Phil Collins, Elton John, and Gloria Estefan dominated Adult Contemporary radio back in the 1980s and '90s, yet have disappeared from modern radio. Seemingly, the only time you ever hear them is at the grocery store or your local CVS. This blog remembers the music, the stories and the quirky characters from my days working in Adult Contemporary radio.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Michael Bolton "When I'm Back on My Feet Again"
In early-2002, Michael Bolton stopped by the radio station where I worked to promote his latest album. At the time, Bolton's career was in a slump after a healthy decade of sporting long hair, Nicollette Sheridan and heavy exposure on Adult Contemporary radio stations. His days of putting his name on an old Motown song and watching it make the climb to #1 were over. That day I escorted Michael Bolton and his entourage into the radio station, he wore leather pants. Somehow the conversation shifted to basketball as his hotel had a basketball court and how he wanted to play that afternoon. He asked me if I played. I informed him that I last played for the St. Joseph Warriors in the 5th grade and averaged 0.0 points during my first and last season. Despite my impressive resume, he still welcomed me to shoot some hoops with him later that day. I imagined myself speaking to the hotel concierge: "Hi, I'm Todd. I'm here to play basketball with Mr. Bolton." Needless to say, I didn't play. Fast forward another decade, and Bolton has survived another Nicollette Sheridan breakup and continues to live off the royalties of "How Can We Be Lovers If We Can't Be Friends?" while turning up in roles that no one would expect. First, he appeared in an SNL Digital Short as Captain Jack Sparrow, Two & A Half Men and even had his own Netflix Valentine's Day special. Here's a guy who has found his next niche--one where he doesn't take himself too seriously. Just like leather pants, Michael Bolton is back.