March 15, 2024 • 27 mins
Hi it's Nick Donovan...The NSRA Rodcast will feature fellow Car People...This time around, I'm with The Legendary Wings Kalahan!
Over 40 years as the NSRA's traveling DJ and Announcer...We're talking about Road Trips, Hot Rods, Music and Friends...He's got some great stories including how he got into cars and his first car...
Over 40 years as the NSRA's traveling DJ and Announcer...We're talking about Road Trips, Hot Rods, Music and Friends...He's got some great stories including how he got into cars and his first car...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome aboard to the very first NSRArod cast, not podcast road cast.
And when you do something for thevery first time, you like to have
a trained professional by your side.So I can't think of anybody more professional
than Wings Callahan. How you doing, sir, Oh, Nick, we're
doing just wonderful. Good good totalk with you. And so where are
(00:22):
you right now? Physically? Iguess we are at the Callahan Ranch hot
Rod Radio studios in do you daresay or are you like Wolfman Jack where
it's just you know, you're everywherekind of thing. How's that working?
I'm everywhere, but everywhere rural Woodville, Wisconsin. You're where it's cold,
is what you're telling me. Actuallytoday it's actually is is it really?
(00:48):
It's windy in it so it's agood day to be inside and chills like
sixteen. Oh yeah, well we'reokay then. But hey, you know
this this new road cast going todo here is kind of talk to people
that obviously have been in the businessfor a long time, and you've been
in the business for a very longtime. How did you get started in
cars? Was it like, youknow, your dad did it and stuff,
(01:11):
or how did all happen. Ohyou know, I'm not sure really.
My dad did take me to newcar shows, and with that said,
I was able to I knew asixty two Chevy, I knew a
sixty two Pontiac, and so thatkind of got it going a little bit.
(01:38):
But the hot Rod magazine was outand that was always something I wanted
to look at. Huh. Thenthere was this local guy, his name
is Ed Belk and grin, Okay, we're still friends. He's up in
years now. Well, in nineteensixty six, his deuce five window Coopl
(02:00):
hit the pages of Roden custom IBooth, I believe huh. And if
I sound a little slurry, we'rehaving a delay and me hearing myself.
Okay, okay, well it worktechnology. Yes, So it's a big
deal for a teenage kid to seea guy he knows his car in the
(02:23):
magazine. I mean, that's big. And uh so the rod thing hit
me hard when I was really young. But then by the late sixties and
the hippie movement and drugs and allthat, and the music wasn't like I
was liked. The old rock androll had changed, and the hot rods
(02:51):
around Minneapolis St Paul were more inthe garage. You didn't see him anymore.
And then the movie American Graffiti Keycame out, like nineteen seventy four
or whatever. Yeah, seventy three, Yeah, seventy three. Well that
changed everything. Uh huh. Sothen the bug hit me really really hard.
(03:15):
Right, what was it? Whatwas your first car? Uh?
Street rod was a thirty seven ChevySedan Sedan. Uh huh. And you've
been a Chevy guy pretty much allalong then, right, Yeah, from
the my first car was a fiftyseven Chevy Wagon. But my first hot
(03:36):
rod was a thirty seven. Yeah, fifty seven Chevy Wagon now is really
cool, though back then not somuch. Right, Well, I didn't
care. You know, you jackedit up and you had you put windows
stickers in it, and we painteda flat black with a case of rattle
cans and uh in the driveway,right and we're silent, and you still
(04:02):
I put a floor shift in it, you know, the three speed hurst
or something like that. Yeah,yeah, the mystery shifter. Well it
seems like, you know, anyany hot rider you talk to kind of
has the same same story. Youknow, something hooked them and they decided,
hey, this is for me,because not some people that aren't car
(04:24):
people or hot rodders or whatever,they look at you like, what's wrong
with this guy? What does hespend all of his time working on this
junk and you know, spend allof his money on tools, and they
just don't get it. You know. Well it became a sickness and if
you can call it that. Yeah, But then you know I had an
interest in radio along with us,And that's what I was going to ask
(04:47):
you too. When did you startin radio or how did that come about?
The first time I ever spoke onradio was in nineteen seventy. Wow,
so that's a few weeks ago.Yeah, yeah, a couple of
days ago. A couple of daysago. Was it? Was it your
local favorite station or something like thatthat you got to start at or community
(05:08):
college. Funny of mine was onthe on the air. It was late
at night. Uh huh in wl l okay and he goes wags here
read the news. I was inhigh school. Well this was a big
deal. But no, none ofmy friends heard me. Uh huh,
they're all in bed. That's kindof where radio used to start. I
(05:31):
was the same way he started atthree o'clock in the morning. They'd kind
of throw you in there, youknow. Yeah, then if you screwed
up, who heard you? Yeah, hopefully nobody. Yeah, how'd you
come up with the name Wings?I thought? I thought Wings was probably
your radio name. How'd you comeup with the name Wings? Then?
Well, I goes back to havinga paper route. Oh really, yeah,
(05:54):
there was. There were these terriblecartoons on a TV noon uh huh,
called Lunch with Casey. These arethe Hercules cartoons, And there was
a character in there by the nameof Wings. And the kid at the
paper shack thought I looked like thisguy because I was skinny and my shoulder
(06:18):
blades hung out of my back andwhatever, so he started calling me Wings.
