All Episodes

September 22, 2024 • 42 mins
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Food for Thought with Billy and Jenny,
brought to you by the Box Center. For more than
fifteen years, this dining duo has been eating their way
through New England, mixing it up with top chefs, jumping
behind the line of the hottest restaurants and giving you
the inside scoop on where to wine, dine and spend
your time. So get ready, it's Food for Thought giving
you something to chew on.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey, everybody, welcome into Food for Thought. Billy Costa here,
Jenny's got the week off, she'll be back with us
next week. And when Jenny and I invented the show
Food for Thought, well you know, it was originally about
food and travel, restaurants and chefs, but at some point
we decided, hey, why not just generically do lifestyle and

(00:41):
so occasionally we'll throw you a curveball on Food for Thought,
And boy, do I have a curveball for you on
the show this week. Some of you may know I
grew up in the East Cambridge and I've got a
lot of ole buddies, childhood buddies, one of which is
Joey Carvello, who joins me in the studio now Joey.
Welcome back to Boston, buddy.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Thanks Billy. Nice to see you, my friend.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
How many years have been in New York and New
Jersey I've been.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
I moved to La first. I moved to La eighty six.
I was there from eighty six to eighty nine, and
from what people tell me, I had a really good time.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Wow, they were different times exactly, and then you blasted
most of the time.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
I was yes, but not now. Okay, I stay sold
for today, Okay, Okay. At eighty nine, I went to
New York, and I moved to Jersey in two thousand
and one. But eighty nine I went to New York.
I went to work for Atlantic Records.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Okay, But you came back here to Boston. First of all,
it's great that I get to see you. But you're
promoting a book. You've got a brand new book. Is
it already a best seller?

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Were you telling me that this is amazing? Nobody's more
surprised than me. We put out about a month ago
for pre order with the Amazon and Bons and Noble.
Amazon has chots and the top new releases in the
entertainment section. We debuted at number one, and we stayed there.
For eight days, and as of yesterday, I was still

(02:03):
in the top We were still in the top ten
for the hard cover in the kindle as at number fourteen,
and that was in the top ten for a couple
of okays.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
So here we are doing a radio show on a
Sunday night, and tomorrow morning the book actually gets released, you.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
Will be in stores tomorrow morning. We'll be in stores.
How crazy?

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Now? What that is? AJ, that's breaking news on Food
for Thought. Ain't good timing, No, But I got to
tell you. The book is called The Boston Hustle, the Hairspray,
the Cologne, the Disco, and the Betrayal. And it's Joey Carvello,
my childhood buddy. And let's go back to our childhood

(02:43):
first in East Cambridge, because we had a crazy childhood there.
I mean, well we were kind of crazy.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Yeah, we had a we had a pretty we had
an amazing crew of people. Oh yeah, we were. We
were in trouble. We never bad trouble. Nobody I always
say this, nobody ever got hurt.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
And I don't think to my knowledge, we were ever
in custody. Maybe you once.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
It was a couple of times about it, But I couldn't.
I was in and out, you know what I mean.
We had connections, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
I was speed reading the book right before going to
sleep the other night, and and uh there was one
story from the childhood that I totally forgot. Did we
actually change the course of the head of the Charles Regatta?

Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yes, we did, Billy how So Well, you know, we
would stand on the mass half bridge and as they
came underneath, we throw cherry bombs at them. Yeah, boom
bang and they row. You'd see them speed take off.
There'd be a wake in the back. It was like

(03:53):
a speedboat going out big. And they changed it. They
changed that, They moved it to the end. They didn't
go through the East Cambridge side. They went on the
Boston side from that point.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
But it's amazing when you think of and I know
the book and we're going to talk mostly about the
disco era, the rise and the fall, but when you
think about all the kids that came out of our
neighborhood in East Cambridge. Frankie Depasqually was in our gang
and he owns well half the North End and most
of the successful restaurants in the city.

Speaker 3 (04:23):
I mean, it's just unbelievable. He's just you know Frankie.
You know, I met Frankie for the first time at
the San Cosbo Domion Feast.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
And it just happened two weeks ages.

Speaker 3 (04:32):
It's really yeah, and I met him. They also have
a part of the feast ran on Ninth Street. They
had like two feasts. The main feast was on Warraon
Street and then Ninth Street had they had it too.
They had a couple of stands and a guy named
Carl Loopol. We used to be hanging in a place
called Gatzi. Yes. We hired a place called Patsy's on
Ninth Street and Carl's uncle ran the place. Kyl came

(04:53):
down to run his stand out in front of his
store and met Carl. We became friends. Frankie his cousin's
the Call, and that's how we all got together. And
then we all ran together, went to and I went
to Yesterday's and I became a DJ there and Call
and Frankie were there every night with me. One night,
our doorman got in a beef and he couldn't finish

(05:15):
the night at the door, so we asked Frankie to
run the door. What could go wrong? So Frankie went
to the door and there was a line, and somebody
gave him a tip and he looked at it and
it was like, holy God, I got money for standing here,
And like a light shined over his head and he
ended up going to Jason's becoming.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
A big door. There was always a line and people
would be offering him cash just to let them in.

Speaker 3 (05:42):
They had empt they had they had an umbrella stand
by the door there just at the end of the night,
it was full of cash. And then it was just
so much fun, you know. And but we always knew
Frankie was going to do something. Frankie was always hanging
with us, but he's always looking to the right of
the left, find and the next sting. And started with
a shoe store on Newberry Street and a couple of things.

