Happy Anniversary to ME!!!

DJ Sue Poster from the summer of 2010

It was seven years ago today that I opened an account and made my first post on this blog.  Can it really be that long?  It doesn’t seem like it.  It’s now 7 years, 83 posts and 16,355 views later.  I started this blog as a place to continue the discussions on the music I played as a DJ in Second Life.  Through the years it has been that but it has also grown into a place that I can safely share about myself and bare my very soul to all of you.

Through the years, I’ve used the blog to promote various formats for my DJ shows, like “Two fer Tuesday” where I played two songs in a row by each artist, or “Vinyl Siding” where I went back to the days of LP records and that search for the perfect record side where you’d drop the needle and not need to attend to anything for about 18 minutes as the side played through.  There were also the Sojourns, which I will talk about in a bit.

So how did I get here?  In the words of the Grateful Dead, “What a long strange trip it’s been.”

From my earliest memories, I had a great love for music, especially Rock ‘n’ Roll.   I’d save my coins and buy records from the local “five & dime,” but playing them was never enough for me.  I had to share the music with friends.  In high school, I religiously listened to WPLJ FM in New York and my idol was a female jock there, Carol Miller.  She was a big influence on me and I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

My senior year in high school I began the task of studying for my FCC license.  I wanted a job at an FM station with an AOR format (Album Oriented Rock) so I could share the music I loved, like the Doors, Led Zeppelin, the Jefferson Airplane and Steppenwolf.  The following summer, I passed my exams and was the holder of an FCC Third Class Radiotelephone License with an FM Broadcast Endorsement.  With this “card” I was legally able to operate, repair or modify any FM radio station in the United States as long as I didn’t alter the broadcast frequency or the power output.  With this, I was marketable because I could legally operate a radio station after hours ALL BY MYSELF!  More importantly, this ticket would allow me to share music with the masses.

In the fall of 1977, I got a job at an AOR radio station up in New England.  I’ve told much of the story here already, especially through the Sojourns so I won’t repeat it all again.  I couldn’t tell you the first song I played on the air but I distinctly remember the last.  I have not told the story of my final moments on the air but I think it’s worth telling.

DJ booth of the era and very much like the one I used to use.

My last day was my regular show on a Friday afternoon in the summer of 1980.  My relief, Dave, was standing in the booth behind me holding the records he had pulled from the music room.  It was a couple minutes before 4:00 and the one song ended.  Dave and I had this moment planned.  There needed to be a station ID at the top of the hour and instead of playing a pre-recorded one, we thought it fitting that I say good bye and work the station call sign, and other info, into my address to the listeners.  (The legally required station ID is in bold below) I will try to recreate what I said, as close as I can remember. The call sign and other names are all fictitious.

“We are here at the top of the hour and the end of my show.  Dave Christians is here to take you through to 6 pm. As I said earlier, today is my last broadcast here at 97.3 FM.  I would like to thank the staff and management of WTMG, Springfield, for allowing me to share music with all of you out there.  It is with a heavy heart that I leave but it is to better things. I especially want to thank you, the listeners, and wish you all of the happiness in the world.  It has been an amazing three years and I will miss you greatly.  So long, everyone.”

I flipped the switch and the turntable started to play Drivers Seat by Sniff 'n' the Tears.  I may not recall the first song I ever played but I remember that last one I played as I broke down and began to weep.  I had managed to keep my composure as I said the actual goodbye, though my voice began to waver and crack a bit by the end.  I took off the headphones, got up and got a big hug from Dave.  I went back into the music room to put my records away.

The very last record I cued and played on the air.

When I was done, I walked through the control room to the outer studio.  People had gathered there, maybe a dozen.  Most worked at the station and I was touched that some had come in on their time off just to say goodbye.  I was even more deeply moved by the fact that three or four listeners had come down to see me off too.  One woman had heard my good bye on the air and was near the studio, so she dropped by.

After the goodbyes, people cleared out and it was time to leave.  I picked up my backpack which I had filled earlier with my stray possessions left around the station.  I walked up to the bulletin board, where all of our FCC licenses were thumbtacked for the world to see and I located mine.  I removed it and placed it in my pocket.  As I walked out the door, I knew I would never be on the air at WTMG again but I thought I would eventually go back to being an on air radio personality again.  I had no idea that I had just walked away from my last broadcast of my life.

I got in the car and drove away all weepy.  I’d be heading for college shortly and had my whole life was ahead of me.  I was listening to the radio in the car and I heard Dave break in after a couple songs and commercials.

“Sue, I know you are probably listening and I wanted to wish you good luck and thank you for all of the times you have brightened my day.”

I went to college, earned a degree and then eventually became a paramedic.  I never went back to radio.  During college, I did get to DJ some private parties and events but it wouldn’t be until 2010 that I found Second Life.  It didn’t take long for me to become a DJ and find myself sharing music once again.

Last year, I did a weekly feature called “Sue’s Sunday Sojourn.”  I would showcase a particular artist or band during my entire two hour set.  Each week, prior to the set, there would be a blog post where I wrote about my memories, favorite stories or share other interesting tidbits about the artist.  The idea here was not to tell the story of the band or play two hours of their greatest hits.  The idea behind Sue’s Sunday Sojourn was for you to spend time with me, down in my music vault.  As I would put together the set, I would reminisce and share special memories.  “I remember when this came out,” or, “I recall hearing this for the first time and I thought…”  I might share little known facts, favorite memories, fun stories or maybe even some personal experiences.

The sets had plenty of the big hits but there were also a few obscure tunes that were my personal favorites.  I would include a few rarities or possibly unreleased material, along with other assorted curios.  By the time I was done they had turned into something more, something I had not anticipated.  They became a way to let everyone I know in Second Life, into my world safely and to allow them to get to know me in ways I’ve not shared online.  During the Sojourns I told many stories about my days in radio and I shared a lot about other facets of my life.

If you want to read more about my days in radio, read my blog.  The Sojourns are especially good for this and getting to know me.  Here are a few suggested ones:

The Moody Blues:

There is quite a bit in this one about being on the air and talking to listeners.

The Doors:

Probably my favorite band of all times and there is a bit about me at the radio station in here too.

The Electric Light Orchestra:

A peek into my teen years.

The Jefferson Airplane:

This is maybe my second favorite band.  In this Sojourn you learn a bit about my family, my love for music and my childhood.

DJ Sue’s Theme and Upcoming Sojourns:

This is a filler piece between Sojourns but there is a bit about DJ Carol Miller and another bit on DJ Sue’s Theme.

Bob Seger:

Bob Seger seemed to sync up with my life in many ways.  This is basically my life story related through the music of Bob Seger from a kid, through high school, to being a DJ and much more, including my PTSD.

Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Sometimes Young):

In this one I begin to tell of the complex but extremely close relationship with my oldest brother.

Phil Ochs (Tapes from California):

This one really lets you in, up close and personal.  It focuses on me and my older brother, his death and my coping with those demons.

The Middle of the Road:

This one is not a Sojourn but a bit about being on the air is in it.

What Does Sue Listen to: Pt. 1 Farfisa and Fuzz:

This one is a really old post and was from way before the Sojourns.  It tells about the music I truly love to listen to.  This is part one but I never got around to writing part two.

So it’s been eight years since I’ve started DJing I SL and seven since I started this blog.  The picture at the top of the entire blog until recently has been there since 2014.  Before that, it was the picture at the top of this post.  Now I’ve decided that this anniversary was a good excuse to update the color scheme with a more vampire feel.  I also felt that it was time for a new picture of top of the vampire DJ myself.  Here is to another seven years of posting and eight years of spinning tunes.

DJ Sue's official photo.