Any updates on THE Duke?

[bruiser]

How is THE Duke doing? I heard he'd been in the hospital again. Anyone have any news?

[Max]

The last I heard Johnny Randolph saw him last weekend at the hospital, where he was released from the hospital for pneumonia and kindney problems. Beyond that, I've heard nothing.

[SLC]

I JUST LEFT THE DUKE A SHORT WHILE AGO OUT AT FRIENDSHIP MANOR IN PEEWEE VALLEY. HE WAS DOING FINE...WE VISITED FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS...HE SAID THAT HE HAD A REALLY NICE VISIT WITH GOOD FRIENDS BOB MOODY, GEORGE FRANCIS AND MIKE MC VAY YESTERDAY.

I DROPPED OFF A CD OF ABOUT 15 OF THE DUKES FAVORITES THAT KOOL 103.5'S AFTERNOON MAN, MIKE MARVIN PULLED TOGETHER(THANKS MIKE) PETULA CLARK, B.J. THOMAS, THE NEW COLONY SIX, THE FOUNDATIONS AND FRANK SINATRA.

HE WAS REALLY UPBEAT..SAID HE HAD SPOKEN WITH J.R. RECENTLY....AND G.B. WAS GOING TO BE BY TO SEE HIM VERY SOON. HE SAID HE HAS BEEN RECEIVING SOME VERY NICE CARDS AND LETTERS FROM FRIENDS AND FANS...AND SPOKE AT LENGTH OF HOW APPRECIATIVE HE WAS TO JOHN QUINCY..HE SAID THAT WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR THESE 2 STATIONS.. THAT SO MANY HAVE GIVEN THE BEST YEARS OF THEIR LIVES TO.... IS NOTHING SHORT OF BRILLIANCE.

[The Weekend Warrior]

I stopped by today at lunch time to check on Bill and was informed by a gentleman at the visitor check in station that many of the residents have the flu and Our Duke of Louisville is one of them. i went down to Bills nurses station to see if i could find out more about his condition and was told that he is having upper respiratory problems. She said that his spirits are good and he continues to remain very upbeat.

He was sleeping so i left a couple of Reeses' cups for the Duke with her and she said that if his condition should worsen she would give me a call.

[Max]

It was my pleasure to have spent two hours this afternoon with the Duke and Dude Walker, along with Cynthia. We spent a good deal of time talking about Bill and of Dude and of them together. We recorded part of the visit and it was my intention to even get a liner, but Bill kind of guided the conversation and I soon forgot the liners. To tell the truth, I wouldn't have had it any different, for after Dude and his wife left I wound up staying another hour talking with Bill and it was heart to heart and I was touched to see him get emotional talking about what meant the most to him from his experiences in the radio biz-it was the friends he made along the way and friends that are dearest to his heart. After 2 hours I realized I'd worn out my welcome and left him to rest a bit.

To echo what John Quincy has said in numerous posts...don't hesitate to send him a card or letter or even a visit. He loves the contact!

[Travis]

Enjoyed reading about Max's visit, along with the (Dude) Walkers, with Bill Bailey. It was interesting to note that Bill spoke of not feeling very well at the first reunion and that he would be in much better shape for the next one. As I looked at the photos, it did appear that he does indeed look much stronger than in previous photos. Let's hope that he can continue to improve as the August 5th date draws near.

Max was so busy at the first reunion (snapping pix, distributing t-shirts and even shooting a movie of the presentation) that I found it quite fitting that he got some one-on-one time with the Duke. I love the pix and treasure my copy of the movie presentation, but do hope that Max will take more time to socialize at the next reunion.

But, probably not.

I can just see Max's wife rolling her eyes as I write this (but she's smiling as she does so).

*pHnorK*

[Kevin]

Max,

I just listened to the Bill and Dude interview. It was great.

[Travis]

You got that right. I refer to it as the Duke & Dude interview and finally got around to hearing it. Max's transcript of the interview indicates that the Duke's mind is still sharp and the audio version really brings this out. I also got around to listening to 'Bill Bailey - A Louisville Legend' which turned out to be an incredible 2 hours. If you haven't heard it-- Get It! It's a real gem and absolutely hilarious.

During Max's interview, Bailey looked at Dude Walker, who was wearing dark sunglasses during the visit, and quickly concocted a story of how Dude had once been jailed for impersonating a police officer. It was funny when I read it in Max's transcript and even funnier when I heard the audio, because it was as if I could actually see the wheels turning in Bailey's head as he was telling the tale.

Dude was quick to point out that he had never been in jail in his life.

Bailey has always had an eye for the ladies and it was amusing to hear him mention that he was going to steal Dude Walker's wife (Cynthia) away from him. Many of the stories that I heard as a teen were of Bailey's bar brawls and that a woman (or two) was generally involved. With that in mind, I couldn't help but laugh at that moment as well.

Still looking forward to the next WAKY-WKLO reunion on August 5th. Hurricanes willing, I'll be there.

