The story and emotions behind the story of “Baltimore, You Have No Idea”

The Maryland Crab Cake Tour returned to Faidley’s at Lexington Market for a holiday visit with legendary columnist Dan Rodricks from The Baltimore Sun discussing Eric Bogosian, storytelling and taking his incredible career memoirs and the Baltimore characters met along the way to the stage at The BMA and his incredible stage production. And breaking news: it’s coming back in the spring! Go see it!

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

baltimore, thought, stage, characters, stories, play, people, theater, friends, write, call, springsteen, ticket, wife, scenes, knew, years, throw, reporter, griller

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Welcome back wn S T Towson Baltimore and Baltimore positive we are positively in one of the great Baltimore places with one of the great not born in Baltimore but a Baltimore on by choice it’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery we let ourselves play given away some ravens scratch offs here before it’s all over with our friends at Goodwill. reminding everybody if you’re cleaning out the closet, make sure you’re taking care of them. Certainly some shopping as well and our friends at window nation 8669 D nation, you buy two you get two free 0% financing. I still haven’t paid for the ticket to Baltimore, you have no idea which was one of the best local productions I’ve ever seen. And Dan Rodricks you’re here at fade Lee’s on a cold morning in Baltimore. Before we even put you on the air. Your reporter eEdge reporter jacket on the new Lexington market the old like this city never stops changing. But man, you made me cry three times last weekend. You made me laugh. You’ve made me make my own list of Malaprops and I’m working on for you. I love you. How are you? It’s good to see you brothers

01:07

to the lovers mutual. Nice to see you and thank you for the kind things you’ve said about the play. Well, let’s talk about the play late you will you will have to you will have to buy a ticket I think I mean, I don’t know you Visa MasterCard, or you haven’t purchased the ticket. I assumed you would but you know we can talk about that. Just kidding. You got tickets we had some people who said they couldn’t come because of COVID We had several COVID

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people everybody in my life is I mean the last three appointments this week cancel because

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so so so they these kind people said didn’t ask for a refund they just said please get my ticket. This shows us sold out please get my ticket to someone who wants to come in so you benefit from someone else’s doing and my

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story is this I saw you promoting this thing. Yeah, I didn’t know what it was. So you know it was a play? Yes. I knew was a stage play. I thought it was a one man show. I didn’t know any I didn’t do any research on it. But I almost bought it I had the thing up to buy a ticket and I thought do I want to go Friday or Saturday it had to do with my wife it had and then my wife got sick as a dog not COVID But like in bed for four or five days and I never purchased but you were supposed to come to my show. Yeah, and that Pappas and you had jury duty? What a trip so I my whole jam Dan was to have you out? Have you told me what in the world you were doing right? And that never happened? So then my wife got sick and then Raven started losing. And then that Friday afternoon My wife was feeling a little bit better. She had worked on Wednesday and Thursday and and I just threw a flyer onto your Facebook I’m like you know what I got a wild here it’s 430 shows in a cut I feel like it’s cold out but like I want to go do this and I knew you weren’t doing it again. And I through and you through them and and then I’m in the second row. And I’m bawling like a baby like what you did to me that night. Yeah. Oh

03:08

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wow. It was ups and downs laughs and cries egg laughter tears start at the beginning

03:13

it Springsteen inspire you. I mean, what no one man show inspired this because

03:18

fire. Yeah. So years ago, Eric Bogosian. Oh, I love him to death and rock and roll. He would

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do the shows up at the centerstand fish. Yeah. Oh, it’s amazing. What the griller Did you see that?

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He was He did everything. He did all these voices. He did. Characters and I thought it was I thought it was amazing. And then I saw him in a movie called Talk Radio. Remember that?

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I do. I have all of these on VHS. I gotta call Towson transfers, Greg, I’m looking for you. But But Gozi and stuff. I own it. And I won’t. It’s one of those VHS I won’t throw it away.

03:52

Because that game is really good. This is back in the 80s. We’re talking about 80s When I worked at the paper early nine. Yes. Yeah. So I interviewed him on web al radio once and he came in with it. You know, the man is all attitude, right? He comes in smoking cigarettes, and it’s got this attitude. And he says, Did you just see my show? Said No, I haven’t seen your show yet. Okay, we’ll just bullshit our way through it that he thought it was gonna be through the interview. And actually, I knew his stuff very well. And then I went to see his show action was ended up being a really good interview. And I examined him about how we develop these characters and what kind of help he had and in developing them in determining whether whether we could stand as fail. Yeah, sure. Because it wasn’t stand up comedy. It was stand up observations. Well, he did characters right. He did. Each each segment was a one man play really?

