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Tom Mischke: Remembering Steve Cannon, the king of talkers

Article by: TOM MISCHKE
Updated: April 7, 2009 - 11:46 PM

He opened his car door and eased his leg onto the curb. It was just past 3 in the afternoon. As he turned to say goodbye and to thank me for the ride, he told a story. I sat in the driver's seat, car running, listening. That story lead to another remembrance, and he passed that along as well. I asked a question, and he recalled that he'd forgotten to address a key element of the first story. He slowly brought the door back to its closed position. Four hours later he slid out of the car, waved goodbye, and walked into his Lake of the Isles home. Somewhere in that stretch, I must have turned off the engine. ¶ That was my first meeting with Steve Cannon. It was summer 2003. I'd just taken him out to lunch, checking off one more box on my life's wish list. We had arrived at our restaurant table at noon and had been asked to leave at 3 o'clock as the place was closing. As I was giving him a ride home, I thought about how wonderful it was to be in the radio business and be able to spend time with a true broadcasting legend. Little did I know this would be the first of many marathon bull sessions with the man I would come to call The Wrangler.

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d32002Apr. 7, 09 9:05 PM

Thank you for this great article on Steve Cannon. It is a wonderful piece of writing about a wonderful radio talent.

bwotheApr. 8, 0911:27 AM

I was a Cannon fan from the time he was at KSTP and told me to wear a little black dress every Friday morning. I also remember him as Wrangler Steve. So yes, I may be old, but I still appreciate irreverence, edginess, and humor. Why, why, why is there no Twin Cities radio station that will hire Mischke to carry on the tradition of Cannon? He's the only candidate! Thanks, Tommy, for a beautiful tribute.

Don9539Apr. 8, 0912:46 PM

Travel well Steve, Ma, Backlash, Morgan and the rest of the gang.

olelarsApr. 9, 09 7:57 AM

Of course the greatness of Steve Cannon was that it was obvious he didn't much care about the money at all. And I am not surprised that Cannon let Mischke in on his life like an endearing uncle working with a beloved nephew. Thank you for the snippet of Cannon's life, Tommy. Now go and do likewise as you do.

thorperApr. 9, 0910:25 AM

Tommy, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on one of the great radio legends of our time. We are truly blessed to have unique and creative persons such as you and Steve in our lives. Keep doing what you do. Big German Bank is one of my all-time faves. You inspire and entertain, just like Cannon did. Salut!

largeliverApr. 9, 0912:39 PM

TD did a great story on Cannon but he cannot replace him. There is nobody on the radio today or in recent history that comes close to touching Cannon's talent.

samo45Apr. 12, 09 7:02 PM

I grew upon the Iron Range and for men of Cannon's generation up there, being able to tell a good story was more important ability than practically anything else. Cannon's imagination got a good workout on the Range; I remember laughing until I hurt over stories told by his peers. Cannon isn't the only loss; storytelling abilities seem to be dying off. I'm grateful we've still got Keillor, but they sure don't make storytellers like they used to.

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