WKNR – Gary Stevens – April 3, 1965 – Rob Frankel Collection –
You remember – you knew it was going to happen. Your dad was talking about it for months. He hated being on the assembly line at Ford. He had dreams. He read the brochures. He hated Winter. He wanted a swimming pool. You’re moving to L.A.
You weren’t so sure. You had to start all over again. You had friends you knew since grade school. This was your town. You were going to work at Hudson’s over Summer Vacation. You wanted that job since you were twelve – now you’re old enough. They don’t have a Hudson’s in L.A. – you checked. You’ll never see your friends again. Your best friend cried – the boy you had designs on since 8th grade handed you a loaf of Mr. Big White Bread as a going away present – he gave you a look that sent an electric shock down to your toes. It could have been love. You will never find out.
New school the second you hit L.A. – not even waiting til September. You’re going to be judged, you know it – they’ll ask you questions – they’ll hate your clothes. They’ll think you’re fat – they’ll talk about you. They’ll want to know everything about you. They’ll ask what your dad does for a living – you don’t even know what his new job is. They’ll ask you about boys. They’ll ask you about The Beatles – they’ll ask which one’s your favorite. They’ll ask if you’ve met any of them. They’ll ask which beach you like – you’ve never been to the ocean. You don’t have a bikini body. You checked. They’ll ask you about suntans – there are parts of your body that have never seen the sun, even by accident.
You would like to die. Your dad’s excited – you’re mom’s excited. You are not excited.
You’re going to drive across the country – the moving van left a week earlier. You are driving to Woodland Hills – you have no idea where that is – all you know is; there’s a swimming pool there. Your dad said so.
So you pull a transistor radio out of your purse, plug in the earphones, turn it on and will yourself to sleep. With any luck, a week will go by and you won’t notice. That would be nice.
Adventures and moving just aren’t you – but you’ve got no choice. God, you hate being a kid.
Big sigh – shut your eyes – here comes Gary Stevens.
And a little over an hour’s worth of Gary Stevens last broadcast on WKNR for April 3, 1965.
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