Speaker 1: 0:10

welcome back to the pats peeps podcast. Where are we at? 282, 282 podcasts and fresh off of the uh, uh bluegrass experience at the father's Day Bluegrass Festival, nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley. I get so relaxed up there. It's one of as I've mentioned before several times, it's one of my very favorite weekends of the year. I get away from all the madness, all the chaos, the madness, all the chaos, and I say thank you to the CBA, the California Bluegrass Association, who do a great job up there. All the wonderful music. I absolutely love it. Today is a Monday. I am very relaxed Now. I got to get kind of back into some of this madness.

Speaker 1: 1:02

By the way, I'm the host of the Pat Wall Show, kpk Radio in Sacramento, 93.1 FM, 1530 AM, and as I look out my studio window into the beautiful foothills of Northern California, it's a gorgeous day, it's not too hot, it was a nice weekend all four days at the festival. The weather could not be more perfect, and so everything is great. And you know how we do it on my show we always do something a little different, and today I thought you know what. I think we should have my friend KFBK political analyst, gary Dietrich, on with me to talk about a variety of things. So Gary said you know what? Yeah, why not? Let's do a pat's peeps podcast and look at who is here joining us, ladies and gentlemen, my friend gary dietrich. Hello, gary hello patrick.

Speaker 2: 1:54

And this course gives us time to give a lot of insider pat and gary takes that we simply don't have time for on the broadcast that wayaves. So we'll have fun.

Speaker 1: 2:04

So let me ask you this, gary, today of all days, and, by the way, I love it. First of all, let's give me a. We'll give a little bit of insight here right away. So, gary and I Gary is a Harvard grad. He dresses in suits. He's a nice dresser I consider myself a nice dresser, by the way, but I'm a cheap me.

Speaker 2: 2:22

Get pat pat hang on the suit thing. People need to understand. Oh, dietrich, just like to walk around in suits. You went to harvard, thank you. No, it's because I'm on television, people, if you're unaware, of course I'm on cbs uh 13 in sacramento, part of our cbs network coverage nationally. I do things for the network as well, nationally, uh. So that's the reason for the suits. But pat loves to rib me about the suits.

Speaker 1: 2:44

That's fine, go ahead this is what amazes me to anyone who's listening to this podcast. After all the years I've known gary, he does he still doesn't understand me. Honestly, I'm going to say that, based on what you just said. Based on what you just said and I'm being serious you don't know me as well as you think you do and I'm, and that's an honest truth. Gary, I've never ribbed you about wearing a suit, never, never, ever. No, no, I have not. You take it that way, gary. I mean it with all respect, brother. You, you're wearing a suit, you're respectful. Look at, I've seen a lot of guys wearing freaking hoodies on tv. Okay, they're trying to be serious in what they do. I'm not suggesting you wear a suit every day. I'm saying you wear a suit because you're a very classy guy who takes what he does very seriously. You would never walk into my studio wearing cargo shorts and a hoodie. You wouldn't do it.

Speaker 2: 3:39

No, you're right about that. There's a US senator that I won't name. Yeah, I know.

Speaker 1: 3:45

That is so weird, by the way, that he does that. So let me say to everyone that's not what I mean when I say that, and I'll clear that up with you. Gary, never you look sharp. You're a sharp-dressed dude man. I've also seen you in. You know your more casual attire, and that's because Gary and I, we have been friends for so long. Let me ask you on this day, gary there are so many serious things that you and I could talk about right now and so many fun things about you know our personal relationship as friends over the very many years. You want to touch a little bit on both yeah, that sounds good.

Speaker 2: 4:25

And, by the way, people, when he says a lot of years, we're talking pat.

Speaker 1: 4:28

I mean it's got to be 20 years seriously 20 years. More than what 20 years 25? Gary and I became friends right about 1994. 93 or 94 uh, it was right, and we have a story about this that hopefully gary will be able to share. Uh, before the. Uh, the in San Diego so many years ago, the mayor yeah, that's true, you know. So that goes way back. We've known each other a long time. We've done the Soapbox, derby and Loomis together. How fun, these little slices of Americana.

