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LocallyFIT
BOROocKER
ks Philly
By Carmen Elizabeth Greger
One of the greatest perquisites of the interview gigs I get as a
journalist is that, I get to see the raw individual, hair uncombed,
makeup undone and paparazzi-pleasing toothy grins and bad cliché's
out the window. Each time I do an interview, I look forward to challenge and magnificence of finding the 'diamond in the rough'.
Never-fail, I exit with a wealth of insight into the distinctive passions and qualities that make that person tick on the most fundamental of levels. Quite honestly, I had no real interest in doing this particular article (other than doing good work for my extremely hardworking Publisher). Initially, the reprehensible shortsighted part of
me thought, "What the heck could this "hot and hip", Q102 morning
DJ possibly lend to that?" It just sounded to me like quite a stretch.
Well, it turns out this guy is actually very cool, sincere and surprisingly, dare I say distinguished? Lesson learned (never ever
judge a Book(er) by its cover). The only disenchanting trait I discovered is that he uses the term 'ad nauseum' a bit 'ad nauseum'; and
that's really not so bad. He's truly got a huge heart hidden behind an
eggshell of cynicism, and believe it or not, he swears that his pal
Stern does too. He has an immeasurable respect for teachers and
policemen, and very humbly cited the fact that it was ludicrous that
he was paid more than either of them (I agreed). Booker freely got
all choked up when he mentioned a Drive/Reward Fund he and the
station started in order to put the recent Philly cop-killer behind
bars.
Although Booker does hang with his fair share of celebs, he has no
interest in many of the often magna-popularized trivialities and everchanging details in the over-privileged lives of so many of 'them'.
Nor would he ever be caught name-dropping! So what if he seriously dated J-Lo's younger sister for quite some time, was a frequent
quest on Howard Stern's show, has rubbed elbows with many of the
"glammed-up" celebrities. Not only has Booker been on plenty of
red carpets as well as on the set of Entertainment Tonight, co-hosted
Survivor Live, refers to NY's Nobu as his old 'cafeteria' (one of his
closest friend's owns it), but he is now seriously dating Caron
Bernstien, a beautiful model from South Africa who's name chimes
like wedding bells at Booker's mere mention of it.
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He's a pretty diligent guy who eagerly gives credit where credit
is due. At the office and on air, he credits his 'team' (and its
Program Director) with having the dynamic chemistry to make
the show work. When it comes to his nutrition, Booker finds
himself 'lucky' that he actually enjoys healthy foods (but admits
that the Philly Cheese-steak is reeking havoc on that luck).
Regarding his workouts, he readily admits that if it weren't for the
daily dose of motivation from his girlfriend, he'd wind up skipping them all together. Booker admits that, "Caron is a pretty
good Mui Tai fighter and could kick my ass!"
Booker has a very evolved appreciation for diversity and a definite aversion to late night parties, (unless they're with a very small
group of close friends). He is head-over-heels into mountain biking and dives head first into every book written by a newly discovered author of his liking. He has a cat named Puddy, a dog
named, Siouxsie and a wild passion for raw fish, primarily 'ghetto
sushi'. Booker's well-executed, ever-popular and witty comic
approach to radio may qualify him as Sirius material, but his
ambition and his lengthy contract has him riding the waves with
Clear Channel for a very long time.
it here. This is my home. I've been looking for the right job situation for a long time and this is it. I've been offered a lot of radio
jobs across the country and this is just the perfect job for me. NY
wasn't willing to make a long-term commitment and I wanted that.
I wanted to be the top banana at the show and I thought it was
time to go be the quarterback somewhere.
PF: What are some of the differences for you between NY
and Philly?
CB: Well, they both have tall buildings and great restaurants,
very much the same in that regard. My family is from western PA;
everyone I'm related to is basically from this state. I just happened to be living in NY for the past ten years. This is more what
I'm accustomed to and I grew up here. I like the attitude and the
people are more personable. It really is like coming home to me.
I'm a Pittsburgh native so, I'm pretty much here for good. The
station really respects what I do and they really give me the tools
I need to do what it takes to succeed.
PF: Well, they wanted you pretty badly.
CB: Yeah, they did. It's really wonderful to be here. Really.
