10 Questions with ... Daria & Gustav

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Daria: I started in mornings on 94.7 in 1997, on my 26th Birthday! I moved to afternoons on our sister station, The Buzz, for the last 13 years; now I'm back with my old friend and partner on my old home station.

Gustav: I started in college radio at Lewis and Clark College here in Portland, OR in the Fall of '88 and after graduating kept doing it for fun. 94/7 first hired me to do weekend overnights in April of 1995. Since then, I spent 5 years at middays, 3 years doing mornings, and now the afternoon show!

1. Congrats on your new afternoon show. Explain your role on the show.

Daria: I facilitate the conversation, and do storytelling segments. Gustav and I have great history and trust in each other, so I know he can pontificate on whatever I throw at him, and he knows I'll only ever bring things to the table that he has an appetite for.

(Gustav) My big role is being someone that Daria can bounce off of, whether it's chatting about music, throwing interesting facts my way to see how I react, or posing questions. I also act as the show's producer, so when we're tracking down specialty music to play, or recording out breaks or interviews in advance, I make sure that all goes smoothly. I also keep an eye on time, make sure we get to spots when we should, troubleshoot Wide Orbit on the fly, etc...

2. How would you describe your on-air style?

Daria: I treat the highbrow in a goofy way and the lowbrow in a serious way. Gustav and I pretty much have the same conversations we have with no microphones on, amped up a little bit.

Gustav: I like to think of the show as an extension of a conversation that you might have with friends at a party, or nearby bar. You hang out, chat about silly stuff, reminisce about that one band you never got to see live when you were in college, or maybe even complain a bit about how much traffic sucks, or wonder how you're going to entertain that one brother in law when they come to visit Portland. It's very free-flowing and conversational. We'll start a break with Daria introducing a topic, and we just go with it from there. 99% of the time, I have no idea what she's going to throw my way, so we both improvise a lot!

3. What is your show prep routine?

Daria: I'll write content the night before or morning of, then just before the show I'll use a prep sheet for celebrity-driven stories and try my best to come up with punchlines our listener base will appreciate. Gustav's laugh is real and contagious, so if I can crack him up, I figure, it infects and affects listeners!

Gustav: I've always prided myself on really knowing what's going on currently with the bands that we play, so I'll always check my music news resources, multiple times a day. I chat with PD Mark Hamilton about the different features and giveaways that we have, and think ahead to good times to work those in. Oh, and I am usually amped on about a pot of coffee before hitting the studio.

4. What do you love most about working for Entercom?

Daria: Honestly, it would be having, as a co-host, a dear and trusted friend. That, and our PD Mark Hamilton, who is without a doubt the best boss anyone could ever hope to have.

Gustav: They're a very forward thinking company to work for with a progressive reputation. In the 21 years I've been with Entercom, I've seen numerous green initiatives that they've championed, as well as really getting out and making a difference in the community. It's evident that they care not only about those that work for them, but the markets Entercom serves.

5. What makes Alternative Afternoons with Daria And Gustav unique for Portland?

Daria: Gustav and I both moved to Portland in the early '90s to attend college, fell in love with the city, and stayed. Our genuine affection and friendship, and our love and commitment to the city and the people in it, is evident in every break.

Gustav: For one, we're local, and we've both lived here for over half our lives, so we can really speak to the community and share an affinity with the listeners. We're not afraid to take some chances on certain music played, or topics being discussed. At the same time, we're not above making fun of ourselves, which is pretty much a daily occurrence.

6. What is your favorite part of the show?

Daria: I love when we have a guest in that we've never met before, and by the time they leave, we're all crazy about each other.

Gustav: Listener interaction. There are times where we throw out a phone topic and get calls that could provide days worth of content. I love interacting with listeners both on the phone, as well as on social media, because they consistently amaze me with how well they can take something we're talking about that's important to them and run with it.

7. What annoys you most during your show?

Daria: During the show, is the time when I'm the least annoyed! But there are people in the building, who have very little volume control in regards to their own voices. These are lovely lifers, and I think many decades of concert going has rendered them unable to do anything but scream at each other in the halls. Even doing this I feel my blood pressure climbing.

Gustav: Inevitably, there will be times where Daria and I will do a break and the chemistry or punchline won't be there. I guess "annoy" is probably too strong of a word here, but we've known each other for two decades. I think we're both used to us just opening the mics and everything being spot-on awesome every break, and it doesn't always go down that way. We're good friends and get along great with one another, and I guess that I expect it to always be perfect.

8. What do you remember about the infamous prank call in 1997?

Daria: It's not infamous! In fact, I'm sure it's not funny to anyone but me. But Gustav has this wonderful innocent quality, to where he's very easy to fool. He just doesn't process the possibility of people messing with him. So my first few days in radio, he did the show right after mine, and I called him up and did an over-the top phone sex voice, and just made up these ludicrous details, and all the while I was on the phone (and on the air) with him, I was maybe two feet away looking right at him through the glass window. And he kept looking at me with a "Got a hot one on the line!" expression. AS I was saying the words he was hearing.

(Gustav) Oh my God! Ha-ha, I better let Daria take this one...

9. Who is your favorite on-air personality not on your staff and why do you like them?

Daria: I love Mitch Elliott; he's worked in Atlanta, Seattle, and Portland. He has the most wonderful voice ever.

Gustav: Steve Masters (Live 105, KITS/ San Francisco). He was a huge influence on me when I was in High School in the Bay Area, and I learned to beat match records by watching him in the legendary SF clubs back in the day. Plus, he had this great on-air attitude... He sounded like this 20 something surfer who had just been handed the reigns of this all important radio station and you didn't know what he was going to do with them. Plus, Steve introduced the masses to a lot of amazing music.

10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?

Daria: Kissing my husband Dallas and son Xander a billion times each.

Gustav: My laptop!

What are weekends like for you?

Daria: Weekends I hunker down hard with my husband Dallas and son Xander. It sounds boring but we love to watch TV together, go to the zoo together, cook together, and go to the park with the dog...unless there's a Con in town or nearby. Then we all dress up as Batman Catwoman and Robin.

Gustav: I'm really a homebody, to be honest. I'll play video games, spend some time reading with my son, binge watch things on Netflix and take care of laundry, dishes and the like. When out and about, it's museums or the occasional trip to the coast.

What music do you enjoy listening to when you're not at work?

Daria: I love Madness, Roy Orbison, The Cars, Delta Blues, and Classical.

Gustav: Ambient and classical mostly. Stuff without beats or lyrics, because I need that kind of thing to relax.

First record ever purchased?

Daria: Michael Jackson's Thriller!

Gustav: Kraftwerk "Man Machine" from the Tower Records import section! Hey, $12 at the time was a mint for a 10 year old.

First concert?

Daria: Styx! I was young. I mean REAL young, maybe 11. My best friend from 6th grade and I went, BY OURSELVES. #smalltownlife

Gustav: General Public in 1984

Favorite band of all-time?

Daria: There's no way in the world to pick one favorite, but the Cars would be up there, along with Queen and the Ramones.

Gustav: Depeche Mode