Alternative Famous Firsts
Justin Cousart
Program Director
WOKV-HD2 X99.5 Jacksonville’s New Alternative
2013 I was Programing the Elvis Duran Show, and running around town for local events in St Augustine for 105.5 WYRE!
This is embarrassing… Weird Al Yankovic, it was right after the Poodle Hat Album came out. The First Concert I worked would have been one of X102.9’s Rock On The Rivers… I remember it being so hot, and people were crowd surfing for Milky Chance. I just stood side stage, and took pictures of it.
I want to say that it was Linkin Park but can’t remember which one… I do know I got grounded for it when my parents heard me play it in the house.
I don’t remember if it was my first, but the first interview I remember was during Covid when everyone was doing IG live interviews. In the same week I got to talk with Breland, Powfu, Coldplay and Brice Vine. I was so nervous, and pumped… Talk about jumping right into the deep end with it. I believe the week after I talked with Avril Lavigne and Charlie Puth.
We play the stations over the speakers in the building… it was one of my first on-air shifts, I cracked the mic, and had an objectively amazing break. I turned off the mic, but never put it back in Automatic. So after the song, while I’m on the other side of the building, I hear the music stop and not start back up. I still have not run that fast to this day. I was so convinced I was going to be fired for it.
Pauly Kover
Weeknight Host & Curator/ Host of It Hurts When I Pee (the new music show with the very goofy name)
KXTE (X107.5 Xtreme Radio)/Las Vegas
Board-Op / Weekender on WXTM 92.3 Xtreme Radio in Cleveland (RIP).
This is tricky! Maybe someone can answer this for me. When I was 4 or 5, my mother and aunt went to see Whitney Houston at Blossom Music Center in Ohio and dragged me along. I had no clue who she was, but I was there... A year later, The Monkees were on tour with Weird Al and I NEEDED to see that concert. So my mother took me back to that same venue for that show. Now you tell me, which was my first???
With my own money? Green Day "Dookie," 30 years ago this August, when I was 13.
I'm a HUGE fan and member of the pro wrestling community and my 1st interview with any celebrity was in 2005 with WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. But as far as a band goes, Alkaline Trio was my 1st in studio interview / live performance. Great band!
UGH... In the first couple years of my radio career, automation wasn't perfected and while working an overnight shift, I got very very sick to my stomach and needed to spend most of my night in the bathroom, which was outside of the building and around the corner. I guess I took a little too long and the music ran out. When I walked back into the studio, I nearly died from the lack of sound coming out of the monitors. Luckily, my PD at the time (and probably all of us) had been in that position before and therefore gave me a break and a stern warning! Now I wear adult diapers at all times.
Michael “Marty” Whitney
Morning Show Host
91X/San Diego
1993 Ski and Snowboard Reporter at KRZQ Reno. Current talk and fmr. KROQ character guy with Kevin and Bean, Brian Suits invited me aboard his morning show. KLLC Jayn, KOZZ Max Volume, PD Rob Brooks, KXTE alumni Chris Ripley were teammates too. I was paid in lift tickets from the prize close and went riding Lake Tahoe ski resorts after 10a.
Jan. 27 1987 - Bon Jovi “Slippery When Wet” tour. Everything from the hesher puking on our freshly purchased concert shirts on the floor next to us to Sambora’s double necked dry ice fog saturated guitar, I was in love with it all!
Culture Club “ Karma Chameleon” on 45 but before that I was fined by my local library for not returning Queen's “Greatest Hits” so I paid for cost of the 12 inch.
At age 13, Cornell Gunter of The Coasters (Yakety-Yak, Charlie Brown) when my mom told me to come sit in her section during her graveyard shift at the Ormsby House coffee shop in Carson City, NV. cuz she wanted me to meet the band who held court drinking in hot tea and eating house hash after their second show of the night.
To save a buck, the company agreed to use a bartered satellite feed of music with DJs. I’d been live on overnights but was repurposed as the board operator In favor of the service called “The Exit”. The feed was inconsistent and often ceased playing music 10 mins. at time or more as I sat watching. One overnight at 3a, The Boss called and said “we are off the air!”. I said “yeah, the satellite service stopped playing about 30 minutes ago”. He said “well play a CD!” “There’s no music log, should I play whatever”, I replied. He said, “Yes, play anything”. KRZQ put me back on the next night and “The Exit” exited.
