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I've been here before you know. Well, by here
I mean New England (and before anyone writes in, I apologize for
calling places by the wrong names in this piece …it will happen!)
Boston, for instance, had always looked like an interesting place
to start up a periodical on something like Lighthouse Hauntings
but I'm sure that it has been tried a thousand times before and
so all of my little projects and shadowy schemes, (oh good this
is already going the sub Dickensian route that I had hoped), they
had come to nothing. ……until September 1995.
Now at that time long, long ago neither I, nor your Star DJ, had
any inkling that fate would one day lead to me saving WWUH. ……but
it would.
I was a peripheral part of David Bowie's Touring party at that time
and one evening found myself by gates of The Meadows Music Theatre
awaiting some accreditation, when what seemed like an endless caravan
of local important people swept by us with disdain and disregard.
Well, not exactly. One of them gave us some tea. But anyway I did
notice that the sound-check, for what was in fact the very first
night of Bowie's World Tour, had attracted many more local important
people than usual. Your STAR DJ, it now seems, was among this select
but sizeable group of locals!
So me and my fellow scribes (we were writing Bowie's biography at
the time) got our passes and that was that .It was a wonderful show
and I didn't see any of these important local folks again. . Although
Bowie later confided to me that he himself had never seen so many
local important people at one of his sound-checks. That last bit
was a lie. But you get my drift!
But the significant point here is that I liked your town very much
and vowed to return soon.
New York City was about the closest I got for the next few years
and it was there, a few days before Halloween in 2000, that I found
myself at The Bottom Line with my friend Al Stewart. That night
he had a new album out and I was selling it for him. Your Star DJ,
it appears, was there and either bought one from us or else Al gave
her a copy. We all had a fantastic evening but still we didn't notice
one another. Now the charisma of an Englishman is so strong that
competent speech with them is often a problem for young American
women, I realize this, but she could of at least have introduced
herself. However, she chose not to.
So fast-forward to June 2001 and my headlong date with destiny and
WWUH is now fast approaching.
I was at The Mohegan Sun with Al, where he was performing a concert
(because that is what he does) and your STAR DJ was there for the
gambling and half price Margarita's. Another little lie. She had
traveled there to interview Al for her WWUH radio show. Now at this
moment in time we had no inkling that we had (nearly) met a few
times before. The atmosphere in the dressing room was very relaxed
and she got her interview with Al. I had meanwhile sat there throughout
all of this, wondering how I could get her phone number because
it was 'my job to get a copy of all Al interviews for our own protection………..'
at least that was what I told her and she believed it! So your STAR
DJ then gives me what turns out to be an incorrect e-mail address
to contact her on at and flees to the welcoming arms of the nearby
slot machines and all that half priced drink! She wasn't seen again
for weeks by anyone.
To cut a long story short I did track her down in the end and we
have been together in your Wonderful town ever since.
I love it here. I was told to bring sub Arctic thermals and nothing
else but as far as I can see it has only gone below freezing three
times since September! I eventually gave in and was forced to go
to Banana Republic for spring style clothing the week before Xmas!
It's all a little perplexing.
Of course by now Al Stewart had heard so much about WWUH from me
that he made a special point of coming in to see for himself and
did a rare 45 minute interview for the STAR DJ's show at the start
of March. It was publicized on his website and as a result of this
an extra 300 fans around the world heard it on the net. That's how
I listen to it when I'm in England too. It comes across crystal
clear and to my mind is one of the most brilliant bits about WWUH
broadcasting.
Be you sat with your laptop in Prague or in the back of a Ford truck
parked up for the night beside a Dairy Queen in Fargo you can tune
in to this wonderful, diverse and splendid station on-line. Isn't
that just amazing!
And through it all I myself have been lucky enough to see WWUH at
work from the inside when the STAR DJ is there. The shows, The Marathons….
it's all pretty amazing. And it has been a pleasure and a privilege
to watch. There is a genuine spirit here (and I've been to lots
of radio stations. ……lots)
And John Ramsey is a King among men. Just the other day he offered
me "any show on the station" for as long as I like but
I have enough problems keeping my beloved company on her weekly
show and can only marvel at how she keeps it all together. Drink
helps, of course it does, but deep down she is a truly gifted broadcaster
Her weekly show is followed by Evening Classics, hosted by the boy
Justin. He can only be about twelve years old but his show, if you
haven't caught it yet, is amazing. He comes from a family steeped
in Classical Music and it shows. We love him very much.
In case you haven't managed to work it out yet your STAR DJ is Joan
Holliday. Her wonderful show, 'THE HAPPY CLUB, is broadcast to a
grateful world every Wednesday afternoon between 1 & 4. It's
great!
Copyright©WWUH: May/June Program Guide,
2002
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