Suburban Dad Pop

In case you missed it, WWCD, which will be referred to in this entry by its original frequency 101.1 is permanently signing off at the end of the month. They fought the good fight for as long as they could, and the citizens of Central Ohio are better for their efforts.

Here is my 101.1 story.

I moved to Columbus in the fall of 1996, and until that point in my life, my entire nineteen-year radio listening experience took place in the cornfields, garages and grocery store parking lots of greater Northwest Ohio. Which is to say, aside from a major in Classic Rock and a minor in ‘Oldies,’ the local radio stations I was familiar with had little to offer me.

Which was unfortunate because I was starving for new music. At that time, the internet wasn’t really accessible in my home town so one of the only ways to access cool and new music was watching MTV or driving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to go record shopping at Wooden Nickel Records.

Long live Wooden Nickel.

So, as a fan of the college rock stalwarts Concrete Blonde, you can imagine my surprise as I walked into the Bank One at the corner of 17^th and High Street, and heard a CD 101.1 DJ announcing ‘Caroline’ as the next track. I was blown away. This was 1996 with no music apps or CD players. Could this be that I was actually listening to a local radio station play great music?

Three hours into my first morning in Columbus, I knew I had found a new friend and listening companion.

As the years progressed, 101.1 helped me to become familiar with artists a decade or so ahead of my time. Bands like The Clash, Blondie, The Kinks, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Television, The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division, The Replacements, The Pixies and Talking Heads. Bands like these were always on my radar, but often their artistic and commercial pinnacle was either before the advent of MTV or just as MTV happened; when I was still watching professional wrestling and collecting baseball cards.

(No judgment. The WWF and 80s baseball card culture was lit.)

In the following years, the time spent listening to 101.1 and talking to fellow fans led me to learn more about local legends such as Great Plains, The Royal Crescent Mob, New Bomb Turks, Howlin’ Maggie, Moviola, Gaunt and Jenny Mae. It’s fair to say that 101.1 owner Randy Malloy and on-air personalities Michael Palermo, Mason ‘Mace’ Brazelle, Rachel Gordon, Leslie James and Brian Phillips helped shaped my musical tastes.

The on-air and behind-the scenes brain trust had so many cool and unique programs, including Undercover Weekends (cover songs), The Mothers and Fathers of Modern Rock (on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day weekends), No Repeat Thursdays (self-explanatory), Invisible Hits Hour (your cool cousin’s favorite bands), The Stash (classic alternative), and of course the station’s signature artists performance showcase – The Big Room.

Of course, the segment I most miss is Takin’ Calls with John ‘Andyman’ Davis. Andyman was the program director, DJ and true personality of 101.1. At risk of dating myself, he was Columbus’s version of Wolfman Jack. At the end of his weekly shifts, Andyman would answer listeners’ phone calls by simply saying, “Takin’ Calls” and ended with callers sharing insanely funny diatribes about pretty much any topic.

And I mean ANYTHING.

If you wanted to profess or deny your love for a current or ex-partner, you could let it rip. Want to complain about the garbage collectors missing your bin? Check. Think aliens abducted your dog? Just let him know.

If you wanted to speak in tongues, Takin’ Calls was the church you were looking for.

Unfortunately, Andyman tragically passed away in 2010 and soon after the station would switch frequencies to 102.5 and eventually after that to 92.9. With each change of the station frequency, I got a little older, and the music got a little younger, which is the natural order of things. As an aging suburban dad, I listened a little less each year, but the station never stopped supporting the local community.

The obvious and most famous example of this is the Andyman-A-Thon, a winter holiday radio telethon that helped raise over ONE MILLION DOLLARS for local children’s charities.

That is A LOT of local support.

They also offered support and exposure through the Front Stage program, which allowed local bands to have their music played on the radio. For some of these artists, it might have been the pinnacle of their musical legacy. And for other artists, it may have been the spark that set off their musical career.

Regardless, these artists were able to hear themselves on the radio and what on earth could be cooler than that?

So, as 101.1 signs off, I hope Columbus truly appreciated what we had. The next generation will likely never get to experience a locally owned and operated radio station. Assuming traditional radio persists, the DJs on the stations our children listen to are likely to be an audio amalgamation of corporate AI personalities.

And the artists featured on those channels will eventually follow that same trend.

So, I leave you with my personal Takin’ Calls: The blood, sweat and tears given by the individuals both behind and in front of the mic were not in vain. For me, and many Central Ohioans my age, the culture, music and events surrounding 101.1 truly shaped large portions of our lives.

From the bottom of my heart, I express my deepest thanks.

Now if you excuse me, I am going to call in and request some Concrete Blonde.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

• My favorite memory of 101.1 is driving around Columbus with my wife and discussing what song we should dance to at our wedding. We both had a few suggestions that were good, but not great. Of course 101.1 was playing and suddenly “Coming Home” by Leon Bridges popped on the radio. We looked at each other and instantly agreed we had found the right track. Thanks, 101.1.
• A close second is dining out with friends at the El Vaquero on Olentangy. After we finished our Margaritas, we hopped in our cars to drive to a night of debauchery at the Tree House. On the way to the Tree House, Outkast’s “Hey Ya” popped on the dial and passengers in the trio of cars were all calling each other, not texting because this was 2003, to make sure everyone heard our collective new favorite song. Typing this makes me feel old, but happy.
• I always thought I would partake in the Guest DJ in May segment. I never applied because I thought WWCD was bullet proof and that I would always get around to applying the following year. Damn.
• Here is a cool little time capsule/photo gallery, from CNN in 2013, celebrating all things 101.1
• Perhaps the thing I will miss the most about 101.1 is listening to Brian Phillips on my morning drive. Traditionally, I listen to the news on 90.5 and when the news gets too heavy, which doesn’t take long, I switch the radio dial to Brian and his topical, light, and hilarious morning program. I am truly dreading the morning commute on Thursday, February 2nd, when I have no reprieve from the darkness of the news.