Neil's Story
How did you get started in radio?
When I was growing up I spent a lot of time with my uncle who is in the industry, so I’ve always been around it and enjoyed it. I was reading newspapers for the radio reading service for the blind by the time I was 15 and haven’t been off the airwaves since.
Though, to be fair, my first job in “real” radio was on WUSR where I had a bunch of shows including a Friday morning sports talk show dubbed “The Worst Sports Talk Show on Radio” because of, among other things, a feature where my partner on the show would make outlandish predictions along the lines of “the Chiefs will win because the Raiders’ team bus will crash before the game.”
What do people tell you or ask you the most?
“We’re sitting out here by the fire, drinking some beers, and want to hear Led Zeppelin!”
What do like to do when you're on free time?
I watch a lot of TV: prime time shows, old shows on DVD, sports, whatever. I also like going out to eat with friends and hitting up amusement parks in the summer.
What are some of your favorite TV shows?
Right now, I can’t get enough of Battlestar Galactica, House, The Office, Heroes, Law & Order SVU, Mad Men, and Entourage. I was also a huge fan of The West Wing, Friends, Seinfeld, Six Feet Under, The Wire, and Sports Night.
Musically, who are your favorite artists?
I have a ton of favorites, from classics like The Beatles, Eagles, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Miller, America, Dire Straits, and Santana to newer stuff like Dave Matthews Band, Linkin Park, Goo Goo Dolls, Coldplay, and 3 Doors Down.
What is the craziest thing you've ever done?
Once, while in Vegas, at 4am after spending the night in one of the clubs my friends and I saw that the Hooters across the street had 25 cent wings. Naturally, we knew we needed to go. The problem was that the “street” we needed to cross was the Las Vegas Strip. Not to be deterred, the four of us bolted across the 8 lane highway and got our wings. In a related note, there may come a time in your life when you feel the urge to order 30 wings at Hooters at 4am. Resist that urge.
If you could invite anyone to dinner (dead or alive) who would it be?
Walt Disney. I’m a pretty huge Disney fan so I’d love to talk to the man behind it all.
Disney movies or theme parks…or both?
The movies are great and an important part of every childhood but the theme parks are my true passion. I’ve been to Walt Disney World 10 times in the last 15 years with no end in sight.
What are your favorite rides?
My favorite switches between
We also have some great rides at our local amusement parks. The
So what else do you do with your time when you’re not watching TV or cavorting with life-size mouse?
I spend a lot of time online stalking, or I should say, checking profiles on Facebook, chatting on AIM, browsing Wikipedia, or checking my fantasy teams.
What are your other favorite sites?
http://www.tv-tattle.com - For a complete daily briefing of television news and columns.
http://www.exitmundi.nl/exitmundi.htm - A collection of end of the world scenarios sure to scare the pants off any pessimist.
http://www.tv-tattle.com - Regularly updated television news and columns. A must for any TV nerd’s favorites list.
http://www.dmb-almanac.com - The best resource for my favorites, the Dave Matthews Band.
http://rspwfa2.livejournal.com - A great little LiveJournal community.
http://nt3.livejournal.com - While we’re at it, I might as well plug my blog. That’s where you can find some original TV-based fiction and my musings on anything from sports to politics to where to go for dinner.
If you had a theme song what would it be?
“Tripping Billies” by Dave Matthews Band; the music, the lyrics, the tone, pretty much everything about it sums up my feelings on life. “Eat, drink, and be merry.”
Three things you can’t get through the day without?
The internet, television, and a good shower.
What is your favorite junk food?
Snyder’s of Hanover Hot Buffalo Wing pretzels, I can’t get enough of the damn things. Oh yeah, also, Hot Pockets.
Where are your favorite hangouts?
Molly Brannigans, The Banshee, or Cooper’s on the weekends, The Stadium Club for Monday Night Football, and The New Foliage for lunch on Thursday. Sometimes I hang out at other places where they don’t serve food or beer…but you wouldn’t want to run into me there, ‘cause I’m just miserable.
Tell us your dirty little secret.
I’m a huge professional wrestling fan. I was (in some cases still am) a big fan of Bret & Owen Hart, Mick Foley, Rob Van Dam, CM Punk, Samoa Joe and some others that I probably shouldn’t mention, lest you think even less of me.
Working only three hours a week leaves me with abundant free time. Sometimes I go places. In lieu of actually telling you all of them, I present this spiffy photo gallery of places I’ve been, people I’ve met, and other ridiculous things I’ve noticed through the lens of my digital camera.
