Even though his dad wasn't a Twins fan, Mr. Gehrke was always willing to hear Carneal announce a Twins game. When he was about 11, Karl listened to the rock 'n' roll that KBRK-AM in Brookings aired for a few hours every night. But for the most part, his musical tastes were formed by his parents' record collection. Their records went from jazz, big band, and country to classical, show tunes, rock, and even comedy. Often his dad would make sausages and other yummy things for the kids before driving them to school.
Life comes full circle, sometimes.
The QXR announcer spoke of the serene, beautiful drive he took, after waking at 4 AM, from Duchess County into Manhattan to do his radio show. Now Stephen gets up at 4 on Saturday mornings to prepare for hosting Top of the Day. A bit of a battle took place during Stephen's childhood. His brother Paul was really into Elvis, while his sister, Karen, wanted Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra on the turntable. Stephen tended to side with his sister.