Welcome to the Huntington Tri-State Time Machine, sponsored by Realty Exchange.

I'm your host WG Bunch. This is a podcast where my guests and I share our memories of the Huntington Tri-State Area. Huntington, West Virginia, Ashland, Kentucky, Chesapeake, Ohio. Nothing too serious, no political views, and no ulterior motives. We're just here to share our fun stories about this great area.

Whether you're a past resident or a current Tri-State resident, I think you're going to have fun with us.

So sit back and relax and welcome to The Huntington Tri-State Time Machine, sponsored by Realty Exchange.

Copyright 2024 Vanessa Hankins

>> Vanessa: Ladies and gentlemen, what a great, huh?

>> Speaker B: Huh?

>> Vanessa: It really was one of the best ones. I do very vividly.

>> Vanessa: So Wg would always keep you laughing. But, ladies and gentlemen, if you were friends with WG Bunch, you were always friends with WG Bunch, right, guys?

>> Vanessa: So from the moment you met m him.

>> Vanessa: So right now we're going to introduce a very special guest who's known he, uh, knew we Wg, right? So back in the day, ladies and gentlemen, uh, welcome Trace Ritter to the show once again.

>> Speaker B: Hey, guys, thank you very much for having me in here. You got me?

>> Speaker B: You got to tune it.

>> Vanessa: First number one step of being a guitarist, little bro. You got to tune your guitar. He tunes my guitar. He walks off. I'm pretty sure you made out with my friend's sister.

>> Vanessa: I'm sorry to your everyone.

>> Vanessa: So he walks back out of the room. I'm like, who was that guy? I don't hear anything about him for 40 years. I'm talking to WG Bunch and he drops the name Trace Ritter. I'm like, trace Ritter. Oh, I remember that guy.

>> Vanessa: He taught me how to do my guitar.

>> Vanessa: And so we start talking and it leads us on this little journey for this artifact. Uh, it's the whole thing. But anyway, this is the kind of guy WG was. When he meets you, he knows you for life. And I know that two of our co hosts and our guests here have known him longer than most people. Uh, what was it like knowing the Wi WG guys?

>> Vanessa: Yes, please share.

>> Speaker D: When do you remember meeting WG?

>> Speaker B: I met WG in preschool, so I got held back a year.

>> Vanessa: Because of WG.

>> Speaker B: Well, no, uh, he was always a great in front of me. But we went to preschool together for a year, and then my birthday was cut off day, so I couldn't go on. But he went on to Meadows. But, uh, I don't know, we used to hang out and do all kinds of stuff. Had, uh. I was expecting to see one of our other friends here, but he's up in Rhode, uh, island or something like that. And we were, like, all three good buddies. And we would sit around at WG's house and listen to Alfred Hitchcock albums, like stories. And they had all the Foley work.

>> Vanessa: And all of it.

>> Vanessa: That's so cool.

>> Vanessa: So cool.

>> Speaker B: And I would listen to it on my Viewmaster player because I didn't have any other turntable, but WG had the professional turntable. And, uh, Jr and then we would listen to. I, um, want to say it was Star wars on album, too, or Star Trek. Star Trek on album. But it was a few different ones like that. It was just. Those are some of the memories on that hill on Wilshire Boulevard, because Jr Roach lived across the street from WG. And we would go to speech class together, too. I forgot her name right now. It's leaving me. But we'd go to speech class, and I sucked at reading and all that stuff. WG was always good. My mom even said today, she goes, I remember driving you guys around, and WG, as young as he was, could read the billboards. She said, he was so smart, and he would just start reading the billboard. She goes, you can read that? And I'd be like, so you just.

>> Vanessa: Became a rock star. I didn't have to read just a fancy book.

>> Vanessa: Learning just sign his name here and there.

>> Speaker B: That was kind of funny that she said that today. I just remember driving you all around.

>> Vanessa: And going on the love mom's memories.

>> Vanessa: One of the cool things about WG, and we all know this is, like I said, when he's your friend, he's your friend forever. So he literally followed every step of everything you did your entire life, just like everybody. Always. You could call WG and be like, hey, what's this friend doing? What's that friend doing? And he knew all the goings on, especially about you, Trace. I swear, uh, again, when I told him that story, we bonded. And that's happened a few times with you and WG, with people all around the world. Just say the name, and they're like, wG. I knew a guy named WG, but, uh, again and again, this has popped up, and you made such an impact. But it was also, I think because you showed him a, uh, whole different world. Like, dude, we all know WG wanted to be Paul Stanley, right? Absolutely.

WG took you and your daughter to your first kiss concerts together

Yeah, absolutely. So he was living a little bit vicariously through is. I know for a fact that he took you to your, uh. You went to your first kiss concerts together, correct?

>> Speaker B: Yeah, with my mom.

>> Vanessa: Tell me this. Tell me all about this. Listen, we can't deny the fact this was a part of the man's ever.

>> Speaker B: Going to the kiss. Yeah.

