After 9 years of running a live punk radio/video show out of your apartment you’re bound to have some good stories. DJ RossStar started his “Punk Rock Show” in 2002 and after interviewing guests that range from AFI to Vanilla Ice he’s had more than a few interesting experiences. Recently I was invited to sit in on a show where I made my own impromptu debut as a co-host and afterward got a chance to ask the show’s founder a few questions about life as a podcast pioneer.
Check out the interview here.
DS: How long have you been doing your “Punk Rock Show” and how did you get started?
I started my show in 2002 at American University. I was looking online for a live radio show that interviewed artists I liked. There was no show at the time like this, so I started my own. From scratch! No help!
DS: Who was the most bizarre guest you ever had on the show and why?
I wouldn’t say anyone has been bizarre, but I have interviewed some people that you wouldn’t expect on my show … Vanilla Ice, Dustin Diamond (Screech), Juliette Lewis …
DS: You basically do your show out of your bedroom, which is awesome. You’ve had guests from AFI to Juliette Lewis giving interviews 5 feet from the bed you sleep in at night. Has any guest ever shown up thinking they were going to be in an actual studio and gotten all snooty about your DIY setup?
Thankfully I haven’t gotten any complaints. Usually the artists know where they are going ahead of time. Katy Perry brought her publicist & a tiny can of mace to be safe. Oh, and Chris from Foo Fighters came over to promote his side project Jackson United and he had NO IDEA it was in my apartment until he got there … but he loved it!
DS: Who’s the most famous person to drop a deuce in your apartment before, during or after a show?
I don’t know who took a shit in my apartment. I usually tell artists to use the gym bathroom for number two, but who knows?
DS: What’s the coolest perk to having your own radio (podcast?) show? Have you ever gotten chicks directly or indirectly because of it?
The coolest perk is booking WHOEVER I want. There’s no producer/director to tell me NO! If I got laid because of it, I had no idea that was the reason. Most of the people I date don’t even listen to the same music as me.
DS: Of all your guests who was the biggest A-hole?
C’mon man! Yu know I can’t answer that. I will give you a hint though … his name rhymes with Bave Duck and he runs a punk web site.
DS: Coolest guest?
I honestly feel that every guest has been enjoyable in one way or another. My favorite guests have been the artists I have been listening to almost my entire life (Ataris, MXPX, New Found Glory, Goldfinger, Less Than Jake, etc.)
DS: What was your most popular show (most viewers)?
My biggest show so far was in April of 2010. The guest was The Pretty Reckless & the total amount of live viewers for the hour was around 61,000.
DS: Never heard of ’em. You do your show 100% live. Ever have any on air fiascos? What was the biggest?
Thankfully every fiasco I have encountered during my live show has been fixed within 15 minutes. Plugs come undone, batteries die, lights blow, but none o my guests have ever flipped out on me about any of it. Don’t jinx me!
DS: Whether running a punk blog like DS or doing a podcast like “The Punk Radio Show,” you don’t start these things without an incredible passion for music. What bands/albums do you give the most credit to inspiring you?
Green Day has been my favorite since 1994 & will always be. Their music/lyrics inspire almost everything I do. I love all their records but my favorite is definitely American Idiot.
DS: Who’s your “white whale” guest? The one person you’ve been trying to get on your show since the beginning but just haven’t been able to pull it off?
See the last question. The answer is Green Day. They are always busy. And whenever they do have a press day it’s usually on location somewhere & the interviewees are usually off camera and only given a few minutes for the interview. I don’t want that. I want the band IN MY APARTMENT for a full hour!
DS: What do you do if a band you don’t want to have on the show asks if they can come on?
I am usually pretty open-minded to new music. If the artist doesn’t fit my show’s format at all, I will be upfront about it. Sometimes I will play one of their songs to test out the response from my audience. If they like it, I might change my mind and have them over!
DJ RossStar does his show every Wednesday and Thursday night at 7pm PST. Check it out.
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