(06:04):
See a couple of things there.

Speaker 2 (06:05):
And they get robbed at the shoe store on Newberry Street,
like point blank.

Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, they tied him up, slapped
them around a little bit, and he got the insurance money.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
Yeah, And then he went to Vegas and they went
to Vegas.

Speaker 3 (06:20):
They made more money than he came back and he
opened up El Panino.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, it was like four floors.

Speaker 3 (06:26):
Of yeah, and then from there he just took off it.
But Frankie never forget where you come from. Noses from
East Cambridge. Whenever he sees somebody from the old days,
he runs over big hugs and kisses. He's the best.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
And if you're looking for Frankie any Sunday morning, you'll
find him sitting in a chair next to his gelato
store on Hanover Street.

Speaker 3 (06:45):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
He's like the unofficial mayor of the North End of Boston.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
I guess he's the head of the business Association for
the North End.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
Oh, he's got condos there. He owns buildings there. He
must have nine restaurants.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
Are still got coins with Jesus on him. He nickel.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
And they'll tell you he's broke. Yeah, all right, we
got to take a break. When we come back, it's
all about the book. I have another old friend from
the disco days that the start started to drop by
and was a massive part of the disco era. But
we'll talk about the rise and the fall of disco.

(07:21):
We'll take you at some of the clubs, we'll feature
some of the music and talk more about the book.
It's food for thought. I'm Billy Costa. We will take
a break, but we'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweets Hey.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
Everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought. This is gonna
be an awesome, awesome show this week. As a lead in,
of course, the sixty Minutes, as we do every week,
so we're talking about Joey Carvello, East Cambridge kid grew
up with me. We went to grammar school together, went
to high school together, caused a little trouble together, got
into the disco clubs as disco DJs together. Actually Joey

(07:59):
got me and but before we dive in, I'm going
to ask the two of you, guys, because it is
Food for Thought, your two favorite restaurants and if you
know what's good for you, you probably include Frankie d Joey.
You're living in New York, living in New Jersey. If
you had to choose two restaurants in the Boston area,
which ones would they be?

Speaker 3 (08:19):
I mean Breakoh, I would choose a breakout.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
I've betrayed, traveled around the world, and I've eaten a
lot of Italian restaurants. And that's the best that I've
been to. And I love little spot in Medfield called Razos.

Speaker 2 (08:32):
That's right up the street and I'm missed gav Right.

Speaker 3 (08:34):
I'm going there tonight for dinner.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
Wow. I drive by there literally every day. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (08:39):
It's old school, it's home stown.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
It's very good, ross really really just you.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
Know, you know, it's a little spaghetti and meatball parmesan places,
just really great.

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Okay, And I said there were two guys in the
studio because we're joined also by Kirk Tello. Now, if
you were around for the disco era or for those decades,
so to speak, you'll remember a store called Tello's, and
he is Kirk Teller. Welcome Kirk, Billy. You just came.
I know you're a friend of mine, but I know
you didn't come to see me. You came to see Joey.

(09:10):
I certainly did. I see you all the time. Yeah,
I see you all the time, Elisa. So, Kirk, before
we dive into Tello's and it's connection to the disco era,
because that's what the book is all about, two of
your favorite restaurants.

Speaker 4 (09:22):
Well, I'm gonna go ahead with what Joey said also
Frankie's new place Ombria in the authentic. Yeah, charming, beautiful
and very very different in terms of what the food is.

Speaker 3 (09:33):
But it's joy.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
We guys stick together, don't we.

Speaker 4 (09:37):
Right, give me one more, Kurt and I have to
go to the old friend Bobby Wong, which we love
and so forth. I still love the Coloon traditional. It's
just a treat. I mean, I know they're going to
close and then reopen whatever, but we'll never move that
in my lifetime.

Speaker 2 (09:50):
Let me ask you about the closing. Okay, years ago
Bobby Wong said, yeah, we're gonna be tearing down the Kloon.
You know, wena call it quits. He's never done more
in his life. Every day Kyle Looon is in the news.
So are they really tearing it down? Or is out
of my list?

Speaker 4 (10:04):
Businessman? So he's dragging this along as long as you
can because people think it's going to close the next day,
and he's busy.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
And they're about to open by buddy Joe Farrow in fact,
from Tuscan Kitchen is going to open a casino up
there in New Hampshire. And I heard a rumor that
the Kloon was going to put a place in there.
It's called Lucky's, I believe really, so that's a done deal. Ye,
it's wow. Okay, so Tello's. When I mentioned Tello's, how
many stores did you have in the hedge seventeen seventeen?

Speaker 4 (10:32):
What I thought like eight seventeen, fiventeen headaches.

Speaker 2 (10:37):
I used to call it wow, and god, you used
to hire me when I was your person. Anytime you
had a grand opening or a special promotion going on
in the store, it.

Speaker 4 (10:47):
Was always Billy. Billy drew a lot of people.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
So I mentioned you on the Billy and Lisa Show
the other day and right away Lisa Dunham interns to me,
and I call her Lisa the Fashion East. She knows
everything there is to know about fashion. Right right away
she says, oh my god, Tello's invented fast fashion.

Speaker 4 (11:05):
Well we were, we were the icon in those days.
We were ahead of one head of everybody. So that's
that's very nice you say that, but I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (11:13):
And you were one of the first advertisers on Kiss Joe.
You'll remember because you were Jared Kiss too.

