Who is ‘Mower Man’? And what is he doing on the radio?
For fans of Juke Box Radio’s Wednesday evening program "Nightlife Radio," the answers are obvious. But for residents of Secaucus, Andrew Loesner lives a duel life. By day, he’s the man that cuts lawns and trims hedges. On Thursday night, he joins his brother, Joseph, as co-host of a program on 103.1 FM that pokes fun at everything but the guests.
"We act on the air the way we always act," said Joseph Loesner. "We’ve always picked on each other. So that’s what we do on air. Our program has a comic twist."
But they do something more. They share their mutual love of music, seeking to bring to the radio acts that would otherwise not get heard.
Although the brothers were born in Hoboken, they were raised in Secaucus and still live there.
"We’re both residents of Secaucus," Joseph Loesner said. "We were both born in St. Mary Hospital in Hoboken, and we both graduated Secaucus High School. I graduated in 1993. My brother graduated in 1988."
Joseph is 28 and Andrew is 32.
"Andrew is a landscaper by day," Loesner said. "I call him ‘Mower Man.’ He is my identical opposite in every way."
Loesner works as a disc jockey and party promoter – in such places as the China Club in Manhattan.
He said he got the idea for doing a program after he saw Sid Bernstein doing a radio guest show from a restaurant in New York. Bernstein was a world famous promoter who brought to United States such acts as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Bernstein also went to Monroe High School in the Bronx with the Loesner’s grandmother.
"When my grandmother found out that I wanted to get into entertainment, she encouraged me to talk to Sid Bernstein," Loesner said. "She heard he was coming to Secaucus for the winter Beatlefest convention."
This was March 2001. Loesner was impressed by Bernstein, and Bernstein saw a lot of himself in Joseph, so they kept in touch.
When Bernstein did a radio broadcast from the Second Avenue Deli in Manhattan, Loesner took a trip to see him. The show featured people like Dick Clark.
"I saw Sid having the time of his life," Loesner said. "I thought I would love to do something like this."
He encouraged his brother to catch Bernstein’s act.
Bernstein recognized Loesner in the crowd and mentioned to his associates Loesner’s interest in entertainment. He was immediately approached by an agent, who then arranged for the brothers to meet with the producer for the show Juke Box Radio.
Bernstein, during a telephone interview, said Joseph Loesner has the charisma and talent to become a great promoter.
"I have met a lot of promoters in my life, and having been one myself, I think Joe has the opportunity to be the next great promoter," Bernstein said. "He is not only fun, but he has energy and style. This is a young charismatic guy that I flipped over."
Anything can happen
The show started last April and has been picked up by several other stations in Rockland County and the lower Hudson River Valley. The local signal covers Bergen and Hudson counties.
The show has several aspects. Loesner talks about things that attract him, and Andrew talks about things he likes, and then they pick on each other.
"We’re always arguing playfully," Loesner said. "Most families can relate to what we’re doing, since there are people in those families that do the same thing."
But he added, "You never know what will happen when the ‘On the air’ light come on."
The brothers do have something of an agenda that includes a variety of entertainment and a monologue.
"But we often like to see what happens," Loesner said.
The program also likes to highlight hip new night clubs and restaurants.
"Since we knew Sid Bernstein, we had him on as a guest," Loesner said. "He talked about the best places in New York."
One premise of the show is to find new talent. The brothers scout local clubs regularly.
"We’re always looking for people who are not famous yet," he said. "It’s very difficult for a new act to get attention without a record company pushing for them."
The brothers have done live events in conjunction with several local clubs such as the former Blue Room (now Love Sexy) in Secaucus and Bar None in Hoboken.
"I can’t tell what is going to happen on any show," he said. "Especially when we have people calling us up to be on the air." The show airs Wednesday nights from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
People interested in getting on the air can call (800) 585-1031 during show hours. Musical acts looking to make a possible appearance on the show can call (201) 893-9777;
The Loesners will be looking to schedule a charity fundraising event with Bernstein in Hudson County before Thanksgiving.
"One of our biggest goals is to get on a bigger station," Loesner said. q