One little act of kindness can go a long, long
way. Hi, and welcome back to Tell Me What Happened,
the podcast that features folks from all walks
of life talking about childhood experiences that
they've had. I'm your host, Jay Rehak, and like
you, I've had my share of childhood experiences,
some of them great, some of them... Not so great,
but I'd like to think that whatever happened
to me as a child has impacted who I am today
and hopefully made me a better person. Tell Me
What Happened is sponsored by Sideline Ink Publishing,
publishers of quality books, including Susan
Salador's classic, One Little Act of Kindness,
and I've Got Peace in My Fingers, both available
now at any quality bookstore or even amazon .com.
Tell me what happened is also sponsored by laughsaver
.com. Visit laughsaver .com and record your laughter.
We'll keep it for you now and forever. It's free
and your children and your grandchildren and
your great grandchildren will appreciate it.
So go to laughsaver .com today and record your
laughter. Today I have as my guest, my cousin,
Randy Reac. He goes by the name of R -dub. R
-Dub is the creator, producer, and host of the
internationally syndicated radio show Sunday
Night Slow Jams, currently heard on over 200
stations in 14 countries. He started the show
when he was just 16 years old. R -Dub is also
the self -appointed grand leader and sultan of
the People's Republic of Slow Jamistan, an 11
-acre sovereign nation created for people who
love slow jams. Welcome to the show, Randy. It
is so good to be here. So when you told me what
your podcast was about, I instantly got excited
because there is absolutely one story, one pinpointed
defining moment, one that would change the entire
course of my life instantly. I didn't know it
at the time, but I soon realized it. So let's
go back in time. And really, anyone who's listening,
let's go back in time to when we were kids, when
we were all kids. And like most children, I changed
my mind every couple of weeks of what I wanted
to be when I grew up. Okay. So, you know, one
day it was a fireman and two weeks later, Nope,
I wanted to be an airplane pilot. I was sure
of it. One day. Don't ask me why I wanted to
be a chauffeur because I thought it would be
cool to drive around one of those cool limousines.
Uh, another day, I think maybe one of the, one
of the longest career decisions that I decided
to be when I was a child was I think for like
a year, I said, Nope, I'm going to be an attorney
because I love to talk and I love to argue. But
sometime in my life, around 13 years old, this
was my final decision. And I absolutely knew
this was the dream job. And that was to be a
radio DJ. And I discovered this because, you
know, 13, your prepubescent preteen years, I
think one of the most impactful for anyone, but
especially a young boy, you know, 12, 13 years
old, that's when you know, you first fall in
love and you first start taking an interest into
girls. And, you know, you start becoming a man.
And at about 13 years old, I had discovered that
my two greatest loves in the world over anything
and everything, my passion, were these two things.
Number one, talking. I love to talk. And, you
know, looking back, I was getting in trouble
for talking since kindergarten. I was the kid,
you know, kindergarten, first, second, third,
fourth grade. I was always in the corner or getting
sent to the principal's office. because I love
to talk during class. And I'm not embarrassed
to say I love the attention. I love making people
laugh. I love making the girls giggle. In the
few times that I was in a situation where I was
about to get in a fight with a bully or someone
that was about to kick my butt, I would tell
some jokes and either make fun of this guy or
make him laugh and talk my way out of being pulverized
and beat to a pulp. So number one, I loved talking.
The problem was it was getting me in trouble.
It wasn't getting me anywhere. It was getting
me sent to detention. It was getting me sent
home with notes. It was my parents, you know,
shrugging their shoulders saying, would you just
shut up and let the teacher teach? So that was
getting me in trouble. My second love that I
discovered at about 12 years old was music and
a specific genre of music that was slow jams
and R &B music. And for lack of a better term,
black music. I loved urban music. This was a
time where radio stations and music genres honestly
were pretty separated. Today you have radio stations
that play music for white black and brown people
and you can go to a hip hop concert or an r &b
concert you see people of all colors but i like
to i like to think at least if my my memory is
corrected back in the early 90s in fact i remember
going to concerts the very first radio contest
i won on wgci was a concert to see the oj's my
amazing mom took me to that concert we were the
only white people there And it was fine with
me. To a point, I almost felt like I kind of
owned that music, at least in my circle of friends,
because my circle of friends were certainly not
listening to urban music. They were listening
to Guns N' Roses and other music like that. And
I was the weird kid who loved listening to the
black radio station. And I felt a little ownership
there. It was cool. So I'm kind of getting a
little bit off track here. But my lead into the
story was, first of all, my two passions. My
two passions were music, slow jams, R &B music.
