KDMJ
This Damage Radio thing goes back well over 15 years, now. It started when I was going to Brown Institute for broadcasting. Near the end of the year, while we were all working on our demo tapes, to send out to radio stations, I was in a booth making my tape when an event happened that set the course for what is now ancient history.
In the class, there were call letters for each "station", various instructors' initials, would be my guess, all prefixed with a K or a W (duh?). The three rooms in the 'production area' all had the first 2 letters being KD, so I just used those and my initials (MJ) for the faux radio station on my own audition tape: KDMJ. I can't recall the songs, anymore, but during the taping I had a segue, a cross-fade, actually, that I had to do a "Station ID" and a weather "teaser" over 15 or 20 seconds worth of talking and I stuffed it into a 6 or 7 second window between songs. When I went back to listen to it - it was fairly garbled - it sounded like I'd said, "K damage, eh".
Hmm. "Damage." Damage Inc.?
Shortly after that, just a couple years, anyway, I hooked up with a group of friends, that were pretty much as equally obsessed with music, as me. At one point, we started "narrowcasting" parties. Narrowcasting: meaning the music could only be heard as far as the speakers could be heard. All at Superbee's residence, the Nightshade Base. Several of us would take 'shifts' in the 'chair', where we'd use a cheap radio shack 4 channel mixer to play songs off of album and CD, as if it were a radio station. Basically DJ'ing the parties/gatherings that were QUITE frequent, around there.
Somehow (LOL) the story of KDMJ came to life in that small home. The regular visitors became known as the Staff. 'The Specialist' and I were known for having continued the Staff meetings well after 1 AM, when Bee would kick us out, so that he could get some sleep before work, at 7 AM. The garage! Ask me about eating cake out of plastic beer glasses, some time. Hollywood, Dark Angel, The Specialist and many, many others were all a part of that scene. Including Bee's two daughters. One of which, KT, drew up a "poster", sort of, of the station's call letters, that I still have, and is, in fact, now the banner for this forum.
We came up with all sorts of 'tag lines' for KDMJ, Damage Radio. "98.6 FM, where the only thing 'normal' is body temperature." "Flush the format." "All special requests will be considered... and duly ignored." "If it's too loud, move over and let ME sit there!" ...and many more.
When the music wasn't playing, we were either ranting and raving or discussing deep topics like Movie lines/quotes ("Shit!" "What?" "Rollers." "No. "Yup." "Shit." - Know the movie?) Then of course, there were "thought crossings" - on forums it would be known as a derailing of the thread. Use your hand and forearm and make a motion like a railroad-crossing gate coming down and say "ding, ding, ding - thought crossing." It was a joke, really. It was usually said after-the-fact. A "staff meeting" is nothing more than a bull session, usually lasting all night... and sometimes 'til sun-up.
Somewhere along the lines, somebody just happened to mention that it was usually just GUYS at these "staff meetings" - which prompted a mention or two of "box meetings" - but that concept never really took off. Nice double entendre, though. Which were also a "hit", by the way. Anything that involved double meanings was open game.
Years after people started getting married and moving, buying homes, I set up the first DamageRadio forum (on a proboards site) that didn't go far. 2 regular members (Porky and I) and one occasional visitor (my wife). That petered out, when Porky's computer failed. I wound up talking to myself alot. After about 3 months of inactivity, I shut down the site and joined PaganForum.com.
Now, Porky's got a better computer, Bee's actually GOT a computer now and Allie (Bren) and I are going to be building a new one for ME to use, while she's online... (or vice versa... dunno yet).
So, that's the story of Damage Radio and it's coming to life (again).
So, come in, sit down and TURN IT UP!
Total Members: 23
