Pilot of the Airwaves

I heard a song this morning that I had not heard for years, and it prompted in me the memory of another thing that I had not thought about for years.

When I was fifteen I was obsessed with Duran Duran. I had just about every single piece of merchandise that you could possess, not to mention all of their albums on CD and most on vinyl. As a result of this love for them I would tune into a national radio show every night that played hits of the 80s. It was on very late, as the show itself was based in Seattle, and I remember having to keep it down so my mother wouldn't know I was still up so late sending requests, sometimes the same one over and over, to some radio show.

One night I actually had an e-mail back from the DJ. It was only something along the lines of "Thanks for all of the requests you send in, I'm sorry I can't get around to playing them all", and even though it was just a one-line thank you, for some reason I responded. I couldn't tell you now what I said, but he replied again, and it turned into a conversation that lasted the duration of the whole show. And then that turned into many conversations that would last the duration of every show.

I can't remember what we would talk about, or even explain why a thirtysomething gay male radio DJ would bother talking to a fifteen year old girl, but we talked almost every night for three years. When my first boyfriend and I broke up, he let me pick all of the songs for at least an hour; he once even rigged a phone-in competition so that I would the prize. Not to mention the fact that he promised me once that if Simon LeBon were ever on the show, he would let me ask some questions.

He was a really lovely man, and sadly when I moved away for university we just lost touch. All of a sudden I was in a time zone where it was far too late to be listening to the radio, and I had new and exciting things to do instead. It really makes me melancholy; it is like having a piece of you die as you grow older and don't need it anymore. I looked him up, under his radio pseudonym and his real name as well, but it yielded no results. I like to think he's doing something exciting these days, or has moved on to a bigger show. I would really love to get to talk to him again.

Anyway, wherever he is, this one's for him.