Bootsie is back on the air!

The comedian will be hosting a breakfast show entitled "Bootsie and Friends" on KJAZ 98.1FM.

The show kicked off yesterday morning and runs from 6 to 10 a.m. daily.

Bootsie, aka Earlwin Wolffe, spoke to The Royal Gazette about his return to radio, the early mornings and working with fellow comedian Nadanja Bailey and Papa Sporty, who will be familiar to listeners of Bootsie's last show.

It's been three years since Bootsie was last on air with his former station Hott 107.5.

"In the past, I never even listened to radio, before the other station (Hott 107.5 FM), I would listen to it occasionally, but I wasn't a radio listener," he said. "Then they approached me and things transpired and I was doing this morning show. I kind of ended up liking it, you know.

"It was kind of cool, you end up talking to the people, and I am an interactive person so it was good and things developed the way they developed."

But when the station dropped him suddenly three years ago, he was turned off the radio business.

"I didn't listen to radio for a whole year," said the comedian. "I got rid of all the radios, took the radio out of my car, out of my house, and I told my family, 'you don't listen to radio'.

Several months later, he opened Bootsie's Comedy Club on Front Street East. The club was doing well but, deep down, Bootsie missed radio. "For me it is like being on stage, I just can't see the people. So a few people approached me several times, and for the most part I just didn't feel right at that time, I mean I was still bitter.

"Then, when I did decide I was ready, they weren't ready. But then KJAZ approached me through Davano, who does 'Reggae Vibes' in the evenings." Bootsie hesitated but eventually decided to move forward with the station.

"After speaking to the owners, we came to a happy agreement," he said. "We can tweak it a bit and make it a signature morning show."

"Bootsie and Friends" will feature Nadanja Bailey, Papa Sporty and other guests. "Just in case some of my friends can't make it on a particular day, it is still Bootsie and Friends," the comedian said. "However it is featuring Nadanja and we have great chemistry on and off stage, so we should make a great team."

Papa Sporty will also be re-joining Bootsie. "He did the colourful sports, or his version of sports and usually he is on point, it's just his version or the Bermudian version," Bootsie said of his friend's talents. "He is also going to have a couple of other things to do. So between the three of us, I think it is going to make for a great show.

"It will be uplifting, inspiring, mature and conscious about the things we say. So those are the things that we really want to target and also more awareness about certain things."

The comedian has been busy writing and thinking of material for the show but is also expecting a lot of interaction with his audience.

"I have so many interesting topics that I have been writing about and there may be some stuff that we have talked about, but not from Bootsie's perspective," he said. "We are looking to make it into a very interesting morning show."

The show will have call-ins, games and contests. "Remember it is Nadanja and myself, so we can be pretty interesting together," said Bootsie. "The way I am targeting this show, is that I want it to be more of a mature person's show.

"We will be picking topics that are relevant and if it means bringing in a guest, then that's it.

"I think it is going to be a great show, we are coming out of the black and the boys are back in town."