Jay and Gary… the Pearce Brothers… retired, washed-up has-beens from the radio and television industries seek refuge in the world of Podcasting
When Jay Pearce was in the hospital in August 2024, when it was becoming clear that he didn’t have long to live, family and friends came to visit and share a little time. Literally dozens of them from around Illinois and beyond. When he did finally pass, one year ago today, 4:20 AM on August 21, his closest family and friends were at his bedside.
One year later, family and a few of those friends got together on Zoom and live on YouTube for this episode of the Jay and Gary Show. Jay’s wife Melisse, daughter Sara, brother Gary and hius wife Cyndi, and friends Margie and Wade Roberts and Jay Hedblade chat about Jay’s life and career, listen to some recordings from the 70s and 90s, talk about radio back in the day, and just miss him. Jay’s son Dale was missing, down with a bug, or “as sick as I’ve ever been” as he put it on a family chat.
If you knew Jay well or even just a little… or just discovered us on the podcast, you’re welcome to evesdrop on the conversation. As always, feel fee to slide around the timeline, drop in and out, listen to as much as you want and then go. Just like it was on the radio.
9 Apr 2025
#18: Turn This Pod Around, You F***ing Girl
It’s Sara, Cyndi and Gary this time. A little Parenting (for a potty-mouth little Jay), some school and job dissection, then we see who remembers the ‘most memorable song’ each year for the past 100 years, in a YouTube Takedown Marathon.
2 Mar 2025
#17 Freedom to Shut Up
Dale and Gary yak about the First Amendment. At the end, Gary talks about his car ‘crash’ (and new car).
11 Feb 2025
#16 Ain't Nobody's Happy
(Almost) on the 1st anniversary of the Jay and Gary Show, we're back. And we're pretty upset at the way Trump is tearing the country apart, piece by piece. Gary is joined by Jay's kids, Dale and Sara, and his wife Cyndi. And we carry on.
#16 Ain't Nobody's Happy 😣
1 Jan 2025
#15: No Simple Podcast
Jay's son Dale and daughter Sara join Gary to restart the Jay and Gary Show. Our conversation is general up to the about the one-hour mark, when we 'begin the show' and talk about the time between Jay's diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and his death (May to August 2024). It gets a little raw.
We expect to continue the show in one form or another, perhaps every couple of weeks. Jay and Gary were ‘building this plane as we were flying it’ up to Jay’s death. That’s where we pick it up and carry on.
Pleae consider donating to the Jay H. Pearce Memorial Scholarship fund at Southern Illinios University: https://give.siu.edu/jay-h-pearce-memorial-scholarship (https://give.siu.edu/jay-h-pearce-memorial-scholarship)
25 Jun 2024
#14: Stand Back and Stand By
As Jay begins his chemo for pancreatic and liver cancer, we've decided to put this show on hold and start a new one - "The Jay and Gary Pancreatic CancerCast" - to focus on his journey through treatment. We'll launch that new show in a few days.
If things go well... and they're not off to a great start... we'll do more of this show when Jay is feeling up to it. This episode was recorded on June 18, 2024 with Gary visiting Jay at his home near Champaign, IL.
9 Jun 2024
#13: All Pain … No Gain?
The bad news: severe pain (and Millisse) drove Jay to the hospital Friday night.
The good news: they figured out why.
The other bad news: a tumor on Jay’s pancreas grew and blocked the ‘outlet’ duct, causing the pain.
The other good news: they got Jay’s bowels moving again 💩, and they’re going to put a stent in to bypass the pancreas blockage, so hopefully that will reduce the pain.
Up in the air: getting the chemo infusion started ASAP, either in Chicago or Champaign.
Speaking of ‘air’💨: we referred to something called the Crepetation Contest, brought on, so to speak, by one of the ‘after effects’ of uncloging Jay’s lower GI. Hey, you should know by now that when they go low, we go lower. Well, Gary had the contest cued up, but never played it… we moved on. So if you’re curious, here it is: https://youtu.be/uPplyQWf-u4?si=GFb0oeFPcnyXEWwW (https://youtu.be/uPplyQWf-u4?si=GFb0oeFPcnyXEWwW)
Turns out that it was produced in 1946, and the origin is somewhat mysterious. We obtained it as teens in the mid ‘60s, maybe on tape? The link goes to something called “Part One”, but ends where I remember the program ending. I’ll let you search for more, if you’re interested.
2 Jun 2024
#12: Sleepy Jay& Gary’s Guilty ⚖ Pleasure
Just a typical rambling episode. Not as much on the ‘guilty’ stuff as you might expect.
27 May 2024
#11: CancerCast #3 — Gut Punch
So yeah, Jay has Stage 4 Cancer. Tumors on his pancreas and liver, and on a lymph node. Yeah, it’s bad.
Gary went through lymphoma, Stage 1, in 2000. Chemo, radiation, done. He did two podcasts about it in his old Triangle Talk Show. That’s why this is CancerCast #3.
We’ll let the show tell the story.
