My Column, by Bruce Wasenius--June 2016

This month, answers to the questions I am asked the most and other goodies. First the easy stuff, born in Minneapolis, high school Robbinsdale (50th reunion this year), enlisted in the Navy at 17 and discharged before my 21st birthday. To radio at Brown Institute in Mpls. first radio job September of '71, moved to radio stations in Yankton, S.D., New Prague and Eden Prarie Minnesota. I moved to North Iowa in January of 1978 to work for KZEV FM to be the night guy for the Mad Hatter. I worked for each of the major radio stations in North Iowa for about 31 of the 38 years here, I went to work for the Post Office and was off the air from 1988 to 1995. At different times I also helped my friend run his store in Mason City called various names including Little Pleasures, Cabeco and Southside Digital in a number of ways. My first concert was the Lovin' Spoonful in the summer of 1965 in St. Paul. The shows that have most impressed me would have to include Pink Floyd for pure showmanship, mind blowing visuals and the musicianship. In a top ten I would say Leon Russell in 1971 and Mason Proffitt, and every time I saw Santana. Several bands coming to our area this summer I'm looking forward to. Over a career that spans so many years there are many stories and tales to tell...some will never be told, but I have some to tell you about. A question that always comes up is who is my favorite of the musicians I have had the great good fortune to have met, spent some time with or emceed for, which is tough, in good part because of all those I met during the Winter Dance Parties in the early days of KZEV, later through emceeing shows at the Surf. I've been on tour buses and got my share of autographs but the one that mattered most to me personally took place on the Friday before Labor Day of 1978. I had a call from a friend who managed a bar/nightclub in Mason City that frequently had bands play there, she told me a friend of hers was going through the area on the way to a Saturday gig and was doing a show that night at her place and would it be all right to meet at the radio station for an interview. I said it was probably o.k. and asked who it is she told me it was Willie Dixon. You might not know his name, but chances are good you have heard a song or two that he wrote. If you've heard the first couple of Led Zeppelin albums or the first album from the Doors from I Can't Quit You Baby to Back Door Man. Cream did a fantastic live version of Spoonful on their Wheels Of Fire album. Not only did he write an incredible catalouge of what are now blues standards, as part of the "house band" at Chess records he produced and even played Bass on the earliest rock and roll recordings in the mid-50's. As a life long fan of the blues this was a dream come true, I hurried to the radio station and sat in with the board operator for a ten minute on air interview, plugging the show that night and his schedule of upcoming shows. After the interview he said he wouldn't mind hanging around for awhile so we went back to the production room and continued our talk for another hour, the tape is long gone unfortunately but we covered all kinds of ground that afternoon. The show he was performing was going to be while I was at work, and since this was the days of live radio I was going to miss it. He told me that if I could get to there close to midnight he would do a second set for me. I set a new speed record and was there in time, he and his band played for an hour to about 15 people, what a treat. I stopped to thank him for the night, and he thanked me, and said I love you too...from one of my favorite people and a man who has been associated with some of the best music ever recorded and one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. That's one that will never be forgotten. Who would think that all this and so many more stories would take place in North Iowa. That's it for this time.