Tuesday 4 September 2007

Latte with Locco

You know there's something nice about a small town like ours when you're sitting on the Nard, in maximum perving position at 5:33 in the evening, and the king (sorry John) of local morning radio hops past - and I do mean hops - and stops for a cuppa and a chat!

Mike O'Loughlin, or Locco to his fans, is the shining morning voice at 4CA FM in Cairns. He's been doing the Breaky Show for 7 years now.

"Abso-bloody-lutely!" was his response when asked to leave MacKay for Cairns to join the team.
I have to declare that I like Locco. It's not difficult. Kier's my fav straight-funny man of radio on the FM dial, but when it comes to craziness and outrageous I'll-say-what-I-like radio, Locco gets the prize.

So last evening at the Coffee Club we debated politics, religion and sex, and then solved the third world's problems, the energy issues, and predicted the result of the Federal election, all in under 20 minutes. He swore me to secret not to mention his 22yr Latin lover and the African child he's been supporting for the last 3 years. Something about a tax dodge, he explained.

I've done radio with the team at 4CA a number of times, and although on air Locco is ever the card and clown, away from the microphone, he's a really great guy, and a true local yokel. He's now slowly rehabbing himself after a big knee operation, and is in great spirits about where he's at.

Last year he was joined by Lou Morrow, who has cleverly decided to temporally abandon the breakfast show at 4CA FM and have a baby. You can drop her best wishes here. Typical, why can't a guy score a 3 month holiday like this?

He tells me that 4CA rates top in Cairns in the 30yrs+ demographic.

Locco started in radio in 1972 with everything was black and white, jokes were rude, sexist and you called a spade a bloody shovel. He even used to play funny plastic things called 'records'. Nowadays it's all computers and clever digital things that make the clever bits of radio go round. Locco's also done 10 years in Melbourne radio, some in Sydney and Adelaide, plus a mix of TV with a kids cartoon show for 6 years.

He's certainly got around a lot for such a young fella.

So next time you see a refined slightly balding man hobbling along the Esplanade, say hi to our Locco.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Locca is a kewl dude, many people in Cairns sing his praises as a geneuine nice guy. I also like his taste in music being of same generation as he.

Anonymous said...

I like listening to his station cos I just can't get enough advertising in my life. Sorry, its Myf, Jay and the Doctor for me!