Live from CJAM 91.5

Okay, it's near the end of this blog-thang so I wanna try something new and exciting. Live radio and blogging!
So here is the deal, I am going to do my show as well as blog and see how far I get. When my show is over, the blog is DONE....well this entry at least. Please forgive spelling, I am working on the fly.

Well, here I am sitting in the studio as always on a Monday. What makes this job, the incredibly glamourous occupation of DJ, so tough? Well lemme tell yea! Usually, prepared and professional DJs preplan shows, get a burned mix CD ready or at least a play list. Not this disc jay! Well I was in a rush this past 24 hours, so I am picking CDs from our gigantic CD library and this is not an easy task. I have to make sure CDs in a three song set, thats the usually radio standard 3 songs, talking, 3 songs, talking etc, mesh nicely and have a good flow. That is a task and a half because you gotta keep your show fresh each week. Not only this but I also have to play 30% Cancon (Canadian content), I will go over the qualifications of Cancon in a upcoming post, which is a pain in the ass somedays. I love supporting local and Canadian bands, but god damn some days you wanna play a certain band but it doesnt fit in the play list because you need more Cancon.

side note: I am played Cain and Abel, excellent Canadian band, check them out at myspace.com/cainandabel

I am going to keep posting and editing this entry to make it semi real time, how exciting!

Another pain of being a DJ is being knowledgeable on all sorts of quirky facts about bands, which i love knowing, but when you dont have any info on a band youve just played you kind of look like an idiot.....like i did earlier in this show.

side note: remember when I said the 3 song sets needed a flow? Well here I go ruining the flow of this set.....Less than Jake followed by Mutemath....yikes... (for those of you unaware of these bands...think poppy punk ska followed by electronic melodic rock....awesome job, Pat!)

What others wonders can i share with these fine people....oh yeah! Commercials! CJAM has mandated themselves to less than 2 mins of commercials an hour. And yes, that is what CJAM plans to do. But often, idiot DJs like myself, forget to play the commercials and cram them all in the last 30 mins of our shows. Whenever I do this I feel bad because people really don't like to be sold things well in their car driving, or in the shower, or when being awoken from a slumber, or where ever else you listen to your radio. Reminds me, I will play a commercials right now. This one is on a book drive, good choice to play well blogging I think.

Side note: CD player in studio is killing me! Just open with one push of a button! Not 12!

Another thing in studio I always forget is the fact there are giant windows. I used to do the 6 am - 8 am time slot, so noone was there. I could look like hell, I could adjust my under garments, I could...well you get what I mean. Now that I am 10 30 am - noon, people are actually around the station. Good example, about 2 mins ago I stood up to remove a wedgey I had collected in my travels around the station and I am pretty sure one of the St Clair journalism interns definitely saw me pick it. And it was a girl! God, I am classy.

side note: Cave In, from New Jersey, awesome band!

Something I always forget when I am on air is the telephone in studio. There is a phone sitting right beside me, but the ringer is off so it just has a flashing light. I do not know how many people have called in and I have just not seen the light flashing. I would say 500. I probably have a huge. unknown by me, fanbase with fan club and mailing list and t shirts and yeah I am taking this too far. But if you have tried to call in and I have not answered, don't be offended!

side note: I just screwed up again, announced one song, played another. smooth.

I have 9 mins left in my show, so I hope you enjoyed this LIVE blogging entry at the CJAM studios, I promise it will never happen again.