and talking, and I love the two. And up until
this point, they weren't really getting me anywhere
in life. As I mentioned, the talking, the big
mouth that I had was getting me in trouble. It
was getting me bad marks on my report card and
a bad reputation in school as the kid who talked
too much. And as far as my love of music, well,
I was certainly enjoying listening to music,
but it was... causing me to be broke. I would
spend all of my allowance on going to the record
store. I knew every release and I couldn't wait
to, when I was in Chicago, take the train downtown
to go to the record store to spend all my money.
So here it is, these two loves that weren't really
getting me anywhere. And then one day a light
bulb popped on and I was listening to the radio.
And at this point, I was a student of radio.
I loved listening to the radio. And one day I
realized, wait a minute, these DJs on the radio
that I absolutely love, adore and admire. I mean,
this collection of, you know, five to 10 different
air personalities that I listened to every day,
they were my heroes. And I one day realized,
wait a minute, they're getting paid for this.
This is their job. And I remember thinking, oh,
my God, throw everything out that I've ever wanted
to do. Lawyer, chef, attorney, chauffeur, judge,
pilot. No, no, no, no, I'm I want to be a radio
DJ. And at that moment, it was absolutely crystal
clear. And I remember running to the library
and all of a sudden realizing that there's a
there's five or 10 books at my local library
of how to get into broadcasting. And so I'd be
the guy reading those books. And look, every
everything, everything changed. And the lead
into my story is my mother. My mom was absolutely
very supportive of this decision. I heard different
comments from other family members that weren't
very supportive of comments like, oh, they don't
make a lot of money, or it's a really tough field,
or good luck. Nothing truly encouraging. Obviously,
they thought it was a pipe dream, like some kid
who wants to make it in Hollywood. And I understand
that. I think most parents want their kids to
go to school and have a respectable job for an
accounting firm or a law firm or whatever. And
here I was. I want to play records on the radio.
But my mom always seemed to support that in my
very early days. I moved to Tucson, Arizona to
live with my mom after living with my dad for
a few years. Moved to Tucson to try Arizona out.
And I remember that, you know, that first summer,
my mom finding a class, I think the class was
entitled, How to Break into Radio. And she signed
me up for that, you know, that seminar. And so
my mom had always encouraged me and I thought
that was great. So here I am at 15 years old,
not old enough to drive, not old enough to really
work, but I had a work ethic since I was really
young. In fact, one of my first part -time jobs
was 12 or 13 years old after school. I'd go to
an insurance agency and literally sit in the
back and shred, manually shred papers for them
for hours every day. But it was money. It was
good money. And I realized if I work, I'll make
money. So I was never afraid of working. So at
15 years old, I'm in a brand new city. Now, I'm
a 15 year old, absolutely loving radio. and still
loving to talk, and I'm in a brand new city,
and I pick up the only job that I thought I could
get, and that was a landscaper. This is Tucson,
Arizona, and I'm 15 years old, and I'm literally
breaking my back in the 115 degree heat of Tucson,
digging up cactuses, getting bit by spiders,
dodging snakes, coming home dirty, but I wanted
to make that extra money. So I come home one
afternoon after a grueling day of work landscaping,
which again, I... hated, but it was good money.
And my mom was really excited. Mom says, sit
down. I want to share something with you. Okay.
And I sit down and this was the days of newspaper.
