Freak (Wally Kozielski)
Freak (born Walter A. Kozielski), is a radio personality in Chicago, Illinois. Freak, along with Jeff "Turd" Renzetti, was a main cohort of the Chicago-based, nationally syndicated morning radio show, Mancow's Morning Madhouse, hosted by Erich "Mancow" Muller for 9 years.[1]
He was raised on Chicago's Northwest side just a few blocks from the famous Rolling Stone Records store and John Wayne Gacy's residence. His first job was at the Harlem & Irving Plaza (H.I.P.) as a game room attendant at Aladdin's Castle. He graduated from Prosser Vocational High School in Chicago in 1985.
His start in radio happened by chance when his friend got him a job at WTMX-FM (The Mix - 101.9 FM). He began working at the station using his childhood nickname "Cap" playing music by the likes of Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, & Wilson Phillips until the chance to work at The Blaze (103.5 FM) surfaced and he jumped on it. The Blaze later became Rock 103.5 and he stayed aboard and it was there that he hooked up with a new morning show from San Francisco called Mancow's Morning Madhouse.
Kozielski was with Mancow's Morning Madhouse since the show's debut in 1994 and became "Freak" then. He was best known as Mancow's traffic reporter and was nominated for A.I.R. Awards 5 times winning twice in 1997 & 2002. Kozielski also did music news for the station, occult themed news, and other show segments for Mancow such as Street Life and Beat the Freak. Kozielski left Mancow's Morning Madhouse in November 2003 to join the active rock station 94.7 The Zone (WZZN) where he worked doing mornings with Brook & Jill then afternoon drive until the station switched to an Oldies format in 2006. Freak then went to WRXQ-FM 100.7 in southwest suburban Chicago.[2] There he hosted weekday afternoons 3-7p as well as the biker-themed Road Rash Radio Sunday mornings from 10a-Noon until exiting August 25, 2011.
He is currently the Operations Manager/Program Director for WYKT-105.5 The Kat, a rock station on Chicago's south side where he also does afternoon drive Mon-Fri 2p-7p. He can also be heard doing mid-days (11a-1p) on KZZK-105.9 The Grizz in Quincy Illinois.
Freak is also the track announcer for the dirt oval at Rt. 66 Raceway in Joliet Illinois calling the Tournament of Destruction team demolition derby action.
Freak is also the P.R. Director for the Will County chapter of A.B.A.T.E.
Freak also wrote for the biker-themed Saddle Tramp Magazine.[3][4] as well as a music magazine out of Indiana called The Midwest Beat.
He was approached to do a number of "Go Green" commercials in 2009 however, the deal never came to fruition as he would not join the Screen Actors Guild[5]
Freak opened a bar called Freakster's Roadhouse on Historic Rt. 66 (Rt. 53) in Wilmington, Illinois in May 2011.[6] He built a radio studio inside the Roadhouse and broadcasts from there regularly having national acts stop by to play live on 105.5 The Kat. To date, Taproot, Otherwise, Soil, Royal Bliss, Wayland, 12 Stones, Eye Empire, Eve To Adam, & Steven Adler have all played there. Also, W.W.F. wrestlers, Al Snow w/ Head, The Honky Tonk Man, & Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, NHRA drivers T.J. Zizzo, & "240 Gordie" Bonin have also stopped in for a drink. The bar closed Jan. 15th, 2013 upon word of a new, larger location to be opened within a few months.
Jackyl frontman Jesse James Dupree carved up Freak's desk with a chainsaw in July 2012 as his son Nigel played live on the Roadhouse stage. The desk remains in the studio/office with a plexiglass top to this day.
In August 2012, Freak married long-time girlfriend Betsy Kuypers, also known as Betz.
October 4, 2013 He re-opened Freakster's Roadhouse in Pontiac Illinois with Wayland, the band that closed the original roadhouse in Wilmington Illinois playing live. It's located at 902 W. Custer in Pontiac 61764.
External links[edit]
- Freakster's Roadhouse (Official) on Facebook[6]
- Southland Freak & FreakstersRt66 (Official) on Twitter
- Southland Freak (Official) on Myspace
References[edit]
- ↑ Reese, Joel (18 November 1999). "It's just an act ... right?". Arlington Heights, IL: Daily Herald. Archived from the original
|archive-url=requires|url=(help) on 24 May 2011. Missing or empty|url=(help);|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ↑ Larz (25 August 2011). "Freak Exits WRXQ-FM". Chicagoland Radio and Media. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- ↑ Kozielski, Walter (16 June 2010). "July Article for Saddle Tramp Magazine". Myspace. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ↑ Kozielski, Walter (21 September 2010). "October Saddle Tramp Article". Myspace. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ↑ Kozielski, Walter (14 January 2009). "How to turn off the lights with a blowgun" (Video). Myspace. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Harris, Leslie (evening host on WERV-FM 95.9 The River) (23 May 2011). "Freak from our sister station, WRXQ, has opened Freakster's Roadhouse - check it out!". Facebook. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
Kaempfer, Rick (23 September 2007). "Chicago Radio Spotlight: Freak". Retrieved 24 May 2011.
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