"ROLLING STONE TYPE INTERVIEW"

GW - I WAS BORN IN A QUAINT LITTLE TOWN IN CALIFORNIA CALLED LOS ANGELES. BUT I GREW UP LIKE A GYPSY, TRAVELING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, MOSTLY IN THE SOUTH. IT WAS ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE. I WAS ALWAYS THE NEW KID IN SCHOOL.

RADIOMAN - DID YOU MAKE A LOT OF FRIENDS IN YOUR TRAVELS?

GW - ACTUALLY, NO. GROWING UP I WAS KIND OF A GEEK. MY CHILDHOOD WAS PRETTY MESSED UP. MY MOTHER SENT ME TO SCHOOL IN HOMEMADE BLUE JEANS, SHIRTS AND REALLY BAD HAIRCUTS. WE WERE PRETTY FINANCIALLY CHALLENGED AND ONE TIME I HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL FOR A GOOD PART OF THE SCHOOL YEAR WEARING MY STEPFATHER'S SHOES WHICH WERE ABOUT THREE SIZES TOO BIG.AND THE WORST PART, THEY WERE RUST-COLORED, SUEDE, PLATFORM DISCO SHOES. I SPENT A GOOD PART OF MY DAY CARRYING THE SHOES IN MY HANDS SO I COULD RUN FROM THE GUYS WANTING TO BEAT ME UP FOR WEARING THEM.

RADIOMAN - SO YOU WEREN'T VERY POPULAR THEN.. WHAT MADE YOU INTERESTED IN RADIO LATER ON IN LIFE?

GW - ACTUALLY. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.

RADIOMAN - HOW'S THAT?

GW - I JOINED THE AIR FORCE AFTER I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND BECAME A MILITARY JOURNALIST. I WON SEVERAL AWARDS FOR MY WRITING ABILITY AND WHEN I GOT OUT MY FIRST JOB WAS TO BE A TELEVISION NEWS ANCHOR IN A TOWN CALLED SAN ANGELO, TEXAS. I SHOWED UP FOR MY FIRST DAY AND THE WHOLE PLACE WAS IN A
PANIC BECAUSE IT WAS A FOX NETWORK STATION AND FOX WAS CANCELLING THEIR LOCAL NEWSCASTS NATIONWIDE. SO I WAS OUT OF A JOB BEFORE I COULD EVEN START MY FIRST DAY. IT WAS THEIR THAT I MET A GUY WHO HIRED ME AT A LOCAL RADIO STATION AND THE REST IS HISTORY. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH I PICKED THE PERFECT FIELD BECAUSE THE LIFE OF A RADIO DJ IS A VERY TRANSIENT EXISTENCE,
REQUIRING YOU TO PICK UP AND MOVE AROUND QUITE A BIT.

RADIOMAN - YOU'VE BEEN IN THE BUSINESS FOR CLOSE TO THIRTEEN YEARS AND YOU'VE WORKED AT EVERYTHING FROM EASY LISTENING TO COUNTRY TO CHR. WHICH DO YOU PREFER?

GW - AS LONG AS I'M ON THE AIR, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER, BUT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, IF I HAD MY CHOICE, I WOULD WORK AT A CHR STATION WITH A MUSIC INTENSIVE FORMAT. NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF STATION I WORK AT, MY SHOW IS IN LINE WITH THE CHR FORMAT AND THE LISTENERS SEEM TO ENJOY THIS, SURPRISINGLY, EVEN COUNTRY MUSIC LISTENERS.

RADIOMAN - SO YOU LIKE THE CURRENT HITS?

GW - YEAH, BUT I ALSO ENJOY COUNTRY, JAZZ, ALTERNATIVE, HARD ROCK AND EVEN SOME OPERA.

RADIOMAN - WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE SINGER OR GROUP?

