You've probably heard Danny Disk Jockey at some point, he's every jock who tries too hard when "putting the wattage in the cottage" or "playing the phrase that pays".
I think many of the try-hard presenters (myself included) are suffering a cultural hangover from the Early days. Example: D'Robb puts "the power in the tower." To be fair, Robb has more talent than I could hope to expunge from a full family reunion, but his style simply wouldn't work today.
There is one early FM maverick from this period who get's the balance right, and can (in my opinion) show some way forward for Top 40 radio, despite being long out of date. The following video came my way via the loosely affiliated facebook jock's network. May I introduce: JoJo Kincaid. Music structural knowledge for the win! Just nutty. It's certainly inspired me to try to work within the music rather than between or on-top of it. Just to clarify, this would never work today, but of the period DJ's I've seen, JoJo does it best.
I asked him about the video, he said he'd forgotten it was ever filmed until a YouTube resurgence this year. The format was called 'Flame Thrower', and introduced Top 40 to 'Q' FM stations in US coastal cities in the 1980's. These days, you'll find him on Q105 Tampa Bay, FL. "I look forward to every airshift with a sense of recreation instead of occupation." he said.
Here are some more American airchecks I enjoyed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-DYaOBq_40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWPgI25aFHU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEajwfV-3SA
I think many of the try-hard presenters (myself included) are suffering a cultural hangover from the Early days. Example: D'Robb puts "the power in the tower." To be fair, Robb has more talent than I could hope to expunge from a full family reunion, but his style simply wouldn't work today.
There is one early FM maverick from this period who get's the balance right, and can (in my opinion) show some way forward for Top 40 radio, despite being long out of date. The following video came my way via the loosely affiliated facebook jock's network. May I introduce: JoJo Kincaid. Music structural knowledge for the win! Just nutty. It's certainly inspired me to try to work within the music rather than between or on-top of it. Just to clarify, this would never work today, but of the period DJ's I've seen, JoJo does it best.
I asked him about the video, he said he'd forgotten it was ever filmed until a YouTube resurgence this year. The format was called 'Flame Thrower', and introduced Top 40 to 'Q' FM stations in US coastal cities in the 1980's. These days, you'll find him on Q105 Tampa Bay, FL. "I look forward to every airshift with a sense of recreation instead of occupation." he said.
Here are some more American airchecks I enjoyed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-DYaOBq_40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWPgI25aFHU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEajwfV-3SA
Hey Nat,
ReplyDeleteYeah.. I tried some of that stuff on the radio once... and was said by the PD to be too 'jocky'. Ah, to be on the radio in the 1980s.
Check out some of the videos from the late and great 'Bill Armstong'. He was an amazing announcer, who could rhyme and time with the best of them. He worked at the legendary KHJ in Los Angelas and at one stage got a record in the World Records for fastest talker. He sadly passed away in late 2007, but before then I was lucky enough to get an e-mail from the guy regarding radio and what it was like back in the day and what can be done/changed now days.
Hope your going well,
JB