Fascinating stuff here for anyone who was doing radio—college or otherwise—in the early 90s. The subject of this video aircheck is Scott Lowe, who was an on-air personality at WPST, a locally-owned top 40 station that in 1992 maintained its studios in Princeton, New Jersey.
1992 is also the year I began my life in radio as a townie DJ at WPRB, which was just up the street from PST. It all seems so ridiculous in retrospect, but all of us at PRB very much imagined WPST as our sworn enemy. After all, they were a top 40 station with a couple of limp "alterno" (as we called it) shows, and PRB was loaded with hyper-enthusiastic DJs in their early 20s all trying to out-obscure one another. ("Fine... I'll see your Plagal Grind EP and raise you one Mortal Micronotz 7", buddy!")
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I don't think of WPST as in the same league as college radio. To me the true comparison points were WMMR, WPLJ and WNEW. PST was trying to be a "real" rock station with commercials and slick personalities. To me, its whole approach was as distant as WPRB's was personal and welcoming.
Thanks for the info, Rob. I listened to WTSR a lot during those years, and I'm sure Scott's influence was a huge part of what made the station so great. Do you have any idea whatever happened to those guys who hosted "Kaleidoscope"? What about the reggae guy? He was on TSR for like a million years! -mike
@Mike A.: It wasn't that PST was in our "league." Remember that this was the crazy time just after "Smells Like Teen Spirit." We'd promptly moved on to other things, but 'PST was cashing in on the hard work we (and college radio generally) had done... therefore, the enemy.
Mike - not sure of the show you mentioned or the reggae guy (Anthony!) There are a few WSTR alumni-related facebook pages, but they aren't terribly active. Scott was basically the station engineer for most of the late 80s and into the 90s, in addition to hosting a show (ususally in the evenings.) I imagine him making frequent stops at Radio Shack. He was also an early co-conspiritor in Ween and, in general, a pleasure to be around.
SKM: that makes sense. I listened to WPST only until the early '80s, and dropped it the day I first picked up WRSU on my clock radio. So my memories are more of a WKRP In Cincinnati-type vibe (you know, guys with mustaches and satin jackets) than yours.
@Rob: TSR was very much part of the holy trinity of central Jersey radio for me during the late 80s. WFMU wasn't really on my radar yet, but along with WPRB and WRSU, WTSR boasted no short supply of great sounds. I definitely remember Anthony MCing a couple of the big reggae throwdowns at City Gardens... Yellowman, Toots & the Maytalls, Sister Carol, etc. "Kaleidoscope" I remember more from, like, '92 maybe. Two older guys playing 60s psych and expressing a terrifying amount of knowledge about it. @SKM, I definitely remember shooting pool at Terrace with you a few times while listening to that show! -mike
Egads, the phrase "Post Modern PST" has not emerged from the dark corners of my brain since I don't know when. Perhaps foolishly, I googled it and immediately hit paydirt:
@jeff Hopefully Mr. Conrad is still following this thread and can chime in with a response, but if not, I'll just say that his show (like his zine) was NOT limited to hardcore. He was into all kinds of stuff -- I would credit him with introducing me to records by Band of Susans and Volcano Suns, for example. -mike
i'm trying to remember... we're there co-hosts? i have some hazy memories of a left of the dial college station playing the punk/hardcore with a few guys behind the mic. his voice in the ween interview in your last post was jump starting the synapses.
Yup, I was on WTSR from '86 or so until '90 or '91. I inherited the 10 AM to 2 PM Saturday slot from Mickey of Ween fame (started by reading horrible UPI news on his show.) I did a bunch of other slots over time - I think one semester while at MCCC I was holding down three show. While my early shows were hardcore-focused, the playlist expanded over time. Glad someone remembers those shows!
I don't think of WPST as in the same league as college radio. To me the true comparison points were WMMR, WPLJ and WNEW. PST was trying to be a "real" rock station with commercials and slick personalities. To me, its whole approach was as distant as WPRB's was personal and welcoming.
Posted by: mike | August 26, 2010 at 10:46 AM
Scott Lowe single-handily kept WSTR functioning in the mid to late 80s. If anything broke, Scott would fix it.
