Imagine a two hour radio show that only plays Pink Floyd. Heavenly? Brilliant? Difficult? Bizarre? Well, it’s all of that, and more. I came across Boston DJ Matt “The Doctor” Leonard and his show “Brain Damage” on the internet. It’s a thrice a month, two hour plus podcast that you can download onto your computer and listen to, and let me tell you, it’s unlike anything you’ve heard before. In conversation with the man himself…..
1. Tell us a little about you.
I’ve never been very good at answering this kind of question. I’m a DJ and I like to push buttons and talk. I work for a legendary rock station in Boston, WAAF. Pink Floyd has been a huge part of my life since the tender age of 8 when my grandmother purchased a copy of The Wall when it was new.
2. You probably have one of the biggest private collections of Pink Floyd material. Where do you source all the material for your show?
Actually there are some people that have much larger collections than I that would make mine look very small in comparison. I suppose it would be cool to own every Pink Floyd concert bootleg but many gigs were the same or some recordings were poorly done or something is missing. I sometimes patch up concerts but I’m really only interested in well recorded concerts and/or unique gigs that had some historical significance for the band. I prefer live soundboard material, studio outtakes and alternate versions but for the live stuff, I’m always downloading something and if I’m satisfied with the quality, I’ll clean it up and feature it. There are many places to find the material. The hunt is half the fun and I wouldn’t want to deprive anyone.
3. A show like this probably takes a lot of work. Where do you find the time and more importantly, the motivation?
I’m a freak. A lot of my time and social life revolves around my radio gig and my podcast. Being a DJ is not a profession. It’s a lifestyle. I love what I do and I love Pink Floyd. Its great to be able to mix to passions together. I have a few days or a week to think about the next show and plan it all out in my head and a week of off and on production and voice tracking. Some podcast ideas kick around in my head for months. I also spend I great deal of time doing all kinds of research. All in all it can take 6 to 10 hours to complete a show.
The motivation comes from the listeners. If nobody listened I wouldn’t see much point in continuing but people seem to really love the show. It’s a good feeling knowing that people enjoy and support my podcast.
4. What kind of equipment do you use?
I use a Dell Dimension 8400, M-box with Pro-Tools with all kinds of plug-ins and for a microphone I use an Electro-voice RE-20 with a popper stopper mounted on a mike arm. I also sometimes use Adobe Audition.
5. A lot of people would think a radio show which plays music by only one band would be difficult to sustain, and yet you've managed to. How do you do it?
That’s a really good question I often ask myself. I mean, sometimes I think sooner or later I’m going to burn out of ideas. It’s very difficult to keep it fresh. I’m always asking for ideas. Luckily we have Pink Floyd’s work spanning across 40 years. If other radio shows can feature the works of The Beatles and Grateful Dead, then why not one for Pink Floyd? I’d love to have a satellite radio channel dedicated to just Pink Floyd 24-7.
6. Was it a surprise to learn that people all the way in India were listening in to your show? Any messages for people out here?
Yes. It blows my mind when I think of someone somewhere around the world is listening to my commentary. I love it. I want to thank you and everyone that supports the show. It means so much to me.
7. Any special episodes coming up?
I’m thinking of doing another podcast featuring the listeners and their commentary. There is always something up my sleeve.
Doc works for what is the world’s first FM radio station, WAAF 97.7/107.3. This is the station’s website. You can find his picture in the “weekend warriors” section. You can also visit his myspace page. You can mail him at djthedoctor@yahoo.com. And for all those who really believe in the “reach out and touch somebody” philosophy, he keeps giving out his cell phone number in his shows. The show can be downloaded from http://braindamage.libsyn.com/. Like they said in the 60’s, “turn on, tune in, drop out”.
1. Tell us a little about you.
I’ve never been very good at answering this kind of question. I’m a DJ and I like to push buttons and talk. I work for a legendary rock station in Boston, WAAF. Pink Floyd has been a huge part of my life since the tender age of 8 when my grandmother purchased a copy of The Wall when it was new.
2. You probably have one of the biggest private collections of Pink Floyd material. Where do you source all the material for your show?
Actually there are some people that have much larger collections than I that would make mine look very small in comparison. I suppose it would be cool to own every Pink Floyd concert bootleg but many gigs were the same or some recordings were poorly done or something is missing. I sometimes patch up concerts but I’m really only interested in well recorded concerts and/or unique gigs that had some historical significance for the band. I prefer live soundboard material, studio outtakes and alternate versions but for the live stuff, I’m always downloading something and if I’m satisfied with the quality, I’ll clean it up and feature it. There are many places to find the material. The hunt is half the fun and I wouldn’t want to deprive anyone.
3. A show like this probably takes a lot of work. Where do you find the time and more importantly, the motivation?
I’m a freak. A lot of my time and social life revolves around my radio gig and my podcast. Being a DJ is not a profession. It’s a lifestyle. I love what I do and I love Pink Floyd. Its great to be able to mix to passions together. I have a few days or a week to think about the next show and plan it all out in my head and a week of off and on production and voice tracking. Some podcast ideas kick around in my head for months. I also spend I great deal of time doing all kinds of research. All in all it can take 6 to 10 hours to complete a show.
The motivation comes from the listeners. If nobody listened I wouldn’t see much point in continuing but people seem to really love the show. It’s a good feeling knowing that people enjoy and support my podcast.
4. What kind of equipment do you use?
I use a Dell Dimension 8400, M-box with Pro-Tools with all kinds of plug-ins and for a microphone I use an Electro-voice RE-20 with a popper stopper mounted on a mike arm. I also sometimes use Adobe Audition.
5. A lot of people would think a radio show which plays music by only one band would be difficult to sustain, and yet you've managed to. How do you do it?
That’s a really good question I often ask myself. I mean, sometimes I think sooner or later I’m going to burn out of ideas. It’s very difficult to keep it fresh. I’m always asking for ideas. Luckily we have Pink Floyd’s work spanning across 40 years. If other radio shows can feature the works of The Beatles and Grateful Dead, then why not one for Pink Floyd? I’d love to have a satellite radio channel dedicated to just Pink Floyd 24-7.
6. Was it a surprise to learn that people all the way in India were listening in to your show? Any messages for people out here?
Yes. It blows my mind when I think of someone somewhere around the world is listening to my commentary. I love it. I want to thank you and everyone that supports the show. It means so much to me.
7. Any special episodes coming up?
I’m thinking of doing another podcast featuring the listeners and their commentary. There is always something up my sleeve.
Doc works for what is the world’s first FM radio station, WAAF 97.7/107.3. This is the station’s website. You can find his picture in the “weekend warriors” section. You can also visit his myspace page. You can mail him at djthedoctor@yahoo.com. And for all those who really believe in the “reach out and touch somebody” philosophy, he keeps giving out his cell phone number in his shows. The show can be downloaded from http://braindamage.libsyn.com/. Like they said in the 60’s, “turn on, tune in, drop out”.
1 comments:
whoa!! damn cool! :)
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