Alternative Famous Firsts
Brian Garris
Music Director | ON-AIR
KJJZ-HD2 (ALT 101.5)/Palm Springs, CA
September 1995, KPSL 1010AM Talk Radio in Palm Springs, as an intern/assistant producer for “Palm Springs Life - The Radio Show”
My late father Sidney Garris managed The New Christy Minstrels, as well as The Crusaders featuring Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, and Nesbert “Stix Hooper,” so my first concert was probably around 5 years old in the early 80’s.
The first record I remember buying at the record store was the RUN DMC “Raising Hell” cassette tape. My Mom and I both listened to it together at home as she wanted to ensure it was suitable for my young ears, little “tricky” at times, but overall, she let me “walk this way” with it!
My first interview was with Vinnie Brown, of the Grammy Award winning Hip-Hop group Naughty By Nature. I was helping to produce a local talk show on 1010AM, found out they were at an LA radio station doing press, so I called the station, and asked if Vin could jump on with me after, and he did, he called us in Palm Springs!
OH BOY! Well, I was filling in on the weekends on Power 100.5 in Palm Springs, and my girl-crush stopped by to say Hi. I ran outside quickly to give her a radio station t-shirt, and she planted a huge kiss on me to say thank you! I was so excited that I forgot the door code back into the station, and we were running off CD’s, and carts manually, NOT automation. After multiple attempts, I finally cracked the door code and got back in… after several minutes of dead air!
Ian McCain
Assistant Program Director
WLUM (FM 102/1)/Milwaukee
KRCK-FM/Omaha
It depends. First concert I was taken to by my parents? Juice fucking Newton. First concert I went to on my own? Verbal Assault or Sting (Dream of the Blue Turtles tour) were that same summer.
The Bay City Rollers
Charlie Daniels Band
Not necessarily “dead air” but in the days when there was no automation, I was doing nights on a Friday night at The Planet in Lincoln and the overnight person didn't show, and then part-time person on at 6am was sick... and the program director was out of town (pre-cell) and no one else picked up, so I was on the air from 7pm Friday to 1pm Saturday... playing every CD and segueing every element. lol. People forget what that was like.
Steve Burrell
Morning Host / Music Director
KTCL (Channel 933)/Denver
Promotions help @ KSMT The Mountain in Breckenridge Colorado
Billy Idol and Faith No More @ McNichols Arena Denver
Dimensions ( A K-tel mix album). Billy Squire was the main draw for me.
Michael Franti in 2002
Dead air got me my gig! My first station was satellite fed (Dial Global, now known as Westwood One), and the connection crashed over a weekend. I was called upon to spin CD's and talk while they fixed the issue. After that weekend, they put me on live in the mornings, and we turned it into a 100% live station within the year.
