10 Questions with ... Walter Flakus

Wow! How to keep this short… I started down the path of a radio career working with some luminaries who offered great guidance but was lured away by a record contract with my band Stabbing Westward. Turned out to be a good call which lead to 4 albums and a few world tours. When the band called it a day, I went back to radio at WKRL in Albany, NY, Fred/Ethel at XM in DC, worked at Q Prime for about 5 years before heading back to Chicago where I spent a couple of years at The Loop and helped rebuild Alternative radio in Chicago at WKQX.

1. In 2010 you returned home to Chicago, what led to your move to Seattle last summer to 107.7 The End?

The End has always been a station I’ve wanted to work at FOR YEARS!! Before I moved back to Chicago in 2010, I filled in mornings for a couple of weeks at The End. It didn’t pan out for me then, but I’ve always had my sights on being a part of this legendary radio station. Last year, so many things lined up that it was the right time for me to make the move. Seattle is such an amazing city that is stunningly gorgeous too.

2. You mentioned when you joined The End that you were “so excited to be a part of the history of such a legendary station like 107.7 The End. It’s been on my to-do list for many years.” How does it feel to be on The End team?

It’s incredible. Every day when I walk into the station, the history is not lost on me, there’s such a deep sense of musical appreciation in this city that you not only feel on the streets but also in the halls of this place.

3. What sort of things make The End unique?

The End is truly a radio station programmed for the Seattle market. Just because a song is top 20 on the chart doesn’t mean it’s a record that will work at The End. I feel the audience for this station thrives on music discovery and are willing to give things a try and they’ll let us know if they don’t like something. The other thing that makes us unique is the 2 Minute Promise, of course. It truly allows us to fit more songs in an hour, and less tune out.

4. What is your favorite part of your job?

Being a music guy, it has to be exposing that new music to the audience, whether it’s each week’s Discover And Download or playing a new song we just added that week, I love trying to turn the audience on to something new. That’s something that hasn’t changed since I was a kid in high school and would always play new records for friends trying to get them excited about something new.

5. Take us inside the music meeting at The End. What’s it like?

Our music meetings are fun! The three of us, Leslie Scott (PD), Alyssa Page (MD) and myself will go through tunes, see what we have that’s working, what’s not. If we are going to play a song, we want to give it a real shot and will try to get at least 500 spins on a record and see if there’s anything there. I’ve seen some records finally start to show potential around the 400-spin mark. It may slow us down a bit, but it feels like we’re playing the right records. Our research backs that up.

I think the three of us bring different tastes to the meeting. We have great discussions and ultimately, we walk out with each of us feeling we made the right moves. It’s been a great collaboration!

6. What do love most about being on-air?

I love building bonds with the listeners, whether it’s on socials or on text. Being able to build that relationship is super rewarding. It’s kind a scary when you move into a new market and are trying to fit in. Especially in Seattle where I guess there’s something known as the Seattle freeze where the natives aren’t very welcoming to outsiders. I haven’t really felt it, so I hope I’m doing something right.

7. After a long hiatus, your band Stabbing Westward reunited on the 30th Anniversary. How many shows have you played since getting the band back together in 2016 and how much new material have you recorded?

It’s been super fun to be able to still go out on select weekends and play these songs again. At first, we weren’t sure if there was still an audience for them. We’ve probably played 50-70 shows since we fired it back up in 2016. We’ll do three shows in a weekend once a month or so. We focused on doing the old tunes for the first 3 years, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Darkest Days album in 2018.

In January, we released our first new music in 18 years. That was scary. I was hoping we didn’t get the “not as good as the old stuff” comments but the Dead And Gone EP has been getting lots of love. We have lots more coming and will get something new out in the next couple of months and then a full length in the Fall.

8. How do you juggle “moonlighting” as a Rockstar?

The folks here are Entercom have been amazing and have let me take a Friday here or there to play a weekend of shows. I just use my vacation days and make sure I have worked ahead so I can step away for a long weekend.

9. Outside of all the rainy days, what do you like most about living in Seattle?

I love how Seattle is such a local community. There are pockets with chain stores but there are so many local businesses in this city which are fantastic! It really helps build that since of belonging to a neighborhood. And I haven’t minded the rain. I think I’ve only had to bust out my winter coat once and haven’t had to shovel snow once!

10. What would surprise people most about you?

I surprised myself with the amount of cooking I’ve been doing since moving to Seattle. I’ve always enjoyed good food but have never been one to do more than pop a pizza in the oven. It’s been fun following recipes and creating good meals at home.

What are your favorite places to eat in the area?

I’m still searching for those go-to restaurants here. It’s hard because Chicago is such an amazing food city. I love Asian food and there’s so many great places here. My fav is probably Din Tai Fung and Buddha Ruska. And then there’s all the amazing seafood.

How is the search going for acceptable pizza?

It’s fine. You just can’t expect it to be like Chicago pizza. There’s actually a really great pizza place 2 blocks from my house. It hits the spot every time.

Favorite food?

Chicken curry and soup dumplings.

Favorite drink?

Don Julio and soda.

How often will you get back home and what are your top priorities when you get back to The Windy City?

I’ve only been back to Chicago once since I moved here. My top priority in Chicago is to spend time with my son, who I’m so proud of. He wanted to stay in Chicago and stepped up to do the things to make that happen. He landed a full-time job and got his own apartment. Super proud.

Rank your sports teams in order of passion.

1. Blackhawks
2. Sounders
3. Seahawks

Favorite new band over the past year?

My favorite new bands over the past couple of years is Actors from Vancouver. Their debut album, It Will Come To You. is great from start to finish. I love the new song from Kennyhoopla. Can’t wait to hear more from him. Lastly, if you want something hard and from the industrial world, check out Wulfband from Stockholm. I saw them at a festival in Milwaukee last summer and they blew me away with their energy.