Speaker 2: 5:03

Yeah, a few people really wanted a thrill. You would have watched Pat and I racing down the hill in soapbox plywood cars, but I don't know some kind of secondhand motorcycle helmets on. That probably wouldn't have saved us anyway, but yeah, we actually did that. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:19

We did it a couple of times and it was so fun when we did that. That just felt like just americana and gary and I are both baseball fans. We're just coming see. If I were really ribbing gary now I may do that right here. If I were really ribbing gary, I would bring up things like our rivalry between the dodgers and giants. I believe they just completed a three-game set, gary they did.

Speaker 2: 5:40

It was two one we could get into all into baseball now. But of course we got. We got a really nice player in a trade last night, rafael Devers from the Boston. But hey, pat, when it comes to baseball, remember the game that you and I went to. That was very significant. Didn't we go over to the Giants Stadium in the first baseball game after Nope? What was it?

Speaker 1: 6:04

9-11 nope, nope, nope. You want, you want you. Oh, my god, this proves to me that my memory is mine.

Speaker 2: 6:12

He will remember this better than me. What game was that?

Speaker 1: 6:14

honestly, what it really tells me is I do have a very good memory. People tell me that all the time. I can remember like it was yesterday gary, you and I and I'm still very proud of this we went to the first football game. It was a week after 9-11 and the first okay, the first sporting event that took place in the nfl at that time, because all the sports that were that were active at that point resumed play. But, gary, you and I went to see the rams and the 49ers. We stood on the football field and here's a quote from candlestick park people.

Speaker 2: 6:44

I want you to know.

Speaker 1: 6:45

That's right. Terrell Owens dropped several passes that day. The Rams won the game. But here was the most important part of that day, and this was Gary's quote that I will never forget in my entire life. We're standing on the field at Candlestick Park at the game. Gary says to me—by the way he was wearing a suit.

Speaker 2: 7:03

He says I was not wearing a suit for.

Speaker 1: 7:06

God's sake, god's time, I was teasing you. He says Pat, think about this. I said what he goes we're on the same football field as YA Tittle right now. We're on the same football field. If my dad knew this, he would just be so proud that we were on the same football field, as why he did it. Remember that.

Speaker 2: 7:25

Yeah, I do. Now you are recollecting this for me, pat. I do remember how special I was for you and, if people don't know, I grew up over in the Bay Area and so my dad used to take my brother and I to 49er and the Stanford games all the time and my dad had passed, and that was really special. So, yes, that was a cool moment. If I remember right, pat, not only did we have field passes I think we went down to the locker room afterwards and the whole field. It was quite a day. It was quite a day.

Speaker 1: 7:58

Yeah, it really was. That was the day that Kurt Warner he had a Kurt would wear these big white, white wristbands. And on this day we're interviewing kurt warner and he throws his wristband. I got a bag down there, uh, where I carry my equipment in, and kurt warner is wearing a red, white and blue wristband for the 9-11 thing, I presume and he throws the wristband down. Well, what does it do? It lands right on my bag. Accidentally, now I had one. I could have either said, kurt, your wristband down, well, what does it do? It lands right on my bag, accidentally, now I had one. I could have either said, kurt, your wristband landed in my bag, or the wristband of my favorite Super Bowl winning quarterback is in my bag. I can just close up my bag with my equipment. Which I chose, the latter, so I still have that wristband, by the way. But, gary, you and I, one of the things that I love about our friendship over the many, many years is our trips to spring training.

Speaker 2: 8:48

Oh yes, legendary people. I mean Pat was bugging me for a long time. Gary, you got to come with me to spring training. I'm like, oh man, I don't know, games don't count, who cares? Finally I succumbed, and then this turned into a multi-year, I don't know a dozen years running prior to covid patrick, and I went every single year and my only rule was this if I go, we always used to go for like a weekend, may, two, couple nights, whatever. Uh, we'll get legendary stories too about driving down and back a couple times.