Speaker 4 (11:19):
So the way that happened was I got out of
school in nineteen eighty and Kiss had just came into
it's being in nineteen eighty and I believe right, and
Sonny Joe White, which I used to listen to on Wild,
was hired by.

Speaker 2 (11:30):
Richie B, the Great Richie B Richie.

Speaker 4 (11:32):
Balsma, and before you know it, I says, we got
to be on the station and it just coincided perfectly
with the whole disco era what we were doing, and
it was history together, like by accident, almost.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yeah, Because I mean you could run into Tello's and
get whatever you wanted or whatever you needed for that
night if we were heading out to the club.

Speaker 3 (11:52):
And listened to Kiss run Away because it was always on.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Exactly So, Joey, interesting story, and I told this on
the morning show the other day. I don't think I
would be in this business if it weren't for you,
because I initially went to Merrimac on a hockey program
and did a couple of years there and then took
a year off and decided to transfer to Emerson, and
all of a sudden, there was no scholarship. I had

(12:15):
to work five six jobs to pay my own tuition,
and one of those jobs I became a nightclub DJ.
Thanks to you, because you were working at a place
in ken Moore Square called Yesterday.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, yesterday at the Chemera Club. So I apologize to everybody. Yes,
he's my fault. Yes, no. We we had an afternoon
thing going. We did a happy hour and Billy was
a music guy. He's a rock music guy, but he
knew the music and I said, get up there, play
some records. And by the end of the day I
was like, wow, he's pretty good. And you took off

(12:47):
from there and yeah, God bless you. Bill.

Speaker 2 (12:49):
The important thing about happy hours you don't have to mix.
You don't. I didn't know how to mix at the time,
but I became a nightclub disco DJ, which ultimately led
me to Kiss because you know, I worked a few
different clubs thanks to you, and you always made calls
for me at the various clubs, and I ended up
at Chateau Deville in Sagas working what was originally SADES.

(13:11):
I forget who the original DJ at SADES was. Was
it roughy? Oh?

Speaker 3 (13:15):
It was?

Speaker 2 (13:15):
Oh my god, yeah, And then I became a DJ
at SADES and then they opened the other nightclubs and
some of the other Chateau Devilles and Saturday night I
somehow talked the owner Mario, into doing a live radio
show with a dance contest at midnight where the winner

(13:37):
would get one thousand dollars and a waterbed from water Rest.

Speaker 4 (13:42):
Do you remember what the dance flow was likedes?

Speaker 2 (13:45):
It was like a carousel, wasn't it? In a rotating
carousel dance. In fact, you want to know who one
of the first disco dancers was Scottie Solombrino and his
now wife Mary Anne.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
He was a great scott is a great dancing a
lot of my in all my contests.

Speaker 2 (14:01):
He would come in twice a week on the off
nights and I'm there doing my homework and the DJ
booters playing music, and he would come in just to
practice because he was determined to win.

Speaker 4 (14:10):
But I wanted the money, you know him.

Speaker 2 (14:12):
So ultimately it became the place to go, and all
the radio people were coming in, and Sonny Joe was
coming in on the Saturday nights, and then I said
to him, I said, Hey, any chance I can come
in on a job interview? And he thought I wanted
to come in to be a DJ, but I wanted
to come in and run the news department. And he
says we don't have one. I said no, But I'm
talking about different kinds of news, like entertainment news, music news,

(14:35):
and to this day I still do it. But it
all started with the disco days.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
Sonny was Sonny could read talent. Sonny. Just do you
think of the people that came through Kiss Went Away.
I mean there's some major major players out there like
Jerry McKenna, the rallies of the world at all hashing currently, Yes,
big time, big time guy at Arista Wreck has worked
directly with Clive Davis. A lot of big names came
out of Kiss the music in this.

Speaker 2 (15:00):
And you ended up working for the record labels. You
became what we call the record rep. Yes, and you
worked with a lot of big artists. Now you told
me in the hall, and I don't even know if
you were kidding. The song show Me Love Robin s
that was me. You created that with Robin s.

Speaker 3 (15:19):
Well, this is how that happened. It was. It was
a real R and B record when it was produced
by these I thicked the guy's name in New York.
They did it. But anyway, it ended up being licensed
in Europe and England by a guy named mel Madalia.
Champion Records, and I did some work with Champion Records
here in the States through Critique Records, Carl Strom and

(15:42):
Jerry Brenner. Yeah, it was the labor so I had
contact with him and I was at Atlantic at the
time and Mel called me up and he said, I
get this Robin S Records showed me love. I said,
it's a great song, but it needs a mix. He says,
I got it mixed and this kid's Stonebridge did the
mix on it, and he sent it to me back then.
You know, you have to be sent to you sure

(16:02):
couldn't press a button in song. So I had waited
a few days and I got it and I listened
to it and within ten seconds said I wanted AJ,
would you do the honors man?

Speaker 2 (16:17):
You know it's great, Joey. A lot of the nightclub
dj still play this like they'll do a short version.
They'll bang in and bang out. I still play it.