I always figured that was some kindof a radio thing. Well,
and so when I worked with himlater, and they start calling me that
at work and they put it onmy uniform, and then when I got
(06:38):
into radio more and more part time, I just started using it, right,
So it kind of evolved from that, So I can thank Tom Scott
for the nickname. Well, see, this is a learning experience for me.
There you go. I always thoughtit was something to do with radio,
you know, or or you werein the military or something. I
didn't know what it was. Yeah, it's not a real exciting story,
(07:02):
but it's kind of it. Yeah. NSR Roadcast is what we have going
on here. Wings Callahan our guesttoday and radio. How how many years
did you stay in radio? Well? I was in and out of it
because I didn't as you know,when you start, you're going to start
in a little town, not makea lot of money, and I was
(07:25):
making pretty good money. It wasa journeyman mechanic at a Mercedes Benz dealership,
and I thought, I'm not goingto go to Bismarck, North Dakota.
Give this up, you know,And so I kind of did the
radio on my terms, meaning Istarted in the Twin City market, which
(07:48):
was about seventh at the time.I was going to say, that's a
big market. Yeah, and Ijust kind of stayed here. And then
when I did the hot Rod radiothing for the first time and syndicated,
uh huh, then it kind ofall evolved from that. And speaking of
(08:09):
you're still doing hot Rod radio,right, yes, And how do we
get to that? I know you'reon a variety of stations around the country,
but you can also I'm sure youstream it, is that correct?
Yeah, you can get it oniTunes, tune in, stitcher, several
other ways. If you google hotRod Radio dot com or Wings Callahan or
(08:31):
whatever, you'll see the ways tolisten to find the link on every week.
Awesome. Awesome. So you knowNSRA. I know when we talked
originally when we kind of changed handsthere, you'd been on the NSRA the
voice of NSRA for forty two years? Is that correct? Yes? The
first time was nineteen seventy seven.Wow, then it was seventy nine and
(08:56):
it wasn't consecutive years. It wasjust nice when it came to Minnesota,
is that the Yeah, locally orwhatever, I'll be dar, I'll be
dark. And then forty two yearsof doing that though a lot of miles,
I can testify to that. Andyou did a lot more miles than
I've done. I tell people allthe time when I complain about going from
(09:18):
Bakersfield to Knoxville or somebody says,how do you do that? You guys
used to go from Sacramento to Tampaand what people don't realize you have to
be there like on Wednesday. SoSacrimenta, that was a killer Yeah,
Sacramento was eleven years doing that.Eleven years they did that? Yeah,
(09:39):
wow, I thought it was onlya couple of years and somebody Wow.
And to do that, I hadto have another driver. We start the
truck in Sacramento and we keep itrun until we get to Tampa. He
almost would have to. Yeah,you'd have to. So, yeah,
you'd leave Sunday afternoon from Sacramento andjust hit eye forty and go, well,
(10:01):
yeah, pretty much, wow,stay you know, had a couple
of different ways, but it's usuallyusually just forty was the main stage right?
Right? Now? Of all thoseyears of doing all those things and
all that, what was your favoriteshow besides the Nationals? I don't known.
The Nationals is like a whole differentanimal there. But did you have
a favorite to it's still going onor maybe from the past or whatever location
(10:26):
and things like that. That's adifficult question, Nick, because they all
have their own personality, right,and like all have their own vibe.
It's like asking who's your favorite kid, right or something like that. Well,
pretty much, yeah, And ifyou got a bunch of cars,
what's your favorite car? Right?I don't know, but it's hard to
(10:50):
say one of my favorites, I'llsay, was when we were in Spokane,
Washington, Uh, because that showits own charm up there. It
was small, it was it wasfun and I that was a favorite,
and I'd like to see him entertaingoing back there. I mean it was
(11:13):
just cool place. Pacific Northwest.How bet it was. I've never been
there, you know, I've neverbeen there either, But yeah, so
a lot of miles. You stillhave a lot of your cars. Do
you still have you know, atthe Callahan ranch there, do you still
have a whole stockaded cars? Whatdo you got in the barn there or
whatever? Right now? Well,latest project now is that Mary always wanted
(11:37):
a baby thunderbird. Right after theNationals was last year, we found a
fifty six up in Michigan. Sowe went and looked at it and bought
it. And it needed a fewthings. I put disc brakes on it
and the radiator leaked and had todo a little paint work in that.
(12:01):
We're going to put it in alocal indoors show the first of April.
Uh huh, the GSTA Golpher StateTiming Association, Gopher State Time. They've
had this show, yep wow manyyears. Yeah, huh so that'll that's
the latest thing, one of thethirty two Fords. I have a NASCAR
(12:24):
style engine for it. Wow.It's a Chevy SB two. It's four
hundred and nine cubic inch and wedinoed it with eleven to one compression.
It did six hundred and fifty threehorse power. Wow. Wow and not
(12:46):
in naturally aspirated. And that's like'snot supercharged or eighteen pound car or whatever.
Two pounds. That'll be fun.Yeah, ought'll be a great time
there. But I know you stillhave the big truck you used to pull
the t at the thirty eight Chavybecause I saw that thirty eight truck.
Yeah, was that in Springfield?You had it last year in twenty three?
