WQSV Profile:
Commander J
How did you come to be involved with WQSV? And how long have you been involved?
My family and I moved into our new house in Staunton in April, next door to WQSV Board Member Tony Davenport. One afternoon, I mentioned to Tony over the fence that I had done a little radio in the past, and he put me in touch with the station. The rest is (fairly recent) history.
When did you start DJing? Are there any DJs who influenced you? Or something/someone else who influenced you?
I did a little DJ’ing in college, but when I joined the Navy after I graduated, I figured my broadcasting days were over. That changed when I was assigned as the Public Works Officer for the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station. I would spend a lot of time at the Armed Forces Network radio station during their “call-in” shows for base officials, and when they realized that I wasn’t too bad on the air, they asked me if I’d fill a few hours of airtime for them each week. That became the original “Up in the Attic.”
Talk about your connection to music/the role music plays in your life?
I’m not a musician, nor do I have anything resembling expertise in music theory or production. I just know what I like. I think this profoundly superficial relationship with music keeps my show from being too pretentious (or maybe I’m just trying to justify the appalling lack of any salient reason I should have a radio show).
Describe your show.
It’s a pretty straightforward vanity project: Music I like, wholly and solely because I like it. Most of it is from the 80’s, but a few older (and maybe even newer) songs will slip in there from time to time. I also incorporate segments I developed during my run on the Armed Forces Network, like “Great 80’s Poetry”.
Who are some of your favorite musicians and why?
I’ve always identified with Paul Weller. He was an angry young man in The Jam, a talented and slightly pretentious grown-up in The Style Council, and finally a confident and established solo icon in his field. I’d like to think I’ve had similar incarnations in my life and career. I’m also a firm believer that Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook (from Squeeze) are my generation’s Lennon & McCartney, and have an acknowledged soft spot for power pop and early 80’s new wave.
What is your first memory involving music?
Listening to the “101 Dalmatians” soundtrack on my parents’ console stereo. It was amazing to hear this piece of furniture (it was as big as a dresser) that had previously only spouted out my parents’ music (I’m looking at you, Burt Bacharach) speak to me instead.
What was the first concert you attended?
Atlanta power pop group The Producers at the small, now defunct, Rainbow Music Hall in Denver. Great band (you’ll hear them a lot on my show) in a great venue. Almost 30 years later, I would join them on stage to sing backup during the encore of their USO concert. Outside of my marriage and the birth of my children, probably the coolest moment of my life.
How do you go about building your show?
I usually walk into the studio with a few songs in mind. They may be songs that I wasn’t able to fit into last week’s show, or maybe something I heard over the speakers at the grocery store. I never really know when a random conversation, story or event will activate a memory with some associated music, which will get trigger a “gotta get that on the Attic” response. Those songs will lead to thoughts of similar songs or associated artists and once all the mental dominoes topple, the playlist is full.
Do you have any particular criteria when selecting music for your show?
“Up In The Attic” has always been a mid-day show, so I try to keep things fairly up tempo. It’s music to get things done to, so I leave the heart-breaking ballads and misty-eyed torch songs for the contemplative, brandy-sipping evening hours. But mostly it’s the music I want hear, just because I want to hear it.
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