Speaker 2: 9:19

Oh yeah, what a nightmare but anyway, the, um, the, the. The only rule I had was singular Singular rule was Pat. We got to go to one Dodger game, one Giants game. It cannot be just. You know, we wander around Dodger and all that which we did, we did every single year and had a great time.

Speaker 1: 9:35

Yes, indeed, yep, dodgers and Glendale, the Giants and Scottsdale. You know, here's one thought, too there's so many memories, gary, between you and I can. Here's one thought, too, that there's so many, uh memories, gary, between you and I, and I'm just kind of going off the top of my head, and I do have a couple of them written down so I don't forget. The last thing that I did and that Gary did I can speak for Gary the last thing that he and I did before COVID kicked in in 2020.

Speaker 1: 10:01

We were at, we were in the spring training in Scottsdale and we were at this bar watching this fight between James Wilder and it was the Fury Wilder fight on the biggest television wall I've ever seen in my life and we were having the best.

Speaker 1: 10:17

We were having the time of our lives, you know. And the next thing, you know, we come home, and you remember that, gary. We come home and suddenly I can remember my boss, bill White, coming to me and asking about do you know about flattening the curve? And I said what? What are you talking about, flattening the curve? And he grabs me Well, you're about to learn Takes me over to my desk, pulls up the computer and here's this thing about flattening the curve, which I don't think. I've even heard that expression since like early 2020. But if you recall, that was the last thing we did, gary, and the biggest news story at that time on all the channels whether it was sports or non-sports channels, talk radio or TV the biggest story that was going on right at the moment that covid broke was the houston astros cheating against the dodgers in the world series, gary and I know this story, I know where this story is going.

Speaker 1: 11:15

Yeah, I know very well. Gary and I are sitting at scottsdale and I think we were watching the the giants and the dodgers or the giants, maybe in the a's, I don't remember, but we see. But I think it was the dodgers and the Dodgers or the Giants, maybe in the A's, I don't remember, but I think it was the Dodgers and the Giants, because I was sitting amongst all these Dodger fans and we see a guy wearing an orange Houston Astros jersey. I said Gary, here, take some video of this. And I walked down there with my Dodger gear on and started banging on the trash can like the Astros were doing the cheat and a whole. When you can still see this on video, the whole Dodger contingent there in the stands, well and beyond. We're all laughing at that.

Speaker 2: 11:56

Even the Giants fans thought that was funny now, pat, I have to translate this for you non-hardcore baseball fans. Pat, of course, assumes that you know. The reason why that was so hilarious and why Pat was literally incensed and insisted on doing this, making a spectacle of himself, was the fact that the Houston Astros had reportedly cheated in their World Series against his beloved Dodgers, and part of that cheating was banging a trash can to indicate, right, pat, the pitches that were going to be served up to the Houston hitters by the Dodgers pitchers. So, folks, that's the context of it. Pat got his comeuppance, made sure that everybody in our half of the stadium heard that trash can banging going on and, yes, the Dodger fans did love and appreciate it. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:48

Well, we were having so much fun. Even the Giants fans were laughing because you know, heck, none of us liked you. We don't like cheaters. We might like. We might love our rivalry. We might not like the other team, gary, but we love the rivalry. It's the best rivalry in my opinion, that the Dodgers and the Giants, the best you can give me. Yankees and Red Sox, whatever. I'm sure some people would say that, but we can both root against cheaters.

Speaker 2: 13:10

Oh yeah. You and I were lockstep, especially when they fessed up in Houston and of course manager got fired and all this stuff. But especially when players and management fessed up. Yeah, we cheated. Pat and I were like 110% In fact. To this day I've always said not enough was done about that. But that's a whole different conversation.

Speaker 2: 13:29

Yeah, so yes legendary stuff down in the desert. We could go on and on. Pat, I got to throw in because you and I still refer to this. We have to throw in our drive into the desert to the legendary Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse. I don't even know who to say. You may remember who brought this up. Pat and I are in a convertible driving out of the desert in the dark of the night Big full moon up there. Hey, pat, I can't remember if it was you or me Did you hear that people want to actually put advertising on the moon? What, yeah, advertising on the moon. Man, like with this high-powered laser and the first one's going to be Rolling Rock, wants to put their logo on the moon. And Pat and I ended up having a serious conversation, believe it or not, folks, whether we thought that was a good idea or not. Come on, pat.