>> Vanessa: With your mom. How cool is that?

>> Speaker B: The deal is with. I went with Travis Sharkey and my mom, and I think maybe his mom. It was a couple of mothers took us.

>> W.G.: What?

>> Vanessa: The coolest parents ever.

>> Vanessa: That's a great band name, by the way. A couple of mothers. Not to be used without permission of.

>> Vanessa: That's true.

>> Speaker B: That was killer.

>> Vanessa: Listen, so that was the thing that came up the memorial tonight, and he made such an impact on all of our lives. But there's not a single kid, like everybody, that has children. If your kids ever met WG, he made an impact on it. He made a point to make an impact. I know that he did that with your daughter. Tell a little bit about that story. When he took. How special did he make it for your daughter?

>> Speaker B: Oh, crazy special. Uh, just because he's so focused in on her, like, hey, how are you feeling? What do you think about this? You want to do that? And we got to the t shirt booth. I was like, all right, uh, we'll get $150. Okay, well, I guess we'll get one. I couldn't believe it was $50 for a concert shirt.

>> Vanessa: Rock stars, right?

>> Speaker B: What the heck is that all about? It's like, you can get a half a shirt.

>> Vanessa: That's how you guys make all the big money, right?

>> Speaker B: But WG was in there helping pick out the one that she should get and what she like, and I'll let him be with her and all that kind of stuff.

>> Vanessa: And she still remembers that look, I was talking to her earlier tonight, and that's what she remembers about WG. How do you forget such showmanship? That was the thing he wanted everybody to see. Just the same with Star wars, like, what a magnificent movie. With kiss, it was the showmanship. And to take you, like, who we know that was. You're his ride guy. Like, you're his guitar guy. He loved. So to invite you and your daughter to this show was a big thing for him. And he made it, uh, an experience, I'm sure.

>> Speaker B: Well, I think it was before. That might have been right after that that we came to Huntington and went to the kiss museum. And I just know my, by the.

>> Speaker D: Way, is his basement. It's just anonymous.

>> Speaker B: Have you guys not talked about that?

>> Vanessa: The kiss cave?

>> Speaker D: I was just reminding people that there's not, like an official kiss museum around here. That we are talking about WG's basement.

>> Vanessa: That's just what everybody calls.

>> W.G.: That's just what it is.

>> Vanessa: Over 700 items.

>> Vanessa: This is impressive.

WG Bunch donated hundreds of Halloween costumes to Huntington kids

>> Speaker B: That's true. I mean, you could tell that when you were in there, because you just couldn't stop looking at stuff. It's like a museum. Because one thing to the next. But when I took her down there, I remember in my head, I'm just going to be the wall. Let WG be. Because he just takes over. And it's not a bad takeover. He was never like, let me show you. It's his personality. It's like being on to show you Saturday Night live. I mean, he's just a character, but he keeps you interested.

>> Vanessa: That was a great analogy. He is the Matt Foley of our life, right? My m name is WG Bunch, and I love kids in Star wars. Did he not? And he proclaimed it and showed us all and our children. Right?

>> Speaker B: Yeah.

>> Vanessa: But again, we saw you at the memorial day, and we were literally talking about the difference he made in children's lives.

>> Vanessa: And then up walked you and your daughter.

>> Vanessa: Yeah. And so, listen, from Duba the elf to. For ten years, he gave. Again, I won't say the number, but he gave so many costumes to kids in need. Uh, every single year with night of the giving dead, he would donate his kids.

>> Speaker B: Can we back with night of what?

>> Vanessa: Night of the giving dead. So it's a thing we came up with about ten years ago. And we give wonder into Huntington costumes, uh, because as a kid, that's the first time you realize you don't have any money, right? It's October, you're in kindergarten, you're like, hey, it's Halloween. So we came up with this idea, and WG was an early adopter, because you think about Thanksgiving, you think about Christmas, but who thinks about Halloween, right? So WG started buying 510, 15 costumes a year to give to Huntington kids. And he did it for ten years solid.

>> Vanessa: Is that. You wouldn't know that unless we shared it with you. He didn't tell people. And I can speak on this just by helping you. Last year, when you go into these schools, the teachers have kind of let you know and identified these kids that don't have the means to get a costume and stuff. So the way Joe sets it up, his nonprofit, um, they get to come in and shop. They don't just get what we're giving them. They get to come in and pick out what they truly want to be.

>> Vanessa: And WG made a big deal of this, right? So you get to come shop. He wanted to make sure every year he had the best costume that would go first every year. So one year was a bb eight, like, uh, blow up costume. It was always $100 costume that a kid, because he didn't want a kid to say, oh, I just got a costume. He wanted a kid to say, look at my costume. That's WG bunch, right?

>> Vanessa: Absolutely.

>> Vanessa: So again, Trace, we know the respect he had for you. Thank you for coming in and checking in, because so many stories, so many people, just so many facets of his life. Uh, we can't touch it. All right? There's just so much. He loved music so much and shared it with so much of us.

