Wease Family Circus

There's a study. Parents who let their older kids swear in front of them end up with more honest relationships with their kids. Strict parents? Their kids hide everything, sneak out, lie. Lucy brings it up.

That sets the tone for the whole episode.

This week:

The peewee football game that almost made Lucy cry. The kid she babysits is about to turn 8.

Simeon stayed with the family this week. He brought tulips. Tulips are toxic to cats. They live on top of the fridge now.

Adam and Simeon walked into Blue Wolf Bistro to take down a 40-minute food challenge. Four 8-ounce patties, fries, mac and cheese, a milkshake. The pro record is 13 minutes. They didn't even finish in 40. Then they threw up.

The Fairport fight everyone's losing their mind about. And the eternal Rochester debate about whether Fairport is actually worse than the city now.

Doreen's Portugal trip we somehow forgot to talk about until now.

Lucy hit 13,000 steps babysitting Ronin because the kid decided they were running today. Sunburn included.

Cameras are everywhere now. Your Uber has one. Just assume.

Wease with the gloves off. No FCC. No corporate clock.

SPONSORS

The Contractor Store. If you're a contractor, they'll get you set up, get you gigs, hook you up. Dude, just go to contractorstore.com.

It's nice to be important. It's more important to be nice.

0:00 Cold Open
0:29 Family And Sports Talk
1:42 Planning Game Day
2:49 Game Predictions
6:22 Sponsor: The Contractor Store
6:46 Sports And Personal Stories
9:35 Dreams And Unresolved Stuff
12:01 Betting Stories
15:37 Newspaper Clippings And More Dreams
16:15 The Kids Swearing Conversation
25:34 Strict Parents Make Sneaky Kids
26:33 Reading To Kids
31:24 When Reading Actually Hits You
32:11 Sports And Family Memories
33:40 Family Gift Pranks
37:31 The Ice Cream Misunderstanding
40:44 Sports Scandals
45:01 The Cruise Incident: Whose Fault Was It
47:04 Bagel Talk
47:28 The Bagel Shop That Restored Our Faith
51:01 Poker Stories And Bad Luck
57:06 Adam And Simeon vs The Blue Wolf Food Challenge
1:02:41 Where Adam Wants His Next Eating Contest
1:03:30 The Fairport Bar Fight
1:04:35 Cameras Are Everywhere Now
1:06:07 13,000 Steps Babysitting Ronan
1:07:24 Social Media In Books
1:09:30 Dash Cams Are Watching You
1:15:00 Dunkin's Portuguese Connection
1:15:23 Sign Off

Clark Peshkin is the presenting sponsor of Wease Family Circus. Clark hosts free estate planning workshops that break down what actually works for New York families, especially if you own a home and want to keep things private and simple for the people you love. Register at https://clarkpeshkin.com/wease

Wheels Maxwell from Wednesdays with Wheels rolls into the Circus and the whole thing goes sideways in the best way. Sabres playoff fever, Facebook jail, a $300K cruise ship lawsuit, and a story about loaning money to a degenerate poker player that ends with Doreen playing collections agent.

Buffalo is back in the playoffs for the first time in forever and Wheels is fully locked in. The family gets into the absurd ticket resale prices, why season ticket holders aren't the villains, and how the Sabres are throwing a massive free viewing party at Canalside that might be more fun than sitting in the arena. Jake remembers being at the Stanley Cup Finals as a kid. Doreen admits she's on the bandwagon. Wease drops the real take: if you don't want to pay inflated prices, don't pay them. Go to the free party.

Then it gets heavy in a good way. Wheels opens up about Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Getting kicked out of the Special Olympics because he wasn't mentally disabled. Playing Paralympic sled hockey in Buffalo. The dating life where people Google his life expectancy before they'll meet him for a drink. Real stories, no filter, no pity party.

We also hit Wease's last day at iHeart. Jake captured the whole thing on camera. Doreen is the negotiator, Wease is the softie who feels bad for everyone, and somewhere in there is the story of a poker player who stiffed Wease for $150 until Doreen hunted him down so hard Wease finally caved and handed her $200 just to make her stop.

Doreen and Lucy recap Tortuga Music Festival. Beach vibes, country crowds, Toby Keith between sets. Jake admits it's not his scene. Doreen defends the country fans and says they're the nicest people at any festival.

Then Kalshi comes up. The app where you can bet on politics and weather. Wease bets $50 that Trump would name-drop the space launch and cashes out $100 in two seconds. Wheels explains how people were betting on war with Iran right before it happened. Congress is already trying to regulate it.

Then the craziest story of the episode. Wheels gets thrown in Facebook jail for child exploitation. Someone hacked his account and sent illegal content through Messenger. Month-long lockout. He panics, appeals, loses his mind, then admits it was the best digital detox of his life. Second he got his account back he was right back on it because the podcast runs on social. The family goes to war over parents suing Facebook, age verification, or whether parents just need to parent. Wease says blaming the platform is like blaming heroin dealers. Doreen pushes back: not every kid has great parents.