Um, actually we missed Springfield.Missed Springfield last year. Picked up
(13:11):
a cold right about the time.Which one we did have it at oh
Kalamazoo or something? Yes, yeahat the zoo? Yeah yeah, yeah,
Okay. And then I know I'veseen you in a forty one Chevy
Sedan, right is it forty oneor forty what is it? It's a
forty forty dark blue one that's gota big block in it. And I
mentioned ed Belkengrin earlier. He builtit in nineteen eighty six, and then
(13:35):
we got it from him years agoand it kind of went through stuff and
freshened up things. And that's agreat car. Comfortable. Now. You
still have the Sedan delivery too,right, the one that says Calahan Communications
on it. Yeah, fire thatup last week for the first time in
about two years. Wow. Anduh, ed needs a motor, needs
(13:58):
a little It's got a four hsix small block with a B and M
blower. It's been together since thatone, with that engine since eighty seven,
and so it it needs a coupleof things. It runs and drives,
and I think I'm gonna put adeep gear in it and go down
the drag strip, just have somefun with it. Well, that's what
(14:22):
sometimes I think people don't realize isback in the day you drove to all
those with basically a street rod.So in the early days when I first
met you, you had that SedanDelivery and we're towing a trailer around with
it. Right. Yeah. Thatwas the first car to go to all
the NSI events and it's been inall lower forty eight states. Wow.
(14:45):
And there's about you know, Ibuilt it in five months, so it
was kind of a blitz. WhenI built it. You know, the
body fit wasn't all that good becauseit's like a VIN number is number fifteen,
so it was ill fitting. Andthey kind of, I think adjusted
body jigs as they went along,uh huh, making things a little better.
(15:05):
So yeah, the forty deliveries arekind of rare anyway. But it's
put one hundred and twenty thousand onit miles and it's been a good car.
Looks about the same as it everdid. It does. Yeah,
I saw it in Louisville a coupleof years ago, or however many years
ago it was yeah, yeah.And then the truck. I mean,
(15:28):
how many miles you got on thatthirty eight Chivy truck About two twenty wow.
And that's what people don't believe either, is you pulled that big trailer
back and forth across the country withthat truck. Yeah, seven seasons.
Wow. And I had a varietyof engine engines in it. Built it
with a four fifty four uh huh. And then I caught Chevrolet's eye and
(15:52):
the general manager of Chevrolet, JimPerkins at the time, uh huh.
Like the truck and Chuck Lombardo broughtthem, brought them over one time and
introduced me, and they said,wings, we want to do something with
you. And so I got withthe Big Block group at first, and
(16:15):
they were coming out with a fiveoh two, and they were kind of
concerned about cooling a five oh two, right because they got Siamese cylinders like
a four four Yeah, And Isaid, you get me one and I'll
cool it. So they did,and I put it in the truck and
I cooled it, and then wefrom there. I worked with the Big
(16:37):
Block group from field testing and theycame out with the truck version of the
five oh two. Wow Wow overthe countermotor. And that's still as a
fight. That started a great relationshiprelationship with Chevrolet. That's hard to believe
that you were that young kid yourdad took to the Chevy dealership to look
at sixty two Chevies in here yougo, your right hand man with Chevy
(17:03):
with General Motors. Well, thatwas a really a big, big deal.
I mean when sadly Jim Perkins hassince passed away, he was a
wonderful guy. We lost lost ChuckLombardo last year. He was he was
very good for the sport, rightthen Chevrolet and yeah, yes, and
(17:23):
then so let's see, there's asecond five oh two in it because I
hammered the first one pretty hard,and after I put a lot of miles
on it, they wanted to seeit. They got shipped back, they
dissected it and told me what allI broke? So you were the test
(17:45):
bed for the five oh two inother words, so to speak. Yeah,
that's amazing, that's amazing. Well, you know, time step up.
Now, I understand that you gotan award last year at SEEMA.
Correct, that was very very touchingand surprising. Huh. Yeah. When
(18:06):
nsr A gave me the Lifetime Achievment, a order, whatever you want to
call it, that was pretty cool. That is awesome. I wish i'd
have known about it because I wouldhave went just to see see all that
go down and everything. But thatwell deserved it sounds like too. Well.
Thanks. You know, when Iwhen I had the idea many years
(18:26):
ago to go when you when youwent to a hot rod show, street
rod show, the atmosphere was kindof quiet and somewhat dull in some cases
and so forth, and I saidit'd be kind of cool if we could
use a pa PA system for ussomething of entertainment, background music and all
(18:48):
that, right, And so Icame up with this idea to do it.
My dad thought I was crazy,and I said, well, I
think I'm gonna try it. SoI did, and I talked to Annas
about, well, we don't knowthis is gonna work out, it's gonna
work out. I said, well, how about if I just do it
(19:10):
at no charge. Well, thenI had to get a sponsor, which
I did, and then it kindof evolved. And then afterwards, a
few years ago, this is we'reworking out pretty good. Maybe we'll throw
some money your way. So andit started that long relationship that went on
for many, many years. SoI guess, Mike, I can say
(19:33):
I was a first guy to playa record at a car show, and
back then they were probably records,right, Oh, yeah, for sure.
So then the indoors show cars circuit, the ISA Championship Auto shows,
they were rotters and they go wings. How about we do this set some
(19:56):
indoor shows. I said, yeah, So the two seasons worked out,
did the indoor shows in the winterand and NSRA shows in the summer.
It was pretty much a full timegig. Something people don't realize sometimes is
if you're playing records out in theelements, it's it's you know, you
(20:17):
can have catastrophes fairly easy. Well, when the windows were open and here
comes AUGUSTA Win and the tone armgo. Yes. We did an outdoor
dance one time with with with fortyfives and albums and stuff, and mosquitoes
were everywhere. So the guy wasthere that was putting on the dance and
(20:37):
he got some off and he startedspraying it around, which was great,
except the mosquito started dying and landingon the on the on the records,
and of course that oh yeah,that would make its skip and then the
you know, off on a recordis not the best thing to have either,
you know. But yeah, yeah, all good stuff, man,
all good stuff. If so you'restill doing and I know you do Back
(21:00):
to the fifties, correct, you'restill doing that show? Yeah? That
one I kept, and it's agreat event. As my local event.
