 How does somebody become a dj I've been asked? Well here's my story. While working drive-thru at the McDs across the street from Lane Tech (yeah I said it), people trying to order ribs on a bun were surprised to see a pimply 16 year old on the other end of the speaker. Day after day the compliments came, but I assumed people were just happy to be talking through an order screen that didn't sound all jacked up. Then one day some talent agents came through and squashed my dreams of getting promoted to fry manager. The husband-wife duo told me I should consider radio and I kinda blew them off but they were pretty adamant about it. I'm sure they would trip out to know that they were my inspiration. Hope they enjoyed the "hot apple pie with that." There were some dark days in the burger life though. Ever been strapped up to a lie detector? Want to? Well here's a sure-fire way for any aspiring fast food youths to enjoy that experience. If a customer ever asks you to give them change for a $20 about 30 times, keep going till your register is nearly empty. Ok, one more fast food lesson: learn what the buttons do. The drive-thru headsets had 3 buttons. Amazing buttons that allowed you to talk inside, outside or both. One of those button combinations however did something terrible. I used to mock people while they ordered. Of course they couldn't hear, I was just talking to everyone working the grill with headsets on. Turns out the managers that trained me may have been mistaken about what buttons did what. Oops. Ready for the "Most Uncomfortable Moment Award"? After making one of my quips and hearing back, "What?", "What Did YOU JUST SAY??!?!", I was lucky enough to experience the remarkable sensation of one's own stomach collapsing into itself. So she sped off and yelled, "I hope you have a great career at McDs", to which I replied, "You too!" Alas, after mastering the mic so early and in so many magical ways, a star was born and a career indeed began. I won't throw my resume at you, but I will mention that I started this career at two of the three frequencies that make up 9 FM. First 99.9 when it was "the Bus" in a house in Kankakee. (Always thought "the Bus" was the stupidest name for a station though - what does a bus have to do with music?) Then I was at 92.5 in DeKalb off of First street for about 3 and 1/2 years. Crazy huh?! Oh, I've worked in Waukegan and down-town too. Lived in Vegas twice since then and now I'm back. I drove a truck with my car and all my stuff for 36 straight hours through multiple blizzards just to get home. Shoulda seen me twitching after 8 Monster drinks in the trip’s last 5 hours. So I left Vegas in shorts and landed here when it was -4 degrees. Wouldn’t change it at all. I love this town and the music here at 9 FM keeps the job feeling fresh. More songs than all the stations I've worked at combined are on these computers. So now that I've officially introduced myself, you're invited to jam with me anytime I am around! |
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