If you had to describe WG, what would you describe his spirit

But if you had to describe WG, and we've been saying the three to five words, but just listen, you've known him, you guys, the two of you. I've known him since, like I said, we wG. How would you explain his spirit?

>> Vanessa: Uh, I like that. His spirit.

>> Speaker B: Just joyful. I mean, that's really about it. Just like when he drove to Nashville for this time, he gets out of his car and he starts acting like he's like, where am I? Have anybody seen Trace? And Willow's out there. My daughter. Just like, what's he doing? The show is on immediately.

>> Vanessa: Immediately.

>> Speaker B: I'm like, oh, boy, what's this going to be? I got to catch up with him.

>> Vanessa: Any final thoughts you want to share about WG?

>> Speaker B: Gosh, I don't know.

>> Speaker D: Um, real quick, what episode were you on?

>> Speaker B: I was showing somebody that app or that, uh, time machine. Yeah, the time machine thing. And I was looking through all the shows. I was like, he's done a lot of shows. I don't know what show I was on.

>> Speaker D: The really talked about the really good one.

>> Speaker B: I saw one that said guitar hero. I was like, that wouldn't be me.

>> Vanessa: Um, kind of were, man. You kind of were as guitar hero, brother.

>> Speaker B: No, I think it was called something else, though. Um, but I can't remember.

>> Speaker D: But the wife and kid were on there, too, so look.

>> Vanessa: Hey, I'll tell you what, guys.

>> W.G.: Look.

>> Vanessa: Using episode twelve.

>> Vanessa: Well, watch this. Using, I don't know, using the magic of circle 270 media, let's really quickly listen to a little clip from that episode. Trace, thank you for coming out. Hey, guys, check this out. Here's a clip from that episode with Trace Ritter.

>> W.G.: Here's my Mac and Dave story real quick. When I got into the drums in high school, I could tell you 50 stories about my drum playing days. But, um, I do remember when I was buying the drums. It's the mid to late eighty s. The more drums you have, it distracts from how bad you are because you're surrounded by just a ton of drums. And people go, he must be, um, mean. I bought chimes like, I'm going to play sailing by Christopher Cross.

>> W.G.: No, but Alex Van Halen had everything, and Neil Peart, those two drummers had everything. They could use it all.

>> W.G.: And people would get me confused with both of them. They're like, you're a little bit of Neil and you're a little bit of Alex. But, yeah, I remember Tom's. Yeah, I bought. Yes, yes. And I remember going to Mack and Dave's one day, and here he comes, uh, in case he hears this or, uh, a relative, uh, or whatever. I have no idea what his name is. I'm sure he was a very nice guy.

>> W.G.: Was he the guy with gray hair.

>> Speaker B: And glasses that had it parted on the side?

>> W.G.: There were seven of those. There were like, seven of them. Every time I went. And the one thing was I would go and I would buy drums from this guy, from a person there at McIntyre's. And then I'd go in a few days later and he's over selling recliners. I'd be like, does he really know what he's. And they're like, hey, sales is sales, kid. Um, but I remember going, this guy, mint green short sleeve dress shirt with a deep chocolate brown necktie and yummy, him going, I got something very, uh, almost godfatherish where he's like, I got something I think you're going to like to see. I'm like, okay, what is it? And he takes me over. It's a four foot gong gong. Yeah.

>> W.G.: It have a stand and everything.

>> W.G.: It had the stand. And of course it was like, picture your favorite 80s movie where as soon as I see it, you hear the music. I'm like, a female's voice came out of the gong going, take me home. I'll look so great behind your drum set.

>> W.G.: You will be the biggest thing in talk of the town if you buy this.

>> W.G.: I'm going to be the guy. Any band in the area who says we need a drummer, there's that one dude that's got the gong. What? Yeah, I think it was like $900. And I was like, that's a lot of money.

>> W.G.: If I hold drumstep.

>> W.G.: I've got so many ex girlfriends and ex wives who will attest uh, to the fact of they had said in their mind, you paid how much for what? That would have been at the top of any list. You bought a gong.

>> W.G.: You didn't buy it, though.

>> W.G.: I did not.

>> W.G.: Okay.

>> W.G.: And Mac and Dave's went out of business, uh, 20 years later. And I don't know if they still had that gong. Might have still been there. But, I mean, what happens if it.

>> W.G.: Sits there forever and it's gone one day? Do they send it back to the company and say, we've had it for ten years?

>> Speaker B: We couldn't.

>> W.G.: I don't even know if it was new or used.

Gong was displayed for a chinese restaurant. And if it was used, that means somebody came in

And if it was used, that means somebody came in and went, uh, I got this gong. Uh, I don't know what to do.

>> W.G.: It was displayed for a chinese restaurant.

>> W.G.: Yes. And as soon as mings went out of business, they went, what are we going to do with this gong?

>> W.G.: Look what we, ah.