Legendary Denver radio personality Gus Mircos died Sundaywhich on Monday morning got KHOW’s Peter Boyles talking about the old days in radio.
Mircos was the morning drive guy at KOA for 22 years — before he was replaced by Steve Kelley in 1997. Kelley later moved to Fox 31’s “Good Day Colorado.”
Mircos was known as the “resident crank case” — a big-hearted, gruff old guy with a gravelly voice and a crusty world-view. Grumpy Gus. Just who you want to begin the day with.
Mircos helped Boyles get a start in the business at KAAT radio. Boyles worked the first Christmas Eve — and then everyone was fired the next Christmas Eve, Boyles, Mircos and Ed Greene.
Ah, radio days. Boyles says every time you heard a long record — say “Last Dance” or “MacArthur Park” — it meant one of three things: The DJ was in the bathroom, smoking a joint or otherwise busy with a friend.
Fellow DJs at the stations would try to distract on-air personalities by sending in peelers or lighting their copy on fire as they read the news, says Boyles.
And, of course, there was the mooning, a practice that seems to have died down. Boyles figures the last person he mooned was Kelley. “I’m trying to erase that from my memory,” says Kelley.
Obituary T&C.
Cherry Creek North gets a full-page shout-out in this month’s tony Town & Country magazine. Trying to overlook the cow-town rep, the article opens: “The early settlers of Denver weren’t exactly known as fashion plates.”
Thanks.
The society mag gives nods to Hermes and Loro Piana, coming in later this year. And it notes that Denver insiders have been shopping at Lawrence Covell, Oster Jewelers, Mario Di Leone, Aera, Andrisen Morton and Max.
Spell check.
A bunch of spelling nerds went to Tattered Cover LoDo last week to raise some interest in Friday’s Tattered Cover Spelling Bee. It starts at 11:30 a.m. at Skyline Park and benefits the Learning Center. Because I cannot spell, I will be a judge, along with Patty Calhoun and G Brown. Teams will include Arapahoe and Denver Libraries, Jacobs Chase Frick Kleinkopf & Kelley, and 9News. At the kickoff, Hizzoner Hick came with a few words for a gang that included Joyce Meskis, Rex John and Heather Duncan.
On a high note.
On Friday night, a few hundred people showed up at Salon Posh for a casual party with Dan Hinote and Amy McCarthy, Adam Foote, Paul Stastny and Peter Forsberg, who flew in from Sweden especially for the party, then on to Las Vegas. The fete raised $11,000 for Hinote’s Heroes.
At the party, I was on the phone with Renee Herlocker and Gil Whiteley on KCKK 1510-AM, talking about Denver nightlife.
City spirit.
Coldplay hits the Pepsi Center on Nov. 21. Check out Fred Knittle and Young @ Heart singing the band’s “Fix You” on YouTube . . . Sez who: “Lights will guide you home/ And ignite your bones/ And I will try to fix you.” Coldplay
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or at bhusted @denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at .
