Fighting Trump and Ducey, singing with Olivia Newton-John: This KTAR host never holds back

When Larry Gaydos used to book guests for talk-show hosts at KTAR, the Phoenix radio station, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander.

“When I was young, I thought I could do better than everybody on the air,” Gaydos said. “I just needed a chance.”

Careful what you wish for.

“I was pretty much wrong,” he said, “because then they put me on the air. And I was like, wow, this is really hard.”

It worked out OK. Gaydos is celebrating 25 years with the station; 16 of those years are as a co-host of KTAR’s drive-time talk show. That’s a long run in an industry that is notorious for chewing up and spitting out talent every time a ratings book goes sideways. He co-hosts “The Gaydos and Chad Show" with Chad Benson.

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Gaydos knows why he's been able to remain at KTAR so long

Gaydos has some ideas about why he’s been able to last.

“I don't play it safe,” he said. “I think if you try and play it safe, then you're just a fraud. You’ve got to just be yourself when you're on the air. And I've always said, you know, I don't care if you love me. I don't care if you hate me. I just care if you listen.

“And there's some people who will love my opinions and others who will hate my opinions. But if you're listening, then I've done my job.”

Another thing that may explain Gaydos’ longevity at KTAR: He’s willing to change his mind. A lot of hosts hold firm views and cling to them like a Titanic passenger clings to a life preserver. Gaydos’ positions have evolved over the years, for reasons political, personal and in-between.

“Yeah, I just think people change their minds about stuff sometimes,” he said. “And it's not being a flip-flopper. It's being a human being and sometimes, you know, your thoughts on an issue might evolve and change. I think that’s OK. I think that's good. We should listen to each other a little bit more. We’d probably have a better world if we did.”

If you haven’t noticed, Gaydos is pretty fond of his job. And why not? It’s the job he dreamed of.

“I'm telling you, man, I just had this fire in my belly about doing a big show on a big station in afternoon drive,” he said. “And it's all I ever wanted to do. And now I'm doing it. And it's the coolest thing.”

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Arguing with Doug Ducey, singing with Olivia Newton-John

Naturally, having done the job for 25 years, Gaydos has some vivid memories of guests.

“Well, (Donald) Trump was amazing,” he said. “We disagree on a lot of things and we went nose to nose, and that was kind of fun. … I told Trump that he was mean. And he backed off and got very soft quickly and said, ‘That's the last thing I want people to think I am is mean.’ And I kind of feel like I softened him for just a moment.”

Singing a duet with Olivia Newton-John on the air “was incredible,” he said. “That was one of my favorite moments.”

There have been more contentious interviews as well. He didn’t remember anyone storming out of the set or hanging up, but there was a pretty heated exchange with a certain former governor of Arizona after the microphones were turned off, he said.

“I interviewed Doug Ducey and he didn't like any of my questions,” Gaydos said. “And then he got right in my face after the interview ended. We were off the air and he was just red hot. And I thought it was the funniest thing in the world. … He was not particularly happy. That probably means that I did a good interview.”

Politicians in general can be challenging interviews, Gaydos said.

“Some of these politicians, they never like what I ask, because they don't want to answer tough questions," he said. “And if you don't want to answer a tough question, you probably don't want to come on my show. Because there are no softballs on the show.”

Gaydos said he has no use for the politicians who aren’t there to truly engage in a conversation.

“They don't answer your questions,” he said. “You can ask a question three different ways and they'll find three different ways to talk about something else. And with politicians who just want to spew their garbage, when they come on with us, I'm gonna press them to answer a question, because they always forget that they work for us. And, you know, they're not here to push their agenda. They're here to answer my questions.”

Gaydos doesn't plan to hang up the microphone anytime soon

Gaydos has seen a lot of changes over the last quarter-century, both in the industry and with the audience.

“We've got all these different places that you can go and listen to something,” he said, including podcasts and other platforms. “But you still can’t get a guy who lives in Phoenix and loves Arizona and talks about Arizona stuff in a passionate way (on those platforms). Yes, that's me. That's my station.”

Naturally when someone has been doing a job this long, you wonder how much longer they’ll continue.

For a good long while, it sounds like, if Gaydos has any say in the matter.

“I still have fun doing it,” he said. “I’m still passionate, and the day that I'm not, I'm not gonna do it anymore. But I don't see that day coming anytime soon. Some people will love that and some people will hate that and I think that's great. Everybody gets what they want.”

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X, formerly known as Twitter: @goodyk.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: KTAR Phoenix host Larry Gaydos hasn't 'played it safe' in 25 years