Posted by Bud on January 15, 2010 at 14:11:53:
Lujack book began my journey
Another year has slipped by.
In trying to look on the up side of things, I like to think one of the perks about the passing of years and getting older is being able to reflect on how you got to where you are right now.
Doesn't seem long ago I was sitting in Mr. Joe Fetty's Radio/Television & Communications class nervous about having to step up and speak in front of the students for the first time.
That is where this journalism and broadcasting thing all began in 1976.
Upon Mr. Fetty's suggestion to read up on the subject, the memoirs of Chicago radio DJ, Larry Lujack seemed a worthy place to start. Lujack was the core of WCFL or "Super ‘CFL" as it was known back then and the guy rocked.
Laying $6.95 down for a copy of "Super Jock," the cover of which was emblazoned with the line "The loud, frantic, nonstop world of a rock radio DJ," the next two days were spent reading the 200- page book that would forever change my life.
Lujack's story inspired this then 18-year-old to study for the written FCC license test at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago. Just over a year after having closed the cover on "Super Jock," I had my FCC license and my first radio job. It was 1977 and the end of my senior year and I was engineering a weekend gospel show at WLNR-106 FM in Lansing. It wasn't rock ‘n' roll, but it was a start.
Elvis died just after that and a nasty "Letter to the Editor" pertaining to Elvis was published by The Times. Taking pen to paper for the first time that August as a loyal fan attempting to defend The King's honor, imagine my shock in seeing my rebuttal printed.
The feedback it generated from other Times readers was gratifying and soon thoughts of print journalism crept into mind. After testing the waters with a few freelance articles and honing my chops, this column debuted in 1983.
Eventually the print media became my niche and full time profession for more than a quarter century, until broadcasting began wooing me back behind the microphone a half dozen years ago.
Pardon me for being a little self-indulgent this week, but what triggered this wave of nostalgia was being given a copy of "Super Jock" (long out of print) for Christmas by a good friend, who heard me pining one evening about having lost my original copy decades ago during a move.
Seeing the canary yellow dust cover and Lujack's face with his headphones on under the colorful Christmas wrapping paper made me giddy.
Re-reading it was a thrill and took me back to Fetty's class.
Then last weekend a second flashback happened while attending the "75th Elvis Birthday Extravaganza" at Star Plaza with my own teenage son Dylan.
My journey had begun over three decades ago with Larry Lujack and Elvis and these past few weeks inspired a strong sense of deja vu. More importantly, it reminded me that somehow my teenage rock ‘n' roll dreams really did come true.
Thanks ol' Uncle Lar! Thanks Elvis! And thanks to YOU for continuing to read my words and tuning in weekday afternoons on X-ROCK.