Speaker 1: 14:17

Sure we did. Yeah, absolutely, you're talking about a slippery slope. I mean we're like, okay, what's next? So, Harley, what is it? Is the moon going to be like a big, like coca-cola cap or what you know? If one can do it, everyone's going to be trying to put. I can't believe they're actually going to do something like that. We bought into it hook, line and sinker, not realizing that here we are, um, right at the beginning of april, the very end of spring training, and what happens at the beginning of april was, I don't know, april fools, which I fell for yeah, and my, my biggest fear was they turned it into a big squeezable roll of Charmin.

Speaker 1: 14:56

You know what I mean. Let me tell you. I'll set the scene for this. So Gary and I we'd have so much fun. We would rent a car, be like a convertible Mustang Camaro, whatever. We'd be driving out in the desert, twilight. Okay, there's just something about that Driving in the desert at twilight in a convertible, listening to good music, going to a good place. We went to a couple of places. One was Pinnacle Peak, which is now gone, and one of the things that we did there I'll let them tell you. You tell them about the other place, greasewood. But we'd go to there. We would have the best time. Red and white, checkered tablecloths. They used to have one in Sacramento. They'd cut your tie off. If you were wearing a tie, they'd hang it from the ceiling. It was like their big tradition. Gary will tell you about the entryway, but when you go in there, gary would tell me about his time growing up in Kansas, which I was fascinated by, and the old cow pond that you guys would play in.

Speaker 2: 15:58

The cow pond I'll never forget that yeah, fish and swim in the cow pond To this day. I can't believe you do that.

Speaker 1: 16:06

See, I remember all of that, one of our great traditions. So the other thing that they would do there was a tradition of pinnacle peak is they would have people would put their business cards all over the walls in this place. They'd staple it to the walls, some of these cards people were talking tens of thousands. Yeah, that's how many were and and had been there for decades, right, gary oh yeah, some of them were yellowed.

Speaker 2: 16:27

you could barely read the stuff on them.

Speaker 1: 16:29

Yeah, so after we'd order our big old steak and we'd order our pitcher of beer, we'd each secretly go grab a number from one of these cards, okay, and we grab the name and we go back to the table and call the number to see if the people would answer and, if they did answer, whether or not they remember going to Pinnacle Peak and leaving their card on the wall.

Speaker 2: 16:55

Yeah, this is the precursor to carpool karaoke. It was business cards. Nobody carries business cards, charlie, but it was business card random dialing. Yeah, that's what it was. And some of these cards, I mean people are like what what? Oh yeah, henry did, we Was. And some of these cars you mean people are like what, what?

Speaker 1: 17:14

Oh, yeah, henry, was it 18 years ago when you were in Saskillan. We call this one lady. She says oh my God, how long ago was that honey? Oh, I don't know. And she goes that was like 30 years ago or 20 years ago or whatever.

Speaker 1: 17:26

And so Gary and I are telling her oh man, there's this place that we like. It's called Greasewood Flat. First of all we couldn't believe we got the people. They couldn't believe that we called them. They thought it was just as funny as we thought. So they played along with us and we had a great time. And it turns out she was like a real estate lady and she ends up telling us about a place called the Buffalo Chip Saloon.

Speaker 2: 17:48

Gary, yes, the About a place called the Buffalo Chip Saloon, Gary, yes, the rest is history. The Buffalo Chip Saloon, which was nearby. I mean people were talking out in the middle of nowhere. We say we drove out in the desert. I mean we drove out Cave.

Speaker 1: 17:59

Creek Anybody?

Speaker 2: 18:00

knows where it was, Wasn't that in Freedom Arizona?

Speaker 1: 18:03

Was it Freedom or Cave Creek, one of those places? Maybe it was Freedom.