Speaker 3 (16:24):
I mean, I'm still DJ and I played it brings
the helps down. I mean, there are there are a
few songs like this, like Soma Kosa by Moto Debango
for an oldie. Yeah, but when it come that's to me,
that's the greatest disco song of all time, but show
Me Love you put that on. It doesn't make any difference.
If it's a hip hock hip hop crowd, pop crowd,
urban crowd, they lose their minds.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
You know what one of my favorite of all time is.
And I couldn't believe that. I just found out that
you were behind this project too. And Kirk tell her
you will remember this the song informer Oh Yeah by
snow Are funny story about this Wow. Matt Siegel and

(17:07):
I took like fifty winners on a trip to Aruba
one year and we're in the club hosting the event
with everybody that song came on. I had never heard it,
and then I never stopped playing it in my head.

Speaker 3 (17:18):
I got a beautiful platinum record on that that was
not supposed to happen. That was a record that was
at It was at a label called East West. I
believe that it was East West. Yes, yes, East West,
and it was just lying around and the head of
the promotion there was a friend of mine named Craig Lambert. Yeah,
so I said Craig, and I was working for Atlantic,
but East West was under our umbrella.

Speaker 2 (17:36):
Hold that thought, hold that exact thought. We have to
go to commercial break and we'll finish that story. And
I want to know about you hanging out with Prince.
You went on the road with Prince and you kissed
him on the mouth.

Speaker 3 (17:47):
Yes, I'll tell you.

Speaker 2 (17:49):
We'll take a break. We'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (17:51):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Sailing Waterfront Hotel in Swedes.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. I just
this is just such a fun show from for me.
I've got my childhood buddy Joey. I've got my good
friend Kirk Tello. Both were a big part of the
disco era. Joey's got a book out. It's all about
the rise and the fall of the disco. I'm telling you, Joey,
the thing about disco, a lot of people took shots
at it. It was a great time to be alive.

Speaker 3 (18:17):
You know. Disco changed the social fabric of the world.
Before disco, black clubs, white clubs, straight yeah, gay clubs.
And then when disco came around, it really started to
roll in seventy four. By seventy six, we were all
in the same place, yeah, at the same time, bumping
into each other, in the past you bumped at to

(18:37):
somebody that was at the same color as you said, Yeah,
maybe a little bit. It was hard like that. Yeah,
it was the music. The music was universal. It was
it was for guys like me who loves soul music.
I grew up and he's king to me too. It
was tough to play the Temptations and your friends at
beach up because they call you some discots.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
Funny you say that because as a kid, all of
our my friends were listening to the Beach Boys, and
and my dad was a bartender uh and a manager
at the in the combat Zone at a place called
the Palace, so he would bring me in as a kid,
and it were groups like Temptations practicing and it was
it was amazing. So disco changed everything, and I thought
it was great.

Speaker 3 (19:15):
Oh yeah, it was great because it was but guys
like me who grew up in these Cambridge I didn't
have a real outlet to get soul music. I loved
it and he was not hide it. And I first
discovered it my dad's collection, not King Cole and the
Ink Spots, and I just love this urban thing. I
don't know why I did, because I was surrounded by
people who were just not that way. I don't want
to get into details, just weren't that bad. They went

(19:37):
didn't think the way I thought. And you know, we
had w I l D and I used to have to.
I used to get beat up because they get in
my car turned my little folks while they ild beyond.

Speaker 2 (19:46):
Same with me.

Speaker 3 (19:46):
Maybeat me up.

Speaker 1 (19:47):
You know.

Speaker 3 (19:48):
It was. It was crazy.

Speaker 2 (19:49):
So they called the Great Awakening.

Speaker 3 (19:52):
It was sunrise the sunset. So and then when the
disco came around. I walked into a disco for the
first time in nineteen seventy three at Zelda and the
first song I hope and I walked in with Solmakosa
by Monto de Bangorich I've never heard before, So what
the hell is this? And the music just never stopped doing.
At the Death by James Brown, Think by LLINs, you know.

Speaker 2 (20:11):
Rocked the boat and dance floors packed.

Speaker 3 (20:13):
And it's and it's all white people in the club
and it's like a white soul train, you know. Yeah,
And that's how it was in the beginning. And then
as this go grew, we all the white clubs became mixed.

Speaker 2 (20:26):
Yeah, the few.

Speaker 3 (20:27):
Black clubs that we were there became a little bit,
a little bit more mixed.

Speaker 2 (20:32):
It was just a great thing for music and for lifestyle.
We got to take a quick break again. We're talking
with Joey Carvella. We've known each other since first grade.
He's currently living in New Jersey. He's got a book
out and we haven't mentioned this yet, but it's probably
going to be a movie.

Speaker 3 (20:46):
Yes, not probably, we're definitely going to do a film.

Speaker 2 (20:49):
All that thought, We'll take a break. We'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (20:51):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweets Hi.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
Everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought again. Sometimes times
we veer off food and restaurants and chefs, and we
love them, but every so often we want to do lifestyle.
And uh, you know what, the fact is, the disco
era was a lifestyle. It was I mean, it changed
the world so much so. Uh, there was a movement
against disco, remember the Disco Sucks movement, And even the

(21:21):
record labels were pissed the disco were so big, right, Joey.

Speaker 3 (21:24):
Well, this is this is the problem, the problem that
the record companies had. First of all, let's start with
Steve Dolls. Steve Dolls a DJ w LS in Chicago,
which was a rock station. An idiot, Yes, he just
you know, I said, couldn't dance, big lovely guy whatever
in the that's a great that's very funny. He was

(21:49):
a blauser, There's no doubt about it. And WLS flipped
the disco and they fired him. So he went to
another went to another rock station, and he started the
Disco sucks movement.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
So he had a bone to pick. He had a
chip on his shoulder gay time.

