That’s Life 5/14

Truth is, Ed McMahon and I really have nothing in common. Consider the following: I’ve never awarded anyone a massive check from Publisher’s Clearing House, never been on the Tonight Show, never been a spokesperson for term life insurance and of course, never hosted Star Search. (Man, I loved that show. Good times, good times.) But now that I’m a sidekick, Ed and I are almost kindred spirits.

Okay — that might be overstating it.

Though it started as an experiment, the radio show that Mayer Fertig (editor and publisher of this paper for those who have never glanced at page 2) and I have been co-hosting has morphed into a fixture on the weekly schedule at www.nachumsegal.com. The show highlights some of the stories covered in the the Jewish Star and some of the back stories to those stories. We interview writers, columnists, and newsmakers, as well as some people who are not in the paper, as we discuss some of the news that was fit to print. It’s a little like “Inside Edition” (minus any stories on Lindsay Lohan, no matter how much they ask) meets “Larry King” (minus his record number of divorces) meets “Morning Joe” (minus the free-flowing Starbucks and the numerous Ambien references). Otherwise, we’re exactly like those shows — except we cover stories informing and shaping Jewish lives.

The show has a general format but unlike other talk shows, we actually talk. There is no script — no lines to read. One email said we sounded like a good morning radio show, which we took as a real compliment, though many of those shows are heavily scripted and the only thing we and the engineer have in print before us are copies of the paper.

While leaving the show unscripted makes the show more exciting to do and hopefully more interesting to listen to, it brings about an important concern: What happens if I say something I shouldn’t? What if, hypothetically, one of those thoughts that enter my head manages to leave my mouth before I can stop it? Clearly, people who read this column will recognize that, all too often,

I say what I think, and that has its plusses and minuses. The beauty of writing in a newspaper is that at least one additional set of eyes reads my work before it is printed and, hopefully, successfully edits out something I should not have said. However, while my husband often wishes I came with a censor button, that’s not the way it works in real life and consequently, not the way it works on the radio. Ironically enough, as the sidekick, I should be playing the straight guy to the star’s loose, immature or unpredictable ways. In fact, that could not be further from the case.

So, it is a chance we take. Yes, I may say the wrong thing and yes, I have

already made Mayer cringe a few times, and no — there is no web cam in the studio so listeners can actually watch as Mayer buries his head in his hands. It’s really not that bad and he’s just watching my back, being a good friend and making sure I don’t get myself into any trouble with our listeners.

But that element of unpredictability makes the show fun. Tune in on Thursdays at 2:00 pm E.S.T. as we stream live on www.nachumsegal.com. Who knows what I may say next?

MLW