This was 1992. And my mom pulled out the classifieds,
the Juan ads. And she was really excited to show
me that there was a listing from a mobile DJ
company looking for a new DJ. Now this wasn't
a radio DJ. This would be a DJ that would come
out with with equipment and play music for weddings
and quinceaneras and corporate parties. I remember
that I still have the article saved, the want
ad saved, the little two by two piece of print.
And it basically said, yes, mobile DJ wanted
experience preferred, but it's not necessary.
And so my mom says, you got to call this guy
and interview for this. You'd be great for this.
And I looked at it and I scoffed at it and I
said, mom, thanks so much. Yeah, I'm 15. I have
zero experience. They must have people with big
resumes and professionals coming to this interview.
I don't want to be embarrassed. So thank you,
but no thank you. No can do, but I appreciate
it. She said, no, you should really call. You
should really call this company and just raise
your hand and see if they'll give you an interview.
And it was a close case for me. I said, no, mom,
it's embarrassing. No, there's no way. It's just
not possible. So thank you. Forget about it.
Went on without my day, about my day. So what
happens the next day? I wake up and I do my landscaping
thing again. You know, I earn my, my 20 or $30.
And this time I come home and my mom says, sit
down. I've got something to tell you. I said,
sure. What's that? And she says, well, I want
you to know, I called the company that was looking
for a mobile DJ and I talked to the owner and
we had an, we had a half hour conversation all
about you. And I told him all about you and he
can't wait to talk to you. I shuddered in extreme
embarrassment and disbelief and honestly was,
I think at the time, pretty furious at my mom.
I just remember thinking, oh my God, my mom called
my potential employer. This is the worst thing
ever. Now, at 45 years old, I'd probably let
my mom do that today because I think it's a funny
schtick, but at the time, at being 15 years old,
and I can't speak for everybody, but I know Most
people during that age think that their parents
are the most uncool people ever. And, you know,
I remember this was the time where I didn't even
want my mom to make a complete stop to drop me
off at school. I remember just jumping out, kind
of a rolling stop, you know, not wanting anyone
to see my parents drop me off. Of course, today,
I'm extremely proud of my parents and I show
them off. But as a 15 -year -old, I don't want
anything to have to do with my parents. So here
I am just in sheer disbelief and really kind
of angry at my mom for making this call. And
my mom says, Well, you have an interview tomorrow
at 4pm. Ron costs from DJ dynamics, who's the
owner. He's expecting to hear from you. I've
set it up for you. And he can't wait to talk
to you. And I was just like, gee, thanks, mom.
And I'm like, no, great. Now I have to call this
guy and apologize and you know, get through this
interview. So mad at my mom wouldn't speak to
her. But the next day, I, you know, look, I have
to call this guy. So I called him up very nervously,
and the first thing I do is apologize. Hi, Mr.
Koss, I am so very sorry that my mom called you.
Gee, this is really embarrassing. And I remember
Ron telling me, no. He said, Randy, your mom
is a great person. What a sweet lady she is.
And let's do the interview. So I get through
the interview on the phone. He has me show up.
I think that's Saturday. He wants to meet with
me in person. I said, OK. So how do I get there,
my mom? drops me off a block away. The mom dropped
me off a block away. I don't want to want anyone
to see you. And I walked up to this gentleman's
house. He ran his business out of his house.
And I specifically remember, you know, a lady
that I don't know was 10 years older than me
in her 20s. I remember watching her leave in
a she was an applicant. She was an interviewee
before me. I don't remember her leaving in her
business suit and her attache. And I'm just shaking
my head like, dude, what am I doing here? And
I met with Ron and we had a great interview and
I saw his equipment and I talked on the mic and
whatever I did, I'm sure it was absolutely horrible.
But I was mesmerized at all this equipment he
had. I remembered, you know, over the past year,
I was, you know, writing in my notebook how much
it would cost to buy a mixer and a cassette deck
and a CD player and a speaker and like, wow,
this was my, my dream to be able to use this
equipment. And he had it all. And it was mine
and my fingertips to play with. And I don't remember
what we did. But I remember talking on the mic
and Starting a record and he taught me the light
show and that was pretty much it and then I drove
home And I pretty much chalked it up as well.
