September 18, 2020
Before your radio or music career, what were the best and worse jobs you ever had?
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Java Joel, WAKS: Looking back, I enjoyed my daily paper route (although those morning editions were a bitch!). Only had one fast food job – Arbys in the mall. I worked the register and washed dishes. Customers would yell at me for filling their coffee up too much and the boss would yell at me for taking forever to do dishes. Lasted about 4 days, then got a job at Spencer Gifts. Pushing shopping carts at a grocery store in the dead of summer wasn’t much too. Exercise was great though!
Bob Patrick, WXLK: BEST: Foot Locker at Cherry Hill Mall. Worked with a lot of great folks, met lots of Philly athletes and kept finding sneakers outside in the trash that happened to be my size. (KIDDING, sort of…) WORST: My Dad’s buddy has scallion farms and I worked half a summer picking them. It was hard, honest work but it absolutely sucked. I did, however, learn the value of hard work that Summer. Fish, WKRZ: Best and most rewarding has to be working as a Therapeutic Staff Support Clinician working with autistic kids. Worst was a factory job, never again.
Brian Mack, WXXL: I had several great jobs. I worked at a Pro shop, I coached youth hockey, I worked at a gym while in college. I was a skating rink guard which wasn’t bad, but the worst part was when some kid would lose his cookies after a birthday party and I had to clean it up. It also didn’t pay very well and I had a bad boss. Chris Michaels, FM100: My first job was a bag boy at Winn Dixie at the age of 14. I hated rounding up those carts in the 100-degree heat. But my favorite job prior to working in radio was working in the produce department at a grocery store. They told me that you can eat the produce, so you can be familiar with the product you sell. That was a perk! Kevin Kash, WWEG: Best non-radio job was Toy Department Manager at Bradlees. Got to work the original Cabbage Patch Doll craze, Transformers and Teddy Ruxpin. We handed out a lot of rainchecks. My worst job was busboy at a steakhouse. Loved the group of six that would come in two minutes before we closed on a Friday night. |
Joey Brooks, iHeartMedia: I started a mobile DJ company when I was 12 years old so I’ve always been working in the entertainment business. I did work pressure washing grocery store trucks to help pay the bills while doing overnights early on in my career. That wasn’t fun!
Toby Knapp, WASH: First off, shout out to Zak Kapugi who just beat the CRAP out of the George Cappelini Football Pool to win week one. #BoogSon just proved to all of us he’s his own man. Best job? The job I got the day I joined iHeartRadio in Lancaster through now. Worst job? Shoveling horse waste in stables at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Houston. I don’t know if it’s still around but that… was worst.
Justin Chase, Beasley Media Group: I’ve been lucky enough to be in the broadcasting business for my entire adult life and never worked in any other industry, and I still have the same passion today that I had in the beginning. Jagger, WKSS: I started in radio when I was 16 years-old and never worked in any other field. Rick Vaughn, KENZ: Worst job was loading clay pigeons at a skeet shooting club in the bunk-house…you don’t want a hangover doing that job. Driving a truck on our farm was pretty good for the best. Kobe, WZNE: Best job before radio, probably one of my first jobs ever, bussing tables at The Rochester Italian Fest. Four days in the summer working with my buddies and looking at hot Rochester Italian girls. Worst? Tubby’s Deli (yes real name) with an a*hole boss who I ended up walking out on. Chuck Damico, WMMR/WBEN: Best – I made pizza dough. Worst – I worked in a fish store for 3 days, smelled like it for 3 weeks. Todd Lyons, KATS: Dishwasher. Lasted a whole 3 days. |
Valentine, WBHT: I started in radio when I was 16-years-old as a station mascot and never worked in any other field since. Radio is all I’ve ever done, and I love my radio career! Matt Johnson, KSLZ: The best job was being a librarian because no one could talk too loudly. Worst had to be when I was working in a Dyman-Chrysler factory. I worked in the Heat-treat department. I worked in front of a 3000-degree furnace the size of a house and sweated profusely. Pay was great, but it was like working in hell.
Jammer, WEZB: BEST: Women shoes salesman. WORST: Pizza delivery driver. Rich Davis, KDWB: Worst job was working as a laborer for guys who did masonry, and it was the hardest two and a half weeks of my life. It’s everything I would’ve imagined bootcamp would be…it was terrible. Best was working at Burger King because I wanted to be in radio and my favorite thing to do was the drive-thru window so that I could talk to people over the speaker. Jon Zellner, iHeartMedia: Best job as a kid was working at Zellner’s, Inc., my Dad’s clothing store; worst job was picking up geese poop at the Indian Trail Country Club.
Max Volume, KOZZ: I started in retail and moved to wholesale, going from a grocery store job to driving a truck for Pepsi. My route was Hollywood, California. It was crazy, but it was cool! It was the late 70’s. I saw every movie star, TV star, rock star and more at the Hollywood Ranch Market. David Bowie buying yogurt… |
Erik Bradley, B96: I worked as a Pharmacist Assistant and behind the soda fountain at an old-fashioned local community drug store. I loved it. My boss was awesome. Helping in the pharmacy, making orange-ades and chocolate milkshakes…so much fun!
Josh Wolff, WAEB: Best was when I was in high school working at a grocery store. I loved working there, and to this day I still enjoy going grocery shopping. I never really had a job that I disliked.
Tommy Chuck, WFLZ: Other than cutting grass, radio is all I have ever done.
Randi West, WRMF: Actually, I had only two jobs before my career. One in high school as a waitress serving coffee when I was 14 years-old and honestly, I LOVED it. Gave me the gift of gab. My other job was a loss prevention person at a retail chain in high school/early college and I loved it too! I caught people stealing the strangest things and realized I’d never make a good criminal.
John Boulos, Arista Records: Working at a liquor store when I was 17 in Brooklyn and convinced the owner I was of legal age to work there. Then nightly trying a new product on him! In between label gigs with a pregnant wife I went to work at a video production house as janitor and cleaned bathrooms. I learned the value of hard work…and to sit when I pee to keep the bathrooms clean.
Orlando, WLLD: Best job was lifeguard. Loved working for the park dept and being outside all day. Worst was both in college. Dishwasher at Quincy’s and delivery driver, for Pizza Hut. Why did everyone wanna rob me? I quit and ran to radio! Lol
Jonathan Shuford, WRVW: I’ve been fortunate to never have any really “bad” jobs. I worked at a country club when I was 16, washing rich people’s golf clubs and cleaning out their carts. The pay sucked and the job was pretty gross sometimes, but I got to play free golf anytime I wanted, so it balanced out.
Jeff Hurley, iHeartMedia: I’ve never held a job that wasn’t in the broadcast field. McDonald’s and Spencer’s Gifts both decided I didn’t make the cut for employment when I applied in high school and college.Next Week’s Question Of The Week:
Before your radio or music career, what were the best and worse jobs you ever had?
e-Mail your responses to: jodorisio@deanemediasolutions.com or bburke@deanemediasolutions.com
