Old Radio Stories of the Past !!!

Our TV80’s stories by Moto Man. Big49 Radio 

If you have read the TV80’s Story You will know that there was a Back Story to TV80s that goes back to 1992 -1993. And the story goes back further than that to the 1970s when I was a Kid. I grew up in Southern California, I was a radio record Kid. Growing up my favorite radio stations were KMET and KROQ. This past week we lost a legend in LA Radio, someone whom I worked with, but someone whom I grew up with on the radio “Jed the Fish”. For those of us Southern California kids who grew up on the radio we established our culture and our generational references on the radio, Jed was a milestone of oddity, very strange with comedic timing and a passion for the music, he entertained us, as many of the hosts on KROQ did, Jed was one of the truly odd creative and special hosts who shaped our humor and our world of music. He was the “Wolfman Jack “of 80s pop culture in Southern California. As was Rodney, Richard, and Dusty, and even Raymondo they shaped our musical tastes and culture. I can’t forget Freddy Snakeskin and Swedish Egil KROQ was a cast of characters almost like Human cartoons for an 80’s generation who was adapting itself to Radio as our cultural internet. 

In many ways I truly feel bad for the current crop of music heads growing up. While their cultural rudder is the internet, they are missing the commentary, the funny, the snarky, the wit, and the entertainment. In many ways the music was a soundtrack for the whacky antics that the hosts would deliver. KROQ was... WAS is the Key word.. the home for irreverent original honest opinions. It wasn’t uncommon for Jed to play a song, and do his giggle and say, “Wow what a poopy steamer that was”. If the song sucked, Jed would tell you. The Catch of the day was Jed’s way of giving you some insight to the theatrics of his musical taste. No other place gave you that level of brutal honesty. Unlike many former KROQ employees, I am not Brand Loyal to KROQ. If you talk to most former KROQ Employees, they look back on KROQ with this loyal fondness that KROQ could do no wrong as an organization. As an Employee I can say, in many ways the place was Fucked up. Clickish and Juvenile and upsetting and Corporate by the 1990’s KROQ had lost much of its Brutality in creative behavior, Jed wasn’t allowed to come to work in slippers and a bath robe with a needle in his arm anymore, he had to be a grown up. And sometimes it sucked. Our work environment wasn’t always a good place. But I also made some life long friends at KROQ, and it inspired my career in radio and now Audio streaming. 

Most people take the radio for granted as a noise box, but for those of us who were raised on radio it was a way of connecting cultural norms with other people in our age bracket. Before I finish this note, let me leave you with One "Jed the Fish story". As the Station Engineer, I soldered allot. Allot!! And at KROQ on the 9th floor our layout wasn’t optimal it was tight, My back was at the door to the office allot. Many days Jed would come into my office and use the phone as I soldered so it wasn’t uncommon to see Jed sitting in the engineering office or coming in and out. One day we had a promotion with 7-11 stores, they left a bunch of “Big Gulp cups” in the building. Jed Put himself on a mission for Scotch tape. Jed Scotch taped his eyes back to look Asian crazy person, and Scotch taped Big Gulp cups to his ears. Then he walked down the hall with a large bottle of Arrowhead water and proceed to masturbate and ejaculate water on everyone he could see ... YES INCLUDING me.. That was Jed.. Thank God for Rick Rippey Jed’s special assistant who would sachet down the hall saying “JED .. YOU HAVE 1 Minute” . Welcome to working at KROQ. RIP Mr. Fish.. You were an interesting creative funny troubled genuine person and it was a pleasure to grow up with you on the radio and work with you as a grown up. You inspired many.