Gary Scott Thomas

Key Takeaways From Episode:

• Speculation on the future of KTRY
• What it takes to put together a podcast
• How people remember the same event differently
• Vitiligo
• Alopecia
• “The Slap Heard Around the World” (Will Smith)
• Cancel culture
• His thoughts on new Country Music
• Which artist is always challenging to work with
• Getting out of comfort zones
• Morgan Wallen

Quotations:

“I like to figure stuff out.” – Gary Scott Thomas

“Do your homework. Look stuff up. Do your own thinking.” – Gary Scott Thomas

“I will pull myself off-topic. I don’t need your help.” – Gary Scott Thomas 

“I love what I do.” – Gary Scott Thomas

“I don’t want the government to decide what’s offensive.” – Gary Scott Thomas

“Pay attention. Just please pay attention while driving, while walking, while voting…just pay attention. It’s amazing how much better things will go.” – Gary Scott Thomas

“I want to hear something I’ve not heard or talent that’s so overwhelming.” – Gary Scott Thomas

“I hope Will Smith finds a way to redemption.” – Gary Scott Thomas

Bio:

Gary is from the proverbial pin dot on a map, Florala, Alabama. He’s the fifth child, and as he likes to tell it, “By the time they got to me, my mother pretty much had the parenting game figured out, and she made it look simple. My own kids make me marvel at how far advanced she was.” He honed his skills at communicating and comedy by trying to entertain his own family. “I have such whip-smart family members; if you can’t say something quick and funny, well, you lose.”

In a somewhat unusual occurrence, he found his life’s career at the age of 13 when he got his first radio job.

“I loved radio. I loved the theater of the mind. I loved sharing thoughts and ideas, making people laugh or think, and, honestly, not finding out if you did until much later. You really don’t get to experience the moment with the audience, as a comedian on stage does. You get it as a memory from the audience, and that’s awesome because it meant something to them; they carry it with them, and then honor you by sharing it with you. It then becomes ‘a moment’ for both of us.”

Gary has worked in Alabama, Louisiana, Colorado, New Mexico, but mostly in California, the state he considers home. “I have lived here longer than anywhere else. It’s where I met my wife. It’s where my kids are from.”

He has interviewed actors, athletes, politicians, scientists, authors, and a lot of singers. “It would be easier to tell you who I haven’t interviewed in the world of country music than who I have. And when I worked in pop radio, I had a wide variety of artists in studio with me, ranging from Michael Bolton to RunDMC to Rick Springfield to Public Enemy.”

Gary also has hosted many live events and has a side job as an auctioneer, but he freely admits it’s done more in an improv comedy style than what you would consider a traditional mode. Gary is married to Heather, and they are doing their best not to wreck the lives of their sons, Luke and Jackson. He is also the morning host at KRTY-FM in San Jose, California, waking folks up in Northern California since 1991.

Guest’s Contact Info:

Instagram @garyscottthomas

FB: @GaryScottThomasKRTY