That Roy Leonard, my mom would say, back in the day, back in the 70s and 80s when radio was still king and he was king of middays in Chicago. (And Saturdays, too, come to think of it.) That Roy Leonard would say something about music or soccer or a celebrity or an event in the news or his kids. It was never, ever inflammatory. Hed pepper his conversation with the occasional, Oh! but you never had the feeling Roy was saying something just to stir things up. If he did it was an honest, measured expression, but mostly Roy entertained us and guided us through the middle part of our day. And yet his program seemed vital, too. If you didnt listen to Roy Leonard, you werent really connected to Chicago. Callers would ask about a show in town or a movie or a restaurant and he gave them a review and some insider details. Celebrities stopped by. From the producer booth, as an intern, I sometimes watched him sit and take calls. I was fascinated by the ease with which he spoke and how he could read the movie rundown in the Tribune and make it seem as if no one else had that information. If ROY said it was worth our time, my mother assured, then it was. He was standout at two things: interviews and commercials. Spike ODell once famously handed Roy a sheet of paper and said, here, sell this! And without missing a beat, he did, extolling the virtues of this fantastic flat white product. You wanted to run out and get one right now. And his interviews were peerless. That same summer that I interned at WGN, I watched him interview Loretta Lynn about Coal Miners Daughter. I hadnt seen the film and didnt listen to her music, but I was captivated her story and his technique. Roy was generous, too. If youve listen to Kathy OMalley, Nick DiGilio, Lou Manfredini - its a long list, actually - you can thank Roy for that. He nurtured talent. And when someone stumbled in through the studios of WGN, as did one Ian Punnett and one Bob Collins, too, there was Roy saying, Give them a CHANCE. Listening in Joliet, busy with four kids and all that went with that, my mother and the rest of us would listen to Roy Leonard and feel connected to the city, the world, to each other, to a piece of paper.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 14:08:51 +0000
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