We close with a $300,000 cruise ship lawsuit. A 45 year old woman drinks 14 shots of tequila in nine hours, falls down a staircase, and sues Carnival for over-serving her. Wease calls BS. She could have been at six different bars. The family gets into bartender responsibility and whether cruise ships should be on the hook when someone tequilas themselves into the ER.

Plus stories about Brother Larry the bookmaker who'd settle debts for pennies on the dollar, the Wi-Fi crash that killed the recording mid-sentence, and why Wheels never got hooked up like Bull did back in the day.

Sabres hype. Facebook nightmares. Tequila lawsuits. Classic Circus.

It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Sponsor Introduction: Clark Peskin
• 00:01:25 Introducing Wheels Maxwell: Sabers Playoffs Excitement
• 00:02:18 Sabres Memories: Jake at the Stanley Cup Finals
• 00:04:06 Rasmus Dahlin's Journey and His Wife's Heart Transplant
• 00:05:57 Playoff Ticket Prices: The Resale Debate
• 00:10:37 The Masters and Taylor Swift: Ticket Control Done Right
• 00:14:51 Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month with Wheels
• 00:16:51 Kicked Out of Special Olympics: The Swimming Story
• 00:18:28 Paralympic Sled Hockey and Ray Maluda Connection
• 00:20:26 Wease's Final Day at iHeart: Behind the Scenes
• 00:23:29 Doreen the Negotiator vs Wease the Softie
• 00:25:11 The $150 Poker Loan That Won't Get Paid Back
• 00:31:09 Tortuga Music Festival: Country Crowds and Beach Vibes
• 00:37:10 Kalshi App: Betting on Politics and Weather
• 00:42:00 Facebook Jail: Wheels' Child Exploitation Nightmare
• 00:45:27 Phone Addiction and Digital Detox Reality
• 00:49:15 Suing Facebook: Parents vs Social Media Giants
• 00:54:25 The $300K Cruise Ship Lawsuit: 14 Shots of Tequila
• 00:57:41 Bartender Responsibility and Over-Serving
• 01:07:07 Brother Larry the Bookmaker: Settling Debts for Less
• 01:08:24 Wi-Fi Crash and Final Thoughts with Wheels

Aaron Gold was Brother Wease's intern in the summer of 1991. On his first day, he showed up to find out the other intern — also named Aaron — had died that weekend. That was his welcome to the Brother Wease Morning Circus.
35 years later, he's a senior editor at Motor Trend, and he's finally back to tell the stories. The Pauly Shore kick-out. The Joe Cocker bit BJ ruined on purpose. Nora Hayden and the invention of football, baseball, and ice cream sundaes on the radio. The Circle of Jerkness. And the night BJ Shaeffer walked him through his divorce over ice cream at the Grammys.
This one's for the real ones who remember the golden age of CMF mornings — and anyone who wants to know how that kind of radio actually got made.
Plus: Wease shops the new Kia Telluride, Aaron explains why he secretly loves the Cybertruck, and we learn way more than anyone needed to know about mules.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 — Clark Peskin estate planning (seriously, go to a seminar)
01:00 — Aaron Gold checks in from LA (and he's sitting next to Jake)
02:33 — Motor Trend, Toby Gold, and how Wease gave him the internship
04:30 — Telluride vs. Palisade: Wease shops for a new ride
08:49 — The summer of '91, Tom Proietti, and how the internship actually happened
12:00 — The dead intern story: "You're Toby's kid?"
15:18 — D the Killer Deadhead vs. Pauly Shore
17:40 — What it was really like to work the Brother Wease Morning Circus
19:30 — Why Wease kicked Pauly Shore out (twice) and Michael Winslow once
22:30 — The Jack Benny theory: great radio has no ego
25:30 — Why Wease says he has no talent (and why Jake calls BS)
28:00 — "Cocker? I don't even know her" — the Joe Cocker bit BJ blew up
30:30 — Nora Hayden, football, baseball, and ice cream sundaes
32:30 — "Blow me a kiss" and the joke that almost got Aaron killed
38:00 — Beagles, Corvettes, and a 100-year-old snow shovel in LA
43:00 — Rule #1 at Motor Trend: if the press launch is in Florida, the car sucks
44:00 — The Cybertruck confession
49:30 — Infiniti QX80, keypad entries, and hacking press cars
55:30 — Aaron's kids, and how BJ Shaeffer talked him through his divorce
1:00:30 — The Circle of Jerkness
1:02:00 — The crazy lady, "Scotty!", and the loudest page in CMF history
1:04:30 — Mules, baby mules, and a horse named Mercedes
1:10:30 — "Aaron takes it in the face" — how BJ worked a directional mic
1:12:30 — Kasko Gladstone, Desert Storm, and the song that gave Aaron chills
1:14:10 — 35 years later: thank you to the master
1:15:00 — Sabres vs. Tampa, Fubo TV, and the gay hockey show
1:21:30 — The wrong bed, Doreen's Irish temper, and guest-room protocol
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SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW
🎙️ weasefamilycircus.com
📺 YouTube: @weasefamilycircus
📸 Instagram: @weasefamilycircus
🎧 Spotify / Apple Podcasts: Wease Family Circus
⸻
THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Clark Peskin — free estate planning seminars every other Wednesday at noon and 4pm. Sign up at weasefamilycircus.com or clarkpeskin.com. A will isn't enough. Go get educated.
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ABOUT THE SHOW
The Wease Family Circus is the continuation of a decades-long radio legacy — Brother Wease, Doreen, Jake, Lucy, and a rotating cast of people you already know. New long-form episodes every week. Clips, vault drops, and live call-ins in between.
No corporate polish. No bullshit. Same Circus. New ring.
#WeaseFamilyCircus #BrotherWease #RochesterNY #CMF #Podcast #AaronGold #MotorTrend #BJShaeffer

