Inaugural Parade Announcer

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Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Charlie Brotman has announced every Inauguration parade since 1957

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Is there a parade that stands out as the worst you can recall?
Nixon was the first President to have his parade interrupted by demonstrators who were burning American flags along the route, throwing sticks and stones — even a smoke bomb was hurled at the Nixon limousine. The protesters — here I am high up in the air, so I'm seeing all of this — the protesters were on one side of the street and paratroopers were on the other side. It didn't look like the United States. There were 3,000 members of the local police. Not a pretty picture. Nixon made an effort to have it be really special by having Native Americans march and war veterans, but no matter what he did, it wasn't good. By 1973 the war had escalated so the protests were even bigger. There were 25,000 to 30,000 protesters. The presidential limousine was showered with eggs.

What about a favorite? Does one parade stand out as more memorable than the others?
The most exciting probably was the Reagan parade, because he brought Hollywood to D.C. He had celebrities and VIPs, and he even had the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform at the end. But keep in mind, the parade started at 2 p.m. and lasted over four hours, so by 6 o'clock on Jan. 20, it was pitch-dark. When the Mormon Tabernacle Choir actually paraded by the reviewing stand, nobody could see them. There were no lights at all, not even a single lamppost. It just went overtime. (See pictures of Sasha and Malia Obama at the inauguration.)

What are some of the challenges to being the President's announcer?
I feel my role is to inform and entertain. And by entertain, I don't mean I'm going to tell jokes or be Billy Crystal or anything. But I like to keep it light, and I like to keep it going. I feel like the parade's thousands of spectators are over at my house, and I want them to have a good time, some nice memories. And there are times when nothing is happening, the parade isn't moving or anything. What I normally try to do is to treat it very humorously, say something like, "The parade will be coming very shortly, but for right now, let's have a little trivia. Nobody going's to win a million dollars, but you'll have bragging rights. Now, how many states are in the U.S.? And don't laugh — some people don't know."

I heard this off-the-cuff style once got you into trouble with the Secret Service.
[Laughs.] Well, Washington didn't have a Major League Baseball team for 33 years, and they finally got one in 2005. I knew George W. Bush once owned the Texas Rangers, so I thought it might be appropriate to say on the loudspeaker during the parade, "Mr. President, we're hoping you'll throw out the first baseball for our new Washington Nationals baseball team! Can you make it?" And he looked up and he shrugged a little bit, like, Gee, I have no idea. And two minutes later — not 10 minutes, two minutes — a very big gentleman in a conservative suit came up to me and said, "Are you the announcer? I'm Secret Service for the President. Do not make any direct announcements to the President and do not ask any questions of the President. Is that clear?" I thought I was going to go to jail!

What kind of souvenirs have you kept from each parade?
At the last Inaugural, I was one of the last to leave, so when I did, it was dark. I went down to Pennsylvania Avenue and there was the Inaugural station. Staring me in the face was one of those large Inauguration seals. And I thought, You know what? They'll probably thank me for taking this, for helping them clean up. [Laughs.]

Are you nervous about today?
I'm more excited. I'm so enthused to be an infinitesimal part of politcal history. My adrenaline is, like, above my eyebrows. This will be the biggest, most secure parade that we have ever had. And I think you're going to see more people of color than we have ever seen at an Inaugural parade.

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