If God Was A DJ
Great name for a page but there is a lot of truth in it. Back in the 1960s when I was dreaming about becoming a DJ there wasn't that much to compare yourself with......DJ wise that is.
In this day & age a DJ is judged on what sets he puts together.......Most radio DJs are as you hear then.....some with a bit of personality, some just faceless.....top jockeys on the road don't fare much better.....a lot of arm waving & hand clapping.....they just lack one thing......God Appeal. Back in the 60s there was no digitalised music, no laptop, CDs or even any high tech gear. It was all down to funny plastic round things called records & a bit of personality. A lot of radio DJs back then had the typical BBC chumlly smyth accent & your mobile guy generally had whatever accent he was gifted ( apart from one of two poor impersonators ).
When Radio 1 started things changed.....this lot were different.....the cream of the pirates had landed. All of a sudden radio sounded good ....loads of DJs, each one with his own personality jumping out of the radio at you. Back in the 1970s Radio One DJs were as big as the stars & bands they promoted .
But the best of the bunch , from an amateur would be DJ , would be heard on a Saturday morning on Radio 1......The Emperor Rosko. Rosko was from Hollywood.....in life he looked the part....his delivery was fast talking , sometimes in rhyme, sometimes in rap.....his music hit the button from the moment he went on air to when he went off air. He had the most beautiful American Accent but it was the way he put everything together.....the delivery , the drive , the energy & the music.......any DJ that starts his show with this message craves attention....''I am the Emperor, the geeter with the heater, your leader, your groovy host from the west coast,here to clear up your skin & mess up your mind. It'll make you feel good all over '' ....that alone requires attention....God had landed on earth in the form of a crazy , American DJ.
The next part of Gods deliverence came with the show outside of Radio 1.....The Emperor toured with the biggest & best roadshow money could have gotten you back then. In the late 60s young people basically had one of 3 things to do......sport, music & sex.....or a combination of all of them. Technology allowed most nightclubs to have a sound system of between 30 & 100 watts, crap speakers & basic flashing lights ( a bit of UV if you were lucky ). Rosko arrives....the full Orange setup....Big speakers, bass speakers, horns, flashing lights , strobes, projectors....you name it....
But the best bit was the show. Not only did he look the part, he played the part......it was all there...the fast slick delivery.....the music.....everything. As a DJ he was every bit as good as the music he played....a kind of DJ pop star .
Every DJ of the day aspired to be Emperor Rosko....Saturday mornings you stayed at home & tuned in to his show....if he was doing a gig in town you could guarantee the car park at the venue would be full of vans....because every DJ within 50 miles would be at the gig....I recon many a wedding has been DJless when Rosko's been in town.
Rosko was an important player in the development of how disco equipment evolved....he invented the roadshow & inspired Britains first generation of proper Disc Jockeys.
From my time starting out as a DJ to the present time nobody has come close to ''The Emperor Rosko'' . He was an enigma.....we had a lot of good broadcasters in this country but only one like him & to find a one off is rare in any profession.
''Highly rated, often imitated, but rarely duplicated''
Only a person with Rosco's big ego could say that ( & mean it )
