Don Vogel tribute

Over 10 years ago, we lost Don Vogel, one of the most gifted personalities radio had to offer. The reminders came via e-mails from other fans, and a look at my website stats. I would have thought that my current music and fans sections would be attracting the most visitors, but I was surprised to find that my tribute to Don is one of the top visited pages of my website. So, due to popular demand, I thought I would add a few more personal reflections.

It all started for me around 1992 or 1993, I think, when I was at work one day, on the phone with someone who asked me "hey, do you ever listen to talk radio? There is this guy on KSTP-AM, Don Vogel, he's pretty good." So I gave it a try. He was indeed funny, fresh, creative and original. And there was a music tie-in...one which would have a lasting impact on me.

One of the things that caught my ear besides the humor were the show themes and jingles, including the "classic" "We like to be stupid...we like to be dumb..." . Michael Loonan, the "Loony Bin Band" leader, shares some thoughts on the creation of those themes:

"My relationship to Don Vogel was entirely enhanced by me knowing Tom Mischke, who was then Don's sidekick. Don took me under his wing because I knew Tom. Since I didn't have to 'sell' myself to Don, I was free to be as whacky as possible, which was a fun challenge! Don was all business on the phone, when he'd give me an idea for a jingle. Oftentimes I would only hear from Tom, but then it would be on the radio the next day, with Don all giddy about the new jingle. He also used to come and play with my band at the Music City Cafe, which always resulted in fan hysteria. He was a great talent!"

In my 1995 tribute, I talked about my first meeting with Don at the St. Paul Saints opener. Another memorable time for me was a September evening that year at Music City Cafe when I went to hear Don sit in with Michael Loonan's band. I said hi to him and when he learned it was around the time of my birthday, he joined me at my table for a bit and even bought me dinner. That was also the first time I met Michael, who went on to become a close friend and trusted me with his music promotion and web-mastering for over 10 years. I was as well blown away by the singer/songwriter/keyboard talent of aforementioned then-sidekick T.D.Mischke, now a radio star in his own right. One rare solo musical performance evening by Tom at Music City Cafe, also around that time period, remains one of the benchmark concerts of my life and opened the door to discovery and a career of encouragement of many other talents who were out there in the coffeehouses and small clubs. So you see, I owe Don a lot.

As I mentioned also in my 1995 piece, near the end of Don's life I would share audiotape letters with him, including some of Michael's music with plenty of his guitar work thrown in and some thoughts on one of our favorite subjects: oldies. I am thankful that I was aware of how ill he was and was somewhat "prepared" for his passing, but I knew a lot of his fans were not.

One common thought expressed in some of the e-mails I received was that Don Vogel was ahead of his time, perhaps...and his impact of his talent is still felt by fans who loved him.


Don Vogel, me, and T.D. Mischke, St. Paul Saints opener, 1993 (photo courtesy of Wendy Vickers)	Don Vogel and TD Mischke broadcasting live from the Minnesota State Fair, 1993 (photo courtesy of Wendy Vickers)

Just found out about a Wikipedia entry for Don: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Vogel

Also, I've received several e-mails asking about the Best of Don Vogel CD that was sold at the State Fair a couple of years ago: I don't know what the availability is now. You might contact KSTP AM 1500 to inquire. (And no, I do not burn copies of the CD--sorry.)

TRIBUTE PONDER CAST POSTED! My latest "Wendy V's Ponder Cast" episode is posted about this very page. I did this for all of you who have been so faithful to this tribute page. Click here to listen. Enjoy, and thank you for your ongoing support!!

Vogel fans who used to listen to his show on KSTP-AM when TD Mischke was Don's sidekick might want to check out a couple of sites:

- The Madness of Mischke - includes a vintage clip of when TD was the "Phantom Caller" to Don's show. This site now does have at least one Vogel/Mischke show excerpt posted.

Also just added to the "Mischke Madness" site: an in-depth interview with T.D Mischke in which he discusses his radio career and his time with Don as his sidekick.

In June of 1995, KSTP-AM 1500 talk radio personality Don Vogel passed away of cancer. What follows is a edited tribute which first appeared in the July/August 1995 issue of Local Folk.

In his book, More Memories, TNN personality Ralph Emery speaks of the intimate relationship radio creates between the radio personality and the listeners. When KSTP-AM's Don Vogel passed away of cancer on June 5, 1995, fans went to their radios that Monday and shared their grief and memories. The crowd at his memorial service consisted mostly of fans and listeners. One showed up with a Richard Nixon mask, another walked up to his casket and popped open a can of beer in his honor. Neither were out of place if you knew Don or heard his show. In fact, you might have sworn you heard Don's distinctive giggle. He would have gotten a kick out of it.

Don Vogel, "the round mound of sound," "stone blind and out of his mind," was the proprietor of the "Afternoon Saloon," a talk show in the 4-6 p.m. drive time slot on KSTP-AM 1500. The show created a refuge from the pressures of the day and the controversial issues found on typical talk shows. Don was a master impressionist, a comic genius, and one of the best communicators I've heard in radio. His listeners were affectionately known as the "Don Squad." When he spoke to us, he created a sense of community among the listeners and took great care to see that we were all a part of the conversation, even when he had a caller on the line.

He was also a good singer with a love for karaoke and blues and often sat in with the Michael Loonan Band for a few tunes at Music City Cafe in St. Paul. Michael Loonan recalls that when Don took the stage for two of his favorite numbers, "Mustang Sally" and "Georgia On My Mind", "when he asked if there were any Don Squad members out there, the place went nuts."

Off the air, Don was every bit as warm as he appeared to be on the air. I met him in the summer of 1993 at a live broadcast he and T.D. Mischke did together at a St. Paul Saints season opener. He graciously invited me to chat with him before airtime and we spent about 15 minutes talking about my life in Minnesota and my interest in radio and music; it turned out we shared an appreciation for good oldies radio. We were to have chats on similar occasions (as well as an adventure of my escorting him to the bathroom at a MN State Fair live broadcast, getting lost and making it back to the booth with minutes to spare before airtime!). I kept in touch with him before and after his illness by sending him audiotapes. He returned to the air for a brief period before he died. Something told me that week to give him a call during his off air period to say hello. It was his last broadcast. Weeks later he was gone. Never was I so grateful to have trusted my instincts.

Don's show may have been racy here and there, but I never saw the lecherous, toe-sucking side his listeners heard so much about from him. To me, he was a gentleman, giving of himself, and he cared a lot about giving his listeners a quality show. Those memorable musical evenings at the Cafe are what opened the door for me to many wonderful opportunities to hear and work with local musicians, many who have become friends as well as clients and associates. It's a gift I've given thanks for every day. All because I went up and said hello to a radio guy, as a friend of mine put it. Don may now be working in a market where the frequency is too far away for us to hear, but the memories live on in a CD of the best of Don's show produced by KSTP-AM..and in our hearts. --wv