RADIO LEGEND
W
hen I called Chicago radio legend Fred Winston ( WLS , WMAQ , WFYR , WCFL , WPNT , WJMK , WLUP , and just about every other station on the dial ), the gentleman farmer now living in Southwest Michigan , was in the middle of a project . " You caught me repairing a doorknob ."
" Thank God for the internet . There are scores of YouTube videos . If you have any mechanical talent at all , you can do it ." His baritone voice sounds as strong as ever , exactly like Fred Winston has sounded since he arrived in Chicago in 1971 . “ It still comes out of the same hole ,” he points out .
Does the “ R ” word now apply to Fred ?“ I guess I am retired ,” he admits , “ although I don ’ t feel like it ’ s done . I ’ m always reticent to say that I ’ m done now because I do feel like I could drop back behind the mic and with a little DW40 in the mouth , I could pick up where I left off . But I ’ m busier than ever these days . I have a small farm here that has enough crap going on to keep me busy every day . I ’ m in Berrien County which is the highest point of elevation in this region , so if it farts on Lake Michigan , I get it here . We ’ re currently in the throes of a major blizzard . We ’ ll have an additional two feet of snow in the next three days . The frustrating thing about being a gentleman farmer , as you call me , are the many tiny engines that need spark plugs and oil changes . Rather than flap my mouth , I now bang my knuckles .” Does he miss radio at all ? “ I don ’ t really miss radio the way it was ( is ) when I last did it . We were told that ’ s the way the business has evolved . People just don ’ t want to hear you speak for more than eight seconds . It ’ s not about you . It ’ s about the music , man . ‘ Hey , I dug that break about the Doobies , man .’ I thought ‘ Aw shit , what have I gotten myself into ?’”
It ’ s been five and a half years since his last full-time radio gig – at WLS-FM . It didn ’ t last long , and there was a good reason for that . “ It was five months after I had major heart surgery ,” he explains . “ When you have a life-altering experience like that , you kind of shift your priorities and look at things a bit differently than beforehand . It just wasn ’ t for me . And Jan Jeffries , the PD at the time , is a dear friend of mine . We just agreed to part ways as gentlemen . I just didn ’ t like it .”
Just because he ’ s not on the air anymore doesn ’ t mean he doesn ’ t follow the business . “ I ’ ll tell you the biggest problem ,” he opines . “ About two decades ago the consultants got their noses into the business and talent wasn ’ t being developed anymore . There was no bench .
By Rick Kaempfer
Although you know what ? I ’ ll tell you who is doing really well – Hollywood Todd Manley at WGN . He ’ s a guy who gets it . He develops talent . Because I ’ m so ancient now , I don ’ t sleep , and I get up in the middle of the night , so I listen to the all-night show , Nicky D , and the group . I love the show . And when he ’ s not there , and I listen on the weekends as well , they run their bench through the AM station . They are also doing a lot with podcasts , and now have a wealth of talent that is being developed . I can tell . I have noted their progress over the years . Unfortunately , the rest of radio , in general , hasn ’ t done that .”
Fred ’ s in a good place right now , both mentally and physically . Most of all , he ’ s thankful for all the good fortune that has
Fred Winston
come his way . “ I ’ m a lucky guy . I was on the air in the heyday when creativity was at its highest . At WFYR in the late 70s , I would start the show with Monty Python ’ s ‘ Sit on my Face March .’ Can you imagine being allowed to do such a thing now ? It was unbridled freedom , and the social mores were different then . The timing was perfect for a Fred Winston .”
How does he scratch that creative itch now ? “ I ’ ve got two sets of drums in the basement and a bass amp , and I plug-in a Yamaha keyboard when necessary . I practice my tubs every day . It ’ s something I ’ ve been doing since I was four years old . I really enjoy photography , music , the occasional voice over , and cooking . My famous chili is better than ever .”
Most importantly , his health scare has not slowed him down in the slightest . “ There are two schools of thought after heart surgery . Some people have a come to Jesus moment and say ‘ this is it . From now on it ’ s going to be baked salmon and an occasional white wine .’ I ’ m from the other school that says ‘ Well fuck that .’ You never know when it ’ s going to be your last day and I ’ m going to go 75 MPH until I can ’ t go 75MPH anymore ! My priority for the rest of my life is just to be a decent human being . All the fucking pretensions are gone .”
Does the gentleman farmer ever return to Chicago ? “ All the time ,” he says , “ usually to get a haircut for myself and my dog .” He pauses for a second , his timing still perfect . “ Different barbers .”
16 illinoisentertainer . com february 2018