Posted by: Rob Conrad | August 26, 2010 at 11:00 AM
Thanks for the info, Rob. I listened to WTSR a lot during those years, and I'm sure Scott's influence was a huge part of what made the station so great. Do you have any idea whatever happened to those guys who hosted "Kaleidoscope"? What about the reggae guy? He was on TSR for like a million years! -mike
Posted by: r:m:b | August 26, 2010 at 11:06 AM
@Mike A.: It wasn't that PST was in our "league." Remember that this was the crazy time just after "Smells Like Teen Spirit." We'd promptly moved on to other things, but 'PST was cashing in on the hard work we (and college radio generally) had done... therefore, the enemy.
Posted by: SKM | August 26, 2010 at 01:06 PM
Mike - not sure of the show you mentioned or the reggae guy (Anthony!) There are a few WSTR alumni-related facebook pages, but they aren't terribly active. Scott was basically the station engineer for most of the late 80s and into the 90s, in addition to hosting a show (ususally in the evenings.) I imagine him making frequent stops at Radio Shack. He was also an early co-conspiritor in Ween and, in general, a pleasure to be around.
Posted by: Rob Conrad | August 26, 2010 at 05:08 PM
SKM: that makes sense. I listened to WPST only until the early '80s, and dropped it the day I first picked up WRSU on my clock radio. So my memories are more of a WKRP In Cincinnati-type vibe (you know, guys with mustaches and satin jackets) than yours.
Posted by: mike | August 27, 2010 at 04:33 PM
@Rob: TSR was very much part of the holy trinity of central Jersey radio for me during the late 80s. WFMU wasn't really on my radar yet, but along with WPRB and WRSU, WTSR boasted no short supply of great sounds. I definitely remember Anthony MCing a couple of the big reggae throwdowns at City Gardens... Yellowman, Toots & the Maytalls, Sister Carol, etc. "Kaleidoscope" I remember more from, like, '92 maybe. Two older guys playing 60s psych and expressing a terrifying amount of knowledge about it. @SKM, I definitely remember shooting pool at Terrace with you a few times while listening to that show! -mike
Posted by: r:m:b | August 28, 2010 at 08:18 AM
come on... you were down w/ mel toxic & post-modern pst.
Posted by: jeff | August 28, 2010 at 10:30 AM
Egads, the phrase "Post Modern PST" has not emerged from the dark corners of my brain since I don't know when. Perhaps foolishly, I googled it and immediately hit paydirt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi1oFyPxn28
Utterly classic line at the 1:55 mark: "All I saw were bad haircuts and I-hate-my-parents clothes." -mike
Posted by: r:m:b | August 28, 2010 at 11:00 AM
>"All I saw were bad haircuts and I-hate-my-parents clothes."
yes! that was my take-away also. hahaha. now back into the basement of the right-side of my mind.
Posted by: jeff | August 28, 2010 at 11:38 AM
also - did bob conrad have a hardcore show on tsr?
Posted by: jeff | August 28, 2010 at 12:14 PM
@jeff Hopefully Mr. Conrad is still following this thread and can chime in with a response, but if not, I'll just say that his show (like his zine) was NOT limited to hardcore. He was into all kinds of stuff -- I would credit him with introducing me to records by Band of Susans and Volcano Suns, for example. -mike
Posted by: r:m:b | August 28, 2010 at 01:42 PM
i'm trying to remember... we're there co-hosts? i have some hazy memories of a left of the dial college station playing the punk/hardcore with a few guys behind the mic. his voice in the ween interview in your last post was jump starting the synapses.
Posted by: jeff | August 28, 2010 at 02:14 PM
Yup, I was on WTSR from '86 or so until '90 or '91. I inherited the 10 AM to 2 PM Saturday slot from Mickey of Ween fame (started by reading horrible UPI news on his show.) I did a bunch of other slots over time - I think one semester while at MCCC I was holding down three show. While my early shows were hardcore-focused, the playlist expanded over time. Glad someone remembers those shows!
Posted by: Rob Conrad | September 01, 2010 at 11:25 AM