Turning Point with Frank MacKay
February 16, 2012
Turning Point with Frank MacKay
by Alysia Stern
Frank Mackay is the Chairmen of the Independent Party of America. He is also one of Long Island’s most influential men, a respected husband, and a devoted father of four. Frank began his career as a stupendous musician at the age of sixteen, which led him to become a discerning business man, an astute author, an extremely canny radio host, and an overall sagacious and accomplished man. For over twenty years, Frank has played an important role in numerous people’s lives throughout the country and especially on Long Island.
His musical profession began in his teen age years. As a formative musician who excelled in guitar, Frank began giving guitar lessons and had the opportunity to coalesce with other proficient artists and produced a multitude of records. Frank worked closely with his brother Gordon and they managed several innovative acts, one being the eminent Chris Angel. He and Gordon would shop for record labels for various musicians, such as Joey Ramone. They also owned a newspaper. In the early 1990’s these two prolific brothers promoted the tour of Testament, which was a notorious heavy metal band from San Francisco. When Frank and Gordon were 18 and 20 years old, they were able to bring a multitude of acts to the club once known as Sundance in Bay Shore Long Island. Their reputable acquisitions made it possible to keep the Sundance club open for an extra 6.5 years after the club encountered a hardship.
Around 1992, an impertinent gentleman named Donald Sutherland was running Ross Perot‘s Long Island campaign. He contacted Frank to help find a musician to perform at the Narragansett Inn, which had been located in Lindenhurst, New York. Frank had asked William Bogart to perform. Mr. Bogart is presently the Secretary of State of the Independence Party. Bogart had written some of Chris Angel’s songs. The show was a prolific success and this was the turning point in Frank’s political career. He began to play a meager role as an adjunct in the Ross Perot campaign.
In 1995, Frank made an appearance at a Kiwanis Club meeting. When he was asked what his communal role in politics endured, he explained he was a low level helper in the Ross Perot campaign. David Bishop called him the next day and introduced Frank to the Honorary Judge James F.X. Doyle. This is where the Independence Party began to play a role In Frank’s life. “By the year 2000, at the age of 31, MacKay became the youngest State Chairman of a political party in New York State history, and has been re-elected as State Chair of the Independence Party of New York since. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2008 from Five Towns College for his accomplishments in business and politics.”
Frank has traveled the fifty states in the past four years for the Independent Party. He is an extremely humble man, who stays at Econo Lodges and does not derive fame from being showy. Frank stated, “We need a national candidate before they create the national party. We need him or her to emerge as a hopeful self-funder or celebrity. People always ask me if the person has to be a billionaire to run. The person does not have to be a billionaire to run, but it helps. We need a candidate who will talk directly to the people…”
Frank released his first book, “Network Interviews” in 2009. It is an efficacious and entertaining book about his musical past and all the people involved. “The Network Interviews” is a compilation of interviews Frank Mackay and his brother Gordon did in the late 1980’s when they published a New York area music newspaper called Network. The 300 page book contains 40 interviews with such legendary bands as Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Metallica and many more. These interviews have not been seen since their original run in Network between the years 1986-1989.”
In August 2011, Harry Oates from Out of the Box Media Group contacted Frank about a radio talk show. Within ten days they began filming the show. Frank presently hosts a prodigious radio talk show called “Turning Point with Frank MacKay”. The show is a bit analogous to the Larry King Show and just as enjoyable. It airs on My Country 96.1 on Saturday mornings from 8am to 9am. MacKay’s show premiered in January and will soon be broadcast on television and other radio affiliates throughout the nation. The first stimulating segment aired featured an interview with Bernard Goetz, the infamous subway gunman. Frank has a full line up of already interviewed nationally relevant guests and celebrities.
The apple does not fall far from the tree. Frank’s ten year old savvy son has already dabbled in acting. He has been seen on the hit television program “Board Walk Empire” and in the movie “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” with Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks.
Frank MacKay is an extremely congenial and generous man. He hosts a weekly preeminent power lunch with an absolute benevolent gentleman named Gary Melius at the Oheka Castle. They intertwine men and woman of all genres, political organizations, professions and vocations. Each person is introduced with formality and conversations begin while dining on an exquisite three course meal. This networking power lunch is held every other Thursday by invite only at the Oheka Castle.
When asked “What would you be doing if you could do anything with your life?” Frank replied, “I would do everything I am doing now, but I would sprinkle in a little more entertainment and my life would be perfect.”
Tune in Saturday mornings to hear Frank from 8am to 9am on 96.1 My Country Radio while you enjoy your cup of coffee. You won’t regret it.
Frank can be found on Myspace, http://www.myspace.com/frankmackay. Or at the Independence Party of NY website http://independencepartyny.com/?page_id=38