Clark Peshkin is the presenting sponsor of Wease Family Circus.

Clark Peshkin hosts free estate planning workshops that explain what actually works for New York families, especially if you own a home and want to keep things private and simple for the people you love.

Register at https://clarkpeshkin.com/wease

In Episode 12 of Wease Family Circus, the family opens the vault and pulls out one of the wildest motorcycle run stories ever told, a day in 1996 that started with excitement and ended with chaos, ambulances, and Doreen getting hit by a car just one mile into Jake's very first motorcycle run.

Jake was only eight years old, sitting on the back of Wease's bike with a sissy bar, ready for his first big adventure. Two hundred and fifty motorcycles lined up downtown Rochester at a tattoo shop on Main Street, engines roaring, riders pumped. But before they even made it a few hundred yards, everything went sideways.

A panicked driver, overwhelmed by the sound of hundreds of motorcycles, went around a bike blocking traffic and slammed directly into Doreen and JD, who were stopped at a red light. Doreen got thrown off the bike. JD hopped off. The paramedics arrived. The fire truck showed up. And Doreen, laying on the pavement with her pants cut off and her favorite jeans destroyed, refused to go to the hospital.

The episode breaks down the entire insane day:

• How Jake's first motorcycle run lasted exactly one mile before disaster struck
• The driver who panicked, went around the blocking bike, and hit Doreen and JD at a red light
• Wease standing in the back of the pack with Jake, having no idea what was happening up front
• The woman who pulled up to Wease's leg in her car and said she wasn't waiting, threatening to drive through the scene
• Tommy Donati getting into a screaming match with a Puerto Rican woman in the middle of the chaos
• JD jumping into the driver's car to back it up while the guy's terrified family sat inside
• Doreen crying about her favorite pair of jeans getting cut off by paramedics
• The fact that Doreen and JD both finished the run instead of going to the hospital

Wease admits he had a bad feeling about this run from the start. They were doing it downtown, which they never did. Andy's blue light on the back of the bike broke when Jake got on. And the jelly at the rest stop was mixed fruit, which every rider knew was bad luck. Strawberry or grape meant smooth sailing. Mixed fruit meant something bad was about to happen.

The audio from 1996 captures the entire story, complete with Wease, Tommy Donati, and the crew recounting the madness in real time. You hear Doreen's thick Long Island accent as she calls into the show to talk about Jake's farting situation from the night before, completely unaware that this clip would be animated and played back decades later.

But the chaos doesn't stop with the motorcycle run. The episode also dives into:

Wease reflects on how Mikey Amalfi Jr.'s dedication to fitness and clean living played a massive role in his ability to survive such aggressive cancer treatment. Doctors said his strength allowed his body to fight back in ways that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. It's a reminder that taking care of yourself matters, especially when life throws the worst at you.

The episode also features Jake's original song Going Outside, a track inspired by the lost art of disconnecting, playing in the woods, and living without screens. The lyrics hit hard, reminding listeners of a time when going outside was the plan, every single day, no phones in sight, just bikes, climbing trees, and exploring the world.

From motorcycle runs gone wrong to Tiger Woods drama to cancer survival stories to songs about unplugging, Episode 12 delivers laughs, nostalgia, and the kind of raw family storytelling that makes Wease Family Circus unforgettable.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Sponsor Introduction: Clark Peskin
• 00:07:30 No Trespassing Signs and Tiger Woods DUI Drama
• 00:15:20 Taylor Swift Lawsuit and Josh Allen's Baby Girl
• 00:19:30 Introducing Jake's First Motorcycle Run Story
• 00:30:00 The Run Begins: Bad Vibes and Mixed Fruit
• 00:35:00 Doreen Gets Hit by a Car One Mile In
• 00:37:50 The Ambulance Scene: Cut My Effing Pants
• 00:40:20 The Puerto Rican Lady Incident
• 00:20:00 Audio Flashback: Farting and Doreen's Long Island Accent
• 00:45:30 Lucy's Low-FODMAP Diet and Mikey Malfi's Cancer Victory
• 00:51:00 Going Outside: Jake's New Song and Final Thoughts

Clark Peshkin is the presenting sponsor of Wease Family Circus.