I've been in the Minnesota Street RoundeAssociation since nineteen seventy four. I was
at the first Back to the FiftiesWow, and when we started the thing,
I was kind of on the committee, and then I did as many
(21:23):
as I could. But in everyso many years we'd have the conflict with
NSI's Pueblo with the Rocky Mountain.So then I'd go to the Rocky Mountain
and Mary would take over. Backto the fifties, I'd hire a friend,
buddy disc jockey, he'd do itfor us, and blah blah blah.
(21:44):
Yeah, made it all happen.Yeah, it all happened. Awesome
stuff. What's what's in the futurefor you? You got things up there?
Oh god, I don't know howI had time to work before.
Yeah, I mean it's oh ifwe just heard that ding, that's uh,
(22:10):
I got an email or something.Okay, what's in the future catching
up from all the years that Itravel, which honestly, you don't get
everything done. No, So thethings you don't get done you put in
a box. Then the next yearit's the same thing. You got another
(22:33):
box. So now I'm dealing withthe forty two years of boxes. And
if it's outdoor stuff, and ifit's outdoor stuff, I'm saying, if
it's outdoor stuff where you guys livein the winter, you can't really do
outdoor stuff. There too much.I wouldn't think. Well, the advantage
of this is you can spend timein the shop and work on the car
(22:56):
because you can't drive them. Right. But Mary and I are fortunate.
Our health is good and we feelgood and and so it's uh where everything's
good. Our world is good.And you know the neat thing, Nick,
what's that I can go to anNSR event now, show up what
(23:19):
I want and leave what I wantA little different scenario, that's for sure.
It's all good. And if itstarts raining, you can go home
or you can go stay at thehotel or whatever. Yeah, what different
thing? Yeah, well, everybodyalways thinks, uh, you know,
what we do and what you've doneand all these things is really really glamorous.
(23:42):
When you get down to it.There's a lot of pressure there,
you know, a lot of pressureto make things happen and make sure you
get there on time and you know, hopefully, yeah, make sure you
don't have breakdowns and yeah, andthat's why you know, I did so
much work on your trailer when Ihad during during the winter month, and
(24:03):
I used to tell Mary, Isaid, this is what they pay me
for working on the trailer in thewinter when I show up at the at
the shows and do the wing show. That's for free. Yeah that's the
fun part. Yeah, that's thefun part. Yeah. Awesome stuff.
And I think you told me awhile back, but refresh me again.
(24:25):
How many miles does my trailer haveon? Over a million? You didn't
tell me that when I bought it. I know that. Well, when
you look at the shape, it'sshape. It's in great shape. And
mechanically on the bottom, yeah,you know, it's the third set of
axles and when I put those heavyaxles under it, that's under it now
(24:48):
with the big brakes, right,and then went to the seventeen to five
tires which you can kind of wearout instead of blowing them, right,
you know, right, And soit's the over kill. Oh no,
I agree, And I say thatjokingly because that trailer is in awesome shape.
(25:10):
It has been an awesome shape whenI got it from you. And
it's hard to believe that it hasa million miles on it though, Yeah,
and it's a nineteen eighty eight.Yeah, and it's hard to believe
that you have more than a millionmiles on you. Isn't that something?
It is when you think about it, some mornings that I look in the
(25:30):
mirror, I can tell because thattrailer came about later on. I know
you had a little small trailer andthen a little bit bigger trailer before the
big boy showed up. I rememberwhen you first came into Pueblo with that
big trailer in that truck, Like, holy smoke, this is awesome,
you know. Yeah, it wasnineteen eighty eight when I made the big
move and had the trailer build andwas building the thirty eight truck and still
(25:53):
doing indoor car shows. That wasa busy winter. I bet yeah,
an expensive too. Yeah, wellI'll bet yeah. Well Wings callahan anything
else we need to know here,anything else you've gotten gone. I appreciate
all of the support I got allall the years from the members of the
(26:14):
nsr A. And again I apologize. There's a delay in my voice here,
so I'm hearing it after I'm sayingit. That's why it sound like
what's wrong with him? It's likeyou're at the football stadium. Yes,
but a big thanks to all themembers for all the support all the years,
and it it it made it veryenjoyable. Run absolutely absolutely, and
(26:41):
there is not a show goes bywhere I don't have a number of people.
Hey, how's Wings doing? Youever talk to Wings? Well,
now see you can go to thisNSRI website and you can find out how
Wings is doing. There you go, there you go. Always a pleasure
on Springfield. Awesome, awesome.What are you bringing? Is or is
that going to be a surprise?What you're bringing? Probably old blue again.
(27:04):
It's so comfortable to drive sure inwith a four fifty four in a
two fifty gear, I can getseventeen miles of the gallon. Wow.
Wow, So it's pretty cool.There's another thing you never used to get
with seventeen miles to a gallon goingacross the country. Bulling that I know
(27:25):
seven, I know for a fact. Yeah. Well, Wings Callahan,
thank you so much, and Iappreciate you. I know NSRA members always
appreciate you. I always hear greatstories that I won't share on this podcast,
but they're all listen to. Thereyou go. Yeah, all good
stuff, Wings Callahan, Thank youso much, Nick. Indeed a pleasure.