That was a cool experience, but maybe maybe one
day I'll be able to have a job like that and
about three days later the phone rang and it
was Ron cost from DJ dynamics and he told me
that he thanked me for my time and he told me
that they were you know, definitely more more
qualified people that that had signed up for
the job, but that he really liked me he He loved
my mom and he said the aspect of being able to
train someone his way, you know, from ground
zero to basically take me and be, I guess I would
be his proje or vice versa, I forget how the
term goes. But he said he liked that and he basically
offered me the job and said, if you would accept
it, here's how much it pays. And I would love
for you to be my one and only DJ besides myself
for DJ dynamics and of resounding I said absolutely
yes I didn't even know how I would get to these
gigs because I was 15 and he thought I was 16
but I said absolutely yes I'm I'd be proud to
do it thank you so much for the opportunity and
he said we'll be in touch and I'll tell you about
your your first gig that you're gonna do and
I hung up with the phone and I remember absolutely
screaming running through the house and jumping
right into the pool with all of my clothes because,
I don't know, for some reason, this was a very
ceremonious occasion. And of course, my mom was
very happy for me. So at 15 years old, I could
actually go to school and tell my friends that
I was a DJ. Still, when I look at it, look back
on it, I was just in sheer disbelief. The job
was amazing. I was a horrible mobile DJ, I'll
be honest with you, I was not good at it at all.
But that was the exact moment, the catalyst,
if you will, that started a career that has so
far lasted, let me do the math, so far lasted
30 years. I've since been a radio personality
in a few awesome cities, elevated to program
director, been on TV, hosted award shows, been
nominated for awards, received awards, been as
far as market size, worked in Los Angeles as
a program director. Today I manage two radio
stations in San Diego, California. I'm on the
air in the afternoon. And as my good cousin Jay
told you, I'm on the air on over 200 radio stations.
with my very own syndicated show that I own,
playing the music that I love, slow jams and
dedications. I could not have written a better
story. If you would have told me at 15, here's
a pad and paper, write down what you want to
do. I couldn't have made this up. The radio industry
now is tougher than ever. It's a tough time for
radio, but I have one of the best radio jobs
locally. And then the second job, the fact that
I own my own show, which is an empire of its
own and a company of its own, I am absolutely
doubly lucky. Here's how that one moment impacted
me. And it's very clear and concise. And it's
a story and a lesson that I tell kids when I
go to schools and speak to kids. Going back in
time, if I had the choice to call Ron Koss at
EJ Dynamics and ask for this job and raise my
hand and say, hey, I'd like to do this, given
the choice, I would have absolutely said no way.
In fact, I did, but I didn't have a choice. My
mom made the appointment and forced me into it.
And I thank God and I thank my mom every day
that she did that. In fact, I shudder to think
what would happen if she didn't. What if she
left it up to me? What if she said, well, it's
your choice. Call him or not. It's up to you.
I could tell you I would not have called him.
What stopped me was fear. What stopped me was
fear of getting a no. What stopped me was what
if that person on the phone laughs and says 15
15 years old. Are you are you serious? I remember
it and not to get too off track here. But I remember
at five or six years old, this this scarred me.
I remember being at the grocery store with my
mom. And I remember walking up by myself to the
free sample table. And the lady was giving little
samples of seven up. And I remember asking for
one. And I remember her just be rating me saying
you are too young. You know, no way get out of
here. And I remember that kind of shook me. That
was rejection. And I didn't forget about that.
So I think I think part of that stayed with me
as a 15 year old. So look, I was forced into
calling this guy and that moment changed my life.
So here's the lesson. The lesson is ask for it.
Ask for it. Even if you don't think you're qualified,
ask for anything and everything that you want
to do, no matter how crazy and how big this sounds.
Ask for that. Now, some people learn that lesson.