Clark Peshkin hosts free estate planning workshops that explain what actually works for New York families, especially if you own a home and want to keep things private and simple for the people you love.

Register at https://clarkpeshkin.com/wease

In this episode of Wease Family Circus, the family gathers to share one of the wildest, most chaotic nights in recent memory—a night that started with tequila, marijuana, and the Academy Awards, and ended with a 4 a.m. emergency room visit, a cracked skull, and paramedics trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

Wease admits his Parkinson's has been kicking his ass lately, and when you combine that with too much tequila and smoking weed, things can go sideways fast. He got up in the middle of the night to grab hearing aid batteries from the bathroom, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up on the tile floor with a gash on his head and Doreen calling 911.

The episode breaks down the entire ordeal:

• How Wease passed out in the bathroom, cracked his head on the tile, and didn't even realize what happened
• Doreen's frantic efforts to break his fall while he went down completely unconscious
• The house guests who walked in on the chaos and called for help
• Fire rescue showing up to find Wease naked, confused, and asking what the hell he was doing in the bathroom
• The ambulance ride to the hospital, where Wease complained to paramedics about what Doreen was putting him through
• Hours in the ER getting X-rays, CAT scans, blood tests, EKGs, and IVs while Doreen stood around like a zombie at 3 in the morning
• Getting discharged at 4:30 a.m. after Doreen kept the staff on their toes to speed things up

Wease admits he was in bad shape that night. The Parkinson's, the tequila, the weed—it all hit at once. Doreen was terrified he had a brain bleed, which is why she insisted on the ER trip. The hospital staff was phenomenal, checking everything to make sure he was okay, but Wease spent the whole time annoyed that Doreen kept telling everyone the story over and over again.

But the chaos didn't end there. When they finally got home, the elevator in their building was out. Completely out. No elevator service for a 12-story building, which meant the only way up was to walk the stairs or take a bizarre detour through someone else's condo on the 23rd floor.

The episode also covers:

• Jake's wild coincidence of meeting two people separately—one in London, one in New York—who are now dating each other
• Lucy's trip to McSorley's, the oldest Irish pub in New York City, where the waiter snapped at her and held 10 beers in one hand
• The debate over whether Timothy Chalamet or Michael B. Jordan deserved the Oscar for best actor
• How Michael B. Jordan physically created dimples for one of his twin characters without makeup
• The Cannabis Corner event at the Carlson Lounge, where guests get VIP treatment before comedy shows
• Wease's ongoing struggle with finding the right marijuana dosage for sleep without getting too high
• The Sabres' playoff push and why Wease is convinced they're winning the Stanley Cup this year
• The psychic who predicted the Bills would win the Super Bowl in 2027 and the Sabres would win the Cup in 2026

This episode is raw, chaotic, and filled with the kind of real-life drama that only happens to the Wease family. From emergency room visits to elevator nightmares to neighbor feuds and reality TV controversies, it's another wild ride through the circus.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Sponsor Introduction: Clark Peskin
• 00:01:58 The Hospital Visit: Parkinson's, Tequila, and a 4 AM ER Trip
• 00:10:29 The Elevator Crisis: Trapped on the 12th Floor
• 00:14:46 Poker Life and Casino Adventures
• 00:17:17 The Bachelorette Controversy: Whitney Leavitt Drama
• 00:22:24 Reality TV Deep Dive: Bachelor vs Love Island
• 00:26:02 The Insane Connection: London to Love Island
• 00:31:08 Academy Awards Recap and JFK Series Review
• 00:40:57 The Neighbor Leaf Burning Dispute
• 01:00:09 Sabers Playoff Fever and Stanley Cup Dreams

Clark Peshkin is the presenting sponsor of Wease Family Circus.

Clark Peshkin hosts free estate planning workshops that explain what actually works for New York families, especially if you own a home and want to keep things private and simple for the people you love.

Register at https://clarkpeshkin.com/wease

In this episode of Wease Family Circus, legendary broadcaster Rich "The Bull" Gaenzler joins the family for a long overdue reunion packed with stories, laughs, and one of the most unforgettable radio bits in Rochester history.

Bull was part of the Wease show family for years, starting as an intern in 1988 and eventually becoming a producer, on-air personality, and one of the sweetest people to ever walk through the CMF doors. Wease admits Bull was one of the nicest kids he ever knew, the kind of guy who showed up to his college graduation party when nobody else from the station did.

But this episode isn't just about nostalgia. It's about the story that listeners have been asking about for decades: The Motel Bit.