Speaker 3 (22:03):
And at that time that was like nineteen seventy, late
seventy seven and seventy eight, Studio fifty four came and
then Studio fifty four made a big splash. I'm not
a fifty four guy. When Dan Rather said nineteen seventy eight,
there's a new movement going on called disco, which had
all been going around for like three or four years,
and the big spot is Studio fifty four and you
can't get in, you know what I mean. I'm going,

(22:25):
that's not good, you know what I mean? Why are
they doing that? The velvet rope is supposed to be
a welcoming signus, So I'm supposed to keep you out.
Said Okay, no problem, this guy's going to go away.
And then one day I wake up and they had
disco demolition. This still forget no internet. So you saw
things the following day on the news. Something happened the
night before. Start the next day and I'm watching TV
and I see this guy and he's got ten thousand

(22:47):
records in the middle of Comiski Park in Chicago and
they blow them up. They blow up all these disco records. Yeah,
and I was like, you know, And that's when. And
right after that the following day, the disco sucks thing
really took and the record company started closing down the
dance music departments. Even though we were making millions of dollars,
they were closing them down or shrinking them down. And

(23:08):
his wife. The black artists were always controlled by the labels.
They couldn't do anything. They couldn't get their records out,
they couldn't get good clubs, they couldn't get good gigs
unless the record companies backed them up. Disco gave those
black artists a lane where they were unfettered, where their
music was played. We didn't ask for anything, We just
played and it was selling, The clubs were selling. Artists

(23:32):
were going gold with low radio. Black artists were going gold.
And all of a sudden, they're not doing the small
clubs like the Sugar Shack. They're doing Lucifers, and they're
doing bigger places like the ojs. Did you know the
ojas were out there? You know? And what was the
place you were talking about? Were talking about just recently
saugust U Palace, the Palace they did the palace, you know,

(23:53):
self functioning. Yeah, yeah, So they all of a sudden
they're on their own. They don't have to worry about
the labels. They've got a laying the awesome. So the
record companies and then all of a sudden, a lot
of gay folks came in with disco that the department
heads were gay, a lot of the DJs, a lot
of the promoters, the people that worked in A and
R people were gay. I was one of the very

(24:14):
few straight people at the labels at that time in discos.
So the record companies weren't into that either. Really, it
was I cannot quote what I heard through the walls
when I Workedah, please don't I worked. Yeah, I worked
here and I won't say what label either, but it
was very disparaging for both blacks and gays.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
Well, you know, it's like you said early on, and
you said it early on in the book too, is
that music saved us. Music saved a lot of people,
whatever the era was, but in a big way. Like
to me, disco was fun and it felt good. You
wanted to get dressed up, you wanted to go out,
and nobody was angry at the clubs. You know, people
were just spinning around and dancing and having a ball.

Speaker 3 (24:54):
And nobody ever got hurt. And nobody you know, I
mean it was it was just it was. It was
the perfect world and we were all dressed in tellos. Yeah,
every tells everybody. Everybody. Everybody had on.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
The polo break. Do not think I forgot about this
before we go to break. You went on the road
with Prince. Yes, tell me a story.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
Okay. So he was going to do four nights in
New England and the first night he was doing the
Paradise on Commab. This is late late nineteen seventy nine,
and he did his show, He got up and did
a show. He was like forget about it, and I
was like sitting right nex. So the first time I ever,
s arm blew my mind. And afterwards I was on kavuts,

(25:35):
you know, and they were there was a nice horse.
It was a nice, nice combination of cocaine and Clayton.

Speaker 2 (25:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (25:43):
Yeah. And so I met him and I was in
a good mood and I walked up and I just
kissed him on the lips. In his reaction, he backed
off and his eyes got about as big as sauces.
And I think that I'm the guy that really made
him that withdrawn artist that everybody saw. Wow. I think
I did that.

Speaker 2 (26:04):
Very quick print story. Do you remember he was coming
to Boston and people were waiting in line on Newbury Street.
I think it was for their tickets, and some car
plowed through the crowd and killed a bunch of people.
I had maybe it was you. I think I went
to you and you contacted princess people, and he came
and did a fundraising concert on Lansdown Street.

Speaker 3 (26:24):
He was that kind of guy. I'll just really really
really quick, quick quick story of what I was he
was doing. He was practicing the Purple Lane in Boston
one night, and afterwards we had a thing at the
Park Plaza and everybody knew who was there because Kiss
leaked it that he was at Park Plaza. There was
a huge crowd. He stood up in a window and
he looked down and he said, I want to go

(26:46):
see my people. So the security said okay. He said no, no, no, Joey,
you take me. Okay. So I went downstairs and walked outside,
and the crowd came and he went. He just put
his hands up. Stop. The crowd stopped. He sat there.
The three Always Yeah signed autographs and took picchues.