Born in 1971, Chris Booker is now "booked" as Q102's morning big-shot. Diego, Lisa and the rest of his new Q102 posse,
along with the Philadelphia fans and his die-hard NY streamers,
should no-doubt keep him busy for a while. Needless to say,
Philadelphia has taken another bite out of the Big Apple, and
we're savoring the sweetness of it all. Chris Booker is here to
stay, and we at PhillyFit Magazine are happy to welcome him
home.
PF: What do you miss most about NY?
CB: My friends. We have this exceptionally close-knit group; we
always hung out. The people that made up my show really
became my best friends; it truly was like listening to a few friends
hanging out. If you could put Friends and Seinfeld on air at once,
that's what it would be like. My friends… yeah, that's what I miss
most, hands down. But I still have a place in NY and go see them
on weekends, or they come here and we still all chat like a pack of
girls.
Q&A WITH Q102'S CHRIS BOOKER
PF: How do you like working with Diego & Lisa?
CB: They're great, just good people. Diego knows absolutely
everybody. It seems like the guy grew up in every neighborhood
in Philly. Everyone's got a Diego story.
PF: If New York wanted you back prime time, would you stay
or go?
CB: Money talks! No, to be honest, I have a commitment here in
Philadelphia. I've signed a lengthy contract and I really do enjoy
PF: Do you like Stern as a person? How does your relationship both with Stern and with Diego differ on/off air?
CB: As a friend, Stern's just a good guy. He's like any one of
your buddies- he takes care of me and I take care of him. On the
air we're all different. We bust each other's humps ad nauseum. I
do it here to Diego and Stern did it to me there. We do it 'cuz we
love each other. Diego is absolutely amazing and he's been great
to me. I've said before he's "the man", the ace up my sleeve. I
consider Stern a buddy, a mentor and the greatest broadcaster
that ever lived.
PF: Describe your overall intention/goal for your gig with
Q102? Any plans to alter the play list at all?
CB: I'm not the Program Director so if they tell me that these
are the songs that women eighteen to thirty four want to hear,
that's what I'm going to play. I don't really care what we play.
I'm all over the map when it comes to music. I like everything. I
have such odd taste- I'll listen to Tool, only to throw in Sarah
McGlaughlin right after that, and I love JayZ and rap. I go from
the hardest of the hard to singing Kelly Clarkson songs.
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PF: If Matt Lauer could and would offer you his job, would
you accept?
CB: Again, money talks so, for that reason, in a heartbeat! But,
no, I wouldn't pursue that job. I only pursue radio jobs. But
would I like my own television show if I could do it my way?
Sure.
PF: What do you love about what you do?
CB: A lot. It's really crazy that you can make a dent with just a
sentence. I just got an email from a lady who listened to a show I
did where I had this random comment about women that I could
find a beautiful aspect of any given woman. She wrote in to say,
"Thank you, that was really a sweet thing you said. I'm a big girl
and sometimes I get self-conscious about my weight and you
made me feel really great." So I told her to just love herself and
take care of herself and someone will catch on to how great she
is.
drl0706
PF: But, why hide such a great face behind radio?
CB: I actually think it's funny that people find me attractive, I
think I'm kind of funny looking (although, I do have really pretty
feet). No, radio is what I've always wanted to do. TV's not a
blank piece of canvas, where radio is. In TV, you may be able to
use different colors, but you're still painting the same picture. In
radio you can be as spontaneous, creative, as goofy or serious as
your mood moves you to be. It's so much more free-reigned than
television and I like that. Every day is different; every show is
different.
Currently I do go back once a week to NY to shoot my TV show
"what's on DVD and am the east coast reporter for the "TV Guide
Channel".
PF: Wow, that's really straightforward and excellent advice.
It's very nice to hear.
CB: Thanks. Well, that's really a big part of what I love about
my job. It's those little things that people here in Philly actually
hear that somehow got lost in the shuffle of NY. Here you kind of
make a bigger dent, and it's great, but hard to get used to it. My
words have a bigger impact in Philly. I love talking to people
about relatable things in an educated way. That's the show I'm
going to do; that's the show that Q102 has given me the opportunity to do.