The family dives deep into what really happened that day:

• How Wease convinced a sex expert guest to take Bull to a motel on Jefferson Road during the morning show
• The plan to turn it into a bit where Bull would come back and tell wild stories about the experience
• What actually happened in that hotel room and why Bull couldn't go through with it
• The guilt that kicked in after the fact and how Bull felt like he'd been with a hooker at 9:30 in the morning
• How Tommy convinced Bull to tell the truth on the air the next day, turning the bit into radio gold
• Why Bull's Catholic upbringing and his father's words "be a good boy" shaped his decision

Wease admits he and his scumbag friends couldn't believe Bull turned it down. If they were 22 and someone handed them a hookup and a motel room, they would have thought they died and went to heaven. But Bull was different. He was raised with values, integrity, and a conscience that wouldn't let him cross that line, even for a legendary radio bit.

The episode also covers Bull's incredible broadcasting career:

• How he went from intern to interim production director at CMF while still in college
• His time producing for Wease, which he calls the hardest radio gig he ever had
• The legendary afternoon show with BJ Shea that dominated Buffalo radio
• How he became the voice of the Buffalo Bills for nearly 15 years, flying on team charters, staying in team hotels, and building friendships with players like Ryan Fitzpatrick
• His time as the Sabres in-arena host, doing post-game interviews on the ice during playoff runs in 1999, 2006, and 2011
• Why he stopped drinking a couple years ago and how it changed his perspective on tailgating and sports fandom

Bull also shares his thoughts on the current state of radio, why it's struggling, and how AI-generated music is changing the entertainment industry. He talks about his love for the Bills and Sabres, why he's not a huge tailgater despite his years covering the teams, and why he thinks the Sabres have a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup this year.

Bull also reveals how Wease and the CMF crew welcomed him with open arms when he was a shy, overweight kid who didn't have great self-esteem. He talks about how Charlie was one of the most talented people he ever knew, how Billy and Joe T became close friends, and how Wease fought to keep him on the show when management wanted him gone.

This episode is a celebration of the golden era of Rochester radio, the people who made it legendary, and the moments that became part of broadcasting history. From motel rooms to playoff runs to career-defining decisions, Bull's story is one of integrity, talent, and the kind of genuine kindness that made him unforgettable.

Whether you remember Bull from his days at CMF, his years with the Bills and Sabres, or you're hearing his story for the first time, this episode delivers laughs, nostalgia, and the truth behind one of the most talked-about bits in Wease show history.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Sponsor Introduction: Clark Peskin
• 00:01:09 Introducing Rich the Bull Gunsler: Radio Reunion
• 00:07:20 The Motel Bit: What Really Happened?
• 00:14:21 College Graduation Party: The Only One Who Showed
• 00:15:27 Cleatorus and the Afternoon Show with BJ
• 00:19:42 The Guest Parade: How Wease Got the Big Names
• 00:23:26 Radio Then and Now: What Happened to the Industry
• 00:26:30 AI Music and the Future of Entertainment
• 00:33:28 Buffalo Bills Broadcasting: 15 Years on the Sidelines
• 00:40:33 Sabres In-Arena Host and Hockey Fandom
• 00:45:42 Philadelphia Flyers, Fandom Rules, and Origin Stories
• 00:57:19 Bills and Sabres Predictions: Championship Hopes
• 01:01:30 Closing Thoughts and Sponsor Reminder

Clark Peshkin is the presenting sponsor of Wease Family Circus.

Clark Peshkin hosts free estate planning workshops that explain what actually works for New York families, especially if you own a home and want to keep things private and simple for the people you love.

Register at https://clarkpeshkin.com/wease

In Episode 9 of Wease Family Circus, the family opens the vault and pulls out radio gold from the past, the kind of content that could never air today. This is raw, unfiltered, and absolutely hilarious, a time capsule of a different era in broadcasting when the rules were looser, the humor was edgier, and the guests were unforgettable.

Wease admits he can't remember half of this stuff happening. After thousands of shows over 40 years, the memories blur together. But listening back now, decades later, brings it all flooding back, the chaos, the laughter, and the moments that made Rochester radio legendary.

The episode features:

• Gussie, the beloved character who became a staple of the Wease show, calling in from home to talk lottery numbers, horror movies, and life in her unmistakable voice
• The legendary Jack Garner, Rochester's iconic movie critic, stopping by to review films and share his insights
• Lavern Baker, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer whose hits like Jim Dandy and I Cried a Tear defined an era, calling in to talk about her career, her time with Jackie Wilson, and the dirty song they recorded together that nobody knew existed until years later
• The story of Jerry Lynn Williams, the musician who worked with Little Richard, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Eric Clapton, sharing stories about cheap wine, guitar lessons, and the song he wrote that became a Clapton classic
• Bob Rivers, the parody king and legendary Seattle broadcaster, calling in from his new gig to talk martinis, coffee culture, and the radio business
• The day Gussie collapsed on the studio floor, thrashing around while paramedics tried to hold her down, and how she showed up at the station the next day after taking the bus from the hospital because she refused to miss the Thousand Islands trip

The Gussie hospital story is one for the ages. She passed out in the studio, hit the floor, and started convulsing while the crew panicked. Paramedics arrived, wrestled her onto a gurney, and rushed her to the emergency room. While she was out, she claimed she saw a black man in a green suit telling her it was time to go home. Cindy Pierce thought it was Gussie's father calling her to heaven. Wease wasn't buying it, pointing out that her father wanted nothing to do with her when he was alive, so why would he be welcoming her now?

