Last words for and from Spike O'Dell

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: Spotlight On... : Spike O'Dell : As most of you know, Spike ended his career at WGN Radio earlier this morning. Here's a little Q&A we put to him before he called it quits. : Retiring? You can't possibly be serious! What gives? : Because it was the plan. Karen and I have been putting it away for the time I was 55 years old and then we were going to pull the plug and do something else. She has followed me all these years and now I'm going to follow her and do what she wants to do. : : Any chance you'll end-up on another radio station somewhere in the future? : No. I'm all done with radio. I'm going to throw away my headphones. : : Fact or Fiction: You and your wife Karen are pulling-up stakes and moving to Mississippi: : Close! Not quite that far south. We are moving to the Nashville Tennessee area. We have a home right on Old Hickory Lake with a boat dock and the whole works. Lyle Dean is going to teach me how to be a boater. : : Are you taking your flight simulator and bird feeder with you? : Yes and yes. As well as my telescope and new Nikon camera. : : You're 55 years old. What are you going to do with all your free time? : Nothing for awhile. I'm going to fish....take a lot of pictures up in the mountains.....and start to do more watercolor paintings. I lost all of my painting equipment in the house fire. I want to get back to it. It's therapy for me. : : Was the paycheck you made working these hours worth the toll it takes on you physically? : Yes and no. There is no question that without the paycheck I could not be retiring this early...so, yes...the paycheck was worth it in that respect. Although no amount of money is worth your health. I have gained about 50 pounds since coming on the morning show. I am always tired with this schedule. I always want to take a nap. I never moved enough and ate the wrong things. It kinda got away from me. Karen is going to whip me back into shape. I am actually looking forward to it. : : Fact or Fiction: You really do hate these morning hours: : These are the hours everyone in radio strives to get. And then when you get them you realize how much your life changes. It's easier when there are no more kids in the house. I feel sorry for Karen because her social life suffers because of my hours. But that's part of the package and I knew that before excepting the show. No regrets. : : Without getting too syrupy on us, what's the one memory you'll take from working at WGN Radio? : Probably my first day here. It was intimidating. I remember walking in and having to show an I.D. badge that said I work here and it had those call letters on it.... WGN. Wow! What was a kid from the Quad Cities doing in such a hallowed broadcast institution? You know what?....I still pinch myself. : : Who you gonna' miss most: Buzz or Piranha Man? : Otis Fanortner. : : We're running out of space here. Anything else you'd like to say? : I will take with me so many great memories. It was a pleasure doing a radio show for the greatest audience in America. All I wanted to know for myself was rather or not I could ever get a show on a radio station in Chicago before my career was over. Not only did did I get a show, but it was the morning show! Arguably one of the most coveted radio jobs in the nation! And perhaps on the greatest radio station in America. I'd say that was a pretty good run. My heartfelt thanks to all who listened and put up with me. I had a blast. : : So...you're really gonna' leave, huh? : Don't ask me again! I might change my mind! : -------------------------------------------------- : We asked everyone on the crew to complete the following sentence: "The one thing I'll miss most about Spike is..." Here's how they answered: : ORION SAMUELSON: Being kissed on the back of my head when he walks into the studio for the first time in the morning. : MAX ARMSTRONG: I will miss Spike's childish pranks for which I was sometimes recruited as a co-conspirator. I am sure Mary will miss those stunts, such as our screaming into her intercom speaker. : ANDREA DARLAS: Everything! But most of all his ability to make me smile every single day on the job! : ROB HART: Spike making various bodily noises over the newsroom intercom while I'm trying to record a report. : KIM GORDON: Commiserating with him over the 'Cars for Kids' commercial. : BEN CORTEZ (engineer): As phony as it may sound, I'll miss his smiling self every morning. He always seems to be upbeat and positive. Never showing if he is having a bad day. Thanks for a great 21 1/2 years, Spike!! : MARY VAN DE VELDE: I will definitely miss our morning "pre-meetings"....if that's what you want to call them. Spike entertains us with his latest food concoction, discoveries on "Google Earth" and humorous gadgets! A good laugh is the best wake-up call and I'll miss that the most. : DAVE EANET: His goofy jokes and his cracks about my hair. : PAUL GREEN: "discussing the impact of 'yo mama politics' on a current election". Believe it or not, I use that phrase in all my political science courses--Spike's insight and legend lives in the halls of academia--who knew!! : LINDA ALBIN: The one thing I'll miss most about Spike is….hold on a minute, one thing, just one thing, but there are so many things to be missed. Most of all I'll miss our transatlantic chats about everything from warm beer to royal affairs. And on the subject of royalty, I'll miss being treated like a Queen by a man who is a prince among mere mortals. : (WGN eblast)

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