Boozeday Tuesday: The Retrospective.

I was standing in the hallway on the second floor of The Mary Graydon Center with Kelly, talking about something. It was the second semester of freshman year, spring 2006. I forgot exactly why we there, my best guess was that we were coming down from the Butler Board Room after another "Scene" meeting. I was complaining about the lack of stories and the underappreciation I felt I was receiving. For the better part of my Freshman and Sophomore year those feelings of resentment were the feelings I harbored at pretty much everyone except for a few select people. Kelly in her tactful and ever-pleasing manner suggested that I might be better suited for another medium: my writing sucked. She mentioned that she thought the radio was interesting and that I had such a vast knowledge of music; it would be a perfect fit. I thought this was a terrible idea as I was terrible behind a microphone and also hated the idea of playing music for a select group of people, most of them I resented terribly based on a few sour experiences and the overall anti-gringo mentality I came into AU with.

Towards the end of that year I befriended Colin Fleming, a DJ with WVAU and the only other kid on campus that listened to noise music. He mentioned to me that he had a show that was all noise and that one time while he was playing Masonna's "Frequency LSD", Jared Leto (30 Seconds to Mars, every cinematic terrible piece of shit that was ever made) passed by the station and looked at him in horror and indignance, as if WVAU WAS SUPPOSED to be playing 30 seconds and not loud, chaotic "static" with some Japanese dude screaming at you, because they were playing the Tavern that night. I thought that fucking ruled.

When I returned for my sophomore year I returned with the same feelings of resentment and shyness that isolated me from the better population of students at AU. I maintained my friendship with Colin who suggested to me that I stop by the radio station and spin some tracks with him. He was a program manager now and thought it might be cool to have a little buddy in the studio with him spinning odd and offbeat tracks that no one wanted to listen to. Kelly maintained her support and enthusiasm for the radio idea(my journalistic writing still sucked), and with the support of my two best (and only friends) at AU, I decided to give it a shot.

Those first few weeks were brutal. I had to learn how to get the timing down and learn how to work the switchboard including electronic equipment in case anything were to happen. It was a trial process to say the least with Colin guiding me and never once getting upset at me when I failed to hit the broadcast button or accidentally ejecting the cd while his song was playing (things I still do to this day). But along the way I learned a lot about working the switchboard and troubleshooting any problems that might occur, so much so I have been able to fix most problems I've encountered or others have with me in the studio (sorry Farley).

And the mic, oh man, was the mic fucking intense. I had never been in front of an audience on a steaming network before so it was really weird. I didn't know what to say and didn't have any personality, other than my scared voice and really awkward jokes. Colin did an awesome job of setting me up whenever I told him about a story relating to the music we played. I told people stories about Mark McCoy almost breaking my nose, and about Los Disfunctos kicking my ass. All stories that were part of my experiences, were broadcast for various people to tune in and hear. I thought that was pretty cool and I began to become attached to this radio idea. My second semester, I quit The Eagle , which proved to be the best possible decision for my social and friendly life, and began to focus full time on the radio. I was in there all the time, helping Colin and becoming a WVAU lackey. When Colin's stint at AU came to an end, I was scared and worried. I didn't know how the hell I would be able to hack it on my own, without someone setting me up or providing more music to the fledgling list of artists I provided each week. Some where there's a picture of Colin at his last show taken by Iliana, it shows him giving a "thumbs up" and me looking scared out of my wits. That summed it up perfectly.

Junior year was the first year of Boozeday Tuesday. Colin and I didn't have a name for a show. We jokingly referred to it as "Happy Good-time party hour" or something lame, but nothing catchy. I came up with the name after me and my new roomate Frank (who I had befriended that same sophomore year at a Das Oath show) were sitting at home one night getting drunk and he drunkenly referred to Tuesdays as Boozeday Tuesdays for him, given he had no class on Wedesday. It clicked in my head and from that point on my Tuesday slot was referred to as "Boozeday Tuesday". Frank ended up being the impetus behind the emotion and feeling of that show. I might have been alone in the booth now, but I had that same companionship at home with Frank that drove each week to a new level of hilarity, boldness, raunchiness and straight out stupidity. I had material to work with every week on the microphone and with the knowledge and wisdom Colin emparted on me I became completely enthralled in WVAU. I was selected to be an assistant music director by Farley and Lindsay and I was in the radio station EVERY FREE MINUTE I had. I was working all the time, studying all the time, so my only moments of solace and fun came when I was in the studio, logging the music, reviewing the music, cataloging the music and broadcasting the music.

