GLEN GARDNER, NEW JERSEY ON A CLEAR SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER

When we were invited to a gathering of the WDVR-FM radio family at the home of Tom Bleck, a radio disc jockey (DJ), we had never heard of the town he lives in, which is in our home state. An hour’s drive from our house in Essex County took us to Hunterdon County, the home of the WDVR-FM radio station.

We predicted the party would be in a scenic area, but we couldn’t have imagined the beauty that awaited us. After exiting the highway, we began our short trip through the splendor of the beautiful countryside as we drove past the enchanting scene of horses grazing in the pastures. There was no time to stop for photo ops, but we made up for that when we arrived at Tom’s house/barn. You can listen to Tom on WDVRFM.org on Wednesdays from 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM when he hosts Left Bank.

Another WDVR-FM host, Joey Novick, joined the party. We had a lengthy conversation. We’ve met his brother, Paul, a few times at a mutual friend’s BBQ. Tom and Joey have each been guests on my husband, (Arnold aka Arnee) Shep’s, long-standing show on WDVR-FM, The World of Work. Aside from being the host of the World of Work for 28 years, now broadcast every Tuesday from 5:00-6:00 PM Eastern, Shep is a substitute DJ on the last Sunday of every month on WDVRFM.org from 3:00 - 5:00 PM Eastern.

Joey was interestingly telling me about a friend who has since passed away. Unquestioningly, he said there should be a movie about the man and suggested that Kevin Hart would be perfect to cast in the role of the main character, Charlie Barnett. He even vowed that he would help write the screenplay about his friend who performed stand-up comedy on the streets of New York in the 1980s, even though he was illiterate. A quick Google search shows much about Barnett, who drew enormous crowds performing on the streets of New York.

When I informed Joey that our son-in-law works at Kevin Hart’s company, he was intrigued, so I called him from the party and hooked them up. One never knows. Maybe someday we’ll see the celebrated comedian/actor Hart, who started his career in stand-up, starring as an illiterate stand-up comic.

We were happy to have made it to the friendly WDVR-FM gathering at Tom’s landmark house/barn in Glen Gardner. We were somewhat disappointed that we missed a subsequent gig by Novick, but that was for good reason…we were in flight returning from attending our grandson Easy’s first birthday celebration in Ohio. Hopefully, we’ll catch Novick’s next performance and find out more about the status of a Charlie Barnett flick.

Meanwhile, tune in to WDVRFM.org to hear captivating “diversified radio.” You’ll be glad you did.

September 7, 2025 Gen Gardner, New Jersey WDVR-FM family and guests There I am in the middle of the crowd with Shep standing behind me

Inside the enchanting barn

Charlie Barnett: Legendary NYC street comedian, Dave Chappelle mentor