CancerCast #1 (https://youtu.be/fV-pb8WWivs?si=Yz8xJSf2zdptDM59)
CancerCast #2 (https://youtu.be/iGNGOvHjlt0?si=lcC-wWGbENaJoERh)
Oh, and that Springsteen/Dolly Parton thing? Listen here (https://www.reddit.com/r/ClassicRock/comments/71646h/bruce_springsteens_im_on_fire_played_at_45_rpm/) and decide.
10 May 2024
#10: Half a Tooth and a Whole New Pearce
Jay has a new granddaughter and a new roof, and he beat the State of Illinois bureaucracy at their own game. Oh, and he’s got some intestinal thing that’s driving him nuts. Can’t sleep, can’t eat. Amazing that he’s doing a 2-hour pod. Gary would be curled up in bed… except Jay can’t lie down, either😮
Gary came back from Hawaii with a cracked tooth and a home movie. WARNING: he shows the tooth... close up. He'll give you ample warning to look away. Oh, wait... this is audio. never mind. And he shows the movie. Hm, once again, audio 🙄
14 Apr 2024
#9: The Rowdy Facebook Family Community Standards Takedown (and Total Eclipse) Podcast
Another Pearce joins the party - Jay’s son Dale is our guest. We talk Eclipse and more.
1 Apr 2024
#8: Do Your Podcast Hang Low?
We do actually get to the topic crypically suggested in the title, but it takes a while. It’s worth the wait.
Also, our video production software (Wirecast) just blipped away in what should have been ‘late in the show’ - well after the two hour mark, but once we fired it up again, we went on for another half hour. So for video, you see PART ONE and PART TWO on YouTube. Audio listeners get one file, spliced together. Yoiu’ll hear it
And here’s a link to Debra Cowan (https://debracowan.com/biography/) - thanks, Debra!
22 Mar 2024
#7: Live to America
Gary has overcome the technical difficulties from last week’s show, and even managed to get this one to stream LIVE - to exactly one person (so far). Are you sure Edward R. Murrow started this way? Howdy Doody?
15 Mar 2024
#6: Fundie Baby Podcast
Gary hangs his audio-producer head in shame. He missed a critical setting (he just forgot) when setting up brother Jay in a shot in the video. Gary forgot to click a ‘switch’ that keeps Jay’s audio from going double into the feed. So for the whole damn show (except for a minute or two at the beginning - because of another Gary screw-up), Jay has a bit of an echo effect. Gary should be fired 😡
Meanwhile, the boys discuss the Fundie Baby Voice thing. And the other thing. And yes, after a while, Gary realizes that he didn't switch Jay's picture onto the screen.
https://PearceBrothersPodcasting.com
7 Mar 2024
#5: Life Begins at Podcast
Yes, there's a title. Pay no attention. This is a classic Jay ramble on a trip down memory lane. It may be therapy.
https://PeareceBtothersPodcasting.com
29 Feb 2024
#4: Apple House Podcast
Gary took a 'senior' cognitive test (like Trump). Aced it. Had to remember the words Apple, House, Table. Changed it for promotional purposes. Otherwise, it's our typical Jay and Gary Show ramble.
Toward the end of the show, you may notice some odd silence as Gary tries to play a few seconds of Donald Fagan's "The Nightfly", which explains the why he always says "at the foot of Mt. Belzoni" (on every show he hosts, not just this one). Apparently, Donal Fagan's music company doesn't just monetize videos that play his music - they go for a full takedown (worldwide, not just Russia Russia Russia, although another clip we play does get us banned in Russia. So much for the Ruski audience). We're trying YouTube's beta feature that mutes just the music, and leaves our voice. We'll see if that worked.
Our website is: www.PearceBrothersPodcasting.com (https://www.PearceBrothersPodcasting.com)
25 Feb 2024
#3: Banned in Russia
Last week's show was banned in Russia. This week's will probably be banned everywhere because we play too much copyrighted material. Can we claim Fair Use?
17 Feb 2024
#2: No Static At All
Jay and Gary give up all pretense of professionalism as they (eventually) get to detailing how they got into the radio biz.
It includes some airchecks of Gary from WDOR in 1969 (where he apparently inhaled helium before opening the mic) and KFWJ in 1987, and some from Jay (played off of cassette on a boom box because he was laid up with a bad back and couldn't get them digitized). Jay is remarkably consistent (and professional) throughout his broadcasting career.
Then they attempt to record a bit for TikTok - a rap 'song' that Gary wrote in the middle of the night with the hope of going viral (for all the wrong reasons). That may or may not ever make it to TikTok.
Gary apologizes for a little audio quirk that makes Jay sound a bit hollow throughout the show. It will be fixed next time (if he remembers).
9 Feb 2024
#1: Friends & Family Edition
Jay and Gary - the Pearce Brothers (don’t say ‘bros’) - have both had long careers in media. Now retired, they are slumming in the world of podcasting, the haven of all former broadcasters. Here in Episode 1, they begin building this plane as they’re flying it. And this one is called Friends & Family Edition because that’s who’s going to see/hear it.
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