[bruiser]

Who you gonna believe? Dude or the Duke?

[John Quincy]

Got an e-mail from Johnny Randolph this morning. He visited Bill Bailey this past weekend. He said that other than undergoing another minor surgical procedure, nothing else has changed (i.e., Bill is doing fine).

JR says Bill is really looking forward to this summer's WAKY-WKLO Reunion.

[Max]

Just got off the phone with Bill a minute ago...and I couldn't believe it! During the whole conversation I felt like time was turned back! He spoke with the fluency and tone of a much younger Bill Bailey!! He is doing quite fine and the only thing to interrupt/end our phone call was his supper! Of course I told him I wasn't going to get in the way of that! He told me he was disappointed he didn't get the opportunity to talk to alot of the guys he hadn't seen in 20 years at the reunion. He says he still can't quite figure out what all the fuss is about (over him, that is!)...

...I thought, 'yeah, right!'

[Travis]

From what I understand, the Duke's ride did not arrive in time to get him to the reunion on time. I'm certain he would have added to the comments made during the presentation to Johnny Randolph, and that his remarks would have been hilarious.

True to his word, the Duke was in much better shape during this reunion and it looked to me as if he was really getting into the Monarchs when the original lead singer (Mike Gibson) was on the mic. Still, the volume may have been a bit much for him because it wasn't too long before I saw him being wheeled out of the auditorium waving goodnight to all.

[Max]

Editing on the latest interview with the Duke is on hold...our radio station got flooded over the weekend and the computers are down in addition to alot of the equipment.

[Max]

The latest interview has been edited and will appear on this site as well as the WAKYOnline playlist very soon.

[Max]

Just finished 3 Christmas greetings by the Duke. However, they are too long to use as buffers for WAKYOnline, and who knows how many times they will turn up in rotation this coming week. Therefore, I will be sending John mp3's tonight to submit for the site.

By the way, he looks and sounds great, but as usual, after 2 hours he was tuckered out. Says he has received many cards so far, which is great!!! Took only one picture, which I will share in a month (it's the first on the film).

[Max]

During our visit two weeks ago, I'm afraid I got a 'schooling' from the Duke. For most of the two hours, we talked naturally about music and what we liked and disliked. When I told him I chose not to program such music as that by the Supremes, he reminded me that radio is not there for us to play what we want to play, nor is it there for us to leave off songs simply because they may not be to our liking. It is also not there to play what consultants tell us to play. Rather, radio is there for your listeners' pleasure...they come first. I hung my head right there in his room in shame for having to be reminded of that. And so, even though a year ago I vowed not to play their music, you might occasionally hear one of their songs. They are still staggeringly popular on terrestrial stations, so I don't necessarily feel there's a void in not playing an abundance of their tunes. But nevertheless, they have been eased onto the playlist.

Lessons from the Duke...priceless!

[bpflederer]

The Duke says Hi to everyone. I had a chance to visit with him this week. He is feeling good and looks great. He has started on another mountain scene for the collection. He talked about Max, Gary Burbank, Dude and others. He was in the spirits of his usual self . He wanted me to tell everyone "Hello from the Duke".

[Max]

We recieved this e-mail today from Bob Moody:

Coyote and I visited Bailey at Friendship Manor for a couple of hours last Saturday. He seemed to be in relatively good health and was working on a landscape painting. He did say that he's tired of looking at the same scenery every day and would like to "take a vacation" for a couple of weeks. He's also frustrated because so many of the other patients have dementia that it is hard to find someone to have a halfway intelligent conversation with.
I hope everyone will continue to send cards and letters and drop by to see him when possible. It means a lot to The Ol' Duke.

[bruiser]

Any restrictions on visiting the Duke?

[Max]

Not a one! I would call there (Friendship Manor) first and ensure he is there (and not at the doctor or at the casino ;D). Bear in mind he tires quickly, though.

But it would mean alot to him. Probably as much as he has meant to us through the years.

[Max]

Just got back from another visit. Unfortunately, this was not one of the better visits. Bill seemed very depressed and surprised me when I first entered the room with "I've had it with WAKY-that's all anybody ever wants to talk about..." He said someone was just in this week asking his thoughts on WAKY and he said he told them he didn't want to talk about it, although he didn't say from where they came. I guess he had this bottled up inside, of which I was the unlucky recipient, so I steered clear of the subject of WAKY, although he did make mention of the new WAKY, which he thought was in Indiana (similiar to Ben's findings)...he said he wasn't impressed with them, either (said personality[ies] was what was lacking). In all, I think it was clear I wasn't going to get a positive comment from him regarding WAKY, today...meaning getting any good comments today about WAKY.

I think part of his mood was due to the lack of visitors (hint! hint!). If you go, tread lightly on the subject of WAKY. Better yet, as Dude suggested afterwards, let HIM bring it up. He did turn the topic around towards the end of our visit and asked about my family and internet stations, so there was some positive conversation.