(27:47):
Let's do it again absolutely. NSRAroadcast is what we've got going on
in Wings Callahan Today.
Welcome aboard to the very first NSRArod cast, not podcast road cast.
And when you do something for thevery first time, you like to have
a trained professional by your side.So I can't think of anybody more professional
than Wings Callahan. How you doing, sir, Oh, Nick, we're
doing just wonderful. Good good totalk with you. And so where are
(00:22):
you right now? Physically? Iguess we are at the Callahan Ranch hot
Rod Radio studios in do you daresay or are you like Wolfman Jack where
it's just you know, you're everywherekind of thing. How's that working?
I'm everywhere, but everywhere rural Woodville, Wisconsin. You're where it's cold,
is what you're telling me. Actuallytoday it's actually is is it really?
(00:48):
It's windy in it so it's agood day to be inside and chills like
sixteen. Oh yeah, well we'reokay then. But hey, you know
this this new road cast going todo here is kind of talk to people
that obviously have been in the businessfor a long time, and you've been
in the business for a very longtime. How did you get started in
cars? Was it like, youknow, your dad did it and stuff,
(01:11):
or how did all happen. Ohyou know, I'm not sure really.
My dad did take me to newcar shows, and with that said,
I was able to I knew asixty two Chevy, I knew a
sixty two Pontiac, and so thatkind of got it going a little bit.
(01:38):
But the hot Rod magazine was outand that was always something I wanted
to look at. Huh. Thenthere was this local guy, his name
is Ed Belk and grin, Okay, we're still friends. He's up in
years now. Well, in nineteensixty six, his deuce five window Coopl
(02:00):
hit the pages of Roden custom IBooth, I believe huh. And if
I sound a little slurry, we'rehaving a delay and me hearing myself.
Okay, okay, well it worktechnology. Yes, So it's a big
deal for a teenage kid to seea guy he knows his car in the
(02:23):
magazine. I mean, that's big. And uh so the rod thing hit
me hard when I was really young. But then by the late sixties and
the hippie movement and drugs and allthat, and the music wasn't like I
was liked. The old rock androll had changed, and the hot rods
(02:51):
around Minneapolis St Paul were more inthe garage. You didn't see him anymore.
And then the movie American Graffiti Keycame out, like nineteen seventy four
or whatever. Yeah, seventy three, Yeah, seventy three. Well that
changed everything. Uh huh. Sothen the bug hit me really really hard.
(03:15):
Right, what was it? Whatwas your first car? Uh?
Street rod was a thirty seven ChevySedan Sedan. Uh huh. And you've
been a Chevy guy pretty much allalong then, right, Yeah, from
the my first car was a fiftyseven Chevy Wagon. But my first hot
(03:36):
rod was a thirty seven. Yeah, fifty seven Chevy Wagon now is really
cool, though back then not somuch. Right, Well, I didn't
care. You know, you jackedit up and you had you put windows
stickers in it, and we painteda flat black with a case of rattle
cans and uh in the driveway,right and we're silent, and you still
(04:02):
I put a floor shift in it, you know, the three speed hurst
or something like that. Yeah,yeah, the mystery shifter. Well it
seems like, you know, anyany hot rider you talk to kind of
has the same same story. Youknow, something hooked them and they decided,
hey, this is for me,because not some people that aren't car
(04:24):
people or hot rodders or whatever,they look at you like, what's wrong
with this guy? What does hespend all of his time working on this
junk and you know, spend allof his money on tools, and they
just don't get it. You know. Well it became a sickness and if
you can call it that. Yeah, But then you know I had an
interest in radio along with us,And that's what I was going to ask
(04:47):
you too. When did you startin radio or how did that come about?
The first time I ever spoke onradio was in nineteen seventy. Wow,
so that's a few weeks ago.Yeah, yeah, a couple of
days ago. A couple of daysago. Was it? Was it your
local favorite station or something like thatthat you got to start at or community
(05:08):
college. Funny of mine was onthe on the air. It was late
at night. Uh huh in wl l okay and he goes wags here
read the news. I was inhigh school. Well this was a big
deal. But no, none ofmy friends heard me. Uh huh,
they're all in bed. That's kindof where radio used to start. I
(05:31):
was the same way he started atthree o'clock in the morning. They'd kind
of throw you in there, youknow. Yeah, then if you screwed
up, who heard you? Yeah, hopefully nobody. Yeah, how'd you
come up with the name Wings?I thought? I thought Wings was probably
your radio name. How'd you comeup with the name Wings? Then?
Well, I goes back to havinga paper route. Oh really, yeah,
(05:54):
there was. There were these terriblecartoons on a TV noon uh huh,
called Lunch with Casey. These arethe Hercules cartoons, And there was
a character in there by the nameof Wings. And the kid at the
paper shack thought I looked like thisguy because I was skinny and my shoulder
(06:18):
blades hung out of my back andwhatever, so he started calling me Wings.
I always figured that was some kindof a radio thing. Well,
and so when I worked with himlater, and they start calling me that
at work and they put it onmy uniform, and then when I got
(06:38):
into radio more and more part time, I just started using it, right,
So it kind of evolved from that, So I can thank Tom Scott
for the nickname. Well, see, this is a learning experience for me.