The Lavern Baker interview is pure magic. She talks about recording with Jackie Wilson, the dirty song they made that got taped without her knowing, and how she didn't find out about it until two years before this interview. She laughs about losing her legs, talks about seeing Whitney Houston in Waiting to Exhale, and admits she's mellowed out in her older years. The family plays clips of her legendary voice, from Saved to I Cried a Tear, and you can hear the soul pouring through every note.

This episode is a celebration of the golden era of radio, when anything could happen, when guests like Lavern Baker and Jerry LaCroix could call in and share stories that would never make it past today's corporate filters. It's raw, it's real, and it's the kind of content that made the Wease show legendary.

Whether you remember these moments from the original broadcasts or you're hearing them for the first time, Episode 9 delivers laughs, nostalgia, and a reminder of why Brother Wease's radio legacy continues to resonate with fans across generations.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Sponsor Introduction: Clark Peskin
• 00:01:34 The Gluten Debate: What the Hell Is It Anyway?
• 00:07:40 Reality TV Talk: Traders Finale and Bill Burr's Freebird
• 00:09:42 Doreen's Fun Fact: The Flower Bar Wedding
• 00:19:30 From the Vault: Introducing the Radio Gold
• 00:21:33 Gussie's Lottery Report and Horror Movie Reviews
• 00:25:50 Jack Garner's Movie Reviews with Gussie
• 00:26:40 Arty the Party Guy Calls In
• 00:28:36 Jerry Lynn Williams: Working with Little Richard and Stevie Ray Vaughan
• 00:37:18 Lavern Baker: The Soul Legend Interview
• 00:38:16 The Jackie Wilson Duet You Couldn't Air
• 00:42:22 Lavern Baker Performs Her Classics
• 00:51:34 Gussie's Medical Emergency: The Studio Incident
• 00:52:51 Gussie Returns from the Hospital
• 01:02:54 Jake's Music Video
• 01:04:36 Wrap Up: Cannabis Corner and Final Thoughts

Clark Peshkin is the presenting sponsor of Wease Family Circus.

Clark Peshkin hosts free estate planning workshops that explain what actually works for New York families, especially if you own a home and want to keep things private and simple for the people you love.

Register at https://clarkpeshkin.com/wease

In this episode of Wease Family Circus, the family welcomes Cindy Pierce back to the table for the first time in 26 years. This is the conversation fans have been waiting for, the one that brings closure to a relationship that ended abruptly, publicly, and painfully.

Cindy was part of the Wease show for over a decade, starting in 1988 when she was just 28 years old. She was the voice, the punching bag, the heart of some of the funniest bits in Rochester radio history. But in 2000, everything changed. A lawsuit, a picture posted by producer Joe T, and a series of events that spiraled out of control ended her time on the show and left both Wease and Cindy without closure.

Until now.

This episode dives deep into what really happened:

• The lawsuit that changed everything and how it all started with a picture Joe T posted online
• Why Joe T reposted the picture after it was taken down, reigniting the entire situation
• Cindy's side of the story and why she felt she had no choice but to take legal action
• Wease's defense of keeping Cindy on the show twice when management wanted her fired
• The lawyer who had a crush on Cindy and how that played into the entire ordeal
• How Cindy lost her husband Rope just five years ago and found love again three years later

But this episode isn't just about the lawsuit. It's about the memories, the laughter, and the bond that existed before everything fell apart. The family listens to classic bits featuring Cindy, from loaded cigarette pranks to her legendary singing performances of The Motels and Desperado. They look at old photos from trips to the Bahamas, Watkins Glen NASCAR events, and the legendary Thousand Islands cottage where Wease and Doreen's relationship began.

Cindy reveals the role she played in bringing Wease and Doreen together, pushing them to admit their feelings and encouraging Wease to take the leap. That first kiss? It happened because Cindy insisted. She was the instigator, the matchmaker, and the one who told Wease that his ex wife was never coming back.

The episode also covers:

• Cindy's new life in Toledo with her boyfriend Don, who also works in radio
• Her three trips to the Olympics with Courtney and Sandy Williams, the Olympic skier
• The time Wease stole her wallet from her white convertible to teach her a lesson about locking her doors
• The Atlantis trip where Cindy disappeared all night and missed the morning show
• The skinny dipping story that Doreen thought involved Cindy but was actually someone else
• How Cindy quit smoking cigarettes and switched to vaping so she could breathe again
• The festival tent performance where Cindy sang The Motels on stage and killed it
• The Desperado prank where Charlie potted down the music so only Cindy's voice could be heard

Wease and Cindy both admit they blocked out much of the trauma from that time. The lawsuit, the anger, the confusion, it all left scars that never fully healed. But sitting down together after all these years brings a sense of peace neither of them expected. Cindy talks about the dreams she's had over the years where she and Wease made up and hugged, and how this conversation finally gives her the closure she's been searching for.