Speaker 2: 18:07

See at Greasewood Flats, right near Pinnacle, but further on, was the Buffalo Chip, which in this place was amazing. You just went down this kind of buffet line thing and they had all this food and tri-chip. You just put your plate on the scale and they chugged it. But my favorite part about it was and we never did this because I valued my life too much and I don't know if Pat didn't care and that way you could literally put your name on a clipboard to ride bulls in their little mini arena, oh yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:35

You could do that.

Speaker 2: 18:35

Yeah, that's right, just put your name down a clipboard. Yeah, we'll get you, yeah, and then you pay your 10 bucks or whatever you could get on a bull. I had an idea about doing that. Then no, I can't. But yeah, that was a Buffalo chip, but I think subsequently burned down. Probably was some guy that actually broke both legs on a bull, burned it down.

Speaker 1: 18:51

Oh no, it burned down, the burned the buff wood ship, it might have rebuilt it.

Speaker 2: 18:56

I don't want people that know that area probably know if it's back up. Anyway, back in the day that was, we had a lot of stops in the desert and thankfully we actually were able to. Well, one person was able to get up the next morning early and hike to the top of Saddleback Peak in Scottsdale, and I'll let you all out there guess who that of the duo was. I'll just leave it at that.

Speaker 1: 19:17

And the other one slept in.

Speaker 2: 19:19

Yeah right, and then got up, smoked his cigars on the balcony while somebody who did hike to the top of Saddleback came back with large Starbucks Javas and the gentleman smoking a cigar was forever grateful. Put it as your V.

Speaker 1: 19:34

That's right, and we'd go to the pancake house right there. The original pancake house they had a sign in there that said only speak English. If you worked here, remember that sign Only speak English. This wasn't out front. That sign You're to only speak English.

Speaker 2: 19:52

This wasn't out front, but I don't think in Arizona they cared whether you thought it was out front or not. But yeah, you'd walk back to the restrooms and they had, you know, they had little employee billboards, so you'd go back there and they got all the safety notices required or whatever. And then there was one up there and it said I don't know, pat, you may remember the language better, but basically only English is spoken by employees in this establishment. That's it An English only establishment?

Speaker 1: 20:15

Yeah, and the next time we were there, we found out that he, the owner or the manager, curses a lot in English at his employees.

Speaker 2: 20:22

We were kind of shocked by the way. Pinnacle Peak was so cool because Pat mentioned the entrance. They had all these framed black and white photos. It was amazing the people that went in there. Pat, if I remember right, president Bush had been in there. President Bush Sr. A whole bunch of celebrities, sports people, Willie Mays.

Speaker 1: 20:43

Willie Nelson, I remember them. Yeah, all kinds of people Rattlesnakes in there. They had a live band in Rattlesn.

Speaker 2: 20:49

Yeah, yeah, they had. You know, for the kids. You know it's that. If you For the kids, yeah for the kids. And instead of you know, I always had this vision of a kid taking a little piece of hamburger, dangling it over there Because instead of having like aquariums with fish in them, they had rattlers in there. They had a whole bunch of rattlesnakes in these aquariums. You'd walk in like what in the world? And you just envision a kid hey, mom, I want to feed a rattler.

Speaker 1: 21:26

Yeah, we never tried, I was tempted to throw a chunk of steak in there, but I never did. This is gary dietrich joining me on pat's podcast 282. One of the other places, gary, was greasewood flats. We used to find out and this is out there by pinnacle peak, just down the road, so after we'd eat our steak you could go down there. They'd have great music playing. You could throw horseshoes. You could drink beer out there we're at could throw horseshoes. You could drink beer out there at night throwing horseshoes. I mean, I loved that place and that's now condos, I believe yeah, and unfortunately, I mean the place had real ambiance.

Speaker 2: 21:57

You'd walk in and they had the obligatory uh, they had to sign over redneck wind chimes, some aluminum beer cans on strings, the redneck wind chimes they had, uh, they had caution rattlers on one of these big wooden boxes big, you know, like the old road winner thing. Look at me, you know, caution rattlers. You open it up, there's a bunch of baby rattles inside there and all, all kinds of stuff.

