Every industry has its legends. One of these radio legends
is Alex Jay. I remember him from his days at Radio 5 (now called 5FM). He used
the play the coolest tunes, especially the music of my ultimate favourite band,
Depeche Mode. I caught up with Alex to have a chat to him about music, Depeche
Mode and being a contestant in MasterChef Celebrity (which will air on the
pay-TV platform DStv on M-Net - channel 101 - in 2015).
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| My radio hero Alex Jay and I |
What is Alex up to
these days? I’m hosting the weekend breakfast show on 94.7 in Gauteng and
KFM in the western Cape. It’s on Saturdays and Sundays 7-10 am. I’m also doing
a few voice-overs, DJ’ing etc.
How did you end up
being a DJ? My band broke up and, needing a paying job, I joined the SABC
as an audio “controller.” It was an easy path from engineering & producing
to the other side of the glass.
I've followed your
show back when you still was a DJ at Radio 5, mainly because you played Depeche
Mode music. And yes, I'm a HUGE Depeche Mode fan. How many Depeche Mode
CDs/albums do you have in your collection? I used to have THE Depeche Mode
collection, vinyls and CDs. Sadly my house was robbed while I was away on
holiday in 2012. Less than 12 hours after leaving for the coast I was back in
the house surveying the damage. The thieves took half of my CD collection, an
entire wall’s worth, everything from A to O. All my signed discs were in that
library inc the three-box set of DM remixes the entire band had signed. Plus
Snoop’s signature on The Chronic, Michael Hutchence’s on Suicide Blonde, Lars
Ulrich’s on the 12” of Enter Sandman, Abdullah Ibrahim’s on “Mannenburg...” Sad
loss. I have a lot of DM on vinyl but have stashed it in an off-site secure
location.
You interviewed Dave
Gahan, front man for Depeche Mode, when they toured South Africa. Is there
anything that stands out from the interview for you? Dave Gahan was most
surprised by my copy of “Just can’t get enough” on 12” vinyl which had been
released in SA on the CBS imprint, a label for which they had never signed.
Bastard took it with him as a souvenir! A month or so later Gahan nearly died
in L.A. in an apparent suicide attempt. I got no hint of melancholy or
depression during our interview. On the contrary he was engaging, funny and
sharp. But then downers are downers.
What is your
favourite Depeche Mode track and how were you introduced to the band's music?
Fave? “Never let me down.” But the 1st DM track I heard was on a cassette
provided by the incomparable Scotty. It was “New life.” Boing!
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| Alex still has that fun element in him, always in a good laughing mood. |
Ok, enough of our
love for Depeche Mode. How do you think have the radio landscape change since
you started out? Radio in SA has changed vastly since the early days of
state control. Many voices make the democracy work. There is a debate, a
conversation on the air every day. Our concerns, hopes and fears are aired by
all and sundry, still carried for free by a broader media than even I dared
hope for. It’s good times for SA radio because it truly reflects the reality
that is South Africa 2014.
When did you
officially join radio as a DJ? I first went on the air as an all-night
presenter on the then music-radio 702 in 1982. I was 21.
Can you still
remember the first ever song your played as a DJ on radio? I don’t remember
the 1st song I played on air but I do remember that, by the time I’d done my
third link, I thought “this is fun!”
One of the biggest
bloopers you've ever made on radio? I’ve always been able to joke my way
out of bloopers and as I don’t really take myself that seriously I just make
the misshtake into something else. The only time that didn’t work so well was
when I’d unwittingly irritated someone to the point of pulling a gun on me. But
thats a story for another day.
Radio DJ can be
gruelling. How did it affect you? Radio ain’t gruelling! Being a miner is
gruelling. Being a working Mom is gruelling. Being a 4th yr student is
gruelling. DJ’ing? Not so much.
What does it take to
become a radio DJ? These days anyone with a smartphone or internet
connection can broadcast their opinions/music/video/art etc to the world. Radio
presenting still requires that you have character, a sharp wit, good general knowledge
and a foot in the door. Getting a program manager to take a chance on you is
still the toughest part of the career. Where you go from there is up to you and
the zeitgeist.
