But, most DJs from the golden age were not artists. They intro'd and extro'd songs, read spots, gave time and temp, and did IDs.
In fact I'd be hard-pressed to identify many of the DJs revered on these boards as artists. For instance, people wax nostalgic about, oh, let's say Robert W. Morgan, but aside from a voice, what did he have? Listen to his airchecks and you hear The Voice, but not much else. He didn't say particularly clever things; he really wasn't that fast on the uptake. Likewise, Don Steele, Casey Kasem, and the other KEWB folks.
And KFRC. I'm afraid that much as I liked Beau Weaver and certainly respect him in many ways (keeping his long hair in the fact of pressure to conform, for one, and also his incredibly helpful web page about voiceover work), when people think of Beau Weaver, what do they remember? They remember his name, maybe his voice, but what else?
I think the same can be said for almost every KFRC DJ from Dave Diamond to Dave Sholin. Surely, they have memorable voices and can deliver the live spots and sound convincing. But artists? Artists? No. Artists are people who break the mold, who stretch the medium, who take mundane raw parts and fashion something new and interesting out of them.
How many people here are honoring DJs mainly because they remember how they pronounced their names on the air? I think too many. Sorry, and no disrespect, but if we're going to talk about artists, let's talk about artists, shall we?
To me, Al Jazzbeaux Collins was an artist. I can remember how he stretched the medium, giving out recipes for beer bread, interviewing total wackos and making them into curiosity pieces, the imagery of the Purple Grotto, the laid-back style that was unknown in DJ work prior to his arrival on the scene. And just as you thought that he could only do a midnight jazz show, he shows up as a talkshow host on KGO. And through his connections and his interest in music, he exposed two generations of listeners to jazz they otherwise would not have heard (back before music directors took over).
Don Rose was an artist. I can still quote jokes he told. I can still remember the serious charitable work he did and spoke for, and the positive can-do attitude he fostered, even when he had leg cancer and had to do his show from his bed.
Don Sherwood was an artist (though in hearing his airchecks, to me he seems less of an artist than I remembered).
Tom Donahue, another mold breaker. He was definitely an artist.
In fact I'd be hard-pressed to identify many of the DJs revered on these boards as artists. For instance, people wax nostalgic about, oh, let's say Robert W. Morgan, but aside from a voice, what did he have? Listen to his airchecks and you hear The Voice, but not much else. He didn't say particularly clever things; he really wasn't that fast on the uptake. Likewise, Don Steele, Casey Kasem, and the other KEWB folks.
And KFRC. I'm afraid that much as I liked Beau Weaver and certainly respect him in many ways (keeping his long hair in the fact of pressure to conform, for one, and also his incredibly helpful web page about voiceover work), when people think of Beau Weaver, what do they remember? They remember his name, maybe his voice, but what else?
I think the same can be said for almost every KFRC DJ from Dave Diamond to Dave Sholin. Surely, they have memorable voices and can deliver the live spots and sound convincing. But artists? Artists? No. Artists are people who break the mold, who stretch the medium, who take mundane raw parts and fashion something new and interesting out of them.
How many people here are honoring DJs mainly because they remember how they pronounced their names on the air? I think too many. Sorry, and no disrespect, but if we're going to talk about artists, let's talk about artists, shall we?
To me, Al Jazzbeaux Collins was an artist. I can remember how he stretched the medium, giving out recipes for beer bread, interviewing total wackos and making them into curiosity pieces, the imagery of the Purple Grotto, the laid-back style that was unknown in DJ work prior to his arrival on the scene. And just as you thought that he could only do a midnight jazz show, he shows up as a talkshow host on KGO. And through his connections and his interest in music, he exposed two generations of listeners to jazz they otherwise would not have heard (back before music directors took over).
Don Rose was an artist. I can still quote jokes he told. I can still remember the serious charitable work he did and spoke for, and the positive can-do attitude he fostered, even when he had leg cancer and had to do his show from his bed.
Don Sherwood was an artist (though in hearing his airchecks, to me he seems less of an artist than I remembered).
Tom Donahue, another mold breaker. He was definitely an artist.