Speaker 1: 22:23

It was legendary we're talking to garyrich, political analyst KFBK, who, by the way, gary, you're going to be joining me on my show beginning tomorrow night. Tuesday night You're going to be a regular feature on my show for as long as you want to be, as long as we're going to be doing that, as long as the sun continues to rise and set the desert.

Speaker 2: 22:42

Yeah, no, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 22:43

This is fun because a lot of folks have heard me, of course, on your show, pat, and of course I do a regular hit with Kitty on Tuesday afternoons on Afternoon Drive and on Thursday mornings with Christina, now with Sam Shane and his new show, the Shane Reaction, on Wednesday afternoons. But, friends those of you that cannot get enough of Pat and Gary, every Tuesday evening I'm going to be on with Pat. So I'm really looking forward to that, both for more of the kind of shenanigans stories we're talking about, which I know you folks love and tell us that all the time, but also for serious things. I mean Pat and I do have not only the capability but the interest. I know there's a lot of things Pat's not. You know he's not into politics, but the truth of it is the guy cares about a lot of really serious and sincere things and I really appreciate that about my friend Pat. So we'll be hitting both and so you should tune in Tuesday night to start a Pat show at seven o'clock and I'll look forward to being with you, pat.

Speaker 1: 23:33

Yeah, and for anyone who's listening and I appreciate you saying that, gary, listen, I am into politics. I choose to, unless I'm really peeved that day and it needs to be talked about. Usually I'm trying to go another direction because I know you've heard it all, but there are times and Gary knows this like Gary, I'm going off on this tonight. Listen, I've put enough, I've shown enough restraint. I need to discuss this tonight, speaking of politics and a couple of minutes here.

Speaker 1: 24:02

I want to get into a couple of things that are happening with you, with politics today, gary, and get your take. This is also one thing I want to say to everyone about my buddy, gary Dietrich. He gave me a compliment. Now it's time for your compliment. I don't care what is going on in this world, what the political landscape is looking like on that particular day, that given week or month or what have it year, what have you. Gary always is neutral. He's not here to appease one party or to be a part of their agenda on either side, and that is why I appreciate. One of the many big reasons that I appreciate you, gary, is that you find that neutrality and most people appreciate that.

Speaker 2: 24:48

You know, I do appreciate saying that, pat. You know, it's here's what I hear from people that it's almost impossible for them. I hear this all the time. People come up and say you know, gary, I, you know, I, I, this is my leaning on this way or that way, but he goes, but he or she says, you know, but what I really appreciate is the fact that you're able to tell like it is I mean both sides, because I, because what they'll say to me, pat, I can't find that anywhere these days and that's as you know, that's what I try to do and I don't play games about it. I honestly say look, okay, here's, here's both sides of this, and I don't try to manipulate people into thinking the way I do about everything.

Speaker 1: 25:33

Exactly right, and that's why I appreciate you. That's and I hear that comment about you all the time, all the time, and it's very refreshing because it's really one of the only places that I find it gary, so I applaud you for that. Before we get to our little lightning round and then the politics of the day how did gary and I meet? Now, do you want to share that story, or should I? Should, I see?

Speaker 2: 25:45

first of all, you go ahead because, yeah, you have such a vivid recollection of it and I was already doing tv and stuff in those days.

Speaker 1: 25:54

But this is a great story now I, so you jump in when, anywhere you want. This was like 1994. What was when? Was the uh, the republican convention? Was that 95, not leading into 96.

Speaker 2: 26:06

That would have been, I think, 90. I think you were thinking that would have probably been in 92, or maybe it was the 96 convention.

Speaker 1: 26:12

Well, because I didn't start at the radio station until 93, so it had to be the next one. So this would have been like 95, maybe right Somewhere in there.

