October, 1994. I can’t believe it’s been 30 years since I experienced one of the worst times of my young life. It was Monday October 10th when I came home from my job as morning show producer for US*99’s J.D. and the Katman Show. A phone message from college pal Jim Turano told me Lee Swanson, my longtime friend and mentor was in Elmhurst Hospital and seriously ill.
My dear friend, like a brother to me, Lee Swanson.
I quickly called the hospital and learned Lee was in the ICU unit at the end stage of his life. He had a recurrence of cancer that was first overcome and seemingly beaten twelve years earlier. Minutes later, I was at Lee’s bedside as he drifted in and out of consciousness. He was not in pain and knew who I was and showed he was glad I was there. We’d last seen each other a few weeks earlier meeting up at a local record store and catching up on each other’s goings on. At that time there was no inkling that Lee’s cancer had returned.
I didn’t stay long at the hospital but told Lee I’d be back tomorrow. That tomorrow never came. Later that evening Lee Swanson quietly passed away, he was only 42 at the time. Turano called me at the US*99 studios the next morning to give me the sad news. I was crushed, pulverized for sure. Lee was Yoda to my Luke Skywalker and I immediately became a tsunami of tears. My only comfort being later when I learned I was the last person to see my friend before he slipped into a short coma and then passed away.
From the late 1980’s- (Left to right) Me, Dave Ross and our mentor Lee Swanson.
I shared this bad news with morning show co-host Trish Biondo before leaving the show early that day. Trish passed my loss on to the rest of the show members I know this because that night as I arrived at the J.D. and Katman 5th Anniversary Party at Chicago’s Whiskey River club, John The Katman Katzbeck was the first to greet me offering his condolences on the loss of my friend. Red hot country star Joe Diffie and his band performed at the packed party that night and I made it to the event because I knew, despite my grief, Lee would want me to be at this party.
The next morning, we had a great morning show, reliving events from the 5th anniversary party and all was O.K. with the world. I got home and started processing my hurt feelings over Lee’s death. Then, early that afternoon I got a call at home from Assistant Program Director Dean McNeil. Dean told me John Katzbeck was stricken with a brain aneurysm at home and was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. The outlook for the Katman was bleak! What the hell was going on? My mom saw me take in this news on the phone and said I turned white as a sheet and looked like I was about to faint.
John The Katman Katzbeck promoting a giant pretzel.
The next few days were a slow motion blur. US*99 listeners were informed of John’s situation as we prayed for the best possible outcome. I attended Lee’s wake that Friday and his funeral on Saturday. Coming to work early the following Monday morning we got the call that the Katman was not going to survive the aneurysm. With no brain function he was being kept alive so that his organs and other body parts could be harvested to help others. John Katzbeck was a great guy and an organ donor. He passed away later that afternoon and the next two days we did on air tributes to our fallen co-host. We played his many country parody songs and other on air bits that made us laugh through our tears. Listeners were as grief stricken as we were. His passing made the local papers and we were even interviewed by a couple of Chicago TV stations.
A memorial album honoring John and his many parody songs.
John’s wake was on Wednesday and his funeral attended by the whole radio station staff was on Thursday October 20th. J.D. Spangler gave a heartfelt eulogy filled with laughs, tears and warm memories. After such an awful week, J.D. and Trish were given Friday off to rest and reflect. Ramblin’ Ray Stevens would host that Friday show solo and moved on to replace the Katman on our morning crew. In just over ten days I had been to two wakes and two funerals and was also given that Friday off to catch my breath.
On that day off, my best friend Bobbo took me and his young son Alex out to breakfast then we spent the rest of the morning at Brookfield Zoo. That Sunday, Bobbo, our dear buddy Marko and I got together at a bar to watch the Bears game. Having friends like these guys there to support me during this devastating insane time meant more to me than I could ever say.
There would be some other friends and family who stepped up to comfort me and more intricate details of those good people and that time thirty years ago will be shared in my memoir “Raised on the Radio.” In truth, I delayed full emotional processing of this double punch of loss for several months and it wasn’t until September of 1995 before my head and heart were cleared of my deep grief.
This all went down thirty years ago. It sometimes feels like it just happened. Lee Swanson was practically an older brother to me and I NEVER would’ve gotten to a big time Chicago radio job as fast as I did without him. John the Katman Katzbeck and I spent 16 months together when I joined US*99 in 1993 and as J.D. would say, we were “each other’s best audience” as we worked up morning show bits and laughs. I’ll always miss those two guys but the memories and I have sustain me and bring a constant smile to my face. Lee and John, you two were great to me and someday we’ll reunite for laughs, songs and good times.
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