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The show was called Q-Wave, and the DJ was Downstairs Dan. I began to tape Q-Wave every Sunday night, and listened to the tapes all week. They were a formative influence on my teenage tastes, and Downstairs Dan was my guide.
Promos from labels like Sire, PVC and IRS would have collected dust at WQFM if Dan hadn't played them. American stations like WBCN and KROQ championed the Clash, the Go-Go's, Devo and others long before they were added to playlists at mainstream radio stations like QFM. I heard the Stray Cats on Q-Wave a year before they hit the US charts. When Billy Idol became an MTV star, I already knew "Dancing With Myself" because Downstairs Dan often played tracks from the final Gen X album.One memorable episode of Q-Wave featured local singles by Plasticland, Ama-Dots, the Haskels, the Shivvers, the Lubricants, the Blackholes' classic Warren Spahn, and (my favorite) Modern Problem by Buck Byron & The Little Seizures. It was another revelation: adventurous music was being made not just in London, LA and NYC, but close to home.
I think Dan Hansen still lives in Milwaukee. He was on the air for decades. There's a sandwich named after him. I salute you, sir.
*It's no Sears Tower or nothing, but it's pretty dang tall, doncha know.
Selections from Q-Wave (circa 1981-82):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mediafire.com/file/wlo8avufmeodaxz/QWaveFaves.zip/file
Downloaded, thanks! I remember hearing a strange version of "In a Gadda da Vida" that still runs through my head from time to time.
ReplyDeleteThat was when Jimmy Flemion from the Frogs was a guest on Q-Wave. He also did some Bruce Springsteen toons.
DeleteDo you still have that tape? Mine is warped.
There was a cool place called the Vortex in Milwaukee that I like to hang out at whenever we played town, early to mid 80s. It was a great place.
ReplyDeleteI was under the drinking age when I lived in Wisconsin. I got into the Starship a few times, and the Lincoln Arcade, but I don't remember the Vortex.
DeleteGreat idea, Jonder. I love little glimpses into the radio of a certain place and time. As I travelled, I'd find cool college stations in the strangest out of the way places. Like you, I'd throw a cassette in and grab some of it, which is how I discovered Long John Baldrry, The Long Ryders, and The Del-Lords.
ReplyDeleteBack home we had one station that would play the early "new wave" bands that managed to chart records like The Police (when all they had to their credit was Roxanne), The Pretenders, and The Cars. The only other choice was a jazz station that played Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, and Bruce Cockburn, who I stumbled across because he was opening for Warren Zevon when I saw Warren. Seeing Cockburn touring to support (what became) my favorite album of his was one of the nicest surprises of my many concert going experiences.
The only station that played local artists was a public radio station with a college station feel, and I remember how good it felt to hear that something was going on in my town.
- Stinky
Thanks for the thoughtful comment. I miss the days when radio stations created their own playlists, before broadcasting chains gobbled them up and essentially ended the phenomena of "regional hits", free form programming, and supporting local artists. The Pretenders, The Cars, and The Police were a gateway for me too (as well as Blondie, Devo, The Ramones, The B-52's, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson and others that were getting a bit of commercial airplay in 1979 and 1980).
DeleteI remember Downstairs Dan too! He was on WLKH for a while too
ReplyDelete