An Exclusive Interview with Jamie Most and Mike Carey
By:
Michael D. McClellan | Monday, February 21st 2005
‘Voice of the Celtics’ is dedicated, in part, to Bob
Brannum, one of the true “Good Guys”. I had the honor
of interviewing Mr. Brannum and came away
similarly impressed. Please tell me a little about Mr.
Brannum, and what led you to dedicate this fine effort
to him.
JAMIE MOST
Dad was more than just a play-by-play announcer or a
radio broadcaster to Bob. The two of them became close
during Bob’s playing days, and they remained lifelong
friends after his retirement from the Celtics. Bob was
the head counselor at Camp Milbrook when I was a child,
so I remember being around him from a very early age.
He was gruff on the outside, and that’s what many people
remember most about him, but he was a very warm person
on the inside. He really was a great guy once you got
to know him. With Bob, it was truly a case of tough
love. So Mike and I talked about it, and we thought
that both Dad and the Brannum family would be honored if
we dedicated the book to Bob, who has been battling
cancer for the past couple of years. [Editor’s note:
Sadly, Mr. Brannum passed away on February 5th,
2005, after a courageous fight against pancreatic
cancer.]
MIKE CAREY
Yes, the dedication of ‘Voice of the Celtics” was a
joint decision. Milbrook was the first summer camp with
ties to the Celtics, and it was held close to Bob’s home
in Marshfield (Massachusetts). Jamie was a camper
there, so he got to know Bob very well over the years.
I met him in 1981, when I was a young reporter and he
was the basketball coach at Brandeis University. Bob
was nice enough to help me – no question was considered
stupid, and he never made me feel that I was wasting his
time. He was very patient, and I learned a lot from
him. So Jamie and I wanted to do something nice for him
– in part to show our appreciation for all that he’d
done for us over the years, and in part for the special
relationship that he had with Johnny.
‘Voice of the Celtics’, and ‘High Above Courtside’ are
must-read classics, not only for fans of the Boston
Celtics but for anyone who wants a history lesson in
professional basketball. What was it like for you to
put these fine works together?
JM
As a son, “Voice of the Celtics” was a special way for
me to pay tribute to my dad. It was my way of
recognizing the great life that he led, some of which I
took for granted while growing up. So it meant a lot
for me to be a part of this project, especially
producing the CD. I think it has really helped bring a
sense of closure. For my children, this is a way for
them to learn about their grandfather. They never had
the thrill of knowing him, and now they have something
that will keep him close as they grow up.
Producing the CD brought back so many memories – I
started going to the games at a very young age, watching
them by dad’s side while he worked. I didn’t really
appreciate it all then because I was so young, but over
time I came to realize just how special he was. I
remember attending the Celtics’ family Christmas
parties, having fun with the players, and watching the
way the fans treated him. He was as much a part of the
Celtic family as anyone.
MC
All of the credit goes to Jamie for “Voice of the
Celtics”. He was so focused on seeing it become a
reality, and he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
His work on the CD is phenomenal. It captures the true
essence of Johnny Most – his passion for the Boston
Celtics, his unique broadcasting style, and his
self-deprecating humor. It’s also loaded with great
calls – you’ll find “Havlicek stole the ball”, as well
as a bunch of other classics from the glory days.
As far as the text for “Voice of the Celtics”, I didn’t
want it to be a retelling of “High Above Courtside”. I
added some information about Curt Gowdy, Johnny’s
predecessor as play-by-play man for the Celtics, and
also some background on Marty Glickman, who was both the
Knicks and New York Football Giants play-by-play
announcer when he “discovered” Johnny while listening to
him over drinks at a bar. I also elaborated on Maurice
Stokes, who Johnny felt was going to be one of the top
five players in NBA history.
Producing “High Above Courtside” was very frustrating.
In 1987, Johnny and I had a contract with a publisher,
but that was around the time that Johnny became very
sick and couldn’t actively promote the book. The
publisher just didn’t think the book would sell without
him pushing it. The manuscript sat on a book shelve for
fourteen years until the original publisher finally
agreed to release the book rights. It was frustrating,
because Johnny Most was one of the game’s great
characters. We felt it was a great story to tell, not
only because of the great calls, but because many of the
fans who listened to him didn’t know his background.
They didn’t know about his New York roots, or about his
affiliation with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Regardless of the struggles, I loved writing “High Above
Courtside”. Fourteen years had passed since the
manuscript was completed, and by then we had some great
stores about Johnny as told by friends, colleagues, refs
and foes alike. We added a section to the back of the
book just for that. There are stories from everyone
imaginable; Sam Jones, Chick Hearn, Dave Cowens, Rick
Carlisle. You read them, and you realize just how
deeply people cared for Johnny Most.
Johnny Most had a great relationship with nearly
everyone in the Celtic Family. Tommy Heinsohn was one
his closest friends, and provides the wonderful
narration on the accompanying CD. Please tell me a
little about Mr. Heinsohn, and his relationship with Mr.
Most.?
JM
Dad and Tommy were the best of friends. Dave Cowens
called them ‘Frick and Frack’ [laughs]. The two of them
hit it off right away, and it wasn’t long before they
were rooming together on road trips. Tommy was a
history buff, and dad had served our country during
World War II. They also had a lot of similar interests
– dad liked to write poetry, and Tommy was an artist.
They both liked boxing.
For me, it was very special growing up around the
Heinsohn family. From my playing Pop Warner football to
his teaching me to play basketball, Tommy has always
been a big part of my life. I’ve become lifelong
friends with his son, Paul. I’ve shared so many great
memories with the Heinsohns. So when I decided to
produce the CD, Tommy was the first and only person I
ever really considered to do the narration. He accepted
without hesitation. To him, it was an honor to be a
part this tribute to my dad. They were lifelong
friends, so he was the perfect choice.
MC
Johnny roomed with Don Barksdale when he joined the
team. Barksdale was a tremendous athlete – he was
twenty-eight when blacks started being drafted by NBA
teams – and Johnny didn’t hesitate rooming with him on
road trips. There wasn’t a prejudiced bone in his
body. He would get very angry anytime the players were
subjected to racism, and he didn’t hesitate to let his
feelings be known.
After Don retired, Johnny, along with Celtic players
Jack Nichols, Arnie Risen and Dwight “Red” Morrison
rented a house in Revere. After they left, Johnny would
frequently room with Tommy on the road. Johnny was from
New York, Tommy from New Jersey. It didn’t take them
long to become fast friends.
There is a funny story about these great men; when Tommy
decided to go into broadcast journalism, he naturally
asked Johnny for advice. Johnny said that being true to
yourself was the most important thing to remember.
Don’t be a phony. That was the main thing. And then,
he looked at Tommy and said, “It doesn’t really matter
anyway, because everyone is going to be listening to
me!”
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