Speaker 2: 26:22

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Speaker 1: 26:23

So leading up to the 96 election, right. And so, yeah, I'm a producer for the morning show for this gentleman who we'll talk about a little bit more in a second. But you know it's it's political season. I'm a producer, I'm trying to do my job for a morning show for the Jeff Katz show. It's KST in Sacramento, and so we have this boss, pat Pat. His name is Ken Cole. I'm just going to say it outright Ken, I wish you the best. All right, a real radio guy who knew his stuff about radio. Did we agree all the time? The answer would be hell. No, we didn't. That's me and Ken. Now you guys, whatever, but I'm just saying, but he did have a bad.

Speaker 2: 27:08

Ken's a true blue radio guy. He always treated me with respect and always liked my stuff, as you know, and although you're going to hear a little caveat here, Pat's going to tell you about, but no, so good times with Ken, and you know anyway. Well, that's it where it is.

Speaker 1: 27:24

I mean Ken would do this demeaning voice to me. And now it's so funny because Gary does it so well. Ryan Harris is a master at this voice. I must hear it, and I'm not exaggerating, I bet I hear it 500 times when he goes on these trips with us to Italy or Ireland.

Speaker 1: 27:42

Pat, pat, he'd be like Pat, pat, can you come into my office, pat? Let me ask you Pat One time as a Pat Pat, can you come into my office? Pat? Let me ask you Pat One time. As a matter of fact. Now I'm getting off track. He says to me Pat, can you come in my office? I go oh okay, now I'm working a split shift, I'm working my butt off as the sports guy. Before my show I come in the office and he says he sits me down. He says to me Gary knows this, pat, your ego is getting out of control. Now I'm like the most humble guy in the world. I'm like what? And Pat, I want you to understand Kitty and Tom are the stars and Pat, pat, you'll never be in anything more than a blurb twice an hour. That's all you are and that's all you'll ever be. So I told that story on my show and now everyone calls my show. Most people that know me go Pat, including my friend Gary.

Speaker 2: 28:36

That's right. That's legendary, as anybody who knows who's listened to KFH Curator for any length of time. There are legendary stories about Ken Cole.

Speaker 1: 28:47

No doubt about that. So to tie it into this, I find out about gary. I didn't even know gary was, I didn't know. Maybe I saw him on tv, I don't really recall. Must have been on tv, gary, if you were doing tv and I looked up and saw you probably was there and I said, well, let me try to get this guy on to talk politics with my morning guy here.

Speaker 1: 29:04

So I call up gary go. Hey, man, my name is Pat Welsh, I'm a KSTE, I'm a producer and would you like to come on a radio show? And Gary's like, yeah, sure. So Gary comes. Gary comes on Now in radio. You have a. You have a phone line. If people need to call you for whatever reason, you have a warm line which is you're like your little inside source for your buddies and people that need to kind of know your contacts and they need to get ahold of you and they don't want to go to the main line. And then you have the hotline where the boss is going to bitch and moan, All right, and then that's a red one. So Gary comes on. He does this thing with our morning show guy, Jeff Katz. When Gary finishes, the red light comes on.

Speaker 1: 29:43

I'm like, oh crap, Now what? I pick up the phone and it's Pat, Pat, Pat, who is that? Who is that on the air you just had? And I go. His name is Gary Dietrich. He's a political analyst. He says, Pat, don't ever have him on the air again, Ever have him on again. I go. Okay, thanks, Ken. I hang up the phone. I dial up Ring. Hello, hey, Gary. Hey, this is Pat. Great job this morning. Would you like to be on again tomorrow morning? Gary's like oh sure, I'm glad you liked it. So the next morning swear to you. Right, Gary, you can attest to this. The next morning Gary comes back on, does his thing with Jeff.

Speaker 2: 30:28

The hotline people that don't remember jeff catch. We won't go the whole story now, we'll save that for another time, but jeff really liked me too. We are oil and water in so many different ways, yes, but jeff loved having me on and playing the straight man with him.

Speaker 1: 30:39

Yes, that's exactly right. So when, when you're done with jeff and the interview, uh, the, the hotline rings again, pat, and I'm like, oh, here it comes, I'm either going to get fired or yell that for sure. And he says to me who was that on the air just now? I go, that was Gary Dietrich, a political analyst. He goes. Now that guy you can have on, that guy was good, now you can have him on again I said oh okay, thank you, thank you, boss you the man so that's a true story.

