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10 Questions with ... Mickey "The Kid" English
June 2, 2015
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1. What was your first job in radio and early influences?
Doing sports and writing comedy for The Liz Wilde Show on WMMS in Cleveland. My early influences were guys like Dancin' Danny Wright & Bill Louis on WGCL (now WNCX 98.5) and The Buzzard Morning Zoo with Jeff & Flash on WMMS and, finally, Howard Stern!
2. What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it"?
I can remember as far back as seven or maybe eight years old when my little sister and I used to do mock radio show into a tape recorder! I used to listen to Jeff & Flash on WMMS every morning before school. They were really funny and I always loved the fun environment they created ... and that's when I knew I wanted to be an entertainer!
3. Before getting into radio, you did some acting in movies and TV. How did this prepare you for the show biz aspects of radio?
I did. I was in the movies, Telling Lies In America and Any Given Sunday ... I also did a bunch of TV commercials and was in the ABC-TV show Maximum Bob with Beau Bridges. I believe that when I did Telling Lies In America (which was filmed in Cleveland) ... and after seeing and talking with guys like Kevin Bacon, Brad Renfro and Luke Wilson in the early stages of their careers, I was so into wanting to be an actor, but I can honestly say that it prepared me for doing what I love ... radio!
4. You had a stint producing and doing celebrity and character voices for the syndicated Mancow's Morning Madhouse. What are some of the highlights of your time with Mancow in Chicago?
I have to say first and foremost, Mancow is a great coach of talent and it was an honor to be a part of his show! Some of my best moments with Mancow were the characters I would call in as for guest spots ... for instance, I have a character I do named Tex that owns a nursery that teaches small children how to use firearms from the age of 3-13 ... and he is always rambling on about the anarchy coming ... LOL! Mancow loves my Gene Simmons ... it's dead on ... and it always makes for great prank phone calls or screwing with guests. I called the KISS Coffee House once and made the employee put the manager on the phone, then had him sent home. I also had them send 10 lb.s of coffee to Paul Stanley ... LOL! I could go on and on ... I always enjoy doing Mancow's show from time to time! Great guy and great friend!
5. After years of co-hosting with some major morning shows, you now host your own morning show on WQCM. Before we get to specifics with your Mickey's Morning Mayhem show; how was the transition for you from co-hosting to being THE host?
It's been in my blood ... I had great teachers ... and I keep myself educated with the latest news, technology trends, sports, humor, documentaries -- and it came naturally!
6. Now let's talk about your present morning show. You go by the name Mickey The Kid on Mickey's Morning Mayhem. How long have you been doing this show and how are the ratings and response from the market?
I started doing Mickey's Morning Mayhem when I came to WQCM as a one-man show. I used to have another show prior ... The Morning Mess w/Damage & Gravy, but since I am without a staff, it's like being Jimmy Kimmel, Dan Patrick and your favorite stand-up comic all rolled into one. My co-hosts are my callers, interviews etc. ... and the market has been awesome to me. I started August 25th, 2014 going into a Fall book where mornings had been a bit lackluster and landed myself tied for 2nd after an action-packed Fall book. Now I'm just waiting to see how I do in the Spring (two-book market).
7) How much show prep do you do and what are some of the key benchmarks of your show?
Well, I'm up at 3a and get to the station at 4a. I have always been a VERY resourceful personality (that's the producer background in me) as we all should be. I use resources like StumbleUpon.com, Pulse.me, Uproxx.com, Gawker.com, Mashable.com and numerous others ... plus the station has a service so I'm over-prepped every morning. I have some fun benchmarks like Bitches Be Trippin' which are chicks that make the police blotters of the country, Weird News Wednesdays with Buck Wolf from The Huffington Post, The Daily Oral Exam and Suds With My Buds on Fridays where we talk craft beer with a local brewery!
8) Are there any other morning shows around the country that you pay attention to? Besides Mancow, what about Howard Stern ... has he been any sort of influence in your career in mornings?
I like Mike Calta, a.k.a Cowhead, down in Tampa! Very well put-together show, great team of personalities and usually ahead of the curve on social issues... and the man knows trivia!! LOL! Howard was a TREMENDOUS influence in my drive to get in radio. I dreamed of working for him for years but unless you know Don Buchwald you don't exist... or have a personal connect to Howard.
9) Tell us one of the best morning show moments on Mickey's Morning Mayhem since you started on WQCM?
For yeeeeeaaars I have always wanted to talk with Slash ... and that moment came back in October but it wasn't your stereotypical "so the new record is" or "how's the tour" or blah blah blah. We talked about him playing football with his kids, his wife forcing him to give one of his favorite snakes to the Los Angeles Zoo and some GnR drama ... it was awesome!! I like my guests to feel like they are sitting on the front porch with an old friend sippin' sweet tea in the sunshine kid!
10) Finally, before you even started your broadcasting career, I understand you played four years of semi-pro football for the Cleveland Lions. If you had a chance to play in the NFL, who would you want to play for and why?
Funny you should ask about that. I received a letter from George Seifert, who was head coach of the dismal Carolina Panthers stating that he had seen my reel and would have a scouting representative get in touch with me, but he was fired a month later ... LOL. I never got that call ... SUCKED! So yes, I would have tried to play if I was given that opportunity and I would have loved to played for the Saints! They have been my favorite team since I was 14. After being a Browns fan and having your heart ripped out, I figured if I'm gonna root for a shitty team, I wanted one with cooler colors ... hence me being a Saints fan!
Bonus Questions
You talk for a living but give us the lowdown on your favorite music ... both artists and songs?
Love love love the Foo Fighters and their latest Congregation ... just a great blood-pumper hit that keeps ya running from the opening chords to the soft close! Love me some Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless and Theory Of A Deadman's songs Drown and Savages!! Plus, I saw soooo many great bands at Rock On The Range this year that really blew me away... like Of Mice And Men, St. Ansonia and others!
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