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Right. Very much so and mainly without props. Yeah, like it was very Oh, it’s just a town kind of.

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He would do a British rock star. He would do a homeless guy. He would do a homeless guy who had a pet. He would do some mafia guy some contractor with me. mafia connections some Hollywood agent, he would he slipped in out of these characters. So I was always taken with that. And I saw George see Scott do Clarence Darrow on stage and I thought, you know, the talent stories. I’ve got a million stories I’ve written almost 6500 columns for the Baltimore’s it’s kind of ridiculous.

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Haven’t read them all day No, only read about half. Yeah, right on denodo.

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And I only remember a few of there’s been so many. So I thought I can do a one man show. And then then I thought, what if you did a one man show but when you’re telling a story, a character appears on stage, the character that you’re talking about? Here sure appears and interacts with me so that each, so you end up having eight or nine scenes in a play, where I’m interacting with another actor instead of just doing it all one man,

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so I didn’t do nothing. Would you have told me this? What would you if I had seen you at Pappas and let’s put play bingo Xenia. I could be but Gaussian. So I love that it’s the Gaussian reference. The thing I remember I saw him a couple of times at a ring because I felt driving nails into the ground with your forehead was that that was okay. Okay. And then the other one was griller Yeah, and this was a much like your show but it had other people on stage and he was the angry New Jersey guy on the front lawn pitch and about everything I hated everybody in his family was suicidal going through like all he was this. Are you manic character? Are

06:38

you familiar with six death and rock and roll? Because I think that was the first breakout one. Okay. Yeah. But anyway, so

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you tell me this, what would you told me? On this,

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I would say this is a play with a series of vignettes based on my newspaper columns, in which, which I tell stories and characters bring these actors bring characters to life, strung together with music to help change the mood and move the story pictures were unbelievable. 10 and augmented by very large images at the back of the

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things like this stage, iconic things. Baltimore literally.

07:15

Yeah. So you take all those elements, and it’s a multimedia show is it’s a musical I call it a musical play. Because the music is integral to threading together the scenes and changing the mood because we go from you know, comic scenes to pretty serious stuff. And that’s that’s how I envisioned it. And I think I’ve stumbled upon a formula that’s kind of unusual for theater. Most people who go to theater more than I do even say that this they haven’t seen this form before. Okay, newspaper guy telling his own stories playing himself with instant for me

07:53

it was Springsteen. Did you see this Springsteen? Springsteen on Broadway,

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you know, I’ve only seen clips of it, but

08:00

he wrote a book that is light and it’s I read the book, I went with my wife who didn’t read the book. Yeah, we went up to New York she sat there and bawled like a baby because all the stories were first time she didn’t know the stories same thing was true about seeing you right? She didn’t know your column. She didn’t know those stories. The woman who called the newsroom I sort of remember working there you know, like I the woman that would call you and say I lost my son you know that oh, yeah, that was the key right? I remember pieces of your life and the way that would if you were Springsteen, but the way it was told by you and the way you How did that happen in the cabin up in Westerman writing all of this finding a pianos finding a mute, like the thing I was so struck by is you could write this, but the bring it to life. Just for one weekend. I feel cheated. You’re cheated if you didn’t see it audience sometimes. Right now. It’s

08:58

I can some people who said Why was it only a three performance run? It’s not really a run. It’s only three performances. I didn’t know whether this would work. And I put up my own money to produce it. I didn’t have backers or investors. I wasn’t you know, Max Bialystock. You know, I didn’t do that. And get old ladies on coaches and get them a right

09:17

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check. springtime. Yeah, springtime for rocks.

09:21

So I just I didn’t know whether it be successful or not. So we made a conservative schedule of only three performances and I wanted to see how it went. And I didn’t know it was you know, I didn’t have to go. I was it was great. I mean, it was so thrilling. The people the response has been kind of overwhelming. Really.

