Sports talk radio fans surely are familiar with Chris "The Bulldog" Parker, who co-hosts a show on WGR-550 with Mike Schopp from 3-7 weekdays. Loyal listeners to his show will frequently hear Parker say great things about Buffalo. He loves the city and is a reliable Buffalo booster. I had a chance to ask him about some of his favorite places and memories involving Buffalo.
Q: What's your favorite
place in Buffalo to catch live music?
And what's the best show that you've ever seen locally?
A: My favorites are Mohawk and Sportsmen's. Any Friday night when Stone Country is playing at Sportsmen's is a great time. It just feels so good in there. And Mohawk. So many really good bands in such an intimate venue--such as Drive By Truckers, the annual Joe Strummer tribute. The show that stands out for me was a Marah show in 1999. My wife used to tend bar at the Rendezvous and my buddy and I were sitting in there on a Friday night flipping through Artvoice and we came across a write up about Marah. Rolling Stones (Exile on Main Street era), Replacements, drunk and sloppy rock & roll--sounded like something we should check out. So we did and it was great. Just took my breath away. That show is still my favorite.
Q: I heard you say
recently that you don't buy music online...that you prefer to buy music from
record stores...hard to do these days given that record stores are nearly extinct...are
there local stores where you still purchase music?
A: I do buy online. I prefer to go to the store
though. It's part of the fun, the
shopping, what they're playing in the store. I did stop by Spiral Scratch on Record Store Day and I still
like Record Theatre. In fact I'm
waiting on some Wilco back order vinyl from there. Vinyl is the stuff.
I bought the latest Jason Isbell record on both vinyl and CD. A great sounding record any way you cut
it but on the vinyl it sounds like he's in the room with you playing.
Q: I've heard you talk
about your days as a manager at a pizzeria, so you definitely have some
credibility when it comes to pizza and wings. Where's the best pizza in Buffalo? Best wings?
A: Wings are easy. Duffs. Pizza is a little tougher. All the big well-known places are good but my go to place is
Mustachios on Parkside. Really
good, close by, reasonably priced.
And their wings are pretty good too.
Q: Still live in North
Buffalo? If so, for how long?
A: We live in Parkside
and love it. It will be ten years
in October and I can't imagine leaving.
Great neighbors. Close to
everything I need to be close to.
I love walking my dog around the neighborhood.
Q: For those who don't
already know the story...what famous sports event occurred on your wedding night? More importantly, were you able to watch
some of the game?
A: My wife and I are
celebrating our 10th anniversary on June 19th. No Goal happened that night. Our reception was outside but we had a couple of big screens
brought in. People were banging
out "Let's Go Buffalo" with their silverware during dinner. I didn't see much of the game and was
pretty cool with that. It was my
wedding after all. Might not have
been a great sign if I was flipping out about not seeing the game. My biggest regret about the entire
thing is that we had the Steam Donkeys play and they were reduced to being an
intermission act.
Q: Best kept secret in
Buffalo is?
A: Its beauty and character. They are both everywhere but I don't know that we're looking enough.
Q: Favorite place in
Buffalo to have a beer? Or ten?
A: Swannie House. Or my porch.
Q: Favorite upscale
restaurant in Buffalo?
A: I've always been a
fan of Hutch's. But with 5 and 7-year-old
boys at home, my wife and I haven't exactly been frequenting many of the newer
places. We recently tried Viking
Lobster Co. and really enjoyed it.
Q: If you couldn't make
a living talking about sports, what would you be doing?
A: Running some
restaurant into the ground. Wait,
I did that before I started making a living talking sports. Hard to say, but I was always
interested in social work of some kind.
Q: What talk radio cliché
is the most annoying to you?
A: "It doesn't matter
how good your quarterback is if the offensive line isn't any good." That makes me nuts. The guy with the ball matters more than
anything.
Q: Will you always be
known as "The Bulldog" on the radio or will there be a switch someday to Chris
Parker?
A: I suppose if I do
this long enough my real name will sort of emerge naturally. I can't complain about it and really
wouldn't even want to. It's been
very good to me.
Q: Forgive me for asking
a hypothetical sports event question...if you could only attend one more sports
event in your life, and you had to choose between a Sabres or Bills game, which
would you choose, and why?
A: Assuming we're taking
about the regular season I would say a Bills game. Not because I favor football over hockey. I don't. Hockey is my favorite sport. But one regular season hockey game versus one regular season
football game swings it to the Bills.
It's an entire day with friends, tailgating and all of that. More fun than one hockey game and the
good time doesn't depend on how my team plays.
Q: What would loyal
listeners be surprised to learn about you?
A: I really mean everything I say on the
radio. I think some people who are
really into talk radio think we just say things to get a reaction. I would quit if I had to do that.
I hate schopp