The Beginning - Show 0

DJ Training at KALX consists of one month of weekly classes to learn all the ins and outs of DJing—working the soundboard, how to pick music, mic breaks, and, most importantly, the 7 dirty words (R.I.P. George Carlin) that are liable to get the station sued by the FCC and shut down. The real learning happens in the 9 training shows that are required in order to graduate (your 5th and 8th shows are submitted to a reviewer in order to determine whether or not you graduate). The very first show, Show 0, is with a real KALX DJ, who helps you learn on the job. My Show O was Sunday, 19 March 2006 from 6 to 7:30 a.m.

For your first show, its recommended that you try not to pick songs shorter than 5 minutes to give you ample time to cue your next track and do all the other things you need to do to DJ. There are also general KALX parameters which include: playing at least 4 feature (new) songs every hour, at least 3 different genres of music (enforced by a self-administered "Grandma" test, which is if your grandma couldn't tell the difference between the genres, then they are for all intents and purposes, the same genre), read aloud one PSA and read or play a second PSA each hour, a legal I.D. at the top of every hour (K-A-L-X Berkeley as determined by the FCC), mention the University and Listener Supported radio at least once every hour, include a bit of station business (mention upcoming shows, the website, etc.) every mic break. In other words, there are a lot of things to remember.

I don't really remember how my Show 0 went other than the fact that I couldn't keep track of which sliders were for what CD player (something I still struggle with on occasion and which prompted me to label the sliders with post-its for most of my shows). I do remember that my trainer was really kind and patient, so thanks to him.

The following is the play list for my Show 0 and any comments/explanation I feel are necessary:

1. "The Bizness" - De La Soul feat. Common, Stakes Is High [4:25] (this was a shout out to my brother, an aspiring DJ himself, to whom I owe my love of hip-hop)
2. "The Symphony" - Marley Marl, Hip-Hop Essentials 1979-1991 Vol. 1 [6:07]
3. "Love Me Forever" - Carlton and the Shores, Full Up [3:50]
4. "Rock Steady" - No Doubt, Rock Steady [5:22] (as an inveterate No Doubt fan, I had to squeeze in a No Doubt track, and this happens to be among my most favorite No Doubt Songs ever)
5. "The World is Upside Down" - John Schott's Typical Orchestra [7:08]
6. "Como el Agua Entre Las Piedras" - Son De La Frontera, S/T [5:04]
7. "Hallelujah" - Jeff Buckley, Grace [6:54]
8. "Beloved" - Anoushka Shankar, Beloved (single) [7:05] (this was an LP -- I try to play at least one vinyl just to keep it old school]
   
9. "The Seed/Melting Pot/Web!" - The Roots, Home Grown! Vol. 2 [16:02] (I actually perfer this live version of "The Seed" to the original version, but I seem to be alone in this opinion)
10. "Blacking Out the Friction/Brand New Love" - Death Cab For Cutie, The John Byrd E.P. [7:20] (I remember getting a phone call after playing the Roots and Death Cab back to back; the guy said he thought it was cool, but he said it with a bit a chuckle which made me think he didn't think it was really that cool .... The reason I played them together was because they were both live tracks and thus had similar momentum ... whatever, I thought it was cool)
11. "Folkmoot" - John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, A Blessing [7:24] (I do not recall this song at all, and given that I did not tape my Show 0, I will probably never remember it)
12. "1958 (Skapel Remix)" - Skapel, Konfusion [5:01] (I don't remember this song either)
13. "Ghostwriter" - RJD2, Deadringer [5:17]
    
14. "Unison" - Bjork, Vespertine [6:45] (I also got a phone call about this from a guy thought that the version I had played was special or something, I'm still confused as to what he was calling about)

And there we have it. My first dabbling into radio!