Alternative Famous Firsts
Chris Booker
Afternoon Co-Host
KYSR (ALT 98.7)/Los Angeles
WOMP/Wheeling. OVERNIGHT SUNDAY 12-6. 4 hours on-air. Two hours running God Squad then the community affairs show.
When Bryan Adams came to Wheeling, it was the talk of the Ohio Valley. I was a Freshmen and my gf who was a Junior drove us. I felt like my entire high school was there. I still can remember that excitement. Cuts like a knife!
1984 or Purple Rain. Honestly I’m guessing?
I honestly was in a coma for 6 days. I probably should remember this, but I don’t.
I’ve NEVER had dead air.. only pregnant pauses.
Forrest Griffen
Producer/Host Xposure
KROX (101X)/Austin
WOXY (97X)/Oxford, OH
I was raised in the jungle by musicians, so I went to a lot of concerts, festivals, shows, jingles, etc throughout my childhood. To me, it was like if your parent was a dentist or something and they took you to work with them (with apologies to any DDS out there). I was jaded and lacked any appreciation of it whatsoever until I was like 20. My first concert as an "unaccompanied minor" where mommy and/or daddy weren't playing was Grateful Dead at Madison Square Garden 9/20/1988. I'd been to MSG probably close to twenty times at that point to cheer on the New York Rangers. To see it transformed into a Dead show was one of the most incredible things I'd seen up to that moment in my life (and remains an experience I'll never forget).
First LP was Business As Usual by Men At Work. First cassette was Thriller by Michael Jackson. First CD was Brotherhood by New Order.
Derek Trucks. Derek wasn't even 30 years old yet but already had a legendary career of course. That wealth of history and experience combined with his humble, good-natured genuineness made it probably the easiest and one of the most enjoyable on-air conversations of my career. It took a few interviews after that one for it to sink in that not every interview was going to be a Derek Trucks interview.
I remember in order to fill space I once told listeners I was born at Woodstock so I could avoid dead air. I made up details and even asked them to Google it. I got calls for two or three months after that from listeners describing how they searched in earnest but could find nothing corroborating my Woodstock origin story. I honestly don't remember my first or my last dead air experience, but I've had enough of them that I still have unpleasant dreams about it every now and then.
Brady Marks
Program Director/ Morning Show Host
WNWV (107.3 ALT CLE)/Cleveland
Street Team Member when 107.3 was JenY and our sister stations 97.5 WONE, 94.9 WQMX and 1590 WAKR! My first day, the jock on staff Kathy Vogel told me she thought I was funny and should be on-air. She was one of the people who ignited the passion in me and I’m forever grateful!
Hannah Montana - yeah not Miley Cyrus, she headlined as Hannah Montana
Liz Phair - White Chocolate Space Egg
Doesn't really count as an artist, but my first ever interview was comedian JB Smoove. Curb Your Enthusiasm was/is a staple in my house so I was VERY nervous. It played once on the air and I can't bring myself to listen back to it.
I was on a weekend shift - alone in the building except for the engineer who was doing maintenance and he came in freaking out saying we were off the air and I just needed to start talking. So I just opened the mic and started telling stories - that was not protocol, we had a harddrive of songs I could have played. I think he might have been pranking me?
