Interview with Dr. Blogstein
By: Bernadette Giacomazzo

Dr. Blogstein's Radio Happy Hour debuted on BlogTalkRadio on February 13, 2007. The weekly internet radio program airs live each Tuesday night at 9:00 pm Eastern. The Radio Happy Hour is described as "quick witted, high concept and laugh inducing conversation. Plus interviews with some of the biggest (and wackiest) names in movies, music, TV, sports, books, politics and the net." I recently had a chance to sit down with the good doctor to talk to him about his top-rated online radio show, which currently has over 750,000 listeners worldwide.

1. First and foremost, the usual question: who are you? Name, rank, serial number. What's your claim to fame?

I am David "Dr. Blogstein" Brown, host and ring leader of the Radio Happy Hour, the #1 most downloaded comedy show on BlogTalkRadio.

2. Tell us about the Dr. Blogstein Radio Happy Hour. How did the concept come about? How long have you been "on the air"? How many listeners do you get?

The World Wide Web is full of people who have no friends. For one hour a week, we, at the Radio Happy Hour, will be your best friends. We'll make you laugh, introduce you to cool people, play games, and every once in a while we'll engage you in thought provoking conversation. That's not to say that people with friends shouldn't listen. In fact, I guarantee we'll leave you with something to talk to your buddies about.

We've been on each week since February 13, 2007 and we recently surpassed the 750,000 download mark.
In all seriousness, I've been doing this show for my entire life, only it had been going on in my head-finally, now other people can hear it too. It's really quite a relief to have an outlet for my obnoxious one liners and immature jokes.

3. I took a listen, and I absolutely love the fact that Sean Amos, son of the "Famous Amos" cookies guy, comes by and gives Pop Culture trivia questions to listeners. How did that partnership come about?

We had Shawn "Chocolate Chip Off the Old Block" Amos on the program as a guest to talk about growing up in the shadow of his dad, his role as board member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his work with GetBack.com.
He had such a good time with us during his appearance that the next afternoon he proposed the idea of coming on the show each week and giving a listener a pop culture quiz.

4. Many radio shows today focus on the shocking -- the nastier, the better, it seems -- yet while you're certainly "edgy," you're not rauchy. Was that a conscious decision on your part? Why focus on the "edgy" aspect of it?

My mom listens, which is really only an excuse for me not getting too raunchy. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I have it in me. I'm only capable of taking it so far before I even disgust myself. I don't mind other getting nasty or raunchy on my show-if it's within context-but I'm not comfortable with going "all the way."

5. Who were/are some of your influences?

I grew up listening to 4 or 5 hours a day of WFAN Sports Radio in New York. Aside from perhaps political shows, sports radio is the best place to observe a radio host take a topic and push that topic or idea to the point of which it takes on a life of its own.
Howard Stern is also a major influence as he should be for anyone who wants to have success on the radio. Nobody is more skilled at lulling a guest into a false sense of security and then extracting the most personal or newsworthy information from them. He's really an artist in that sense.

6. When you get presented with an interview request, or a feature request, what are some of the deciding factors you take into account? In other words, how would you decide whether or not to interview, say, Warren G or Shirley MacLaine?

Much like my love life, I'm really in no position to be turning anyone down.
Anyone with name recognition gets on automatically-I'd be a fool to turn them down. The best way I've found to build an audience is to attract new listeners to the show with the flashy guest and then lock them in with the whole experience-my cohosts, the live chatroom, the games and prizes, etc.

7. Tell us a little about your co-hosts.

In June of 2007, I booked Dangerous Lee as a guest to promote her urban advice column. She was sassy, funny and smart and one of the best segments we ever had. She mixed it up with us real well. Then, that fall, when my original cohost left the show to concentrate on her writing, Dangerous Lee was the only one I thought of to replace her. Luckily for everyone, she agreed!
Vinny Bond was an original Radio Happy Hour listener and caller. We brought him on weekly to be the "go-between" the audience in our live chatroom and the on air hosts and guests.

8. Who was your favorite interview? Who was your least favorite?

Tough for me to choose one favorite so I'm going to cop out just slightly and give you my most recent favorite. It's an interview with actor Ernest Borgnine that hasn't even aired yet at the time of this interview. I recorded it last week and I'm saving it for our year end retrospective on December 23rd.
Mr. Borgnine had so many stories to tell, wasn't shy about giving his opinion and was full of laughter during the interview. He was a lot of fun.
My least favorites are usually comedians who are often shockingly unfunny when being interviewed.

9. What can we expect from the Dr. Blogstein show in the new year?

The Radio Happy Hour will continue to grow in 2009. We will have bigger celebrity guests, we will break more news and we will have even more fun than last year.
My goal is to be one of the driving forces in making the internet popular!

10. Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring radio hosts?

You have to have an opinion on everything. Even if you know nothing about it, you need an opinion on it.
Beginning January 6, 2009, I will be regularly contributing to Dr. Blogstein's Radio Happy Hour as a Pop Culture Madness correspondent! Be sure to tune in to catch up on the week's hottest celebrity news, gossip, interviews, reviews, and general madness! Visit www.drblogstein.com every Tuesday at 9PM!