Speaker 2 (27:02):
He responded immediately to the calls and came in wanted
to do the fundraising show. We got to take another break.
When we come back, we're going to be joined by
some friends of mine from the YMCA and why Not.
We grew up in Cambridge. We were why kids and
the why could change your life and it certainly changed
mile mine. We'll take a break. We'll be right back.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweets.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
Hey, everybody, welcome back to Food for Thought. Hoping you're
having as much fun as I am. I've got my
childhood buddy Joey Carvello, who flew all the way in
from New Jersey just to be on this show because
he's got a new book out. And then my old
buddy Kirk Tello from Tello's you'll remember the Tello Stores,
found out that I was having Joey in. And then
Kirk says, well, I got to come in and say

(27:48):
hi to Joey. And we also have to give a
shout out to Scott Selambrino, who during that whole era.
Interesting story Scott, when I met him and he was
dancing at my club win a dance contest. He was
in college. He owned one beat up limousine car right,
and he wore the chaffeur's hat. It was really pathetic looking.

(28:12):
I said to him, we were coming up on Kiss Concert.
Now this is the early days Kiss concert, but Kiss
was already using a lot of limos. So I said
to Scott, I said, you gotta let me bring you
in the Kiss. I'll introduce you to Richie Bosba, and
you know you can do the limos for Kiss concert.
And he said well, I said, you know, they usually
have forty or so limos and he said, well, I

(28:34):
just have my one car and I said, no, no, no,
when you get in Richie is going to say the
word trade, which means he wants to trade a certain
amount and pay a certain amount. But if he asked
for a hundred cars, you say yes, and then you
just subcontract all the cars out to other limo companies.
That happened. He did Kiss concert for years and years,
still does them. He became the biggest limo company in

(28:56):
the world. Right. He had offices in the Beverly Hills
tell I mean he was everywhere.

Speaker 3 (29:01):
I remember gettles in New York that were his Wow. Yeah, Kirk.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
Before we wrapped up the show, you wanted to mention
a particular club that Joey basically invented.

Speaker 4 (29:09):
Well, every night there was a different club when you
go to from Monday through Sunday night and the last
day of the week Sunday, you figured you're dead, you
can't do it. But cashe where Joey was incredible and
you actually performed. Also, yeah, was where we would go
to and wrap up the week. And somehow we got
to work on Monday morning. I don't know how, but.

Speaker 3 (29:31):
We got life. He did.

Speaker 4 (29:32):
It was unbelievable and Joey was unreal doing those days
and what a great, great way to end the week.

Speaker 3 (29:38):
I remember seeing Whitey Bulger there once. Oh yeah, Flemy,
all those guys.

Speaker 4 (29:45):
You played what they wanted.

Speaker 3 (29:47):
I didn't even look at them. I was scared that Jeff,
are you kidding me?

Speaker 2 (29:50):
And let's not forget Whimsies was a big club in Boston.
John John Loongo was the king of the whole disco
era in Boston.

Speaker 3 (29:58):
He's a godfather for I.

Speaker 2 (29:59):
Promise these people we would throw a few curveballs tonight
on the show and we are. I've got Kathleen here
from the Metro YMCA. Did I say that right?

Speaker 5 (30:08):
Kathleen, Metro North, Metro North.

Speaker 2 (30:10):
So what towns are your YMCAs in?

Speaker 6 (30:13):
So we have facilities and our service area is Peabody, Lynnfield, Revere,
Lynn Hunt, Saugust, Stoneham and Melrose.

Speaker 2 (30:22):
Now some of those are the new wise right, which
are like unbold. I mean, keep in mind I grew
up in the Wyan Central Square, Cambridge. Yes, so these
new wives are spectacular.

Speaker 6 (30:32):
Yes, we have one of the oldest wives in the
country in Melrose that we've updated and upgraded. And then
we just built a new y three years ago in Lynn.

Speaker 2 (30:41):
Wow, so brand new in Lynn.

Speaker 6 (30:42):
Brand new, seventy thousand square foot YMCA really really sits
in the heart of Lynn, so it's a huge asset
to the city.

Speaker 2 (30:49):
Now, Kathleen, i've met you a few times. I need
to know. Did you shop at Tello's during the disco
era big time?

Speaker 4 (30:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (30:56):
I went to Catholic school, so my wardrobe was very
restrictive until wekends and Tello's bailed me out many times.

Speaker 2 (31:03):
You know what was great about Tello's two, Kirk, because
you always had these ridiculous sales. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (31:08):
Yeah, we used to do a lot of I one
get one gene free and was like, you know, we
did a lot of.

Speaker 5 (31:14):
It didn't matter if you had to get it.

Speaker 3 (31:17):
Well.

Speaker 2 (31:17):
He would have these big sales at the Downtown Crossing
store and it always asked me to host the sale
and there was a long line going all the way
through Downtown Crossing.

Speaker 3 (31:26):
Was like a daytime club. Yes, you hung out what
you need, just shot then you hung out.

Speaker 2 (31:31):
Well, that's like just like Kelly's on the Beach that
became the club after the club, Right, you'd go to
the clubs, you get out of one in the morning
and every it was almost better than some of the
clubs or some people would call it last Chance to romance.
Same with Carol's Diner and Medford that.

Speaker 4 (31:50):
Was part of it. Just go era open late till
four six in the morning.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
Yeah, we have the GM Fare and Ken Moore Square to.

Speaker 2 (31:57):
Another after club. Wow. So Kathleen, back to the why.
You know, we're kind of bobbing around here. So you
have a big fundraiser coming up, and yeah. One of
the reasons these new whys can be put up is
because you know, you have fundraisers, you raise money. So
what's the next fundraiser and when?

Speaker 6 (32:13):
So Thursday, the twenty six of September, we have the
Wear in the World Celebration.

Speaker 4 (32:17):
That's next Thursday, Next Thursday.

Speaker 2 (32:18):
Yeah, well it's coming.

