1. How long have you been with WNRN and how did you get started?
Since 2002, though not consecutively. Meffle, Ronda, Rusty, and Steve were here in my first go-round, so I’m thrilled that they’re still on-air and still sound amazing.
As to how I got started, the station was mostly volunteers back then, and my first shift in the summer of 2002 was the prestigious Sunday morning 2-6 AM shift. Some of you reading this probably drunk-dialed me.
2. What should WNRN listeners know about your show, and/or your music tastes?
I’ve been calling Les Temps “the best, most interesting, and occasionally the strangest of the 70s, 80s, and 90s” for awhile now, and that sums it up. We have three rotating hosts: Dan has mature, sophisticated pop sensibilities. I like music that’s loud, fast, and often dumb. And Drew lives somewhere between the two of us.
For the last 10 years, my goal for the show has been to play music you won’t hear anywhere else on the radio—terrestrial or satellite. Yes, we play the staples of what people think of as “alternative music”: the Pixies, the Smiths, the Cure, Nirvana, the Clash, the Ramones, Talking Heads, etc. But we’ll also play the bands that influenced them—the New York Dolls, the Jam, the Replacements, Television, bands like that. We’ll play the unsung heroes and the never-quite-made-its who had that one killer track. We love oi! punk and New Wave and No Wave alike.
And we’ll play weird, sometimes goofy stuff: gimme Jilted John. The Young Fresh Fellows. Mojo Nixon. Kraftwerk. B-Movie. The Dead Milkmen. They Might Be Giants. King Missile. They all play an important role in what makes that era so special.
And while I’ve got you here, I want to keep splashing in just a little early hip-hop, too. There’s Gil Scott-Heron breaking ground for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Afrika Bambatta showing De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest how it’s done. You’ll get some of the OG Def Jam heroes: Run-DMC, the Beasties, Public Enemy. And there are really interesting bands like ESG sitting on the outskirts of that whole sound.
3. What’s your favorite, recent music discovery?
Being Dead. Two of my favorite bands are X and the Pixies; Being Dead has that same dark, eclectic balance.
4. What might be an unexpected artist on your personal playlist?
Toni! Tony! Tone! “It Feels Good” fills me with an unspeakable joy.
5. A couple of firsts: What was the first concert you ever attended? What was the first album you ever bought?
First concert? Robert Palmer. At Kings Dominion. With my dad.
First album I ever owned? Got U2’s Rattle and Hum and the Cocktail soundtrack for Christmas in 1988.
6. What would be your 1-3 Top ‘Desert Island’ albums? The ones you would want with you if stranded on a desert island. Why?
Tough one. That’s like picking your favorite child. (I mean, I only have one child, so maybe it’s not that tough.)
Right now, it’s Purple Rain, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), and any one of the first four X albums. They’re all that good.
7. What are some of your favorite hobbies/things to do outside of music and radio?
I box and kickbox, which at my age means I get punched in the face a fair amount. I play volleyball one night a week. And I chase my six-year-old around 24/7/365.
Extra: What shows are you looking forward to in 2025 / What were some of your favorite shows in 2024?
Digable Planets at Friday Cheers last year was spectacular. So was Drive-By Truckers at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Honestly, I just want to get to more shows and listen to more music this year.
