Desi Arnaz: the lost Detroit Interviews audio

[tropicjeff 32]

I posted this a long time ago via a dropbox link but it is long gone. Now I put it on Youtube. It's Desi from 1977 during his Detroit book tour. Recorded on my trusty old cassette recorder...audio only of course and crackly as ever but hope you enjoy it. First, a morning show live interview, then an appearance on the Lou Gordon Show (a local show with a controversial talk show host who gets Desi a bit upset). At the end you also get to hear a "I Love Lucy" tease and the Kaiser Broadcasting System jingle.  I got to see Desi during this tour. He was autographing his book at Northland Mall.  I was 13 years old and of course after watching him on "I Love Lucy" every day he sure did look old and haggard in 1977 ...but his charm and wit still showed. What an impressive man. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr6ybfLXn7U

[Luvsbway 2,261]

17 hours ago, tropicjeff said:

I posted this a long time ago via a dropbox link but it is long gone. Now I put it on Youtube. It's Desi from 1977 during his Detroit book tour. Recorded on my trusty old cassette recorder...audio only of course and crackly as ever but hope you enjoy it. First, a morning show live interview, then an appearance on the Lou Gordon Show (a local show with a controversial talk show host who gets Desi a bit upset). At the end you also get to hear a "I Love Lucy" tease and the Kaiser Broadcasting System jingle.  I got to see Desi during this tour. He was autographing his book at Northland Mall.  I was 13 years old and of course after watching him on "I Love Lucy" every day he sure did look old and haggard in 1977 ...but his charm and wit still showed. What an impressive man. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr6ybfLXn7U

I downloaded this when you first posted. I love the second interview. That guy was drifting into sensitive territory and made for a fascinating listen. 

[JessiLu 36]

I just took a listen. I thought the second interviewer was unnecessarily rude to Desi at the end. All of a sudden the line of questioning became slightly hostile and Desi seemed to take it with as much grace as probably would have been possible in that situation. There are other ways to get at some of those answers without asking the questions in the way he did. What a bad interviewer. 

[Luvsbway 2,261]

11 hours ago, JessiLu said:

I just took a listen. I thought the second interviewer was unnecessarily rude to Desi at the end. All of a sudden the line of questioning became slightly hostile and Desi seemed to take it with as much grace as probably would have been possible in that situation. There are other ways to get at some of those answers without asking the questions in the way he did. What a bad interviewer. 

I think he may have been going for the shock value. I wonder if Desi ever got confronted in other interviews with the hard to talk about stuff.