WHAT'S IN A NAME - AND, WHY

What's your name? I know, it's a bit of a no brainer, right? Well, then, how about Why's your name? I'd be willing to bet there's a story behind it that will, most likely, harken back to someone in your family or someone who had a pretty major influence on your parents. I was named Robert after my moms Aunt Rose. That's why I wonder what just would cause some celebrities to give their kids the names they give them. For instance....What reason did Toni Braxton have when she named her kid Denim? I guess Jean was already taken. She has another one named Diezel. Makes you wonder what could have fueled that idea. Erykah Badu has a child named Seven Sirius – her favorite satellite channel? She has one from a former marriage who she named Puma. Not sure if it was after the shoe or the cat. Then there's Nicolas Cage, star of that defunct Tim Burton film “Superman Lives.” The movie never got off the ground, but, Nick kept the dream alive by naming his son Kal-el, a Kryptonian name. Of course, a nice Earth name like Clark or Kent would have worked achieved the same effect.. Pierce Brosnan has a son he named Dylan Thomas, for the great Welsh poet. If he was going to give the kid a name that dictates how he's going to spend his professional life, maybe he should have gone with something like Butcher....or Baker.....or Doctor. We have all heard about Kim and Kanye's baby, North. That makes the kid North West. If they want any kind of closure, not only will they have to name their next kid South, but, Kanye has to change his last name to East. That brings us to the new Royal baby born to William and Kate. There is a lot of speculation as to what they will name him. In THIS game of thrones, they will, no doubt, go traditional.......George...Edward.....something king like. As long as they stay away from Joffrey.

CELEBRITY TALES - AS I REMEMBER THEM: MEL BROOKS

Because Sonny did the show from his bedroom, it afforded us the opportunity to have a little more privacy during our interviews with celebrities, because we could bring them to his apartment instead of the radio station. That would free them to be a little looser as there would be no station personnel or “normal folk” trying to get autographs or asking to pose for pictures. They could relax a little and be themselves. I knew that this particular interview was going to be a lot more fun than most because it was with one of the world’s funniest men. I had been a fan of Mel Brooks since before his film career or even the classic “2,000 Year Old Man” sketches he did with the equally creative and funny Carl Reiner. I remember Mel Brooks from his days as a staff writer on one of the most innovative TV shows of it’s time _ “Your Show of Shows” starring the brilliant Sid Caesar and the sublimely funny Imogene Coca. The show boasted a writing staff that would go on to become a literal “who’s who” of funny. Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, Mel Tolkin, Neil Simon and his brother, Danny Simon, Larry Gelbart andWoody Allen (who didn’t actually write for the show but did work on a few Sid Caesar specials, so I figured I could sneak him into the group - makes it look even more impressive). I had NO idea what to expect when I got to the apartment other than the basic fact that I was on my way to spend some time in a fairly intimate atmosphere with one of the funniest men alive. I was pretty pumped. He was in Philadelphia as part of his publicity tour for the just released “High Anxiety” - his insanely funny homage to the films Alfred Hitchcock. I lived in South Jersey and the apartment was in a suburb north of Center City, so I had about a 45 minute drive from point A. to point B. I would cross the George Washington Bridge and follow the Schuylkill Expressway all the way to Sonny’s. As I pulled into the parking lot in my little yellow MG-B, top down that particular day, I noticed a limo behind me that was now pulling in front of me, where it came to a stop. The door opened and out popped the subject of my reason for being there. He walked quickly towards me, hand outstretched and said, “Bob Leonard - Hi I’m Mel Brooks - I’m a star!” I knew instantly that I was about to have one of the most fun experiences of my life to that point. We went inside and the man was never “off.” He regaled us with stories about his life, his films, his comedy - it was hardest I had ever laughed. We must have recorded for a couple of hours. There is absolutely no way to describe the atmosphere or, even, what was said. It was Mel Brooks being Mel Brooks - you really had to be there. As he was getting ready to leave I asked if I could have a picture with him. He graciously agreed and, as I put my arm around his shoulder, I said, “My dad told me to give you a kiss and Jews kiss, c’mere…,” at which point he mugged, I kissed and the result ended up as my Facebook profile picture. About 2 weeks after the interview, I was going through my mail box at the radio station and I saw a letter from 20th Century Fox addressed to me. It was handwritten and said: “Dear Bob, I just wanted to write and thank you for the interview. It was more fun than eating Raisinettes with Harvey Korman on the set of “High Anxiety.” Love, Melvin” To make that day even more eventful and important to me in the context of my career, years later I had two opportunities to interview the aforementioned Carl Reiner and I made it my goal each time, to make him laugh. Was I able to do it? Well - That’s another story!

A CHAIR IS NOT ALWAYS A CHAIR

Words come with pictures. When a word is spoken, in order to understand it's meaning, we see it in our minds eye and that image explains the speakers intent so that we know how to react. When you hear the word “house,” what's the first thing that comers to mind? I'm going to venture an educated guess and say, probably, real estate. Even though this is a very subjective question, I suppose there are any number of “correct” answers - “Many welcomed the extra help for first-time buyers of new houses,” “The merchandise was offered to a reputable auction house” “He wears the ankle bracelet because he is under house arrest,” “People who live in glass houses.......” you get the idea.. There are dozens of uses that will bring dozens of responses. They will, pretty much, all relate to dwellings. That's why I confused myself when logic refused to prevail and my first thought was......Reggae music. Pretty convoluted, huh? Let me attempt to explain. As a rock & roll disc jockey for nearly 50 years, one begins to think in terms of the music one has played on a daily basis for all that time. You start to see the world in song titles and lyrics. So, when someone says “houses,” my first thought is “Houses of the Holy,” the 1973 Led Zeppelin album with the song “D'yer Mak'er,” the reggae based tune with a title derived from the phonetic spelling of the British pronunciation of "Jamaica." Led Zeppelin was the first, but not the last thought that came to mind. Dionne Warwick slipped into my head as well, as I began to sing (thankfully, to myself), “A House is Not a Home,” a song that, some may argue, evokes an image of Luther Vandross. For those of us unfortunate enough to think in these terms, the pictures differ depending on our ages and experiences. Perhaps, now that I've brought it up, you are hearing a song too. It could be “Brick House” by the Commodores, John Cougar Mellencamps “Pink Houses,” or “Our House,” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and, sometimes, Young. If you're a little older, perhaps the song is “House of the Rising Sun,” by the Animals and if you're a lot older, maybe it's Rosemary Clooney singing “Come Ona My House.” Oh.....and, for that ear worm I just gave you........you're very welcome. For most people, words come with images that are pretty standard as a means of understanding and they are able to respond accordingly . My wife just yelled to me that breakfast was ready. When you heard the word “breakfast,” I'll bet you saw bacon, eggs, toast and juice. I went to YouTube because I suddenly got the urge to hear some “Supertramp.” THAT'S HOW I FEEL................................................WHAT CAN I TELL YA'