Remember the clubhouse scene from “Stand By Me,” the 1986 coming of age film by Rob Reiner? Four teenage boys hang out, play cards and trade insults in the sanctum of their treehouse. The hour I spent with Benjamin Hotchkiss and Todd Crusham of KWVH’s Teenage Men program that airs Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. felt just like that. Unfortunately the show’s third member, Paul English, could not join us the day we met.
These fast friends share what they characterize as “a maniacal passion for music.” Each has vivid memories of the songs they listened to as teens. Much of the banter of Teenage Men centers on the personal memories those songs evoke. Although it wasn’t his era, Todd grew up on ‘60s music. Benjamin and Paul became musicians and today, play in the band Skyrocket, Benjamin as lead singer and Paul as lead guitarist.
Each host will string favorite songs together and the other two will listen and chime in live on the air. The range of tunes from which they choose can span 50 years. While the hosts may contribute some historical information about the number, most of the talk is about how each of them feels about the song. Any ribbing that’s dished out is all in good fun. Just bring up “Huey Lewis and the News” and see what happens.
Todd says the time they spend together is “almost like therapy.” For Benjamin, the program is his hobby, precious time in his personal “man cave.”
Apparently the show strikes a chord with listeners as the show enjoys a set of hardcore fans who share their thoughts and memories on Facebook. You might remember that in 2022, Todd and Benjamin interviewed the legendary Paul Simon on KWVH for two and half hours. For much of the interview Simon played songs from his childhood that sparked his own vivid memories.
