A little bit rock ‘n’ roll

Afraid just doesn’t quite say it. More like terrified, petrified, or how about horrified? I was literally shaking when he asked me to swing the golden mic over.
 
I couldn’t help but wonder, why did I agree to do this?
 
There I was, sitting in the booth at XRock 105.3 FM, staring into a shiny, golden microphone, about to go on the air. In the back of my mind I could hear him introducing me as “Tracy from The Telegraph,” but it felt like a dream (or a really bad hangover).
 
It wasn’t just the fear that I’d make a complete fool of myself. I’ve already done that. It was everything else. What should I say? What song should I request? What if somebody’s listening? What if nobody’s listening?
XRock’s Jamie Osborn at the controls./Photo by Steve Eginoire
 
In print, I’m working on a deadline but at least I can find one second to reread this sentence. That’s not true for radio. A fact that was leaving me shaking in my sneakers.
 
My husband always says, “Fear is the mind killer.” It’s a quote from Frank Herbert’s “Dune,” and there’s certainly some truth to it. Fear can stop you in your tracks, stop you from thinking straight, and even stop you from living your life.
 
Maybe that’s why I agreed to step up to the mic (or maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment). I had some romantic notion of facing my fear and defeating it.
 
After my first segment on the air, I started to calm down a bit. The nervous acid that had been bellowing up in my stomach started to lose out to the adrenaline, and I asked XRock’s DJ Jamie Osborn how he does it? How he gets up each morning and put himself out there like that?
The Casper, Wyo., native admitted that even after decades on the air he sometimes gets the jitter bug. But, he does it anyway.
 
I guess when you’ve shared a toilet (No. 1 by the way) with Ozzy Osbourne and played bass guitar with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, the only thing left to fear (as John would say) is fear itself.
 
For Osborn, the whole thing began with a bet. He lost a little wager to a high school classmate. The stakes? He had to head down to the local radio station and apply for a job. Well, he got it and, as they say, the rest is history.
 
Over the next 37 years, he worked in different cities and towns, including Los Angeles. The average day might mean sharing a lunch counter with Kiefer Sutherland or an impromptu jam session with Kiss.
 
Osborn told me how one afternoon, while sitting at an L.A. lunch joint, Sutherland walked up and asked to take the open seat. As the two chatted, Sutherland realized this was “the Osborn” from the local radio station.
 
Just like the rest of us, he listens to the radio. Osborn calls it the three S’s. He reminded me that just like everyone else in the world, Sutherland, Stanley and Simmons “shower,” “shave” and, well, use the restroom.
 
Osborn’s show runs from 6 - 10 a.m., Monday through Friday. You can walk by the station at 1135 Main Ave., see the rock ’n’ roll DJ in action, or walk right in the front door (give it a push, it sticks a little). Everyone’s welcome at XRock.
 
Osborn does the typical music, news, weather and, of course, entertainment. That’s really what it’s all about. Entertainment.
 
When he’s on air, he’s not thinking about how he sounds or whether or not he’ll make a fool of himself. He’s thinking about his listeners. As he tells it, there’s a mom out there getting her kids ready for school or summer camp. There’s a guy out there in his truck, heading out to work.
 
Those are the people that could use a little news, a little weather and a lot of rock ’n’ roll. “If I don’t know who I’m talking to, I may as well not be in the business,” he said.
 
I know I must have sounded like an über-amateur when I stepped up to that golden mic that Monday morning, but I really did enjoy it. And, I’m really glad I didn’t let fear be my mic-killer.
 
Now that my 15 minutes are up, I’ll admit I’m rather downtrodden. I find myself reliving my time on air and thinking about how I could do better. Truth is, I’d actually like to try again.
 
After all the anxiety, I’m hoping to relive it all. I find myself thinking maybe they’ll call and need another on-air interview. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll get another chance to sit in front of that golden mic.
 
– Tracy Chamberlin

In this week's issue...

January 25, 2024
Bagging it

State plastic bag ban is in full effect, but enforcement varies

January 26, 2024
Paper chase

The Sneer is back – and no we’re not talking about Billy Idol’s comeback tour.

January 11, 2024
High and dry

New state climate report projects continued warming, declining streamflows