Speaker 2: 31:18

After that is a true story. That is how it all started that. We probably don't have time. We will get into the legendary stories about that san diego convention yeah, I know, I know I We'll do that another time.

Speaker 2: 31:27

So, friends, as we say in the business, nice tea. You're going to need to be tuning in on Tuesday nights, and I'm all with that, because again we will talk politics. But you are going to hear truckloads of these kind of fun vignettes about Pat's and my history which we usually just don't have time to share. But now that I'm on with Pat regularly, we will.

Speaker 1: 31:46

All right, you ready for your turbo lightning round with Gary Dietrich?

Speaker 2: 31:50

Well, I guess so, because it sounds like it's coming into it.

Speaker 1: 31:55

I say it. I'll either say a couple of words and you react. I'll play or say something and you react. Fair enough, Got it All right. We're going to start here. All right, this is Too Fat to Fly. There ain't no wings on a pachyderm. You're too fat to fly. There ain't no wings on a barnyard pig. You're too fat to fly. Any reaction to this? Gary, there ain't no wings on your big ass and there ain't no one to ride.

Speaker 2: 32:22

Okay, friends, this was a regular feature on the drive to and from or in the desert was this song. We will another time tell you a lot more about it. But this became Pat. Is this fair to say? This is pretty much the spring training anthem for Pat here. That's pretty much it.

Speaker 1: 32:46

All right, let's go to two words. The bus tires need extra air. You're too fat to fly. All right, let's go to two words.

Speaker 2: 32:56

Turbo Lizard. Oh boy, oh my God. Pat absolutely loves this story. I'm just going to tease this. We don't have time to go into it. I'm going to tease it. Friends, there was somebody who was an actual congressional candidate in the Sacramento region who changed his name to Ted Turbo Lizard. Pat loves this story. It's very telling about modern politics. I'm saving the details for another time, but, believe it or not, the guy literally had. You know the signs you see up along the side of the road. There were Turbo Lizard for Congress signs up on the road.

Speaker 1: 33:28

No joke, all right, this final thing you are going to have to explain. I remember all of our drives, all of our rides, all of our times together, all of our conversations, enjoying each other's company, going to see baseball, taking long rides, and one day, we're driving in a convertible, we are getting ready to go. We're headed in a convertible, we're getting ready to go, we're headed. On a sunny morning, we were headed towards the grapevine, coming from Arizona, filled with baseball memories and Camelback Mountain triumphs, meeting Maury Wills and Glendale. And Gary tells me this story that I will never forget, and when he's on my show, I don't forget about his brother. Would you like to share or say hi or remember?

Speaker 2: 34:19

Yeah, oh. I had to take a deep breath when I first heard the first few notes of that coming. All right, folks, I'm just. This is a vulnerable moment for Gary D. You've never heard me say.

Speaker 2: 34:29

I get choked up every time I hear this U2 song when the Streets have no Name. Why is that? Because when I was starting my graduate school at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, my brother was in an auto accident, in a coma for four months and passed away just before the end of my first semester. And this song, which many people believe, has its roots in a song about heaven where the streets have no name. It always reminds me of my dear brother who, by the way, was born with a congenital heart defect and had significant challenges and disabilities throughout his entire life and miraculously, when they said he lived age two, lived age 37,. He continues to this day to be one of my most powerful inspirations for the work that I do to hopefully make the world a better place, particularly for the vulnerable. So it's in honor of my brother, lynn Neal Dietrich, that this song plays on Pat's show. Now you'll know it's going forward nearly every time I'm on and one of Pat's bumper music will pull this up and thank you, pat, appreciate it, brother.

Speaker 1: 35:38

Love you, brother. Thank you, appreciate you. Thanks for being my friend. Thanks for coming on my podcast, all right. See you on Tuesday night, gary Dietrich. That's Peeps 282. I mean, thank you so much for listening. I'm still building them, burning down love, burning down love, and when I come back,