As Shoeless mentioned at the end of his post, I, the Blind (not truly blind) John Johnson would be leaving some after-show thoughts. Although my partner in crime left a very detailed story of our first show, I'll do my best to add my two cents here and there...
I must say that I am still a bit shocked as to how we pulled this off. Your new Crossroads hosts are fairly new to the radio world...I got my spot as a DJ on WRAS back in January, while Kay Staps started in March. But I believe it was our dedication (not to mention our affinity for public speaking) that helped us keep this show rollin' that was brought back by popular demand.
When Mr. Steadman asked me straight up "You think you're going to be ready to take over in a few weeks," I replied with a hurried but positive "YES." We had been sitting in on his show for a few weeks and graduation was right around the corner for Matt. Shoeless and I had been passed the mighty power that the blues contains...now it was just time to come up with a plan.
Seeing as Kay Staps had a bit of a head-start on me on the background in blues (give or take a few years...), I needed to do my homework. And damn, did research help. From reading online blogs, to historical features, to books analyzing rock, blues, and how they all came to be, it was a matter of being prepared for the show. (For the record, I recommend Take a Walk on the Dark Side: Rock and Roll Myths, Legends, and Curses by R. Gary Patterson. The work itself is a tremendous compilation discussing the eerie side in the world of rock and roll.)
Then it was time to make the setlist. I must admit - even after we chose our direction on how to run the show, choosing the songs was quite an arduous task. Who should we focus on? Who are we forgetting? What songs are worthy of radio play. Equipped with hard drives large enough to hold enough music to supply Crossroads for the next five years, it was a matter of trial and error.
For instance, most blues songs in general are rather short. Short and sweet. Like 2-4 minutes, unless it was a live or improvised track, so there was the though of beefing up the playlist to be on the safe side. And as we learned, in between the calls and the breaks, you can never have too much music for a specialty show.
After a few hours of reviewing music and listing possible tracks to play for the night, Shoeless and I worked out the breaks and such. We worked out all the kinks, and then it was go-time...as soon as our playing materials worked themselves out. Alas, all was good and well - we ran a good amount of the songs from a IPod, but not to worry. We had our fair share of vinyl to use (especially The Allman Brothers Band - Live at the Fillmore East...).
I won't go much into the setlist, since that's been covered, but I will say this. The "freedom" of running a specialty show, especially Crossroads, is fully expressed in the enjoyment of ad-libbing during breaks and enjoying the beautiful music pouring out over the speakers and onto the airwaves. As I learn more about the blues that night, I noticed that my apprehension for the genre lessened more and more. I guess I was wrapped up in knowing all these albums (and some artists, of course). In the end, I just got a better feel for the music and how it connected to my life and others. We're all going to go through hard times. Plain and simple. I gotta tip my hat (if I can find it) to Papa Mahan for his own personal and heartfelt blues story of his life. There's someone who understands the blues all too well.
Music aside, talking on-air created great euphoria for me. I have been off of the graveyard (2-6AM) shift for a good minute - at least since mid-March, when my co-host of this fine show relieved me of my nocturnal duties. Classes kept me from supplying the good people of Atlanta with music for two hours a week, during the daytime. Tuesday night was my return and oh, was it a return indeed. There are many good things to come of this show. Now, it's on to coming up with next Tuesday's set...the work never stops.
Hope my post didn't seem too much of a ramble. But for the future, like Shoeless also said, we'd love to hear from the fans! Any ideas on what themes we should use to formulate shows, suggestions for artists or songs, or even small segments would be greatly appreciated.
In the coming weeks, we'll be working on adding more to this blog. I'll post some blues-related videos, news, and whatever media I may find relating to Crossrads. Even though I'll be away in D.C. for an internship, missing about 8 shows, you'll still hear from me, whether it be on the blog or a call I make to Shoeless in the studio.
Thanks again for all the calls and texts of appreciation from Tuesday night/Wednesday morning...Papa Mahan, Milo, Kiera, and Laine. Your support is greatly appreciated and all of it will give us the confidence to carry on doin' what we do best.
Until we meet again at the Crossroads...
Blind John Johnson
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