There you go. I always thoughtit was something to do with radio,
you know, or or you werein the military or something. I
didn't know what it was. Yeah, it's not a real exciting story,
(07:02):
but it's kind of it. Yeah. NSR Roadcast is what we have going
on here. Wings Callahan our guesttoday and radio. How how many years
did you stay in radio? Well? I was in and out of it
because I didn't as you know,when you start, you're going to start
in a little town, not makea lot of money, and I was
(07:25):
making pretty good money. It wasa journeyman mechanic at a Mercedes Benz dealership,
and I thought, I'm not goingto go to Bismarck, North Dakota.
Give this up, you know,And so I kind of did the
radio on my terms, meaning Istarted in the Twin City market, which
(07:48):
was about seventh at the time.I was going to say, that's a
big market. Yeah, and Ijust kind of stayed here. And then
when I did the hot Rod radiothing for the first time and syndicated,
uh huh, then it kind ofall evolved from that. And speaking of
(08:09):
you're still doing hot Rod radio,right, yes, And how do we
get to that? I know you'reon a variety of stations around the country,
but you can also I'm sure youstream it, is that correct?
Yeah, you can get it oniTunes, tune in, stitcher, several
other ways. If you google hotRod Radio dot com or Wings Callahan or
(08:31):
whatever, you'll see the ways tolisten to find the link on every week.
Awesome. Awesome. So you knowNSRA. I know when we talked
originally when we kind of changed handsthere, you'd been on the NSRA the
voice of NSRA for forty two years? Is that correct? Yes? The
first time was nineteen seventy seven.Wow, then it was seventy nine and
(08:56):
it wasn't consecutive years. It wasjust nice when it came to Minnesota,
is that the Yeah, locally orwhatever, I'll be dar, I'll be
dark. And then forty two yearsof doing that though a lot of miles,
I can testify to that. Andyou did a lot more miles than
I've done. I tell people allthe time when I complain about going from
(09:18):
Bakersfield to Knoxville or somebody says,how do you do that? You guys
used to go from Sacramento to Tampaand what people don't realize you have to
be there like on Wednesday. SoSacrimenta, that was a killer Yeah,
Sacramento was eleven years doing that.Eleven years they did that? Yeah,
(09:39):
wow, I thought it was onlya couple of years and somebody Wow.
And to do that, I hadto have another driver. We start the
truck in Sacramento and we keep itrun until we get to Tampa. He
almost would have to. Yeah,you'd have to. So, yeah,
you'd leave Sunday afternoon from Sacramento andjust hit eye forty and go, well,
(10:01):
yeah, pretty much, wow,stay you know, had a couple
of different ways, but it's usuallyusually just forty was the main stage right?
Right? Now? Of all thoseyears of doing all those things and
all that, what was your favoriteshow besides the Nationals? I don't known.
The Nationals is like a whole differentanimal there. But did you have
a favorite to it's still going onor maybe from the past or whatever location
(10:26):
and things like that. That's adifficult question, Nick, because they all
have their own personality, right,and like all have their own vibe.
It's like asking who's your favorite kid, right or something like that. Well,
pretty much, yeah, And ifyou got a bunch of cars,
what's your favorite car? Right?I don't know, but it's hard to
(10:50):
say one of my favorites, I'llsay, was when we were in Spokane,
Washington, Uh, because that showits own charm up there. It
was small, it was it wasfun and I that was a favorite,
and I'd like to see him entertaingoing back there. I mean it was
(11:13):
just cool place. Pacific Northwest.How bet it was. I've never been
there, you know, I've neverbeen there either, But yeah, so
a lot of miles. You stillhave a lot of your cars. Do
you still have you know, atthe Callahan ranch there, do you still
have a whole stockaded cars? Whatdo you got in the barn there or
whatever? Right now? Well,latest project now is that Mary always wanted
(11:37):
a baby thunderbird. Right after theNationals was last year, we found a
fifty six up in Michigan. Sowe went and looked at it and bought
it. And it needed a fewthings. I put disc brakes on it
and the radiator leaked and had todo a little paint work in that.
(12:01):
We're going to put it in alocal indoors show the first of April.
Uh huh, the GSTA Golpher StateTiming Association, Gopher State Time. They've
had this show, yep wow manyyears. Yeah, huh so that'll that's
the latest thing, one of thethirty two Fords. I have a NASCAR
(12:24):
style engine for it. Wow.It's a Chevy SB two. It's four
hundred and nine cubic inch and wedinoed it with eleven to one compression.
It did six hundred and fifty threehorse power. Wow. Wow and not
(12:46):
in naturally aspirated. And that's like'snot supercharged or eighteen pound car or whatever.
Two pounds. That'll be fun.Yeah, ought'll be a great time
there. But I know you stillhave the big truck you used to pull
the t at the thirty eight Chavybecause I saw that thirty eight truck.
Yeah, was that in Springfield?You had it last year in twenty three?
