AFS Cinema
Misses Johnny, but It's All Been Said Before and Better
RECEIVED Wed., April 18, 2007
All you moon doggies and kool kittens,
Thank you for the piece on former LBJ-er Johnny Walker's axing by Emmis, just one of the evil empire(s) of commercial radio [“The Last Rock & Roll Deejay,” News, April 13]. Gratifying, but not wholly necessary.
“What?,” you're saying, “The demise of commercial, yet hip, radio isn't noteworthy?” No. I'm saying that it's all been said. Before. Better (sorry). And a long time ago.
I've known Johnny some time now; my old bandmates and I used to pester him to play our CD, and he'd emcee some of our gigs. I've also known his style of talent my whole life. Literally (much thanks, Johnny, by the by).
My father's a 50-year veteran deejay and TV talent. Back when you didn't need a sheepskin to spin and grin, he was co-signing one of Elvis' first royalty checks and debuting the Everly Brothers on WMPS, Memphis. Having recently thrown in the towel myself to a 15-plus-year radio career, I could wince in one-sided embarrassment listening to Johnny's generally unprepared style of jocking and his obvious struggle to balance the new “power jock” attitude with his hardwired, laid-back style. Hate to say it, but the “dinosaur” jocks of the album-rock era were being put out to pasture by the time I got my first paycheck from the WIRA in Fort Pierce, Fla., circa 1982. And we can't expect the huge industry giants to give a damn any more now than they did then (stations were being downsized and automated long before FCC deregulation in the Nineties).
We can only hope the newbies remember three things: 1) Be true to your demo, 2) bring other, marketable skills to the table, 'cause there's no retirement plan for disc jockeys, and 3) don't let the bastards wear you down.
Thank you for the piece on former LBJ-er Johnny Walker's axing by Emmis, just one of the evil empire(s) of commercial radio [“The Last Rock & Roll Deejay,” News, April 13]. Gratifying, but not wholly necessary.
“What?,” you're saying, “The demise of commercial, yet hip, radio isn't noteworthy?” No. I'm saying that it's all been said. Before. Better (sorry). And a long time ago.
I've known Johnny some time now; my old bandmates and I used to pester him to play our CD, and he'd emcee some of our gigs. I've also known his style of talent my whole life. Literally (much thanks, Johnny, by the by).
My father's a 50-year veteran deejay and TV talent. Back when you didn't need a sheepskin to spin and grin, he was co-signing one of Elvis' first royalty checks and debuting the Everly Brothers on WMPS, Memphis. Having recently thrown in the towel myself to a 15-plus-year radio career, I could wince in one-sided embarrassment listening to Johnny's generally unprepared style of jocking and his obvious struggle to balance the new “power jock” attitude with his hardwired, laid-back style. Hate to say it, but the “dinosaur” jocks of the album-rock era were being put out to pasture by the time I got my first paycheck from the WIRA in Fort Pierce, Fla., circa 1982. And we can't expect the huge industry giants to give a damn any more now than they did then (stations were being downsized and automated long before FCC deregulation in the Nineties).
We can only hope the newbies remember three things: 1) Be true to your demo, 2) bring other, marketable skills to the table, 'cause there's no retirement plan for disc jockeys, and 3) don't let the bastards wear you down.
Lee Aycock