You can't blame us for being a bit befuddled when we heard the Daily News is planning a tribute for Jerry Blavat's 40th anniversary as Philly's oldest old-school disc jockey.

Not that the Geator doesn't deserve the honor. It's just that we don't appreciate the DN carpetbagging on our Main Man.

If you pick up this paper on any given week--okay, every single week--you'll know that PW is the Geator's true champion.

He loves us, baby doll.

This week, in light of the Boss with the Hot Sauce's 40-year milestone, we've forgone our customary Blavat blurb in Grapevine for a taste of his ever-quotable wit and wisdom:

PW: What does PW mean to you?

Blavat: My love, let me tell you what I have thought about Philadelphia Weekly--and I mean this sincerely. You talk about a city of neighborhoods and your paper is one of few that captures that pulse and feel of the neighborhoods and you do it on a constant basis. You give me a sense of what's happening in this city, and that helps me reach out to people. I love you guys for that.

PW: What are your favorite stories about yourself?

Geator w/ Heator: One of the wonderful things, baby doll, was when you guys did a story about the DJs of yesterday and compared them to what DJs are doing today. It said that Blavat back then had the ability to create the sound that he wants his audience to hear. You know the DJs on the radio can't do that now, but the guys in the clubs can. They have the ability to create their own sound and their own persona, and that's what I did 40 years ago.

PW: How have you lasted so long?

Boss w/ Hot Sauce: I am one of the fortunate guys. I've always said I have a guardian angel watching over me. Times have changed and friends have come and gone, but the guardian angel gave me the light to see that music is timeless and ageless. By the grace of God, I've always been able to create a trend, whether it's dance music or whether it's music for lovers only. I am a product of this city and, by the grace of God, I know this city and I know who I am. All I want to do is communicate my life to an audience.

PW: How has this "guardian angel" helped you?

Main Man: Well, my sweet baby, you either like me or you don't. But things work out. One of the wonderful things came when I first began. My wife was pregnant with my first Geatorette, and I was on the radio, WCAM in Camden. The mayor owned that station then and he decided that he was going to cancel all rock 'n' roll, and he took me off the air. I really had no means of support then except for doing record hops in South Philly, and for some reason I started going to Mass every morning at St. Thomas'. During those months, I made a pact with the guy upstairs. I said if he would give me an opportunity to get back on radio, then I would use my success to guide young people in the right direction. And lo and behold, I get a call from the mayor's secretary. I went to see the mayor and he says he made a mistake. He put me back on the air and it was bigger than ever--bigger than ever.

PW: What's your favorite paper?

Yon Teenage Leader: The City Paper and the Daily News. No, it's you guys! You know that, baby doll.

--KAREN ABBOTT