, this is tantamount to ask him to enter priesthood and give up the fun times. So, I respectfully declined and gave up my second stint on radio. But it was truly fun while it lasted; my approach was to do what would be fun and what would be interesting to the listener, not necessarily that which was intended by management (it seems I have always had a problem with this).
It was now time to start my second year at Inter and also time to meet Sheila, my soon to be sweetheart. I think that in the beginning it turned out to be more an issue of taking her away from Julio, her then beau, than my having been really taken by her. You can be really stupid at 19… yes, later in life that stupidity is coupled with “sophistication” and it really makes for a bad combination.
More next time…
Be Well!!
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