When they're an adult when they're a young adult
when they're 50 years old I was so darn fortunate
to learn that that one lesson when I was 15 to
ask for it and all I had to do is learn that
lesson once at 15 years old and Luckily it clicked
and I clung to that lesson I'm not even sure
I realized it was a lesson at the time but Jay
I started asking for things from that moment
on I started asking for things and I don't know
how many things or jobs or positions or opportunities
that I've asked for in the 30 years since, but
I've probably received 95 % nos, but 5 % yeses.
And I've asked for some ridiculous things and
received yeses. I asked to be on the TV show
Shark Tank on ABC and I received a yes. And here
I am in front of, by the way, I told my mom I
applied. She didn't even get it. She didn't even
understand. She's like, well, I don't really
know what your product is, which is ironic because
she was the one pushing me in the first place,
but here I am walking down the hallway to present
slow jams to these multimillionaire, billionaire
sharks, and I'm on TV in front of 12 million
people. Another ask, I asked to be the program
director of a radio station in Los Angeles while
working in Tucson. I had zero major market experience,
but because of that lesson I learned, I said,
what's going to hurt asking? So let me ask. And
I ended up getting a job moving from Tucson to
Los Angeles, which in the entertainment industry
is just unheard of. And there are many more,
some larger, some smaller. But I have used that
mantra my entire life is just to ask for it.
And hey, it may happen. And so that's what I
tell kids when I speak to kids, I say, don't
be afraid, ask for it. And it was that one specific
moment at 15 years old, calling up Ron Kos and
asking for something that I was absolutely unqualified
for. And for some reason, this man believed in
me and others have as well down the road. And
it's that one lesson has I think afforded me
one of the most amazing and blessed careers and
really lives that I could ever imagine. So I'm
very thankful for my mom. And I'm really grateful
to be on this podcast. Jay, that's my story.
I loved it. I loved it. You know, I'm telling
you, I was exactly like you at 15 in the sense
that I would have killed my mother if she'd have
said something, you know, to anybody about, you
know, giving me a job or whatever. But I think
your mother, she knew you had the talent and
she believed in you. And I also tip my hat to
Ron Kaz, the man that hired you because he was
smart enough to see that your enthusiasm and
everything like that. And I, I love the story
because I'm a school, I'm a former school teacher,
but I taught for 36 years and I used to tell
kids all the time the same thing you're saying,
which is, you know, ask for it, deserve it when
you, you know, when you get it, work hard for
it. You obviously have. I love the fact that,
you know, you've lived the dream. And by the
way, my audience is, does skew very young. So
my students will appreciate hearing this story
and I do hope that it resonates with them. You
asked for the moon and you know, you don't always
get it. 95 % rejection, but if you can handle
rejection, you can really have a pretty good
life. You can get to that other 5 % and you can
go to the moon. I love and respect everything
you do, Cousin Jay. So much love to you and all
of your listeners. And yeah, you can find me
online at slowjams .com. Well, that's our show.
I'd like to thank my cousin, R -dub, for that
great story. Inspirational, actually. I'd also
like to thank my sponsors. Sideline Ink Publishing,
publishers of quality books, including Susan
Saladar's One Little Act of Kindness. I'd also
like to thank our other sponsor, LaughSaver .com.
Visit LaughSaver .com and record your laughter.
We'll keep it for you now and forever. It's free,
and your children, your grandchildren, your great
grandchildren will appreciate it. That's LaughSaver
.com. Alright, I'm going to end this show as
I almost always do, with Susan Salador's classic
One Little Act of Kindness. Until next time,
stay safe out there, and try not to hurt anybody.
Three little acts of kindness Can make a beautiful
sound Many acts of kindness Help the world go
round One little loving word Can go a long, long
way Two little loving words Can brighten anyone's
day can make a beautiful sound. Many loving words
help the world go round. One little seed so can
go a long, long way. Many seeds so help the world
go around One little child's laughter can go
a long, long way Two little children's laughter
can brighten anyone's day Three little children's
laughter can make Many children laughing Help
the world go round And many see its own Help
the world go round Many loving words Help the
world go round And many acts of kindness Help
the world