I am the DJ, I am what I play...

Borrowing a lyric from the great David Bowie there, which perfectly describes my experience DJ-ing yesterday at WEXT. Of course, Bowie made it into the hour-long playlist I created, which consisted of everything from classic soul to Britpop to Bob Dylan. I had a blast−DJ KTG was very helpful, and I can't wait to hear the end result, which is supposed to air sometime in May.

My music, my EXIT--at the WEXT studios. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe.
All rights reserved.

It made me realize how much I missed DJ-ing. I had my first taste back in college, where I hosted a weekly show on the campus radio station. It was a great forum for me to express my love for music, act goofy, and just enjoy performing. By my last semester, I had developed a pretty popular show called The Café 80s, where I dipped back into my new wave roots. It was always good fun taking callers or having guests in the studio, who talked excitedly about  the songs they grew up with.


After college, I moved back to Rochester, New York, and really got involved with radio in a big way−I had a regular gig with WBER-FM, a great independent station in the city. It was the mid-90s, a great time for music, and I worked with a regular playlist, with light to heavy rotation. I also did specialty shows, attended free concerts (including Bowie and Nine Inch Nails in Toronto) and meet such artists as Peter Murphy, The Lords of Acid, Jewel, Elastica, and Blur−I have a small collection of promos I created with several of these artists. 


This certainly informed the work I would do later with hosting my own TV music show, and interviewing music acts. During the My Exit set I was able to promote these shows, which I am still in the process of producing. It was a win-win, and I am talking with WEXT about still trying to produce the A-ha tribute program, in time for their 30th anniversary.


Tonight the performing continues, as I take the stage with the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe for another show at the Spectrum Playhouse in Lee, Massachusetts. Coincidentally, one of my fellow RBITers used to live in Rochester, and says that he remembers hearing me during my WBER DJ days! Maybe there's some way that I can make this Casey Kasem thing continue...





WEXT website: http://exit977.org