One of my great loves in life is music. It doesn’t matter what the genre, I can pretty much listen to it and I can usually find at least one song that I enjoy from most any artist. Which is why I decided to step out of the little world I was living in and try my hand, or voice, at being a DJ on the SUU radio station. At that time we were Thunder 91 and we played Top 40 music.The first day I walked into “class” was pretty interesting as I was now putting faces with some of the various voices I had heard for the past couple of years. Fortunately, there were a few others new to the radio and Professor Art Challis quickly put us at ease. Because I was new, I had a chance to visit the radio station and watch a few of the veterans before I was actually allowed to put on the headphones and start spinning some music. Well, we didn’t really spin anything. All of the music was stored on “Carts”, they were similar in appearance to an 8-track tape. (If you are unfamiliar with what an 8-track looks like, feel free to Google it.) Even more important than learning about the radio station or even getting approval from the FCC to be on air, I had the challenging task of picking my on air name. I visited with a few friends and decided that I was going to use the nickname I was given by my card playing buddies, which was Dex. But just to distinguish between cards and radio, I would go by DJ Dex when I was on the air.
We had schedules laid out before us and we were expected to play PSAs as well as read a few promos and of course, play the music. Each time as I started my shift I would quickly glance over the music that had been played the last few hours and then would look through the carts to find what music I wanted to play for the next hour.With a microphone in front of you and a brick wall less than 3 feet beyond the microphone, I often times found myself wondering if anyone was listening. In an attempt to prove to myself that someone was listening, I would intentionally leave 10 or so minutes without music and I would ask for requests. Most often the only people that ever called in were my friends and it was mostly just to tell me to stop by for a visit when I got off the radio. Well, one night I asked for some listeners to help me fill the rest of the hour. The first caller was one of my most memorable requests I had received that year. The gentleman called in and said to me: “I am not certain of the name of the song, but it has lumberjacks singing”. Without missing a beat, I knew exactly which song he wanted. It was “Go West” from the Pet Shop Boys. When I first heard that song, I had the same impression. I put the song on for him and I assume it was the one he wanted because I told him to call back if it wasn’t the right song and well, he didn’t call back.
Another night as I was finishing up my shift, I played our required PSAs and then turned on “Breath Again” by Toni Braxton. Within seconds the phone started ringing. I wondered what the caller was going to request, but as I answered the phone I heard hysterical laughter. This laughter sent my mind racing wondering if I had messed up and said something funny on air, or if I had inadvertently let slip one of those words you can’t say over the air. When the laughter finally subsided the caller asked me “Did you do that on purpose?” I was still uncertain on what I had done, so I prodded a little more until the caller told me that the last PSA I had played was one from the American Lung Association which of course talked about breathing and then I played “Breath Again”. Apparently, at least one listener found this to be amusing.
One of the highlights of the year came at the end of the year as we had a DJ versus Professor Softball game. The air staff from Thunder 91 was able to exact revenge on the professors from the School of Business, Communication & Technology. I have to admit, it was a little sweet as I was able to tag out Professor Alan Hamlin when he tried stealing home.
In addition to the fun I had as a DJ, I gained a little notoriety at home. One weekend when I was home visiting my family, I ran into an old friend from high school; he asked me if I was on the radio station in Cedar City. I told him that I was and he said “I knew it!” He then proceeded to tell me that he was a truck driver and was driving through southern Utah when he rested upon our little radio station. He heard a familiar voice on the radio and he said it only took him a few minutes to recognize it as me and said he couldn't’t wait to ask if it was me.
Even though I never pursued a career as a DJ, spending a year on Thunder 91 was a great experience. Something I have fondly reminisced about over the years. It is definitely one of those unique opportunities offered by SUU.
"Glory Days" is a recurring post by Clinton Painter, a 1994 alumnus with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