Speaker 5 (32:19):
Jenny Johnson's going to.

Speaker 6 (32:20):
Be our or EMC and we're really excited because our
goal is to raise a third of a million dollars
for our y level scholarship program.

Speaker 2 (32:29):
Uh huh.

Speaker 6 (32:30):
And that's where anybody within our service here can go online,
sign up and.

Speaker 5 (32:35):
Choose their own scholarship. It's so dignified up to forty percent.

Speaker 4 (32:39):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (32:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (32:40):
It used to be you'd have to turn in your
taxes and your state your pay statements of this and
that we took that away.

Speaker 5 (32:44):
We didn't want any barriers.

Speaker 2 (32:46):
And the ymc And again I was a YE kid,
Joey was a white Were you a Y kid, Kirk? Yeah,
you were too rich. Yeah, you don't find people with
deep pockets. So the great thing about the why is
you have all these programs behind the scenes. We used
to do day trips with the Y and you know,
our families, they couldn't afford to send us. We didn't

(33:07):
have summer camp, so you went to the Y camps
or even you know, the things you had set up daily.
You still do that sort of thing.

Speaker 5 (33:14):
We do and we're really proud of it.

Speaker 6 (33:15):
And to tie into your disco conversation, we are building
a sixty five hundred square foot music studio at our
Lynn YMCA, at our Democus YMSA that's going to include
a recording studio podcast like setting now. That should open
the first quarter of twenty twenty five. Yeah, allin, why.

Speaker 2 (33:33):
Will it have a mirror ball if we're going to have.

Speaker 6 (33:35):
To, I guess I'm just but you know, we we
are known for swim, we're known for the gym, but
we also recognize that a lot of kids don't participate
in neither of those. And they like the arts, so
they'll be performing art stage. There'll be everything you can
think of, an instrument lending library. So if you want
to an instrument, you can come in sign it out.

Speaker 2 (33:53):
Now, I have to ask you something, okay, Kathleen. When
I was a y kid going to the Y as
a young person, when you would go to the cool,
I know where you're going here, you know, right, bathing
suits were not allowed. Yeah, so Joe, do you remember that?
Of course?

Speaker 3 (34:11):
Do I shrinkage without even going in the water disappeared completely? No?

Speaker 6 (34:20):
Why, Well, you know it's funny. Back then women weren't
allowed either at the Why so.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
Oh it was young men's Christians. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (34:30):
We've actually dropped that with a Y nationwide now, okay,
so that it's more inclusive. But you know, every once
in a while we have one of our older members forget.

Speaker 2 (34:40):
No way, yeah, producers looking at me like, Billy, what's
wrong with you? Yeah? Yeah, And we're diving off the
board and everything's just kind of fighting it around, and
you know, guys are walking around the older guys.

Speaker 3 (34:55):
Well, it was easier to steer when you swim.

Speaker 2 (35:00):
But anyway, I'm sorry it happens. Yeah, yeah, that's over. Yeah,
So talk about some of the programs besides the one
you just mentioned this.

Speaker 6 (35:10):
You know, we have obviously a robust camp summer camp program.
I think we had upwards of three thousand kids this summer.
We started with three thousand, finished with three thousand. That's
away was a good thing. We have y Academy, which
is our learning program, so we have all sorts of education.

Speaker 5 (35:22):
We built a.

Speaker 6 (35:23):
Rooftop garden in Land, so we grow the produce and
then bring it down to our commercial kitchen to learn
how to eat healthy cook Yeah, it's changed a lot
since the other day.

Speaker 5 (35:34):
You know, health and wellness is huge.

Speaker 6 (35:35):
We have a cancer recovery program, so it's called Live Strong.
Anyone who has cancer, family member with cancer can take
the program for completely.

Speaker 5 (35:43):
Free of charge.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
And what types of things happen with the program.

Speaker 6 (35:46):
Not only is it fitness, but it's also very social
and they have some conversations about some of the challenges
that they have.

Speaker 5 (35:52):
So we welcome the community and for that.

Speaker 6 (35:54):
We have all sorts of obviously aquatics program, robust gymnastics
program as well. We compete nationwide, which is really pretty cool. Well,
everything you can think of really falls under the Why,
but you know it falls into three pockets, use development,
healthy living, or social responsibility.

Speaker 2 (36:10):
Well it's funny. I was talking about Joey got me
into the uh, you know, the radio business. Basically, the
Why got my brother and I into fitness. I mean
because in those days, it wasn't a big thing. You
know most people, you know, it wasn't like it is
today where everybody's running and people didn't even jog. But
by going to the Why because we needed a hot shower,
you know, we would instantly work out. I was introduced

(36:32):
to racket sports. The first racket sport I played was
at the Why squash and I had never even heard
of squash pick. Harvard guys were playing squash. And then
I get into racketball, and then I get into tennis
and I had a long career in tennis. And that
all started with the Why. And I'm sure a lot
of people have Why.

Speaker 6 (36:49):
Stories, you know, And for us it's it's not just
coming and working out, it's hanging out and getting to
know people.

Speaker 5 (36:54):
Yeah, you know, gathering.

Speaker 6 (36:55):
So if you go into one of our wives, there's
always an air where people can gather and just talk
some people just come the lobby.

Speaker 2 (37:01):
Yeah, and there's an interesting irony going on behind the
scenes here right now, the fact that Joey is here
to talk about the disco era and his book and
you're from the y m c A. One of the
biggest songs in dance music history.

