Back in 1995 or so, as I remember it, my buddy Luke started training at the local college radio station to be a DJ. Due to his work schedule, I don't think he completed the training then (or he did, but wasn't able to utilize it right away and had to do some retraining) because I don't remember him being on the radio regularly until 1996. As soon as we were both able, I came by to lend a hand, both on and off air. I'd have to dig the tape out to be sure, but I believe it was November 1996, on a Monday night that had a Packers/49ers game on, so I figured no one listened. Which was good, because we weren't.

A word or two on Luke, as I can't remember whether I've mentioned him too much in here (despite the old pictures of him floating around the website). I've known him since early in my freshman year of high school, which means we've known each other for over eleven years now. I believe it was our similarly twisted senses of humour that led us to hang around together and now we're so entrenched in each others lives it doesn't matter anymore. He's got more stories than I do (a fact which leads some of us to urge him to write them out) because Things happen to Luke. Such is life. We pick on each other a bit because we know most of what's happened to the other for the past eleven years and it's easy to make fun. Generally we're never mean about it though (even when we used to play the 'call the other guy the vilest thing you can think of game' which had a different title I'll not repeat here). In short, Luke's my buddy.

So, we were on the radio. It wasn't often at first, but once he got a regular show I was with him as often as my work schedule would allow. At that point, we were on from 6 to 9 on Monday mornings. Not a bad spot, but not a great one either (Milwaukee radio at that time had some solid morning DJ teams and I didn't expect we had much of an audience, which was actually a rather relaxing feeling). After a while, and some training, I was allowed to do some 'driving the bus' (running of the board, cueing songs, etc) and would play about a half-hour of 'novelty' music a week. Luke's theory was it was early and no one would care. Still, it let me play the Muppets, Peter Sellers, and Monty Python, if nothing else. So I was happy.

Again, if I remember right, Luke's work schedule changed (or might have been about to change or mostly likely Luke got a new job) and he had to give up that time slot after half a year or so. He soon got another Tuesday afternoons from noon to three. I liked this one better. First off, we had a lead in (we generally started the station up on the Monday shift) that was cool due to it being a good show and a nice guy running things (The Cocktail Lounge hosted by the Hipster Doofus Corey, lots of swing music and Dean Martin). Then, after our lunacy was the daily Blues Drive. So I thought we were better positioned.

At first, things were awkward. Radio was one of those things that sounded easy to do, especially since Luke and I knew each other well and are (in all honesty without a trace of ego) funny guys. However, it took a little while to hone that chemistry towards radio. First off our approaches were different. At first I wanted to go in all goofy voices and accents which would lead up into comedy sketches that we would perform in between songs. I wanted to play with the radio really. Luke's approach was different. He simply wanted to play good music and not sound totally stupid in between when we talked, which meant a minimum of silly voices and planned sketches. The discussions regarding this concept were brief. I suggested a voice, he said don't do that and I didn't. It was his show; I was just helping out. (Anyway, the one time I tried it, it really sucked and I cringe listening to it in the midst of an otherwise good show.)

On a good day, it didn't matter. After we grew more comfortable being on the air, it got quite amusing anyway. Once I relaxed enough to butt in regularly, the conversations we had on air improved and the banter started. While we weren't doing characters as such, we weren't completely ourselves (actually, now that I think about it, much of the time it was how we react when Luke has a new girlfriend I'm meeting for the first time, I tell stories or chide him slightly to get sympathy, and he groans, admits his failings and reports my own, then we apologize a lot). Our radio versions of ourselves formed without our knowledge.

My job varied. Most days I was there to help pick music to play, track down any requests from the station's library, and read most of the Public Service Announcements because (a) I read them better than Luke did and (b) my reading voice would kick in and I would almost sound professional for a moment. Some weeks Luke would be doing fill in work for other DJs who were on vacation or sick and, by the time our show rolled around, he was tired of doing it and let me choose nearly the whole show. Some weeks it was like we were playing music for each other and the city was allowed to listen in. One of our early shows fell on Halloween and we played three hours of spooky music. It's one of my favourite shows. Most times we had fun. However, despite our urging and the large window in the studio and all the waving we did to other people, no one waved back (except Jesse that one time, but he knew we were there complaining about no one waving).

The shows ended in early 1997 when events in Luke's life lead him to move up north for a while (for about a year, he's been back for a while now). We didn't know the last show we did together was going to be the last show we did together so there was no special goodbye or anything. Near the end, there were plans to get me officially trained but they fell through when Luke left because I wasn't too interested in training with anyone else. I wouldn't have been able to get a regular slot anyway because my work schedule rotates and I end up working on all the different days of the week at some point during the month. Due to Luke's current schedule, he hasn't regained a regular slot after he returned, although he does visit the station now and then.

For a year to a year and a half I was a radio DJ. It was fun.

Personal Archival Note: I recorded (either off air or from equipment at the station) nearly every show we did together (although some are missing the endings due to tape timing and the fact that the show after us would sometimes require the machine I was using to record the show) and quite a few Luke did on his own. Actually, I'll do that statement one better, there is one show we did that the recording was damaged, so I don't have that, and maybe one or two that were never recorded for whatever reason. To the best of my knowledge, I have all the tapes, but even at this late date I haven't cataloged some of the last shows. Once I get all the equipment, I plan to convert the breaks (our discussions) to CD to better preserve them. Not that anybody cares about this last bit, but I just thought I'd mention it.

-Stephen M. Wolterstorff
3/15/00