Guy Phillips will do his last shift for KTRS today. He's retiring after 41 years in St. Louis radio.
I remember first hearing Phillips as half of the KSLQ (renamed KYKY in 1982) morning duo, Phillips & Wall, in 1981. Those two DJs were my earliest influences in wanting to go into radio. As I listened to them each morning, I kept thinking, "That has to be one of the most enjoyable jobs a person could have--entertaining people, as well as yourself, from behind a studio microphone while playing music." While it was amusing to hear such recurring features as Wit Twisters trivia segments, Candid Phone, and History Theater, it was even better to hear Phillips & Wall react spontaneously to listeners, each other, and unexpected happenings, such as the cartridge of Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin's "Separate Lives" starting to wobble on-air. I remember Phillips saying, "I hope that's not your favorite record, because..." while breaking into laughter. He stayed in the moment, saying, "How'd you like to see that on MTV? I wonder if a video ever does that?" As the song's fade-out to wobbled to a close, Phillips said, "Isn't that pretty? What a way to kick off the morning, huh?"
Another time, there was silence after the show's prerecorded intro ended. When the Cat Stevens song, "Morning Has Broken," finally started, Phillips ad-libbed, "This music is broken, and so are the DJs."
When moments like that happened, I'd often think, "That has to be so appealing, getting to present your personality, sense of humor, and point of view on the radio." (And it is, as I found out on a smaller scale.)
Whether it was narrating the creation of the world's largest ice cream float, proclaiming, "We're caught in a music warp!" while singing along with Billy Joel's "You May Be Right," or trying to recall Geppetto's job in Pinocchio, Phillips brought his personality to the job, and it has served St. Louis listeners and him well since 1979.
When I met Phillips & Wall for the second time in 1984, Phillips gave me an autograph that read, "Andrew, why do we always meet in Schnucks?" (My previous meeting with the DJs in 1982 had been at the same Schnucks store.) Although the question was rhetorical, I'd now answer it, "Because it was (and still is) relatively close to home. Thanks to Mike Wall and you, I learned for sure that I wanted to be on the radio, and I'm glad I got my chance to be on it. I hope you enjoy your retirement and reflections on your life's work."
