DJs Mona Lott and Tony DuShane at KFJC. Photo Courtesy Tony DuShane
On Radio Survivor we tend to talk more about what it means to be a radio listener than what it’s like to be behind the scenes as a radio DJ.
I’m one of those serial DJs who hasn’t been able to shake off the lure of hitting the airwaves year after year in order to both learn about new and obscure music, but also to share my love of music with others.
In an interview that I did recently with community radio DJ and Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk author Tony DuShane, I was struck by the importance that radio (and music) has played in his life and think that he speaks for many long-time DJs when he says:
“It’s an addiction. I have to DJ. There’s a difference when DJing at clubs and bars. When you’re DJing to FM airwaves, you’re DJing into space. There’s no feeling like it. It’s like inviting people over and playing records and talking about the records. Except your friends are in range of a transmitter. There could be five. There could be 5,000.”
For me, being on the microphone and the ritual of doing a radio show brings with it a surprising sense of calm, even though the minutes before my show are always fraught with panic about what to play first.
So, all of you DJs out there, what is it that keeps you coming back week after week?