Um, actually we missed Springfield.Missed Springfield last year. Picked up
(13:11):
a cold right about the time.Which one we did have it at oh
Kalamazoo or something? Yes, yeahat the zoo? Yeah yeah, yeah,
Okay. And then I know I'veseen you in a forty one Chevy
Sedan, right is it forty oneor forty what is it? It's a
forty forty dark blue one that's gota big block in it. And I
mentioned ed Belkengrin earlier. He builtit in nineteen eighty six, and then
(13:35):
we got it from him years agoand it kind of went through stuff and
freshened up things. And that's agreat car. Comfortable. Now. You
still have the Sedan delivery too,right, the one that says Calahan Communications
on it. Yeah, fire thatup last week for the first time in
about two years. Wow. Anduh, ed needs a motor, needs
(13:58):
a little It's got a four hsix small block with a B and M
blower. It's been together since thatone, with that engine since eighty seven,
and so it it needs a coupleof things. It runs and drives,
and I think I'm gonna put adeep gear in it and go down
the drag strip, just have somefun with it. Well, that's what
(14:22):
sometimes I think people don't realize isback in the day you drove to all
those with basically a street rod.So in the early days when I first
met you, you had that SedanDelivery and we're towing a trailer around with
it. Right. Yeah. Thatwas the first car to go to all
the NSI events and it's been inall lower forty eight states. Wow.
(14:45):
And there's about you know, Ibuilt it in five months, so it
was kind of a blitz. WhenI built it. You know, the
body fit wasn't all that good becauseit's like a VIN number is number fifteen,
so it was ill fitting. Andthey kind of, I think adjusted
body jigs as they went along,uh huh, making things a little better.
(15:05):
So yeah, the forty deliveries arekind of rare anyway. But it's
put one hundred and twenty thousand onit miles and it's been a good car.
Looks about the same as it everdid. It does. Yeah,
I saw it in Louisville a coupleof years ago, or however many years
ago it was yeah, yeah.And then the truck. I mean,
(15:28):
how many miles you got on thatthirty eight Chivy truck About two twenty wow.
And that's what people don't believe either, is you pulled that big trailer
back and forth across the country withthat truck. Yeah, seven seasons.
Wow. And I had a varietyof engine engines in it. Built it
with a four fifty four uh huh. And then I caught Chevrolet's eye and
(15:52):
the general manager of Chevrolet, JimPerkins at the time, uh huh.
Like the truck and Chuck Lombardo broughtthem, brought them over one time and
introduced me, and they said,wings, we want to do something with
you. And so I got withthe Big Block group at first, and
(16:15):
they were coming out with a fiveoh two, and they were kind of
concerned about cooling a five oh two, right because they got Siamese cylinders like
a four four Yeah, And Isaid, you get me one and I'll
cool it. So they did,and I put it in the truck and
I cooled it, and then wefrom there. I worked with the Big
(16:37):
Block group from field testing and theycame out with the truck version of the
five oh two. Wow Wow overthe countermotor. And that's still as a
fight. That started a great relationshiprelationship with Chevrolet. That's hard to believe
that you were that young kid yourdad took to the Chevy dealership to look
at sixty two Chevies in here yougo, your right hand man with Chevy
(17:03):
with General Motors. Well, thatwas a really a big, big deal.
I mean when sadly Jim Perkins hassince passed away, he was a
wonderful guy. We lost lost ChuckLombardo last year. He was he was
very good for the sport, rightthen Chevrolet and yeah, yes, and
(17:23):
then so let's see, there's asecond five oh two in it because I
hammered the first one pretty hard,and after I put a lot of miles
on it, they wanted to seeit. They got shipped back, they
dissected it and told me what allI broke? So you were the test
(17:45):
bed for the five oh two inother words, so to speak. Yeah,
that's amazing, that's amazing. Well, you know, time step up.
Now, I understand that you gotan award last year at SEEMA.
Correct, that was very very touchingand surprising. Huh. Yeah. When
(18:06):
nsr A gave me the Lifetime Achievment, a order, whatever you want to
call it, that was pretty cool. That is awesome. I wish i'd
have known about it because I wouldhave went just to see see all that
go down and everything. But thatwell deserved it sounds like too. Well.
Thanks. You know, when Iwhen I had the idea many years
(18:26):
ago to go when you when youwent to a hot rod show, street
rod show, the atmosphere was kindof quiet and somewhat dull in some cases
and so forth, and I saidit'd be kind of cool if we could
use a pa PA system for ussomething of entertainment, background music and all
(18:48):
that, right, And so Icame up with this idea to do it.
My dad thought I was crazy,and I said, well, I
think I'm gonna try it. SoI did, and I talked to Annas
about, well, we don't knowthis is gonna work out, it's gonna
work out. I said, well, how about if I just do it
(19:10):
at no charge. Well, thenI had to get a sponsor, which
I did, and then it kindof evolved. And then afterwards, a
few years ago, this is we'reworking out pretty good. Maybe we'll throw
some money your way. So andit started that long relationship that went on
for many, many years. SoI guess, Mike, I can say
(19:33):
I was a first guy to playa record at a car show, and
back then they were probably records,right, Oh, yeah, for sure.
So then the indoors show cars circuit, the ISA Championship Auto shows,
they were rotters and they go wings. How about we do this set some
(19:56):
indoor shows. I said, yeah, So the two seasons worked out,
did the indoor shows in the winterand and NSRA shows in the summer.
It was pretty much a full timegig. Something people don't realize sometimes is
if you're playing records out in theelements, it's it's you know, you
(20:17):
can have catastrophes fairly easy. Well, when the windows were open and here
comes AUGUSTA Win and the tone armgo. Yes. We did an outdoor
dance one time with with with fortyfives and albums and stuff, and mosquitoes
were everywhere. So the guy wasthere that was putting on the dance and
(20:37):
he got some off and he startedspraying it around, which was great,
except the mosquito started dying and landingon the on the on the records,
and of course that oh yeah,that would make its skip and then the
you know, off on a recordis not the best thing to have either,
you know. But yeah, yeah, all good stuff, man,
all good stuff. If so you'restill doing and I know you do Back
(21:00):
to the fifties, correct, you'restill doing that show? Yeah? That
one I kept, and it's agreat event. As my local event.