It was during this time that people started to pick up on my show and compliment me, people I thought didn't like me for whatever stupid reason I had conjured up. People in passing, would see me in the station and tell me that they liked me show or thought I was really funny. It meant a lot to me that people I didn't know real well were listening to something I took so seriously and was extremely personal. Slowly but surely I started to come out of that resentful turtle shell and into the lives of amazing people that had been there the entire time. They knew who I was, apparently everyone did and I guess everyone was just waiting for me to come up to them and say "hi".

Frank ended up taking the spot of someone who didn't do their show on Tuesdays. The rest of the year was a complete and utter shit show of awesomeness, loud music, and fun fucking times. With Frank playing after me, it was basically the Chris and Frank power four hours. Four hours, every Tuesday dedicated to playing music and honoring our favorite pastimes; boozin, druggin, and lovin. The second semester of junior year was probably the most fun and best at AU for me. I maintained my ASSDR position and went to the studio every Tuesday, determined to outdo the show from the week before and determined to have more fun with Frank for four hours with "Boozeday Tuesday" and "Exit Ritual".

I came into my senior year completely drained, emotionally and physically. Personally I had gone through the most brutal summer to date, and physically I was working 60-70 hours a week for a souless corporation that saw the CEO of the entire thing tell me, "I told you I was going to come here and humiliate you" on the street, in public and in front of a really good friend of mine. I came home to Boozeday with Exit Ritual and Frank backing me again, and for me, this was the only relief after a summer of shit, shit and more shit. Tuesday became my "off day". I took Tuesdays off permanently and dedicated my entire day to being in the studio, doing my ASSMD duties, and partying with Frank and all of you listeners. It was really special to me because this was the only day I had to rest and I spent it with so many people. This was my sabbath day and I kept it holier than my crusty underwear, by dedicating it to everyone who listened.

Last October I got to go to CMJ as, what I saw, was my reward for putting in so much time in the station and with the music. It was definitely the most fun I have had at AU, with people from AU and I got to see bands that I wouldn't see any where else and hear music I had never heard before. It was an amazing time filled with amazing experiences and times had with everyone involved. These were kids that were just as nerdy, geeky and serious about the radio as I was and it was with these kids that I bonded and forged awesome friendships with. All of the friends I have made in the last three years, I made because of WVAU and because of Boozeday. Hell, even if you've listened once for 3 minutes, I consider you my friend because you shared three minutes of me with you. I ended my last show that semester saying my goodbyes and thanks thinking that this was it and that my time at WVAU had abruptly and surprisingly come to an end.

I ended my last semester pretty bummed. I got pretty shitty grades (after two years of awesomeness). I had just found out I had enough credits to graduate and that Frank was leaving to study abroad in Kyoto. Worst, I realized my time at AU was coming to an end and that soon I'd be thrown into the real world with debt, full-time work hours, and a shitty side effect of the party theme I had displayed on my show for everyone to hear: alcoholism. In a nutshell, I was an adult and the realization of this hit me really hard and really fast. I went through some really tough and strenous personal ordeals and decided that maybe I could give Boozeday one last shot, one last hurrah as a thank you to everyone who listened and a fitting end to something that had brought me so much joy and happiness. I didn't know if I still qualified for a show being that technically I wasn't a student anymore, but I decided "what the hell" and gave it one last shot.

For whatever drunken reason and through whatever ass-backwards logic, Farley and company decided to let me stay on for one last semester: to say goodbye to everyone and to bring closure to a series of inappropriate phrases and conversations had on air, streaming through the internet. And I thank these people for providing this for me. I owe Farley, Lindsay, and Iliana so much gratitude for letting the Boozester go on one more ride, sending Boozester off into the sunset, drunk, as he was always meant to be.

This semester was rocky to say the least. My second week into my show, my ipod broke. My third week into my show my external hard drive broke (on air), and my fourth week, well there was no fourth week. I began to question whether or not I could actually finish off Boozeday because of the fact so many technical (and personal) mishaps seemed to be befalling me. These last four months have not been easy but at a certain point, I remembered that this was my only salvation and even though I dealt with a constant barrage of bullshit from all facets of life, for those two hours, in that station, every Tuesday, I was infuckingvincible.

So that brings me to this week. It's my last real show before I sign off, come back next week, speak very little and destroy everyone with what originally brought me to the radio, noise. This week though, I will be playing all the best songs I think I ever played on the radio throughout the last three years. In a sense, it's Boozeday's "Greatest Hits" or as I like to refer to it: BOOZEDAY TUESDAY'S GREAT ASS TITS. It's a little coarse I know, but you can't blame the kid for going out the way he came in. I hope some of you tune in, and if not that's cool. Just know that whoever listened has been a major part in me doing this and that I will never forget that. Thanks guys. And always remember, don't ever bring condoms, because we will never use them.

The Boozester.