The family promises to have Cindy back on the show to go through more classic bits, answer fan questions, and continue the conversation that's been 26 years in the making. From the guys club mentality to the moments that went too far, from the laughter to the lawsuits, this episode is raw, honest, and filled with the kind of storytelling that only comes from people who lived through the chaos together.

Whether you remember Cindy from the radio days or you're hearing her story for the first time, this episode delivers laughs, nostalgia, and the closure that both Wease and Cindy needed.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome and Sponsor Introduction: Clark Peskin
• 00:01:19 Introducing Cindy Pierce: The Big One You've Been Waiting For
• 00:02:57 The Lawsuit Story: What Really Happened
• 00:05:55 Joe T and The Picture That Started It All
• 00:09:38 Cindy's Life After the Show: Losing Rope and Finding Love
• 00:14:39 Throwback Bits: The Loaded Cigarette Prank
• 00:22:08 Memory Lane: Old Photos and Radio War Stories
• 00:27:10 The Real Story: How Wease and Doreen Got Together
• 00:32:37 Working Through the Past: Standing Up and Defending Cindy
• 00:41:23 The Lawyer with a Crush and Other Revelations
• 00:44:16 Cindy's Singing Career: The Motels and Desperado
• 00:53:10 Olympic Adventures and Cannabis Corner
• 00:57:58 Wrap Up and Promise to Return

In this bonus episode of Wease Family Circus, the family does something they've never done before: they get Woody Mower on the phone directly from prison.

This is the raw, unfiltered conversation that happened right after recording Episode 6 with true crime author Susan Ashline. While that episode explored the story of Ungrateful Bastard, this bonus episode lets you hear the story straight from the man who lived it.

Woody is currently serving life without parole at Shawangunk Correctional Facility, 90 miles from New York City. He murdered both of his parents at 18, sparked an international manhunt, and later became infamous for orchestrating an elaborate escape plan involving what he called a "coffin." His case runs parallel to the Menendez brothers, complete with allegations of horrific childhood abuse, ineffective legal counsel, and a constitutional appeal that recently brought him into a public courtroom for the first time in 30 years.

But this isn't a typical interview. This is Woody speaking candidly about his life behind bars, the abuse he endured growing up, the corruption that shaped his case, and the survival tactics that kept him alive in some of New York's most brutal maximum security prisons.

The conversation covers:

• What really happened with his court-appointed attorney, who confessed under oath to taking a $10,000 payoff and lying about Woody's case
• The horrific abuse Woody and his grandmother endured at the hands of his father and mother on an isolated farm in Richfield, outside Utica
• Life in the box at Attica, Auburn, Southport, and Upstate—where he survived 700 days in solitary confinement
• Drinking from toilets when the water was shut off, living through two weeks with no running water at Attica, and the garbage bag protocol that became daily life
• The infamous Southport shit fights, where inmates would throw feces at each other during recreation, spit it from their mouths, and squirt it from toothpaste tubes
• How Woody had relationships with multiple female guards over the years, including the correspondence officer who made him watch her use the bathroom on his second day at Elmira
• The escape plan that took over a year to build, his intention to disappear into the woods without hurting anyone, and why he never stole from civilians
• Why he wanted to kill his former attorney Randy Sharp, how other inmates ruined the plan, and why seeing him in court recently made all the anger disappear
• How his girlfriend changed his life, kept him out of trouble for seven years, and gave him a reason to mature behind bars
• Running 50 miles in an afternoon, staying ripped, and maintaining his physical and mental strength after three decades in prison

Woody also addresses the recent court hearing where new evidence corroborated his claims of abuse, bribery, and legal malpractice. His attorney had a fake resume, couldn't write motions, and was never qualified to handle a death penalty case. The supervisor testified that interns were doing all of Sharp's work because he was incapable of doing his job. Yet this is the attorney New York State assigned to an 18-year-old kid facing the death penalty.

Wease admits he couldn't put Susan's book down. He took notes. He told Doreen everything at dinner each night. And despite all the brutality, all the crimes, all the rage—Wease found himself feeling sympathy for Woody. The family listens as Woody recounts stories that sound impossible but have been verified by Susan, by court testimony, and by other inmates who lived through the same hell.

This episode is intense, disturbing, and unlike anything Wease Family Circus has done before. From childhood trauma to prison survival to the possibility of a retrial, Woody's story is raw, unfiltered, and impossible to forget.