09:39

I told you I was gonna slobber on you and we’ll could make it you want to give a little love? Because yeah, well was my producer my TV show, right? Is that right? What 1998 I did a TV show with Lawrence Taylor and Buddy Ryan shot at Sheffield will was st to

09:54

know he will sports we’re talking about wills Schwartz, who created Rodricks for breakfast the show I had on channel two before that you did that in the Kitchen Kitchen. Yeah, right here. That was all of wills Schwartz. And anyway, I’ve known wills since the 80s, when he was a sports producer at WB al when he worked with Chris Thomas, Vince Bagley, I didn’t know he worked with Chris and Vince. And yeah, that’s when I first met him. So and he’s had a whole life as a video producer, producer, and, and he’s never done. Stage. So this was his debut as a director. And I said, Well, I’ve always I’ve always counted on him. He’s like a rabbi to me. I’ve always counted on him to tell me, does this work? Does that work? Is this appropriate? Or is that not appropriate? What’s the zeitgeist you know? He’s really, really a cool guy. Well, I agree with you wholeheartedly. So so he came along his sister, it turns out, is in theater, runs the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and came to the BMA last year to scout out that great theater. So underutilized theater and bald I didn’t know was there. A lot of people don’t know that the Meyerhof that I call it the little Meyerhof because it’s the mitre Meyerhof auditorium seats in there. 403 60. Okay, all right. 366, okay. It’s the Meyerhoff auditorium at the Baltimore Museum of Art. It really is a theater, they shouldn’t call it and I told him, I’ve already written to them say, I think you should call this a theater. This is not an auditorium. It’s nice. It’s very comfortable. Anyway. So we’ll get we’ll bought in and then Matt Lane, who is the son of Mike Lane, the late Mike Lane, who was a cartoonist of the evening sun. I knew that name. Okay. Yeah. He’s a gifted musician. I’ve known since he was a teenager. And actually, you should I brought him on to my old radio shows the play.

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So you had him in mind? Yeah, you have well in mind to Oh, yeah. You wouldn’t have done this without these people. I, I couldn’t have I needed

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a director. I couldn’t do it myself. I mean, I ended up directing a bit because these are the this is my script, right? But I turned it over to will. And Matt, and I said to Matt, I want original music in this thing. And I want you to write it I want to work on a song with you a Baltimore song Oh, and we ended up coming up with that song. Oh, Baltimore, which I think is pretty good.

12:19

I was surprised morning Baltimore. Different Baltimore.

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A different Yeah. And we’re going to record and record that and put out a video of just the song did you video the show? Okay, so that’s another thing. You did not did you. It’s it’s a rough one camera video. What I wanted to do was get the thing on stage, do it right, focus on that, and not focus on other things, which means three or four cameras, and good audio. I didn’t want to produce a half S video and put it out to the public. So we’re going to stage the play again. In April, I think maybe March or April and then again in December so gonna have two more runs in the QA sees

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that breaking new you already broke that story. No, I had sets already decided I’m glad that you’re doing that. Because that was we have my ask of you is that I’m going to bring friends I’m going to I’m gonna I might even tailgate Rodricks might be a little little I might have two or three Emmy by the time I get okay, because I I went back to see Springsteen on Broadway three times. Did you really? Yeah. Because, well, yeah. The second time I saw it led to the circus, he rewrote it. So this would be you five years from now, when deciding that, that you’re going to lose a great character, you’re gonna have two or three new pieces, or the things at the cutting room floor that didn’t make it right.

13:47

Well, here’s the thing. With all those columns I’ve written over the years, there’s more stories that I could dramatize, that I didn’t put into this. And I have, it just seems to me the potential for I don’t know what you’d call it sort of stories and repertoire. Stories serialized. And different productions would have different titles and different courtrooms. For instance, I’ve been in courtrooms so many courtrooms over the years and seen so many interesting things. That I could easily write a play based on courtroom scenes alone. So I’m going to do that. You know, same format with music. When

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did you start this one? What was the seed? That Gozi thing hit you? You’re doing? Radio it

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was years ago, but

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what’s the day that you said I’m going to start to write a screenplay and I’m thinking it was a snowy day. You’re sitting off off the savage River. There’s no fish to catch, right? Yeah. I see you as sort of Jack Torrance. You know, up there in the mountains all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. You know what I mean? That’s what I’m seeing.

14:51

Now, I did it. I wrote it about a year and a half ago. Almost two years ago, I think, and I I ran it by will. And I said, Well, what do you think of this? He says, I think you can pull this off. I don’t think he is. He thought I had confidence that I could stand on the stage for a while and

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hold you. Yes, many times. Yeah.

