There has never been a club like The Stone Pony and one man has been there from its earliest days, its highest highs, and its lowest lows. Known as the "Voice of The Stone Pony", DJ Lee Mrowicki tells tales from the club's initial run from opening in 1974 to being thrown into bankruptcy court in 1991.
Lee has had arguably the best view from the Pony for decades from his DJ booth located straight across from the stage, and he’s got plenty of stories to tell. Everything from the nicknames to the softball games; the guys who became big stars, the ones who coulda been stars, and the ones who shoulda been stars. Lee has seen it all.
In a brilliant move, Lee decided to create an audio book - knowing that his voice is legendary among Jersey Shore music fans. As I listened to Lee reading the chapters, I was taken back to when I was 17 and hanging out with Lee in the old Stone Pony Annex. I learned much of what I know about Asbury Park’s music history from Lee in those days and now you can hear the stories as well. Those stories inspired me to ultimately create the Beyond the Palace book.
There is nobody more fitting to tell the Pony’s history than Lee. He was instrumental in putting the club on the national map when he got Asbury Park’s WJLK radio station to broadcast the debut record release show for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes on May 30, 1976. That show announced to the country that something was happening in the local music scene - something they should pay attention to.
Soon after that show, Lee became the DJ for the club. As he points out in his book, he wasn’t the club’s first DJ or even its second, but he became synonymous with the Pony and the Asbury Music Scene. There’s something comforting about entering the club and hearing Southside Johnny over the speakers, knowing Lee is over there spinning records. And you can still hear him DJ his online shows, Radio Jersey and Beyond the Palace each week. Music is in his blood.
In many ways, Asbury Park’s music scene has always revolved around two guys: Bruce Springsteen and Lee Mrowicki. Both are intrinsically woven into the fabric of the music scene. I reached out to Lee to learn more about the book.
Why did you decide to put out the book now? Have you been thinking about writing a book for a long time?
People have been saying for years that I should write a book and I've been working on it regularly but sporatically for the past 4 years. When an idea pops up in my head, I sit at my macbook and start.
It's been a labor of love because writing a book is not an easy thing as you well know.
The book’s coverage period ends when the Stone Pony went to bankruptcy court. Did you decide to focus solely on the period with the original owners? Or did part of the Pony’s original magic / feeling of family die when that happened?
These are the years I know best and feel it was important for people to see the importance of what happened and who affected the Pony, making it the place it is today. The feeling of family has been carried on and the spirit of the Pony lives in all of us.
I know you worked for WJLK, did you work at any other professional stations? Was that a dream for you that changed once you started being the DJ in clubs?
I only worked at WMCX at Monmouth College and WJLK, although I may have dreamt of working other places and I auditioned at a few, I couldn't see myself leaving the Jersey Shore. Obie Dziedzic, who worked for Bruce, Steven, and Southside once arranged for me to audition at VH-1 when it first went on the air... but they took Don Imus over me. They liked my audition but they wanted a more well known person.
You are still spinning online radio shows. What keeps you going? Is it a love of sharing music or something more?
In other places throughout the country, they have radio that is indicative of the area, like Chicago has blues stations that play only blues music and there are Texas stations that play Texas music. Here in NJ, I felt someone needed to play the music of New Jersey, which no other radio station does, terrestrial or online. When I played at the Pony, and when I do special events there these days, I play NJ music to promote the talent we have here. It is something I have done since day one behind the mic. Actually, I used to get an envelope back at WMCX once in a while with a cassette inside of Bruce's music. Anonymously. So I would listen and play it on the air. I have always felt it was my job to proudly play and promote the talented performers from our state because NJ radio rarely does it.
How do you feel about being known as “The Voice of The Stone Pony”?
Bob Santelli (of Rolling Stone, Backstreets and Asbury Park Press fame) coined the phrase... I've been blessed with a decent voice and since I have been at the Pony for so many years, well, I'm so honored to be called that.
Did you always plan to make this an audio book? Or was that from a moment of inspiration?
I was sitting writing one evening and said to myself, people know me more for my voice than for my typing, so it's natural to do it as an audiobook, but included will be a written version. I was also curious and looked up how many trees are cut down for paper and it's in the billions!
How and where can people get the book? Will it only be available as an audio book or will there be a written version as well?
Right now, I am doing a discounted "pre-sale" for family and friends...which my daughter Stella is handling. Cost is $19.99 (by check made out to me or digital payment c/o Stella Mrowicki, PO Box 10, Clayton, NJ 08312). It will be available for the public at a slightly higher price in the next month or so.
You’ve seen a lot of New Jersey based artists come and go over the years. Who are a few that you thought were going to make it big that didn’t?
Outcry for one... Billy Hector... The Jukes of course.
What are a couple of the Pony shows that stand out to you over the years?
Anytime that Southside and the Jukes would play, it would be a fantastic show. But also shows that stand out were the Tishna Rollo Benefit shows, which included KISS, the late David Johansen as Buster Poindexter (there is a great story about Buster in the book) and others, also Jimmy Cliff, and Levon Helm. So many more!
The Pony was always part of plans to move elsewhere in town. Do you think it would have had the same success somewhere else? Could it have kept going elsewhere? Or would it have been like The Cavern Club - same name, but different location / kinda historic, kinda not?
There was talk about moving the Pony to the Power Plant back in the day, which was a bad idea...too small. My fear with something like that was that music would have taken a back seat to the re-development, stuck in the corner of the boardwalk.
When did Jack and Butch first get the sense there was something special about the club? Do you think either could have imagined the Pony still going 50 years later and known around the world?
I don't think any one of us ever realized how special it was going to be. Not in our wildest dreams. We never thought about that.
You tried purchasing the Pony after it went into bankruptcy court. How close did things come?
It came down to a cash bid by one party versus a mortgage commitment from myself and the employees (provided by Billy Joel's lawyer). The bankruptcy trustee wanted the cash. (btw, the employees never got any back pay from the trustee)
Did you ever go to The Pony after it had closed and reopened as Vinyl?
No, didnt go... I thought that with what I heard about the new owner and what he was doing, that it wouldn't last.
Finally, how would you like to be remembered as far as the Jersey music scene?
Never thought about it, so I will leave that to you.