Whether you've read Ungrateful Bastard or you're hearing this story for the first time, this bonus episode delivers a perspective you won't get anywhere else.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Bonus Episode Introduction: Woody Calls from Prison
• 00:02:05 Prison Life and Department of Corrections Dysfunction
• 00:05:18 Drinking from Toilets and Attica's Brutal Conditions
• 00:07:06 The Two-Week Water Crisis and Garbage Bag Toilets
• 00:08:58 Sex with Female Guards: The Correspondence Lady
• 00:17:36 Relationships Behind Bars and Emotional Attachment
• 00:18:34 The Finger Incident: An Unexpected Turn
• 00:21:56 The Dark Truth About Grandma: Abuse and Alzheimer's
• 00:28:04 The Coffin Escape Plan and Life on the Run
• 00:31:31 The Box: 700 Days in Solitary Confinement
• 00:34:20 Southport's Shit Fights and Extreme Conditions
• 00:38:51 The Lawyer's Betrayal and Missing Money
• 00:40:10 Ted Fox, the Payoff, and Feelings of Revenge
• 00:44:53 Hope for Retrial and Life Today

Clark Peshkin is the presenting sponsor of Wease Family Circus.

Clark Peshkin hosts free estate planning workshops that explain what actually works for New York families, especially if you own a home and want to keep things private and simple for the people you love.

Register at https://clarkpeshkin.com/wease

In Episode 7 of Wease Family Circus, legendary radio producers Pauly Gugliamo and Billy Dittore join the family for a reunion packed with stories that could only come from decades of working alongside Brother Wease.

These two were Wease's right-hand men for years, running the board, pulling audio, creating bits, and keeping the chaos organized. Now they're back in the studio to share the stories that never made it on the air, the behind-the-scenes moments that shaped Rochester radio history, and the memories that still make them laugh years later.

The episode dives into:

• How Billy met Wease as a fan at a comedy club and wound up becoming his brain for over a decade
• The woman who tried to take over the studio board and had to be wrestled down by Billy and security
• Pauly rise from radio intern to Rochester sauce king with 23 employees, a craft cannery, and distribution across the northeast
• How Pauly sauce empire started with 15 cases in his trunk and exploded thanks to Wease's support on the air
• Billy's journey from intern to producer to getting fired the same day as six other key staff members in a brutal radio purge
• The Christmas morning shows where Wease and Billy broadcast while the rest of the city opened presents
• The music show that ran for 20+ years, playing the coolest Christmas tracks in America before anyone else was doing it

But the real heart of this episode is the bond these three share. Billy talks about how Wease fought for him to stay on the show when management wanted him gone. Polly reveals that management refused to let him return to the Wease show after his own show was cancelled, and that rejection became the push he needed to start his business empire.

The episode also features:

• Pauly’s trip to Singapore and Japan for Rotary International, where he experienced insane heat, $8 wagyu steak, and stores so fancy they have bouncers
• Billy's story of how he met his wife Susan, a former CNN producer who worked with Larry King and survived a creepy on-air moment with Bill Cosby
• The time Wease got a shot to cure a four-hour boner and drove to Newark with Doreen while the kids sat in the back seat
• The Morning Show Boot Camp contest where Wease won a laptop by telling the story of hanging towels on his erection, complete with photos on the big screen
• Billy's near-death experience when he almost drowned in three feet of water at Greek Peak because his belly wouldn't let him swim down
• The boat incident in Sodus where Wease, Brooks, and Steve all got knocked into the water and started swimming in different directions while the current pulled them apart
• How Dr. Yo at Johns Hopkins saved Wease's life by refusing to operate on what other doctors thought was pancreatic cancer

This episode is a celebration of the people who made the Wease show what it was. From the music marathons to the Christmas broadcasts to the moments that became legendary bits, Billy and Polly were there for all of it. They lived it, they survived it, and they're here to tell the stories that shaped Rochester radio forever.

Whether you're a longtime fan or discovering the show for the first time, Episode 7 delivers laughs, nostalgia, and the kind of raw, honest storytelling that only comes from people who've been through the trenches together.

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

• 00:00:00 Welcome to Episode 7 and Sponsor Introduction
• 00:00:36 Introducing Billy Deatory and Pauly Gugliamo
• 00:06:02 How Wease Met Billy: The Comedy Club Connection
• 00:08:45 The Crazy Lady Who Attacked the Studio
• 00:12:53 Pauly's Kids and Family Life
• 00:15:12 From Sauce to Empire: Pauly's Business Journey
• 00:24:42 Billy Wins a Laptop and the Priapism Story
• 00:52:02 How Billy Met His Wife Through the Show
• 00:57:28 The Boat Incident and Near-Drowning in Sodus
• 01:24:37 Greek Peak Waterslide Panic and Vertigo Issues
• 01:27:36 The Legendary Elevator Incident
• 01:10:02 Management Nightmares and Radio's Decline
• 01:40:14 Favorite Guests and Music Hall of Fame
• 01:49:01 Wrap Up: It's Nice to Be Important