I've hosted punk rock shows on college/community radio stations since 1995. I remember my first time as a guest co-host. A friend who had a show invited me and another guy up as guests. The other guy and I tried to talk like stoners the whole time. We must have been convincing, because a guy called up the request line offering to sell us drugs. Good times.
Seeing the potential to host my own show, I began to take my guest appearances more seriously. Not long after, my friend left the station and offered me her on-air spot: midnight on Saturdays. Her co-host was also a friend of mine, and this pairing worked really well. By mid-1997 though, I was on my own.
The show had become quite popular, at least it seemed so. People called up all the time. I even made a few friends that way. I rarely played anything from the station's library because I had so much music of my own, almost entirely vinyl (I didn't own a CD until mid-1998). I was constantly playing crappy 7"s (I mean that affectionately) and horribly recorded demo cassettes from local bands... it was awesome! Such a fun time. There were a few rotating guest hosts along the way, helping me provide oh-so-witty banter.
It was a drag when I had to move away in 1998 and leave the show behind. I felt like it was really at a high point. I left it in the hands of two good friends who I knew would do a good job, and they did.
When I arrived in S'toon one of the first things I did was seek out the local community station and submit a volunteer form. After a few weeks of grunt work I was paired up with
another host who did a show much like the one I'd left behind. The idea was that we would do a few shows together, then switch to a week-to-week rotation. This worked well, and we also became friends. Our birthdays are one day apart in the same year.
In early 2000 I returned to H__x and lucked out almost immediately - I got back a 50% share of my old show. Years passed and I worked with some talented folks. In August 2005, after sharing time slots since 1998, I was flying solo again. That's where I'm at today.
Working with CA out west taught me how to make the most of a radio station's musical resources, rather than relying solely on my own purchases. This made it possible to do what I do today, since I don't buy nearly as many records as I used to.
There have been times when I've found my musical tastes in a state of flux. I've always wanted to keep the show "punk", even when I wasn't sure what the word meant to me anymore. I've gone through periods where I didn't know anyone who liked what I would call "good", modern punk rock. So I'd play pop-punk or emo bands that probably weren't a good representation of how I wanted the show to be.
This dark period came to an end when I started playing in bands again. I immediately met all kinds of interesting people who opened my eyes to many great bands. This reignited my drive to discover new music on my own, which has really snowballed lately. I feel like every show I do now is top-quality. I don't have to beat a good band to death anymore since there are so many in my collection.
A good friend of mine did a show for many years, but eventually got tired of it. He told me one of the reasons is that no one ever called the request line anymore. I admit I've had weeks where the phones were quiet, but I've never felt like there was no one out there. Plus, I honestly enjoy just relaxing in the booth and spinning the tunes. It's cool hanging out up there with Ube and Tobe. Sometimes when I'm by myself I'll jump up and down and play air guitar. It's still everything I dreamed college radio would be!
Missing out on Saturday night fun can leave me feeling lonely after I pack up and head home from the station. But there's a sense of satisfaction too, especially after a really good show. I don't see myself giving it up anytime soon.