Speaker 3 (37:19):
Absolutely, I mean wow.

Speaker 2 (37:21):
Write this, Joe exactly. This could be the sequel.

Speaker 3 (37:25):
Crazy. You know, you have to get the village people
to come and perform at the Why, that's what you
gotta do.

Speaker 2 (37:31):
We got to take a break to the lyrics, one
more break, we'll come back, we'll wrap it up. We'll
give you all the information you need on Joey's book
and tell you about the fundraiser and how to get tickets. Okay,
that's next.

Speaker 1 (37:41):
And by you're listening to Food for Thought, brought to
you by the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in sweets.

Speaker 2 (37:48):
Hey, guys, welcome back to Food for Thought. Just a
few minutes left. Having a lot of fun this week
and Jenny will be back next week. God, I can't
believe aj the producer. How many years have we done
Food for Thought? So that's six six years? Wow, and
I'm still having fun. Joey Cavello, my childhood buddy. God.

(38:12):
He got me into the industry, and then, interestingly we
didn't mention this. I ended up getting you into So
you invented me, and then I invented you.

Speaker 3 (38:19):
After I left Atlantic Records, they suggested Atlantic record suggested
I'd leave and I should get into radio.

Speaker 2 (38:25):
They suggested it.

Speaker 3 (38:26):
They suggested it, and that conversation was like that was crazy.
But they told me you should get into radio. So
I called Billy up and I said, look, I think
I want to try this radio thing. You think you
can get me in, I'll internal. I'll do whatever you
need me to do. I got my club Bunny at Night,
I can and he got me with Sonny and I
interned and within six months I became the music director.

Speaker 2 (38:46):
It's funny because I remember saying the Sony. I said, no, Sonny,
you got to meet this kid. Okay. He said, I
know everybody recognizes you as the best ear in the
country when it comes to music. You're going to meet
your rival. Okay. He's got an ear for music like nobody,
So okay. The book, the Boston Hustle, the Hairspray, the Cologne,
the disco, the betrayal, was the record label the Betrayal?

Speaker 3 (39:07):
What, yes, the record candles of the Betrayal. Oh yeah,
those guys are behind it.

Speaker 2 (39:12):
The book is out tomorrow. Where do they go to
get it?

Speaker 3 (39:14):
They could go to any any bookstore here in the
Boston area. I hope, I bet for sure. Online Bonds
and Noble. Oh yes, online Amazon, Bons and Noble online
for priorities up until up until it comes out.

Speaker 2 (39:27):
And we'll keep our eyes and ears open for the
movie because you're tied in with Angela Perry. Yes, another
East Cambridge kid.

Speaker 3 (39:34):
I will come back here and make the announcement with
you when I'm ready.

Speaker 2 (39:37):
There we go. Angela Perry runs Boston casting. She casts
a lot of the big movies and she was in
East Cambridge with us, Kathleen. The YMC, the y fundraiser
is happening this coming Thursday. So where do people get tickets?
Can they?

Speaker 6 (39:55):
Yes? So that we have some limited tickets available if
they were to go on YMC have met tro North
Forward Slash celebration.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
And I know my TV partner Jenny, my radio partner
Jenny is going to be hosting the event and doing
the live auction.

Speaker 5 (40:08):
Very excited.

Speaker 2 (40:08):
Can you give us a couple of hints on live auction.

Speaker 6 (40:11):
You know, we it's a pretty hearty agenda. So the
live auction, we have shopping spree in New York City.
We have opportunity to pick any sports game in the
country and.

Speaker 2 (40:25):
You get two tickets in the country.

Speaker 6 (40:27):
In the country, so you can pick from the four
major sports. We have a bunch of getaways obviously. We
have our bounties at Lion Water gave us a Mini
Cooper and we have a trip up to Maine at
the Cliffhouse.

Speaker 5 (40:44):
Yeah, so it's some fun.

Speaker 2 (40:45):
Stuff is beautiful too. Oh and I know that you've
got jingle Ball tickets.

Speaker 5 (40:49):
Jingle Ball tickets. You haven't even been I know, I know,
thank you. We're very excited.

Speaker 6 (40:55):
Last year it was a big, big hit, so we're
looking forward to this year as well.

Speaker 2 (40:59):
And where is it jingle Ball? No, the no, I know.

Speaker 6 (41:02):
We're actually what we decided to do is we transform
our Mptorgian Family wy.

Speaker 5 (41:10):
So when you walk in, it really doesn't feel like
a gym or swimming pool. It is. You've been there,
you know, the light is beautiful. It's a really great event.

Speaker 2 (41:20):
So where do people get tickets?

Speaker 6 (41:22):
YMCF Metro North Forward Flash Celebration. Say that one more time,
Ymca of Metro North Forward Slash Celebration and.

Speaker 3 (41:30):
Joey online again where they get the book Amazon and
Bonds and Noble.

Speaker 2 (41:34):
And you promise you're going to come back with the
movie announcement.

Speaker 3 (41:37):
That's a threat.

Speaker 2 (41:39):
Will there be a part for me in the book? Something?
Retired club manager?

Speaker 3 (41:46):
I think we could find something for sure. We're talking.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
Okay, we're out of time. Thank you so much for
tuning in. I probably had more fun than you did
listening this week. But we'll do it again next Sunday night.
And don't forget coming up next sixty minutes
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.