Scott Vanderpool Weekends scottv@kzok.com

Like probably most of the radio industry, I live in West Seattle, but I grew up in Hellevue, back when it was a sleepy suburb where most everyone's dad worked at Boeing and there were no Mercedes, Range Rovers, or Lexi in the student lot at Sammamish High School, and no salad bar in the cafeteria. Growing up there then was very much like the movie "Dazed and Confused". It is a disturbingly different place now. The reason that I got into radio is because it was a backup plan to my original career goal-to follow in the footsteps of Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, and John Bonham. I was supposed to be a rock star, but it's always good to have a backup plan. Considering the way 2 of those 3 ended up, this was a good thing. There have been numerous crazy things that have happened to me on the radio. Like when Layne Staley of Alice in Chains grabbed the microphone and began to shout the word "Blowjob!" repeatedly for no reason that I could grasp, but I'm sure he had one. There was a time when I was about to go on the air and a fellow employee offered me a brownie that I had no idea was loaded with enough cannabis to keep both Cheech and Chong high for a week. It hit me just as the very loud and boisterous comedy rocker Mojo Nixon came in for an interview. I'm sure he thought I was an idiot, but that happens a lot. And this one was taped, but getting a backseat ride in an F-16 with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds more than made up for all the Journey and Whitesnake records I've had to endure. What I like most about working for KZOK is the people, and I'm not just saying that because I grew up listening to Crow and Slaton, and am convinced Bob Rivers runs the best morning show in America with two of the funniest people on earth as his point guards. KZOK likes to hire people who are enthusiastic about what they're doing, and good at it, and they let them do their jobs without micromanagement from the corporate know-it-alls (they rarely do) so rampant in the industry today. Other stations that I have worked for include: KAOS, KCMU, KJR-AM, the legendary KXRX, and KISW which was once a great station later ruined by the sort of corporate weasels mentioned above. What are my top five favorite bands, you ask? That's ridiculous! There are so many great bands in rock history I would have trouble listing my top 500, but the first five that come to mind are The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Kinks, Hendrix-wait he's not a "band", okay, maybe a nod to my punk rock years with The Clash, The Jam, Iggy and the Stooges, The Rain Parade, The Wipers, and of course the Seattle scene with Nirvana, Soundgarden, and the Screaming Trees-.see? 5 bands! Ludicrous! If I weren't in radio, I would be barring an unlikely lottery jackpot, at which point I'd be riding my motorcycle around the world, like I was saying, it's good to have a backup plan, and I'm planning on running a Jack Black style "School of Rock", meeting the stringent guidelines of the Seattle School District of course, and am currently working toward proper certification. I like kids, don't you know! Additionally, I am not now, nor have I ever been paid enough, but if it wasn't for bad timing, I'd have no timing at all. Enough of me whining, let's move on-