DAVID La RUSSA

A RADIOGRAPHY

Back in Tucson, a brief stint (about 6 months in 82/83) with KLPX yielded the “1800 Seconds” program, which pre-dated an MTV show with a similar name. My show (which aired during the “Virgin Vinyl” program) was primarily music from and interviews with local musicians. Among them: Phantom Limbs, Green on Red, Rainer, Clean Dog, Al Perry, Giant Sandworms, Ned Sutton, Naked Prey, Yard Trauma and many others.

For a few years during and after that I took on a number of occupations, most of them relating to the music industry. I managed the Sandworms for a while, against my better judgement, and also managed “Wherehouse” record stores both in Tucson & California. I also sold stereo equipment for a while before becoming a buyer’s assistant for the new compact disc departments being set up at Federated chains statewide and in Arizona. Remember those Fred Rated TV spots?

I did eventually return to Tucson to work for a fledgling station, KTTZ, based in Oracle, which is about an hour north of Tucson. Now going by the name David Close, I joined a small but dedicated staff (including Bob Bish, as Bob Campbell) which didn’t mind the drive to do six-hour shifts six days a week. I did the morning show from 6 until noon. Charlie Morriss was there too, as a salesperson. The station had just started to garner some attention in the press and in the ratings, but rumor soon proved true and after less than a year the station was sold. The new owners promptly fired the staff in order to adopt the (then trendy) new age format called “The Wave.” This I thought would surely be my last commercial radio venture. And it was.