DJ for a Day
One of my lifelong, unrealized dreams has been to host a radio show. So you can imagine my delight when my pal, Bernstein, gave me a call and made a proposition I couldn’t refuse. At the time, he was living in Texas and had become friends with a colorful, eccentric, older gentleman who owned an independent, commercial-free radio station that broadcast from Marfa and Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. (Yes, that is a real town.) The show schedule consisted of “Spotify-like” playlists, primarily centering around jazz and blues, with the exception of one live show, hosted by an old friend of the owner. The hope was my show, with a wider variety of musical styles, would broaden the horizons and appeal to a wider audience. At least that was the sales pitch.
The offer was enticing. Create one hour playlists, with of mix of whatever genres suited my fancy, pick my day of the week and time slot. Because it wasn’t live, and I wouldn’t be “on air,” the audience wouldn’t be subjected to any banter or my less-than-friendly radio voice. This was indeed a dream come true. Judging from existing metrics, Thursday night was the best time slot with the highest listener volume. I recorded the obligatory station ID in my bathroom and sent it to Mike, who kindly added a little reverb to spruce it up. What should I call the show? First thought was “Now Playing,” like the placard holding the record that was currently playing in the much beloved (now defunct) Other Music record store. That was good, but what I ended up with, “No Cover,” seemed a more perfect fit. It would be a mix of punk, funk, bluegrass, garage, old and new rock n roll and even some bootleg recordings from my live archives. Surely this would serve to widen the stations current programming and attract new listeners?
Bernstein was confident the boss would love this addition but as meetings to discuss the technical complexities of doing the show remotely were continually postponed and rescheduled, hope began to dim. In the meantime, I was staying up late at night, meticulously combing through my music collection, creating interesting, lively shows for the airwaves. Surely this was akin to the mixtapes (then CDs) I delighted in making for friends for decades? As I waited patiently and created more and more content, one show turned into ten, then twenty, and finally thirty seven. I figured that 3/4 of a year worth of shows was an excellent start. Then came the fateful day when Bernstein told me the show wasn’t going to happen. The boss got cold feet and lost interest. Change was too hard. Both of us were disappointed but my pal felt especially bad as he knew how jazzed I’d been at the proposition and how powerless we were with the outcome.
There is always a silver lining, as Claire gathered the energy I summoned to maniacally create thirty seven hours of music, and started a radio show at her college station (WHCL-FM) these past two years. The choice of music entirely reflects her unique and varied taste and, as her number one fan, I listen religiously. And you know what she decided to call it? “No Cover.” (BTW, she has a wonderful on-air voice and presence.)