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So I, in the years I’ve been in Baltimore, I’ve actually done some Gilbert and Sullivan. operetta. I actually say,

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I thought the reason I would bring this up is my radio stations up in a neighborhood off Providence road. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the station. So, so in that neighborhood, our former boss, Jack Lemmon? Yeah, he lives around the corner and I in 1986, I joined the paper, right, maybe 86 or 87. There was a party he would throw every year in the spring or in the fall was October, October fast because he’s German. So every year but there was a pool. I remember. Yeah, we didn’t get into pool. But I remembered it was cold. And one of the fellows in the newsroom had a band, and he would come out and they would play classic rock. Bam, bam, bam, bam. Yeah, so it was all classic rock like that. And there was a point and I didn’t know you. Well, I knew you from TV. And I do not want to embarrass but I’ve always idolized you right? To see this thing on stage last week. You inspired me right? So this is 1986 87 of my 1780s I don’t know you well, but I know I want to know you because you’re what I wanted to be like a columnist in the same way. Like being a sports columnist. And now I do more of the real world as I’ve gotten old like you write but you did some dramatic thing at the pool that day or

16:34

I did Springsteen was imitation one year.

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This was a year you might have done a dondon Aldo or you did something very operatic you like Don Tanaka was like an Italian. Like thing. Right camera, right. I was put out of sort of being thespian oriented

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ham, ham. Okay, and

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that learn more about your father and your mother in the fire and like, I don’t want to wreck the play for everybody. But I learned so much about you last week that I didn’t know. But I thought when I saw you up there, like dance dance was in My Fair Lady or West Side Story when he’s in high school. I thought

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it was in Fiddler on the Roof. You know, I first time there I thought about because the reaction of my high school performance I was 18, you know, was so amazing. I thought maybe I should pursue this. But I didn’t you know, I became a journalist. I love journalism.

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You know, I was in my late Yeah, you know, I had I had a lead role in Oliver at Colgate elementary school, you know, saying considered, but if that’s hard, man. Yeah. Remember lines hard?

17:39

Yes. Thank God. My wife Lillian helped me with

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notes, though, right? Where you you written off your notes a little bit? are you just pretending to up on this? There’s

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a little bit of stick where I use a reporter’s notepad to refer to things.

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But I it’s such a sheet for me.

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Yeah, no, you can’t you know what, you can’t do that. You just you got to remember, people will see that you’re using a cheat sheet. They’ll they’ll it’ll look like a cheat sheet and it won’t work. You gotta it’s gotta get up here. And it’s still in here. I mean, I could do the whole play for you right now if you wanted to. Yeah, yeah.

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No, we’re seeing so March, April they get in December.

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Yeah. I wanted to ask you a question. Sure. Since you know me. Yeah. We’ve known each other for a long time since you were 35 years on newsroom longtime, or isn’t it? Was it weird to see me on stage? Not

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at all? No, no, no, no, no, I I, again, I keep going back to like, Springsteen would be the thing I know the best because I’ve seen it on stage a couple of times.

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But tell me, but you don’t know him. Right? Yeah, he’s a celebrity but you don’t know him. Right. Right. Right.

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You look very comfortable in doing it. But more than being in command of your own life and your own story. Yeah. Was this brilliance of pictures, words storytelling characters. But the visual aid it wouldn’t it wouldn’t have been the same without the beginning. With this is Baltimore This is fatal these these are the Orioles This is the word opens with harbor. This is Bertha’s This is Baltimore, right? Well, I

19:11

thought in my head, I thought I’ve worked in TV. And I thought, you know, why not use visuals? Why would you do what? Why would you miss that opportunity if you have it to enhance a stage story with visuals, big, big images of Baltimore. You know, there’s a scene that takes place in the Lord Baltimore Hotel. So we’ll throws up on the screen. This exterior night shot of the Lord Baltimore hotels, it

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says broadcasting from the Lord Baltimore hotel for three years now to do so I walked through that lobby to those doors up past the ballroom around back to where my WL G studios were. Two suites on the third floor. Yeah, right in the back. Yeah. And so when you met the lady who was connected to the local bookmaker, Girl mob and like, and she’s she was married to the mob. And the fact that that happened in this space really set me because I’m a Baltimorean Dude, this is this is, you know, and you’re not. And which is like even more fly in,

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you know, yeah, I have a different view of it a different type of appreciation of it, I guess. But you know, I thought the set, the rowhouse set and the images created this really neat, unique environment for a play. And I just

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thought it was brilliant. I don’t know what else to say. Good. Roderick says here Baltimore. You have no idea and I like your use of you have no idea throughout the play. We say Danis you were fatally so brought to you by friends at the marijuana dragon last year. Goodwill and our friends and window nation. We will have crab cakes and fried oysters. It’s the holidays. We’re shipping all over the world. Daniel be here to talk about that. And okay. i So my wife I want I want you to see what she

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did to me. Was that the commercial break just in? No, it’s just

21:02 no Yeah, break it up. Older Dan. Oh, good. I’m good. All right.