toledoblade.com --

You have heard their voices on radio and seen their faces on TV. Now The Blade goes behind the scenes to introduce you to your favorite media personalities. Stay Tuned appears the third Monday of every month.

First job: Dishwasher for a restaurant in high school. I was fired from that job when the manager walked in and saw my music books laid out all over the place. (I was studying music for high school band.)

First salary: Minimum wage (I don't remember what it was in 1980!)

My idol is: Elvis Presley. A first-class musician from the days when popular and classical music still had respect for each other. I've been told that I look like him, but in the "later years." Lately, people have been telling me I look more like Donald Trump. (It must be the hair.)

Most embarrassing radio moment: At WNYC in New York, when I was hosting overnight music, I put on a long CD and went to the roof of the building for a cigarette. Unfortunately, I had set the CD up so it would stop at every track instead of playing through the whole 30-minute piece. We ended up having 20 minutes of dead air while I was upstairs smoking. (I've since given up smoking, by the way.)

Highlight of my career: Stage managing Paul McCartney's concert at Carnegie Hall; he wrote an oratorio called "Ecce cor Meum," which we broadcast on the radio. Afterwards, Sir Paul stood backstage and shook everyone's hand who was in the performance. (There were 50 or 60 people.) Then he went around and shook the hands of the backstage crew, coming to me last. When he took my hand, he said "Well there, now I've shaken everyone's hand." That left me pretty much awe-struck (and speechless, I might add).

My favorite thing to do outside of work: Go to drive-ins or go bowling. Two things I look forward to doing lots of in Toledo.

I think Toledo's best-kept secret is: Tony Packo's. That may not be a secret to people in Toledo, but coming from Brooklyn, it ranks right up there with the Nathan's stand on Coney Island. I'm a big hot dog fan.

People may be surprised to know that I: Was an opera singer for 16 years; I used to be Placido Domingo's rehearsal stand-in.

In five years, I see myself: As the father of a 5 year old, and a well-established member of the Toledo arts community.

My dream job is: This is it. I'm doing what I want to do, which is share great music with people on a daily basis. And I'm doing it in a great environment. I left the grungy, overcrowded, and overpriced boroughs of New York for a wonderful community where I have family. With a baby on the way, I couldn't do better than to have grandparents, aunts, and uncles all in the immediate area. And think of all the free baby sitting!

Contact Kirk Baird at:
kbaird@theblade.com
or 419-724-6734.

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