PF: So, let's shift to fitness. What do you do specifically to
stay in shape?
CB: Well, funny, you're actually keeping me out of the gym right
now. Thank God for my girlfriend, she rides me like a horse to
go to the gym. She's a tall, lean, fighting machine and she can't
sit still for a minute which means I can't sit still for a minute. She
is the ultimate motivator. I like to do the elliptical machine, the
treadmill and the bike. Lifting? Not so much. I'm not into the
big, bulky look. I do high reps, light weight. I like the skinny; I
haven't eaten in six months look. Just kidding. I'm not into the
beefy guy look. Lean and mean is the way to go!
PF: Give us a day of your nutritional intake.
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CB: Here's the Booker diet secret- this is how I stay somewhat
thin: you can eat anything you want in moderation. But I admit,
I'm like a crack addict with these cheese-steaks. I've gained like
five pounds since I got here. Rookie mistake. Really, my intake is
relatively low-carb, no white bread and hardly any desserts. I
gotta eat a fruit every day, a grain, and lots of fish. I could eat
sushi every day of my life. Healthy proteins, low carbs, no refined
sugars. That's it.
PF: How many push-ups can you do in a minute?
CB: I could probably bang out fifty.
a letter. These Philly people are great; they actually seek me out
to say nice things. It's really touching and I definitely feel the listener support.
PF: Your biggest regret:
CB: I don't really have a regret, but maybe not becoming a better
person sooner in my life. Yeah, not learning the life lessons that
made me who I am now sooner. I wish I would have come to
where I am in my life a little earlier. I think it was always there
for me, I was just a little lazy and didn't want to grow up.
PF: Well, most often, good things do take time.
CB: Yes, that's very true.
PF: Sit-ups in a minute?
CB: Thirty-five or so.
PF: Pull-ups?
CB: I used to have a pull-up bar in NY and I was getting pretty
good at them, but it's been about a year since I've done one. Back
in the day, I could probably knock out fifteen. Today, I'd be lucky
to get ten. I'll have to dig out that bar again and put it up in my
new space.
PF: How fast can you run a mile?
CB: About 9.5. I'm definitely not a sprinter, more into jogging.
PF: Describe your perfect Sunday.
CB: Starting with brunch- eggs benedict. Next a newspaper, fantasy baseball, batting cages, then nothing, unless there's a late
afternoon baseball game (either pro or even little league at a
local park, it doesn't matter, I enjoy them all. I actually used to
coach little league and was an Ump. Great jobs.) Then definitely
a nice dinner with my girlfriend followed by a good movie.
Perfect.
PF: You have a very impressive resume, including but not
limited to: Entertainment Tonight, Survivor Live, MTV, the
TV Guide Channel, etc. What was your most enjoyable gig so
far and why?
CB: I'd have to say my night show in NY, the radio show that I
left is the most fun I've had. I really look forward to matching
and surpassing the experience here.
PF: Who is the most impressive person you have ever been
face-to-face with and why?
CB: My Mother. She's a cancer survivor. She's creative, very
spiritual, patient, supportive and has always been my biggest fan.
She always told me I was 'special'.
Carmen Elizabeth Greger is a Freelance Journalist, lyricist
and poet. She is the Founder/Co-Director of The ABC's
Foundation. Carmen is also the owner of Karma Culture
and YogaAvalon, as well as the Co-Director of
MindYourBodyYoga. She has been a yoga teacher and
practitioner for many years. She currently lives in Avalon, NJ
with her loving husband and their beautiful son Remy. They
are expecting a new addition to the family in October 2006! Contact
Carmen at cgreger@phillyfitmagazine.com.
open yeah!!!!!
PF: You've been called many things including 'intelligent',
'hot', 'witty' and 'worldly'. Which three different words
would you use to describe yourself and why?
CB: You mean I can't use them? They're good. Ok… easygoing, mellow and opinionated. Yeah, I've got an opinion about
everything.
PF: The greatest experience of your life:
CB: Falling in love with Caron is right up there of course. I
have to say I can't nail it down to just one thing. It's growing up
in general.
PF: Your best experience so far in Philadelphia:
CB: I like when random people take the time to sit and write me
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