FIRST OFF . . .

Was that really squeaky-clean John Denver singing a risque ditty about Gary Hart’s sexual exploits Thursday during KIIS-FM deejay Rick Dees’ morning show? Yes indeed. Denver’s “The Ballad of Gary Hart” was recorded live during his recent stint at Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe, his record producer Milton Oken said. The satirical song, written by singer Tom Paxton, contains lines such as, “He met her at a party / Her name was Donna Rice / She was Gary’s kind of woman / She was pure Miami vice.” “It is quite risque,” said Oken. “It’s unusual (for John). But the fact that it’s being played on the radio is an indication that times have changed a bit.” Denver--once a frequent attendee at Hart fund raisers--currently has no recording contract, so there are no plans to commercially release the song, Oken said. Still unexplained is how the song got to KIIS. Oken said that Denver had the concert recorded, and “someone got ahold of the tape.” Oken indicated that neither he nor Denver had anything to do with the song reaching the station. A station spokesman said its copy of the cassette came from an unidentified listener.