Re: Bruce Bradley

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

it was written--
>I worked as a producer at WBZ in 1979 and 1980 and spent a lot of time
>working with Bruce Bradley.  He was great on the air but in person was a
>pretty miserable human being to deal with. [snip]

and it was also written--
>Unfortunately, my respect for Bruce Bradley is no longer there.

Well, mine is, although I must admit the judgemental nature of this
conversation puzzles me.  Granted, he may have turned into a slimebag, but
the Bruce Bradley I remember had a kid he loved, a job he loved, and
remotes were fine with him-- remember the Sundeck Studio?  I do.  And I
recall him having his son on the air a couple of times to babble baby talk
into the mike-- something that sounded like "mo-ga-dee", as I recall.
Anyway, it was the 60s, and while nobody loves their job every day, Bruce
was a basically happy person.  I used to go to a lot of the remotes.  I
can't say we were friends-- we never spent time together-- but I watched
the interaction between him and the folks from the station, and everyone
seemed cordial.  Bruce always had a sly, somewhat cynical sense of humour,
but my experience of him was that he was a performer and loved what he was
doing.

I don't know all of the personal details, but I do know that Bruce changed
a lot after his marriage broke up.  There were a lot of rumours about the
events that caused the change -- I don't know how true any of those stories
were-- but this much I do know: somewhere between the 60s and the 80s,
Bruce became a very depressed and angry person, who felt radio and life in
general had dealt with him very unfairly.  

It is unfortunate that many performers who seem so nice on TV or on radio,
are total jerks when you meet them.  But Bruce wasn't like that when I knew
him.  The Bruce Bradley I remember is the one who was such a great
entertainer, one of the best jocks I knew, one who (along with Jefferson
Kaye) inspired me to go into radio.  For all of his personal failings, he
was, and may still be, an excellent announcer.   Let's hope that he has
found some peace of mind and let's remember him as the talented guy who
made WBZ fun to listen to.   

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