Danny Crash

episode 59: You Gotta Have (Brett) Heartz

97X, podcast

Brett Heartz got the 97X bug when he was in high school, a fever that was aided and abetted by his interview with Danny Crash and Mr. K for a cable-access program. Thanks to his Mr. K connection, he wound up working on-air at 97X in the late 80s (and being roommates with Phil Manning). His long career in radio came full circle 15 years later when he returned to 97X for weekend shifts before the terrestrial station signed off in 2004. We talk to Brett about Hamilton’s “Modern Rock Mafia,” limo rides to REM, backstage at Bogart’s, and random encounters with fellow 97Xers in The Big Easy.

Brett’s in the back row, 2nd from the right

Here’s Brett’s 1985 interview with Danny Crash and Mr. K when Brett was in a Broadcasting Arts class at Hamilton High School:

Brett also shared some newspaper clippings and other memorabilia from his time at 97X in the late 80s.

Those arrows seem overly ambitious… but perhaps with an aluminum foil antenna!

In case you were wondering (or maybe it was just us), the Canadian band called The Grapes of Wrath broke up in 1992, but reunited in 2010, were inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018 and still play gigs.

Hamilton, Ohio: Center of the Modern Rock Universe

97X, Music

Here’s an absolute gem: a Hamilton High School-produced TV show from 1985. This episode is guest-hosted by Brett Heartz, who later went on to work at 97X. His guests were:

  1. Dan “Danny Crash” Reed, who also worked at 97X, WFPK in Louisville, WNKU, managed Bogart’s and now serves as afternoon host and music director for WXPN in Philadelphia as well as Talent Relations Manager for the syndicated World Cafe program.
  2. Ken “Mr. K” Glidewell, who worked at 97X, WEBN and 92.5 The Fox until his tragic passing from injuries due to a motorcycle accident in 2008.

In other words, it’s one radio legend interviewing two others. Dan and Mr. K were at 97X at the time of this show, so they talk about the station quite a bit.

It’s well worth noting that all three of these gents go started on their radio path thanks to the Broadcasting Arts class at Hamilton High School. What Dan says in the interview is spot on: the opportunity to work on radio and TV productions in high school gives students a leg up in their career path.

According to the YouTube description, the Broadcasting Arts class ran from 1981-1988 at Hamilton HS. Probably a victim of budget cuts, or perhaps the teacher who organized it moved on. I’m sure there are far fewer classes like this in 2020 than there were in 1985, and that’s a crying shame. Because this show is a great indication of how a passion for music can be channeled into a career.

Episode 17: Dan reed tells more tales

97X, podcast

In the second part of our chat with Dan Reed (a.k.a. “Danny Crash”), he tells more hilarious stories from the early 97X years, including tales about his band Chem-Dyne, his friends Mr. K and Greg Dulli, working at Bogart’s, and learning life lessons (sometimes the hard way) from 97X owners Doug and Linda.

Dan talks about his Hamilton friend/fellow bandmate/fellow DJ Ken “Mr K” Glidewell, who died in 2008 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Dave and I both got to know Mr. K from working with him, and he truly was one of a kind.

Here’s a video of Big In Iowa, a local band featuring Mr. K and Bob Burns, who later gained fame via his always-entertaining “Blogger Bog” Instagram account for the TSA. Sadly, Bob also passed away suddenly last October.

Dan Reed also co-hosted a podcast called the Dan & Dan Music Podcast, you can check out the episodes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dan-and-dan-music-podcast/id976960749

That Dan, he’s a nutty, kooky kinda cat, and we love him.

Hamilton meets Akron
“Call me” – with Blondie’s Chris Stein

Episode 16: Danny Crash crashes the Party Patio

97X, podcast

Dan “Danny Crash” Reed is the self-described “Forrest Gump” of the music business. A proud native of Hamilton, Ohio and eventual grad of Ohio University, he was a young DJ at 97X when it changed formats in 1983, and later became program director (while also playing in local bands). After leaving 97X, Dan worked at Bogart’s, WNKU, WFPK (Louisville) and is now the afternoon host/music director at WXPN in Philadelphia and talent manager for the syndicated World Cafe program. He has 101 stories about the old days – which is why we had to make his interview a two-parter. You can follow Dan on Twitter and Instagram.

As a special bonus, here’s the world famous “Black Concert T-shirt” track from Dan’s band Chem Dyne, courtesy of 97X superfan Mark Griffin.