This past Sunday I celebrated 20 years since I started as a DJ in Radio. I’ve never been a person who is particularly concerned about tooting their own horn and so putting a show together like this was really difficult. When I do anniversary shows for Melting Pot on KPFK, all of the focus is on the best music we recorded live in the past year. My personal style as a DJ is to not spend much time talking, especially not about myself, and keep the focus on the music. To do a show like this there was no way to escape having to talk about things that I’ve done but for me I wanted to focus less on accomplishments and instead focus on indelible memories. After working at 5 different stations, it was real hard cramming twenty years of memories into less than 2 hours. I tried to do justice to all the amazing people who I’ve worked with and tried to give a sense of what it’s been like to have the profound privilege to share music on the public’s airwaves (every station I’ve worked for has been non-commercial and either a college or community run station).
20 years seems like a long time when you call it “20 years,” but this time has really flown by. When I started I was 18 and really thought I knew something about music. 20 years later I feel like there’s still so much I don’t know and that might be part of the reason why I enjoy being on the air so much. Being a DJ, playing music, talking about it and interacting with listeners is such a fantastic experience. To have done it at 5 different and all extraordinary stations has been amazing. Since this is the thing that I’ve done longer than anything else in my life (I mention in the show how I now have students who weren’t even born when I started in radio which is crazy to me), it’s also one of few things I still do that my Mother, who passed away in 1995, was able to experience and be apart of. When I first started at Album 88, she would record my shows, even though they were from 3-6AM in the morning. Listening to some of those cassettes, and other shows over the years I’m amazed at the changes to my style, but also how similar everything has remained no matter where I am. Even now, when I get really excited about particular artists and songs, I sound exactly like I did almost twenty years ago. It’s highly likely that one of the reasons that I’ll continue to be a DJ for as long as I can convince someone to give me a show, is that the sense of discovery and the thrill of sharing music that you love is one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in my life. It’s been an honor to have been a DJ this long, I have no idea how long I’ll keep doing it, or where it will take me from here, but it’s truly been an honor.
There was no way in a two hour show that I could personal thank all the incredibly talented people who have influenced me as a DJ, so I’ll take that time to do now…WRAS Album 88: Randall Moore, Daryl Felker, Talib Shabazz, Chris Simony, Alan Moore, Christy Montero, Brian Montero, Chris Hall, Maddi Saluzzi, Dusty Fohs, Todd Phillips, Shachar Oren, Yancy Yohannon, The Cat, Tomomi , Will Griggs, Cecily Walker, Anni & Allison, Chris K, Lara Kiang, James Diggs, Eve, Paul Bush, Sonya Bowman, Jez De Wolfe, Mallory Sodano, Michael Overstreet, Bobby Carter, Kathryn Keith, Kerry Mumpower, Jeff Walker and Thomas Jackson Watts Jr. WORT: Norm Stockwell, Bill Malone, Elizabeth DiNovella, Gary Alderman, Jane Reynolds, Alex Wilding-White and, Sybil Augustine aka Rev. Velveteen KALX: Matthew Africa, Oliver Wang, Jesse Luscious, Last Will, Anthony Bonet, Kitty English, Sergio, Roscoe 2000, Tigerlily, Suzanne La, Ryan aka Roger Mas, JJ, Heather, 45 RPM, Mo Herms, Dan Strachota, Ian Hetzner, Mike Burma, Disco Shawn, Cool Chris, Joe Six Pack, Sean Boogie and Rickey Vincent KCRW: Anne Litt, , Eric J. Lawrence, Jason Kramer, Kajon Cermac, Ruth Seymour, Nic Harcourt, Ariana Morgenstern, Aaron Byrd, Mario Cotto, Liza Richardson, Garth Trinidad, Raul Campos, Jason Bentley, Dan Wilcox, Rachel Reynolds, Gemma Dempsey, Whitney Alderson, Nicole Cifani, Anil Dewan, Nassir Nassirzadeh, Laura Shumate, Sarah Spitz, Mathieu Schreyer, Jeremy Sole, Chuck P, Marion Hodges, Chris Douridas, Tom Schnabel, Gary Calamar, Thomas Golubic, Jennifer Ferro, JC Swiatek and Anthony Valadez KPFK: Maggie Lepique, Mark Maxwell, Stan Misraje, Chuck Foster, Shayna Dread, Carlos Nino, Alan Minsky, Roz, Alan and Kat Larman, Ali Lexa, Rita Neyer, Terry Guy, Zuberi Fields, Jessica Woods, Derek Rath, Sergio Mielniczenko, Betto Arcos, Nnamdi, Abraham Beltran, Sean Osborn, Santana Westbrook, Steve Martin and Morgan Rhodes. Thank you (and anyone else who I might have shamefully forgotten) all for what you’ve given me. It’s been a pleasure…Onwards and Upwards.
Melting Pot on KPFK #141: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #141: Second Hour
Playlist: 09-29-2013
{opening theme} Booker T & the MGS – Melting Pot – 7” (Stax)
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G. Love – Music Is Love – Radio Oddyssey Vol. 1 (Ichiban)
Butterfield Blues Band – Mine To Love – In My Own Dream (Elektra)
Talk Talk – Ascension Day – Laughing Stock (Verve)
Behead The Propeht No Lord Shall Live – In The Garden – I Am That Great And Fiery Force (K Recs)
Public Enemy – Bring The Noise (G-Wiz Edit) – Recorded Live At WRAS (Personal Collection)
Fela Kuti – No Agreement – No Agreement (Celluloid)
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Jeff Buckley – Mojo Pin – Grace (Columbia)
Smoke – Pretend – 7” (Colossal)
Max Roach – Interview – Recorded May 24 1997 (Personal Collection)
Max Roach – The Drum Also Waltzes – Drums Unlimited (Atlantic)
Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Spirits Up Above – Volunteered Slavery (Atlantic)
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Billy Harper – Soulfully I Love You – Capra Black (Strata East)
Kenny Baker – Mississippi Waltz – Plays Bill Monroe (County)
Kenny Baker – Wheel Hoss – Plays Bill Monroe (County)
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US 69 – I’m On My Way – Yesterday’s Folks (Buddah)
Gal Costa – De Um Role – A Todo Vapor (Philips)
Rodger Collins – Foxy Girls In Oakland – 7” (Galaxy)
Curtis Mayfield – Move On Up (Coda) – Curtis (Curtom)
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Jose James – Nola – The Dreamer (Brownswood)
Norman Lear – Interview – KCRW’s Guest DJ Project (KCRW.COM)
Catpower – Silver Stallion – Recorded Live On KCRW 2-29-2008 (KCRW.COM)
Francoiz Breut – Les Jeunes Pousses – A L’aveuglette (T-Rec)
Boris Gardiner – Melting Pot – Is What’s Happening (Dynamic)
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Matthew Sweet – Time Capsule – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)
Boogaloo Assassins – Magic Rose – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)
The Sandwitches – My Heart Does Swell – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)
King – In The Meantime – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)
Quadron – Baby Be Mine – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)
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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Batar
congrats dude. great work. here's to 20 more.