By Rick Stanton
A few columns ago, I lamented the disappearance of “my Seattle” and how the soul of the city is being sold to the highest high-rise bidder. And now it’s really gotten personal!
Belltown-anchor Kaye Smith Studios, which in ’92 morphed into the Bad Animals audio-recording/-post studio and sound-stage Studio X under Steve Lawson (who sold both in ’99), soon will be no more. I’d heard the sad news awhile back, but reading the article in The Seattle Times on Aug. 26 hit me hard—and opened up a flood of memories.
I met my former wife, Karen Kaucher, in the early ’80s, when she was the executive producer at Kaye Smith, and I did my first TV spot there. Karen had come to my office on Western Avenue to show me Gary Noreen’s reel. I was impressed—but mostly with her.
I met others who I would know for the rest of my life from God knows how many production and post-production sessions at Kaye Smith. Brad Lenz, Mark Eguchi, David Culp (oh how I miss him, may he rest in peace) and Alex Smith, who now runs Kaye Smith Marketing & Financial Services. Back in the day, Alex was a grip on the crew.
It’s also where I first heard about this “music guy” named Dan Dean, who did so many custom tracks for me I’ve lost count. A most memorable one was the famous “Chicken Tango” for the Washington Fryer Commission.
And on that same sound stage, I got Pat Fraley to wear an Easter-bunny suit—sitting on a giant egg and smoking a cigar—for my client, Purdy’s Chocolates. I met Norm Durkee there, too, and we produced an amazing radio spot for Hazel’s Chocolates (see link below). I was, and still am, blown away by the genius that was Norman.
When Lawson took over the place in ’89 and re-named it Bad Animals, it became the only place I did my radio production. When Lawson sold the place to Charlie Nordstrom in ’99, Mike McAuliffe, Tom McGurk and crew, all became part of my professional family.
Wendy Wills, who’s the glue that holds all those people together, helped keep me together as well. I’ll never forget the day I was in the lobby and Maury Wills walked around the corner. Being a baseball junky, I was stunned. This guy was famous. And he’s Wendy’s dad. Who knew? Not me, until that moment.
I got to work with studio manager and music engineer Reed Ruddy there, as well, and there isn’t a nicer man on the planet. He’s one of the most unassuming people I have known, and the best in the business.
And there were lots of laughs with talent like Pat Cashman, Scott Burns, Jim Bach, Kit Harris and a bunch of folks I’m leaving out because my “rememberer” doesn’t work as well these days. When I had Pat, Scott and Jim in studio at the same time, I used to schedule an extra half hour so I could get them to stop clowning around and get to work. Work? Hardly.
Now, yet another soulless company has bought the block and is going to turn it into yet another tribute to bad architecture. Gone, too, is the Two Bells, across the street. I loved that joint, and especially the chicken sandwich and a cold Rainier. Both Bad Animals and Studio X will move and continue to do what they do better than anyone else. But sadly, like so much around here, it won’t be the same.
Maybe the worst part of all of these recent and regrettable changes is the realization that I’m on the back-nine of my time on the planet. But man, I have some wonderful memories that will live with me forever. And a whole bunch of them happened in that too-soon-to-be-razed 2212 4th Avenue building.
Below is a link to the TImes article I referenced about and to the Christmas music Mr. Durkee did for Hazel’s. It’s under the heading Golden Oldies.