Alternative Famous Firsts
Mike Jones
Tour Guide for the Afternoon Adventure
WWDC (DC101)/Washington
Board Op for CBS Radio in Baltimore. Weekend overnights running the board for ESPN Radio / babysitting the other stations but I got to learn a lot quickly about everything with so much time on my hands!
My family went to Carowinds Amusement Park and, after a day of roller coasters and fun, we took in the Robert Palmer concert. I was too young to appreciate the whole show but I do remember singing along to “Simply Irresistible”!
I got Metallica’s Black Album and Rush’s greatest hits collection Chronicles on the same day and they’re still two of my favorite things to listen to.
Aside from a few local musicians for college radio, my first for commercial radio interview was Matt Sharp from The Rentals / former bassist for Weezer. It ended up being a good chat but I was nervous as a hooker in church!
Oh it still haunts me! I accidentally took Jack-FM in Baltimore off the air by shutting the wrong computer down. There wasn’t much dead air, because we had the CDs and the printed log to follow, but one of the engineers had to come in to fix things. On a Saturday. CHRISTMAS EVE Saturday. I felt terrible and I hope the guy doesn’t hate me because he did not have a pleasant attitude about it. SORRY!
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.