I've been in the Minnesota Street RoundeAssociation since nineteen seventy four. I was
at the first Back to the FiftiesWow, and when we started the thing,
I was kind of on the committee, and then I did as many
(21:23):
as I could. But in everyso many years we'd have the conflict with
NSI's Pueblo with the Rocky Mountain.So then I'd go to the Rocky Mountain
and Mary would take over. Backto the fifties, I'd hire a friend,
buddy disc jockey, he'd do itfor us, and blah blah blah.
(21:44):
Yeah, made it all happen.Yeah, it all happened. Awesome
stuff. What's what's in the futurefor you? You got things up there?
Oh god, I don't know howI had time to work before.
Yeah, I mean it's oh ifwe just heard that ding, that's uh,
(22:10):
I got an email or something.Okay, what's in the future catching
up from all the years that Itravel, which honestly, you don't get
everything done. No, So thethings you don't get done you put in
a box. Then the next yearit's the same thing. You got another
(22:33):
box. So now I'm dealing withthe forty two years of boxes. And
if it's outdoor stuff, and ifit's outdoor stuff, I'm saying, if
it's outdoor stuff where you guys livein the winter, you can't really do
outdoor stuff. There too much.I wouldn't think. Well, the advantage
of this is you can spend timein the shop and work on the car
(22:56):
because you can't drive them. Right. But Mary and I are fortunate.
Our health is good and we feelgood and and so it's uh where everything's
good. Our world is good.And you know the neat thing, Nick,
what's that I can go to anNSR event now, show up what
(23:19):
I want and leave what I wantA little different scenario, that's for sure.
It's all good. And if itstarts raining, you can go home
or you can go stay at thehotel or whatever. Yeah, what different
thing? Yeah, well, everybodyalways thinks, uh, you know,
what we do and what you've doneand all these things is really really glamorous.
(23:42):
When you get down to it.There's a lot of pressure there,
you know, a lot of pressureto make things happen and make sure you
get there on time and you know, hopefully, yeah, make sure you
don't have breakdowns and yeah, andthat's why you know, I did so
much work on your trailer when Ihad during during the winter month, and
(24:03):
I used to tell Mary, Isaid, this is what they pay me
for working on the trailer in thewinter when I show up at the at
the shows and do the wing show. That's for free. Yeah that's the
fun part. Yeah, that's thefun part. Yeah. Awesome stuff.
And I think you told me awhile back, but refresh me again.
(24:25):
How many miles does my trailer haveon? Over a million? You didn't
tell me that when I bought it. I know that. Well, when
you look at the shape, it'sshape. It's in great shape. And
mechanically on the bottom, yeah,you know, it's the third set of
axles and when I put those heavyaxles under it, that's under it now
(24:48):
with the big brakes, right,and then went to the seventeen to five
tires which you can kind of wearout instead of blowing them, right,
you know, right, And soit's the over kill. Oh no,
I agree, And I say thatjokingly because that trailer is in awesome shape.
(25:10):
It has been an awesome shape whenI got it from you. And
it's hard to believe that it hasa million miles on it though, Yeah,
and it's a nineteen eighty eight.Yeah, and it's hard to believe
that you have more than a millionmiles on you. Isn't that something?
It is when you think about it, some mornings that I look in the
(25:30):
mirror, I can tell because thattrailer came about later on. I know
you had a little small trailer andthen a little bit bigger trailer before the
big boy showed up. I rememberwhen you first came into Pueblo with that
big trailer in that truck, Like, holy smoke, this is awesome,
you know. Yeah, it wasnineteen eighty eight when I made the big
move and had the trailer build andwas building the thirty eight truck and still
(25:53):
doing indoor car shows. That wasa busy winter. I bet yeah,
an expensive too. Yeah, wellI'll bet yeah. Well Wings callahan anything
else we need to know here,anything else you've gotten gone. I appreciate
all of the support I got allall the years from the members of the
(26:14):
nsr A. And again I apologize. There's a delay in my voice here,
so I'm hearing it after I'm sayingit. That's why it sound like
what's wrong with him? It's likeyou're at the football stadium. Yes,
but a big thanks to all themembers for all the support all the years,
and it it it made it veryenjoyable. Run absolutely absolutely, and
(26:41):
there is not a show goes bywhere I don't have a number of people.
Hey, how's Wings doing? Youever talk to Wings? Well,
now see you can go to thisNSRI website and you can find out how
Wings is doing. There you go, there you go. Always a pleasure
on Springfield. Awesome, awesome.What are you bringing? Is or is
that going to be a surprise?What you're bringing? Probably old blue again.
(27:04):
It's so comfortable to drive sure inwith a four fifty four in a
two fifty gear, I can getseventeen miles of the gallon. Wow.
Wow, So it's pretty cool.There's another thing you never used to get
with seventeen miles to a gallon goingacross the country. Bulling that I know
(27:25):
seven, I know for a fact. Yeah. Well, Wings Callahan,
thank you so much, and Iappreciate you. I know NSRA members always
appreciate you. I always hear greatstories that I won't share on this podcast,
but they're all listen to. Thereyou go. Yeah, all good
stuff, Wings Callahan, Thank youso much, Nick. Indeed a pleasure.
(27:47):
Let's do it again absolutely. NSRAroadcast is what we've got going on
in Wings Callahan Today.
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
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.