What do you think of local content on radio?
Years ago there weren't that many local music on radio where today it's all
over the radio? I am happy with the local content rule, always was. At least
20% of all songs played on the SA airwaves must be local. We can all now see
and hear how much the local music industry has grown and improved.
One of your favourite
local bands? In terms of local bands I have many, many faves. Prophets of
the City, Bright Blue, Wonderboom, Tribe after Tribe, Stimela etc plus newer
stars like Blk Jks, Mafikizolo, Prime Circle, Dave Baudains, Mi Casa and many,
many more. There is a lot of world-class music to feel proud about.
How do you keep up to
date with all the music flooding in at the moment? Staying abreast of
contemporary music is easy these days what with YouTube etc providing a nifty,
cheap way of distributing music globally. And it’s even easier for radio people
now because, through TunedIn, you can hear what similar-formatted stations
around the world are playing.
Tell me about your
family? My wife Fiona and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding
anniversary later this month. We are both in shock! My “kids” are all grown-ups
now. Elektra is 30 and works at a well-known restaurant in CT, Maxine is 24 and
a candidate attorney at 1 of Jozi’s top law firms and son Connor (about to turn
21) is doing a BA in visual communications at Vega in Bryanston.
Do you think any of
your DJ skills will rub off onto your kids? They are each following their
own direction and have no real interest in following Dad into radio or TV.
Luckily they all have good ears and love music. That’s enough for me.
You are always in a
happy mood. How do you get that right when other people struggle to get into a
happy zone? I’ve been in a happy zone for more than 30 years because I
found a job that I love doing. It really is as simple as that!
What do you think the
future holds for radio? The future for radio in SA is bright. The way we
“consume” radio may change (streaming etc) but the formatics will remain much
the same. I’m hoping that campus radio will replace the SABC nationals as
music/content providers and info hubs for students though. That’s a genuine
voice which needs to be heard.
Besides radio, what
other projects are you involved in? As I have some free time on my hands
this year I’ve decided to re-do my home studio and get back into creating
music. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for decades! Commerce has an
uncanny knack of thwarting art. I’d very much like to do a film score.
You must have a
hectic schedule, how do you relax? Relaxing in the 21st century is a tough
proposition. Still, the companionship of family and friends sorts me out just
fine, with the occasional round of golf thrown in for good measure.
You will be on MasterChef
Celebrity on M-Net in 2015. Are you a good cook? I am the rank outsider in
Celebrity Masterchef SA as I’m the only contestant who doesn’t cook. I used to
like cooking but have been out of the kitchen all my married life. Braai,
that’s my domain. But I’m such a huge (and very vocal) fan of Masterchef SA
that M-Net invited me to be part of the experience. And what an experience it
was! Out of your comfort zone and into a hot skillet!
Your favourite dish
to prepare and worst dish you ever made? No particular fave but I’m not
doing guinea-fowl again! I like to experiment with flavours and textures when
preparing a meal but you really do need a good working knowledge of culinary
basics before you attempt the avant garde. I was missing large gaps in knowledge
but by the end of Celebrity Masterchef SA was getting to grips with cuisine.
It’s fun and therapeutic to work with food. It’s also unreasonably
labour-intensive! I now have profound respect for all Chefs everywhere.
The celebrities had
to represent a charity, which charity did you support and why? Each of the
contestants on Celebrity MasterChef SA was playing for a charity. Mine was the
Twilight Childrens Shelter in Hillbrow. Those marginalised kids are truly in
need of help and it was an honour to do my bit for them. All the celebs chose
deserving and appropriate charities and I’m happy to say that M-Net more than
came to the party in terms of cash and goods for them. Feel-good haute cuisine!
I am so happy, despite my initial misgivings, that I did the show. It was an
amazing experience being out of one’s comfort zone, working in 21st century
full-digital TV (what a jol!) with a fab cross-section of SA celebs who gave it
their all. I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
Below is a video of a Alex Jay back in the day South African music and entertainment show, Graffiti.
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