I was at an office. I was working on installing a check scanner on a computer. I went online to download the latest drivers for the scanner. The customer's home page in Internet Explorer was set to msn.com and a news blurb had popped up:
Where were you when you heard that Kevin Dubrow was dead?
Kevin Dubrow, dead at 52. Dubrow, of course, was the lead singer for the 80s metal band Quiet Riot.
I was ten-years-old in 1984. Back then, Portland radio station KMJK 106.7 ("Magic 107; back when decimals were irrelevant due to the ubiquity of analog tuning dials) had a "top ten at 10" radio show where the top songs of the day were played. As soon as the number one song started to play, listeners could call in and the 7th caller won the album containing the number one track. Cosmic John was the DJ. Every night I would listen and I would call, only to be greeted by a busy signal or a rare answer from the DJ himself, telling me I wan't a winner.
But one night while lying in bed surrounded by Empire Strikes Back wallpaper and flanked by my hermit crab tank, I was listening to my portable tape player/radio (a generic Walkman... the iPod of the times) when "Cum On Feel the Noize" started playing. I jumped off my bed, ran through the alcove and into my parents' room (they were still downstairs), grabbed the phone, and punched away at the dial pad.
One of four outcomes could occur when calling a radio station (in order of likeliness):
1: Busy signal
2: Ringing with the false hope of getting through, only to get the recorded message that "all circuits are busy."
3: Ringing with the DJ actually answering and telling you that you've lost.
4: The Holy Grail: "Number 7, you're a winner!"
The fourth outcome had presented itself to me, finally. I was so nervous about actually talking to the DJ, in my mind likely a highly paid celebrity who is probably flown in and out of work via helicopter in an effort to avoid the throngs of fans hanging around the station.
I had won Quiet Riot's "Metal Health" album. Of course, my Dad would have to pick it up from the station after work. In my nervousness, I mis-stated my address to the DJ. I was hoping that I hadn't somehow disqualified myself from receiving such a valuable gift. Fortunately, the next evening, my Dad appeared with the album. I immediately copied the LP to cassette (my first foray into media piracy, I suppose) and listened to the tape on my portable tape player/radio combo while lying in bed surrounded by Empire Strikes Back wallpaper and flanked by my hermit crab tank.
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