KLOS legend Frazer Smith, who once ruled Southern California radio, is still too hip
Frazer Smith’s first radio program in Los Angeles was on KROQ (106.7 FM) in 1976, but he is probably best known for his time waking up the town on KLOS (95.5 FM) when he made the move down the dial in 1979.
If you are of the right age and you were in Southern California at the time, you’ll remember his morning show … it was huge! KLOS bumper stickers featuring his name were everywhere, and his program was the talk of the town, at least among hip high school, college and young adult listeners. It was perhaps the first time a local album-rock station made such a huge push for morning listeners, and arguably opened the door for others who followed – including Mark and Brian, Kevin and Bean and even Howard Stern.
SEE ALSO: LA radio DJs Marci Wiser and PJ Butta discuss departures from KLOS and KDAY
In many ways, the show was a bridge to the modern morning show. Unlike so many who came after him, he still played a ton of music, mixing bits between the records. Yes, others did that too, but his irreverent tone made his show different, due almost exclusively to his background in stand-up comedy. It was something the older generation wouldn’t necessarily understand – it was “hip” – and perfect for the young adult listeners who appreciated the humor.
I caught up with The Fraze recently at the request of numerous readers who asked what he was up to lately.
“Podcasts,” he said, along with continuing stand-up comedy, a bit of acting, and some writing.
He’ll be at The Improv soon and the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach in the not-too-distant future. Stand-up is still one of his true loves, he told me.
He’s been doing a couple of podcasts, including “Puck Off” — a show hosted by The Fraze and fellow comedian Joe Bartnick to talk about all things hockey — and a new one for the Laugh Factory Network that will be released soon.
Something I never knew was why The Fraze left KLOS in the first place. He had a successful morning show and then gave it all up.
“Negotiations,” he explained. “Nothing bad happened; we just didn’t come to terms so I moved on. But I loved my time there.”
His next move was to KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) where he stayed until the end, then to KLSX (now KNX-FM, 97.1), back to KLOS, a short stay at KRTH (101.1 FM) and then to KLOS a third time until the Summer of 2020.
Interestingly, none of his shows outside of his original at KLOS were morning shows. I asked him why; turns out it was the early hours. “I had to get up so early, it affected my other projects including my stand-up comedy shows.”
Favorite memory? There were many, he told me. “So many wonderful memories … I worked with some of the greatest people in radio.” But one that stuck out was an imaginary theme park.
“There was an empty lot down the street from the studios at KLSX, so I started telling everyone that I was building a theme park called ‘Fraze World,’” he said. “And everyone bought into it … reporters started writing about it as if it were real. And my bosses went along with it, even going so far as to discuss the plans with anyone who asked.”
One of my own favorite memories was when Smith provided the audio for the Tournament of Roses Parade. All you had to do was tune into a television channel “between channels 4 and 6” – think KTLA – and hear The Fraze talk about the parade floats in his own style.
An ongoing part of the show revolved around his catchphrase, “Too hip, gotta go.” I asked Fraze about the genesis of the line. “‘Too hip’ came from a cab driver I always used to get back in the pre-Uber days,” he explained. “When I would joke around during the drive, he would say ‘You’re too hip, Fraze’ in his thick Boston accent. I asked him if I could ‘borrow’ that and he said yes.
“The other half came from a high school friend who we nicknamed Cameo because he would show up at parties, stay for 5 minutes, look at his watch and say, ‘Gotta go!’
“I put the two together and wound up with “too hip, gotta go” instead of too cool for the room, I meant it to mean ‘nothing bothers me, because before it does I’m gone!’”
He’s got some projects in the works, including one called “1979.” Fraze said, “It’s meant to be a six-part mini-series, like the recent ‘Winning Time’ HBO series they did on Dr. Jerry Buss and the Lakers, only this is about radio, new bands, and the Sunset Strip of that era.
“It’s basically my story from my early days at KROQ,” he said. “How the scene was exploding with new bands coming thru KROQ … how the Sunset Strip was poppin’.” Fraze himself was able to help break a lot of the new artists, some of whom went on to become true stars, such as Van Halen and Motley Crue.
Frazer said Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth actually climbed up the fire escape of the station’s studios with a test pressing of what would become their first album, and Fraze played “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” that night, he says.
“Van Halen was the house band at the Pasadena Hilton across the street from the KROQ studios at the time,” Fraze explained.
Other projects he’s working on include “Timeball,” which he describes as “a futuristic football film script,” “Open Mic,” a six-part TV series “based on my experiences currently hosting the open mic at the Laugh Factory,” and a film script called “Porch Pirates.”
But what about radio, one of his true loves?
“I am talking with people, but nothing definite yet,” he says.
Personally, I could easily see him back on the air at a few stations, especially now that Tim Conway, Jr. is working afternoons instead of evenings at KFI (640 AM). I can see Fraze in the early evening shift, or even midday slots.
If anything comes up, I will let you know. In the meantime, head over to the Puck Off podcast. it’s a treat.
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com.