On this morning 30 years ago, I recorded my on-air demo tape for KCOU. I programmed the last hour of music and was the DJ for the last hour of a 2-6 a.m. shift. The DJ during that shift had played a lot of rap music, which contained lyrics such as, "F&*$ the mother#&*$ers in the house, oh yeah!" I didn't continue that trend. I attempted to balance my sensibilities with those of the listeners, while making sure to play the requisite number of current tracks. This was my playlist:
1. Pain & Pleasure-The Snapdragons (I thought I should start with something uptempo, although I thought the rhyme scheme of the chorus was somewhat forced. For the first two tracks, I was programming with the listener in mind instead of myself. I'm pretty sure this was only time I ever played this song...)
2. Dis---land (Was Made For You & Me)-Timbuk 3 (...or this one.)
3. I Need Someone-The Sneetches ("Let's end this set with a tune I like," I thought. This is still some of the catchiest power pop I've ever heard. The opening guitar hook is still one of my favorites and the vocals practically command the listener to join in. Also recommended: "Only For A Moment," "Stranger Things," and the band's cover with Shoes of the Raspberries tune, "I Wanna Be With You.")
4. Life Ain't Nothing But A Party-B.B. King (Another objective for my demo tape was not to just play an hour's worth of thrashing alt rock guitar and vocals. I knew this blues tune from having checked it out years earlier from the library back home, so I knew what to expect...)
5. Bye Bye Blackbird-Miles Davis (I was definitely going to play KCOU's featured artist of the week during my hour. It hadn't been a full week since one of the most influential jazz trumpeters in history had passed away, so I was definitely going to honor his memory with one of his classiest renditions.)
6. School Days (Live)-Stanley Clarke (I was also determined to play this memorable jazz bass riff on the air, even if I had to shoehorn it in.)
7. Girl In Room 12-The Smithereens (The Smithereens are a reliable choice for any rock-heavy, guitar-heavy station.)
8. The Silence Of The Sirens-The Cakekitchen (Distinctive lead vocals and quiet instrumentation bring the volume down and make this an appropriate but not obvious segue with "Girl In Room 12.")
9. Hypnotized-Fleetwood Mac (This was another case of being determined to play I song I like. The drums, bass, and guitar set an effectively spooky mood right from the first beat. This was one of Bob Welch's best songs.)
10. One Toke Over The Line-Brewer & Shipley (Since I played Fleetwood Mac, I reasoned, "Why not play a sing-along album rock track that most listeners know?" The 6-9 a.m. DJ arrived while I was playing this. I knew I'd made the right song choice when she started singing along, "Sittin' downtown in a railway station...")
11. Lowdown Man-Havana Black (I'm drawing a blank here. Of the 12 songs I played, I don't really remember this one.)
12. Out That Door-Hoodoo Gurus (A logical choice for the end of a radio shift...)
Apparently, I'd made the right song choices and sounded confident enough as a DJ. The chief announcer rode by on his bicycle while I was standing in front of the music building a few days later and said, "You're ready to go on the air." I did a weekly 6-9 a.m. shift for the rest of that semester. Thus began a great two years at an enjoyable radio station with many interesting people. At 6 a.m. on this day 30 years ago, I thought, "Few people heard it, I'm sure, but I made it through an hour on-air at a real radio station. I love choosing the music I play and being on the air. This is definitely for me." I'm sure many other college and noncommercial DJs have had that same feeling of elation, as well.
