Interview with a College DJ

Since our blog is about music at universities, I decided to interview my younger brother, who has a new radio show called "The Chess Hour" at his school's local radio station. Here's his take on the music scene at American universities, specifically his school, the State University of New York College at Geneseo.

1) What is most being listened to right now on your campus?
Since Geneseo is a small liberal arts college the most popular genres are Indie and Alternative, though 89.3 WGSU also plays a lot of contemporary Progressive Rock and other "non-mainstream" music. Popular artists include Vampire Weekend, Wilco, Rilo Kiley and Modest Mouse.

2)What performers or songs do you get a lot of requests for during your
show?
We don't take requests during our show. I imagine that some larger college radio stations can afford a phone switchboard, but 89.3 WGSU can't. As a result, the only way to make a request is to call an on-air DJ's cellphone and personally request a song. The only instance of this happening that I can recall is a request for Ted Leo's cover of "Many Rivers to Cross".

3)What artists inspired you to become a DJ?
The composer Franz Liszt and the jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius are most responsible for my radio program, 89.3 WGSU's "The Chess Hour". My co-DJ and I often listen to both while playing chess, providing the inspiration and most of the programming for our radio show. The program also provides a platform to give exposure to some other, off-genre, artists such as Young Galaxy and Mogwai.

4)What artists inspired you to become a DJ?
The best resources for finding new music are other people. I've gotten most of my music library from various friends who share some musical tastes, and are more than happy to provide exposure to different artists and genres. I also have access to promotional copies of music sent to the radio station, which is an easy way to find and evaluate new releases.

5) If you could recommend one artist or group to everyone reading this, who
would it be and why?
My best recommendation is Spiritualized. The sound of their latest release, "Songs in A&E", indicates the meticulous detail the group puts into constructing and mixing their songs. The lyrics are dark at times, but always introspective and melodious.