So many memories.
I was a radio DJ, first at WLCC at Lansing Community College, on weekends home at WIBM and WKHM doing the polka show with my great Uncle Joe and Aunt Lil (really), and then at WRKX, Ferris' AM station, aaaaall the way down the dial on 640, with a "powerful" 50 watts that barely reached the far edges of campus.
I had two shows a week, on Tuesdays (6-8p) and Thursdays (4-6p). On both days, Joe preceded me, while Greg "the S Man" followed on Tuesdays and Marcus on Thursdays. Joe was a Lynyrd Skynyrd devotee, heavily entrenched in classic rock. I played a blend of bar/club dance pop and college alternative rock, while S Man and Marcus played rap and hip hop.
Other characters hanging around our ramshackle studios above the copy center included Mike "The Stork", who later was my husband's roommate; Pat, a bland fellow with a frightening penchant for death metal; Esmeralda who loved the indie girls and ended up fronting a queercore band; Marc the DJ who also spun at The Alibi; my friend Shannon, lover of Van Halen and Morrisey; Mark and his girlfriend, who were co-managers of the station. They liked to hole up in production to fight, record commercials, make out, and watch satellite feed of television sitcom stars reading station bumpers in succession: "You can catch "Married with Children" on your Fox 17!" said Christina Applegate, who, after a pause, moved on to Fox 18.
What else can I say about those years... we had four major sponsors, in addition to the university. ESPN and WLAV were the two stations we played while no one was on air. Old Spice and Domino's Pizza were supporting sponsors; we used to have free pizza and free Old Spice travel fanny pack giveaways. My mouth waters remembering the $3 Bulldog, which was just a personal sized Hawaiian.
I originally was going to showcase my 2/14/90 show, probably the only evidence I have left, other than the photo above, that I did this once upon a time. Somewhere, the house swallowed up the tape, left to be rediscovered another time. What I do remember about my shows was my mix of classic and modern rock, David Bowie alongside the Lemonheads, B-52s and J. Geils Band, and a couple new acts off the Subpop label, Mother Love Bone, Soundgarden (LOUDER THAN LOVE!) and Nirvana. Kind of fun to know I did cool before it was cool. I was also wearing flannel before its time, but this was due to gong to school up north where it was freaking cold. Yes girls, Bean boots for fashion and function.
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