Episode 27: Daniel Jones, dedicated listener

Daniel Jones was a Cleveland kid attending Miami University when 97X came to life back in 1983, and he was instantly hooked. He tuned in until he graduated and move to New York; his listening got a second wind many years later when 97X started streaming in the internet. Dave and Damian chat with Daniel about the bands he discovered via 97X, his own on-campus radio show (“Off the Wall But On The Air”) and his life after college.

[I originally planned to edit our phone call with Dan but the conversation was flowing so nicely that it made sense to air the full “Double Bela” phone call. – Damian]

After our phone chat, Daniel reached out by email:

Thanks again for the opportunity to talk about the station. The times I went back to Oxford to see former professors or once even to speak on campus about a 9/11 family group I helped found, I was always impressed that the feel of the broadcast stayed the same — good-natured, conversational, like hanging out in a record store talking about music. And the sense of humor was always there especially in the advertising spots. I remember one time driving within range and hearing whoever was on air reassuring listeners they would never hear Hoobastank on 97.7.

Love your podcast and I am sure I am not the only one who hears the back announcing of an imaginary set and wishes it were real.

Take care and please keep up the great work.

Here’s another email from Dan:

I didn’t really have an answer to your question about new music sources of info. The “Sound Opinions” podcast is a good source for new music, week to week and these semiannual best of shows.

One episode of their pod though from a couple of years ago really pissed me off. They interviewed some author who wrote an book about new wave and 80’s music but she really only liked Duran Duran, and their pop shit phase. Reflex and what not, not Girls on Film or Planet Earth. She hadn’t heard of Roxy Music and did not consider the Smiths. WTF?!

I am sending you a link to the Sound Opinions “best albums of 2019 so far” episode, but they do a great deep dive on Rust Never Sleeps which is as much about the advent of punk as it is about Neil Young. They also have a really good history of punk and new wave two-parter, England and NYC, from 2012 if you look back in the archives. [The punk two-parter is here (part 1) and here (part 2). – Damian]

Thanks again for your pod and the opportunity to contribute.

And here’s yet another email from Dan:

Hi, gents
As this is my third email since recording you are likely surmising I suffer under the burden of believing I left out a lot I wanted to say. The question that bugs me is my lack of answer to bands 97X turned me on to. The Replacements, the Smiths, Siouxie and the Banshees, The Cure, The Bangles, Big Audio Dynamite, World Party, The Waterboys, Cactus World News, Bananarama, Talk Talk, the Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen, APB, Big Country, Sade before mainstream got a hold of her first album, Ultravox… Many more. All these great songs especially things like early Bangles like Liverpool or Hero Takes a Fall that I wondered why mainstream stations wouldn’t play. It was straight up rock n roll. But I was glad WOXY was there so I could hear the Bangles before walk like an Egyptian or Manic Monday.

So sorry if I fumbled the handoff. But having lived in NYC as LIR became WDRE then went back again before folding, I have to say WOXY was far superior.

As we’ve said many times over the course of the podcast, it was passionate listeners like Daniel that made 97X so special. Here’s his three-song set, via YouTube:

If you’d like to get in touch with us, drop us an email at 97Xwoxy@gmail.com.