GW - MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE IS ELVIS PRESLEY, BUT I'M NOT YOUR TYPICAL ELVIS FAN. FOR ONE THING. HE'S DEAD, HE'S NOT COMING BACK TO LIFE AS THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AND I DON'T THINK HE WAS TAKEN AWAY IN A UFO. SECONDLY, EVEN THOUGH I ENJOY ALL OF HIS MUSIC, I AM PARTICULARLY FOND OF HIS REAL BLUESY STUFF. YOU CAN'T HELP ADMIRE THE MAN. HE BUILT AN EMPIRE FROM BASICALLY NOTHING BUT RAW TALENT. MY BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCE THOUGH. AND DON'T LAUGH
WHEN I TELL YOU, BUT IT'S GEORGE MICHAEL. THAT'S A MAN WHO HAS A LOT OF TALENT IN TODAY'S MUSIC VENUE.

RADIOMAN - SPEAKING OF TALENT, I HEAR YOU ALSO DO SOME RECORDING YOURSELF.

GW - I RECORDED A FEW SONGS FOR A DEMO WHICH WENT NOWHERE. I EVEN GAVE A COPY TO MY STEPMOTHER'S BROTHER WHO IS IN THE RECORDING INDUSTRY. HE'S WORKED WITH U2, BONNIE RAITT AND PIONEERED DIGITAL SOUND WITH RAY CHARLES. HE'S HAD IT FOR A FEW YEARS NOW AND TO THIS DAY HE HAS YET TO LISTEN TO IT.

RADIOMAN - THAT DOESN'T SOUND TOO PROMISING. YOU THINK HE'LL EVER LISTEN TO IT OR PASS IT ON TO SOMEONE WHO WILL?

GW - I DON'T KNOW. I'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.

RADIOMAN - YOU'RE ALSO PRETTY HEAVY INTO KARAOKE. I HAVE TO ASK. WHAT MAKES THIS SO APPEALING TO YOU?

GW - WELL, I WAS THE FRONT MAN FOR SEVERAL BANDS AS FAR BACK AS HIGH SCHOOL. MY FIRST FIVE BANDS WERE ALL GARAGE BANDS THAT WENT NOWHERE. THEN IN NEW YORK, I SANG FOR A COUNTRY BAND CALLED WILD CACTUS AND ACTUALLY BEGAN PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY AFTER LESS THAN THREE WEEKS OF REHEARSAL. WE BECAME QUITE POPULAR AND WHEN I LEFT NEW YORK AND THE BAND. I MISSED SINGING AND HEARD OF A KARAOKE BAR IN PENDLETON, OREGON, WHERE I WAS LIVING, WENT OUT AND SANG AND I'VE BEEN DOING IT EVER SINCE.

RADIOMAN - LET'S GET BACK TO YOUR RADIO CAREER. WHAT MOTIVATES YOU WHEN YOU ARE ON THE AIR?

GW - WITHOUT A DOUBT. THE LISTENER. MY BEST SHOWS ARE WHEN THE LISTENER GETS INVOLVED IN THE SHOW. I HATE WORKING AT A STATION WHERE YOU HAVE TO BEG THE LISTENER TO CALL IN OR BRIBE THEM WITH PRIZES TO GET THEM TO CALL IN. NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG. I LOVE GIVING THINGS AWAY, BUT I WANT PEOPLE TO CALL IN BECAUSE THEY LOVE THE INTERACTION AND NOT JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE WINNING
SOMETHING. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SO MUCH DEPRESSING CRAP GOING ON IN THE WORLD THAT I DON'T NEED TO DWELL ON THIS TYPE OF STUFF FOR MY SHOW. I WOULD RATHER HAVE A FUN SHOW THAT HELPS PEOPLE GET THROUGH THEIR DAY WITH A LITTLE SMILE RATHER THAN FOCUS ON THE EVERYDAY TRAGEDIES.

RADIOMAN - SO IN CONCLUSION WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE GOALS?

GW - RIGHT NOW? TO FIND A JOB WORKING IN A STATION THAT ALLOWS ME THE CREATIVE FREEDOM TO DEVELOP A SHOW WITH THE LISTENER IN MIND. I'LL DO ANYTHING TO REACH OUT AND GRAB THE LISTENERS' INTERESTS. THEN I'LL CONTINUE TO DO IT TO KEEP THEM.