Wednesday afternoon, 5 p.m. - what are your ears up to? They should be tuned into "Old Fart at Play." From 5 to 6:30 p.m., Drugless Douglas, a member of WMFO's community staff, takes control of the studios and celebrates the independence of freeform radio.
Douglas, whose calm manner is vaguely reminiscent of a middle school music teacher, relishes the freedom of working at a noncommercial station.
"Radio is my creative outlet," he said. "I have the freedom to come in and play whatever I want...I would find myself very frustrated in a formatted show."
Indeed, Douglas plays music from many genres. Although his show has no set layout or theme, he says he starts off with mellow jazz, folk, and world music, eventually working his way into rock and local music. He typically arrives at the studio an hour prior to the show and scurries about the shelves, pulling CDs and vinyl records. He also explores new major and local releases. Sometimes he'll bring materials from home and other times he'll play whatever catches his eye. Douglas develops his playlist throughout the show.
Song selection is spontaneous, but record keeping is most methodological. Six notebooks live in his radio bag, documenting the playlists of the 675 shows Drugless Douglas has deejayed over the past fourteen years. They are available on his website (http://druglessdouglas.com/ofap/index.html), and checking them out is a great way to get a sense of the style and variety of music on the show. Last week's playlist included Buckwheat Zydeco, Afro-Celt Soundsystem, Stereolab, and Pete Townshend.
The site also features a calendar of upcoming local concerts. Douglas serves as Local Music Director at WMFO and his musical selections reflect his passion.
Drugless Douglas estimates that his show roughly consists of 30 percent of new local music such as indie, rock, and folk, 30 percent rock from larger indie labels, 60s psychedelic, and "dinosaur rock," and the remaining 40 percent a mix of "folk, soul, jazz, some techno and some comedy." Overall, the show has a relaxed feel to it.
Despite the show's range of music, there are still limits to what Drugless Douglas will play. No classical music - " I don't know enough about it." No Bruce Springsteen - "You can hear him anywhere else." No Michael Jackson - "He's such a dork".
Although he always back-announces tracks played, hour-long sets are not uncommon, and DJ banter is minimal. While music is clearly the focus of the show, there are also regular features. Around 6 p.m. is a "Flashback" segment in which Douglas reads his playlist from that date ten years ago and plays a few songs from that play list.
"Old Fart at Play" features a StarDate report of upcoming astrological events and the date's celestial alignment. Douglas brings to each show a list of historical events or birthdays and will play a few songs either relating to the event or by the celebrated artist.
A connection to the listeners is important to Douglas, which is why he provides listeners several ways of interacting with him. He welcomes emails, phone calls and instant messages.
"I try to keep it at a personal level," Douglas said. Still, he does not frequently allow live callers on the air.
It is a deeply-rooted passion for music and Boston's rich music scene that have kept Douglas in the WMFO studios for the past 14 years. "If I take a week off, I'm dying to get back," he said.
Douglas cites the creativity, people he meets, continuous exposure to new music, sense of purpose in the community, and visibility in the local music scene as his favorite parts of being a DJ at WMFO.
"Being a DJ has put me in touch with a whole drove of people I never would've known about," added. " Boston has a great music scene and to be a part - that is fun. Not every moment of radio is fun, but in the long haul it is so rewarding."
If you are looking for a high energy, dance around your room kind of radio show, this is probably not it. However, should your ears be craving a laid back listening experience likely to introduce you to new and different artists, give "Old Fart at Play" a try.
