ANNOUNCER: At this time we have the pleausure of bringing to our microphone a gentlemen who as been the idol
of the nation's dance fans for a good many years, FATS WALLER!.usually a solo entertainer, fats has recently branched
out into the field of orchestra leading, and hopes to acquire as much fame with his band as he has with his individuality.
As most of you know, he is a man of somewhat large proportions, standing 5 feet 10 inches high, and weight 256 pounds.
But he does have the jovial personality that is supposed to be one of the charateristics of the corpulent people.
As a special feature of this program, i'd like to introduce, as master of cerimonies, a man who is partly responsible for
the jell-o, finding its way into millions of american homes, none other than Jack Benny's right hand man, Rochester.
So if you'll take over from here Rochester, i know the next few minutes will be something we'll never forget.

EDDIE :Well, Fats, i got a few questions here to ask you. You all ready with the answer?

FATS:  Well, go ahead and shoot'em at me, Rochester,I'll see if i can shoot as much bull as you can.

EDDIE: How'd you happen to start your musical career?

FATS: Well, they stopped me swinging in the church, so i had to swing outside somewhere.

EDDIE: Have you ever worked in any other jobs besides musical ones?

FATS: Oh yes, i had all kind of jobs. I was an errand boy....I used to stealquite a number of cookies when i was
a groucer's errand boy. I think that accounts for my weight bein' sp corpulent.

EDDIE: Yeah, yeah, i see.

FATS: You Dig?

EDDIE: Yeah, them cookies.

FATS: Them cookies, man, Grandma's cookies

EDDIE: With sugar on' em?

FATS: With PLENTY of sugar.

EDDIE: What instruments do you play?

FATS:  Piano, violin, and organ.

EDDIE: Well, gee, that violin is...

FATS: No, no, no, no. Lemme tell you about that violin episode right now. I played violinin the school orchestra
and played so terribly that the boys used to, when i start playin' a solo, they'd say " Hey!give that rat some cheese!"

EDDIE: well,..we can class your violin playin' with another violinist that i happen to know..

FATS: Ho ho!, that's sound bad!

EDDIE: Has the draft affected your band yet?

FATS: No, the draft hasn't affected the band yet. The boys have their overcoats for the draft.

EDDIE: Okay, Well, we'll leave the window open...when you organized your first band,  did you pattern your style after
any particular band of the time?

FATS: No, when i started that first band, it was every man for hisself and every tub on its own bottom.

EDDIE: Why did you choose this particular selections?

FATS: What selections?

EDDIE: The one that you call your theme song.

FATS: Ohhh!, well, i tell you, that was written, our theme song bein AIN'T MISBEHAVIN, that was written
while i was lodging, or, rather, incarcerated in the alimony jail, and i wasn't misbehavin, you dig?

EDDIE:Yeah, yeah!

FATS; well, all right!

EDDIE: How many recordings have you made, can you give me an idea?

FATS: well, roughly between 800 and 1000. records.

EDDIE: How'bout after you smooth it out?

FATS: When you smooth it out, we made at least twenty to thirtyrecords, and when you really smooth it out,
we did make a couple just last week!

EDDIE: When you go to a new engagment, how much time do you spend rehearsing?

FATS: We don't rehearse, ..in fact we close tonight and open tomorrow.

EDDIE: yeah, i didn't think you had to rehearse.

FATS: that's it!

EDDIE: that's right.

FATS :You rehearse on the job at the public'e expense.

EDDIE: When you have an engegement that gives you a lot of free time, what do the boys do to pass away in
the free time?

FATS: Why, you can catch them guys playin's five card, rummy, "21",--somebody's in here hollerin "Shhhhhh!"
i dunno who's doin it...

EDDIE : What has been the greatest contributing factor to your success?

FATS: My wife, i believe.

EDDIE: Ah, that's fine, that's fine!

FATS: She stuck with me through thick and thin, yuo know, she was right along me, everything was goin' so good,
She was my pal and buddy, and she kept encourangin me. Finally, i got near the jackpot, i haven't hit it YET,
but i hope to in the near future.

EDDIE: What advice would you give to a young musician who is starting to organize his first band?

FATS: Start from the bottom and work like a son of a gun!

EDDIE: What's your personal opinion of the boogie-woogie type of music?

FATS:  Beat me daddy! ,eight to the bar!..listen Eddie,a fella was tellin' me this afternoom that he had a new song
out, so i asked him the title of it. It's one of those boogie-woogie tunes...something about "What does the termite
say to the bartender?"....said somethin' about ,beat me daddy! i just ate the bar!

EDDIE: Do you think that swing, as it is played today, will always have a place in the musical world?

FATS:  I think that swing will be here forever and a day, without a letup.

EDDIE: You think swing is here to stay?

FATS: Sway and stay.

EDDIE: What has been the most outstanding incident in your musical career?

FATS: The most outstanding incident?..let me see, Well, i'll tell you one thing, when i was over Manchester,
England, in 1939, i fell out of a cab door.

EDDIE: I imagine...

FATS: We were doin' about thirty miles an hour. I didn't had a scratch.

EDDIE: Well, that was an incident. Do you have any hobbyes?

FATS: Hobbyes?..hooo,..yes! i got one hobby, i can't tell the people about over this air...

EDDIE: Do you partecipate in any....sports?

FATS: Ho well, Nooo!....i wouldn't say i partecipate..ever seen two little cubes that jump around?

EDDIE: well.....

FATS: I partecipate sometimes.....most of the time i have to stay away cause they'll keep me BROKE
if i stick to'em...

EDDIE: You know, Fats, gee..i can think of the first time i saw you,that was my first oppurtinity to get to New York,
some time ago....you sat down at the organ and started beating out, you know, i didn't have any idea that kind
of music could come out of an organ?

FATS: OOhhh, yes!.All you gotta do is put your hands on it and get that right ticklin' rhythm, and it's on.
The ball really starts to roll......

NOTE:....from the book "Fats waller, His life and times"...........i can do that?