By Clint McElroy
HQ 125 | SPRING 2024
Many years ago, hidden within the mists of times, 2006 to be specific, a brave group of radio professionals set out on a quest. The quest involved traveling to a far-off kingdom called Nashville. The tasks set before these courageous adventurers were challenging: seek knowledge from country music masters, dance on tables, sing karaoke and consume massive sandwiches. I’ll explain all that shortly.
The team on this quest included Tracy “Lil’ Go-Go” Baumgard, Scott “Chief” Hensley, Judy “Nudey” Eaton and Clint “Boomer” McElroy. We set out on our long and arduous journey in the WTCR Radio van. It wasn’t the first time our morning show had been invited to do live broadcasts from the Country Music Awards, but it might have been the most memorable.
We set up our equipment in the Gaylord Ballroom along with scores of other radio stations from across the nation. We then began interviewing some of country music’s biggest stars. On this particular morning, we were not functioning at peak capacity, due mostly to hangovers. Some of the highlights from the night before included Scott’s tear-jerking karaoke rendition of Something in Red at Printer’s Alley; Tracy’s evocative interpretive dance on a table top at Tootsie’s Bar; Judy’s personal obligation to consume every beer in Davidson County, Tennessee; and my awe-inspiring consumption of a sandwich called “The Melvin,” which was a double-patty cheeseburger with pulled pork, bacon, fried egg, boneless pork chop and kielbasa sausage. As such, we weren’t feeling too lively when a certain young blonde singer approached our table. And that was, of course, Kellie Pickler. And during that interview where I was entranced by Pickler’s ability to burp on command, the former American Idol said: “Have y’all talked to Taylor yet? She’s a peach!”
And that peach was Taylor Swift! She was just 17 years old when I interviewed her, but she conducted herself with the charm and confidence of somebody who had been in the business for decades. I remember her walking up to our table with a shy smile wearing a long white sweater and a red knit beanie atop her now iconic long blonde curls.
Young Taylor had just released the song Tim McGraw, which she quickly explained was not really about Tim McGraw. “I’m not a stalker,” noted Swift. Instead, her song was about the power of music and how emotionally evocative it can be. I then suggested that her song might be similar to an acting technique called sense memory. “Exactly!” said Swift. “Hear a song and it takes you back to the first time you danced to it. Smell cotton candy and you remember that time your parents took you to the circus.”
“That’s not what I remember smelling at the circus,” I quipped. That got a good laugh from the young lady who would go on to become the biggest star in the world.
Interestingly enough, no one in our crew predicted that the teenager was bound for superstardom. Judy remembered thinking Swift didn’t have a lot of talent, but that she was very smart and mature for her age. “I thought she’d make a good Nickelodeon star,” said Judy.
However, there was one thing Swift did that day that made me think she was special. After finishing our interview, we posed for a photograph together. Then, as Swift was walking away, Judy looked up from her new-fangled digital camera and said, “Oh, no! The picture was out of focus!” Upon hearing Judy’s disappointment, young Taylor Swift stopped, did a 180, made a beeline back to our table and posed for another photograph.
That, I thought, showed that she had heart. Ultimately, heart is what makes Taylor Swift so special. And with that, I became history’s first Swiftie.
