10 Questions with ... Adam McGuire

1) What was your first job in radio and early influences?

My first internship/on-air experience was in the Top 40 format with KSAS (103.3 Kiss) FM here in Boise; they had an open casting and the day after I graduated from high school, I was set to walk into my first day as a station tech. Was there about nine months before a massive layoff.

My love of radio however started with a station back in Washington ... 104.9? I just remember it was called Funky Monkey -- filled with angry music and innuendos that I probably carry with me to this day.

2) Was there a defining moment that led you to radio and made you realize "this is it"?

The only reason I aimed for radio was due to a high school "Personality/Career Profile" they had us take -- "You might like radio" (By like a 98% margin), so I went with it -- but my "This Is It" moment came when I won the first Casting Couch here on The X. They wanted a weekender, but I soon realized this wasn't just a game to me, and they took the time to "sculpt me" not only into an X DJ, but a better personality overall. Nic (mornings/PD) saw a kid with some hunger and turned him into a monster. No one had ever done that before -- or even tried, and wouldn't you know it, I wasn't terrible. In fact I was pretty damn good at something (for the first time in my life),

3) Can you give us a brief rundown of your radio career with stations and positions/shifts?

Dates are probably off a bit, but...

• '08 - On -Air/Producer/Intern - KSAS - 7-midnight
• '11 - Weekends - KQXR - noon-6p
• '16 - Afternoon drive - KQXR - 3p8p (With production added into the mix)

4) Before we talk about KQXR, in an e-mail to mem you described yourself as a 28-year-old super-nerd originally from Seattle. Do you care to explain?

Rumor has it I learned to read from early editions of Legend of Zelda, grew up in the "Pokemon Boom" of the late '90s and early 2000s just a hop-skip-and-a-jump from where the base of operations in Seattle, aka Wizards of the Coast/Nintendo, were located, up to recently where I had to have a serious conversation about naming my child seven months ago, as apparently "Megaman" McGuire is frowned upon. (But then his initials would be MM, like ... never mind)

I have more stock in Magic the Gathering than I do in the "real" stock market. I watch professional gaming events with the kiddo instead of cartoons on Saturdays/Sundays....

Honestly, I'm running out of subjects, but come up with one and chances are I have stupidly passionate feelings about it.

5) How long have you been at KQXR (100.3 The X) and what makes this station so unique?

Hard to remember truthfully, but I apparently just celebrated seven years here at The X. So ... The X has the pleasure of being headed by a group of people who want what's best for their jocks. They're willing to gamble, any ideas are met with an "I like this, how about this" instead of a "No, nice try though" from every individual on both sides of the building, sales and programming. We don't take ourselves too seriously but enough to produce results. Even on a bad day, morale is always stupid-high. Add in the freedom to do my job as I please, and you have something not many get. (I only have one other example of radio under my belt, but I've heard tales)

6) As the afternoon show host on 100.3 The X, are you doing any special music features?

My pride and joy is called Treasure Valley Local Rockstar - basically a story with a song attached about someone in the Valley that deserves that "Gold Star" ... from birthdays to more sensitive stories, whatever is sent my way, or seen in news. It's a chance for me to find out what's going on with my listeners, good or bad, and help make an impact daily on even just one listener. Jocks get a bad rep for "not caring about listeners;" this is my way to show otherwise.

I inherited a segment called Cage Match as well that I adore -- pinning two songs against each other for the listeners to decide the fate of the X Playlist. It allows for easy research, as well as a chance to showcase some bands that wouldn't be getting play. You'd be shocked how many songs "weren't that big of a deal," then show up on Cage Match and gain monumental traction. (Bad Wolves "Zombie," for example, has never been on the show and ran seven days straight, becoming our first band of CM 2018) At the end of the year, we take the top 16 songs based on votes and wins, and find the best song of the year with the Cage Match Battle Royale.

7) What's your take on current Rock music and the Active Rock format as a whole?

It could be worse. I just think rock fans know what they want, and with that comes a bit of ... thick-headedness? I get that, and right now there's a healthy scene of just about everything listeners are craving, but rock alone is all over the place; you're not going to like all of it. My only complaint: covers. J-effin-C, can we stop with the covers? (You know who you are...)

8) What are your three favorite artists or songs of this year so far and why?

Oh. Boy.

1. Nothing More, "Do You Really Want It." Talk about a message. Get off your ass, quit eating Doritos and freebasing Mountain Dew, and change the stuff you don't like.
2. Andrew WK, "Ever Again"/"Music Is Worth Living For" (I refuse to pick one). I have a PartyCrush on AWK and the whole new album is top-notch. I'll get my first face-to-face interview and concert near the end of the month and I'm creaming my coffee just thinking about it.
3. Radkey, "Evil Doer" Now, I know this song is older than a year, but I refuse to stop playing it and the entire "Delicious Rock Noise" album has been on repeat since it was released. Plus, they're huge nerds, too, so it gives them a bonus in my world.

Adam "Casting" at Mountain West Conference E Sports Showdown!

9) Outside of your gig at KQXR, I understand you're quite the gamer and are an ESports commentator for Boise State's ESports team. Give us the scoop on your life as a gamer.

Name a game/system, I've had a run it with it/already own it/have my preorder ... As far as the commentary or "casting," it was something I just did for fun out of a spare room in my house ... meshing my love of radio with my love of gaming in a new medium (See; Bored Nerd) basically doing the "John Madden" over fighting games like Street Fighter 4 and Marvel vs. Capcom. I fell in love with this "League of Legends" game that had been gaining traction ... and kind of went all in seeing the professional casters stumble on questions or elements that I had been doing on radio for years.

Next thing I know I'm "casting" these weekend scrambles, tourneys at LAN events, etc. via Twitch.com and became a huge advocate for the rumored "Esports ... thing" that people were just starting to get a glimpse of.

Apparently, years later, someone had recommended to the powers-that-be at Boise State, (Chris Haskell) that "There's this highly rated radio dude who does this." Next thing I know, I'm casting varsity-level League of Legends for not only Boise State but the Mountain West Conference as a whole ... just months later, with my fiancé by my side on the casters desk, complete with airfare, hotel at Luxor and this thing called a per diem, which I had never heard of before.

10) Finally, I understand you helped facilitate the 24-Hour Extra Life Charity stream that 100.3 The X did last year for St Luke's Children's Hospital in Boise. How did that event go for you and the station?

Remember how I mentioned "this company loves taking risks?" This is a prime example. I came to PD Jeremy Nicolato and brought up the event. I had done it by myself from a local game store, Phoenix Fire Games, for a few years and felt with radio backing (and knowing our listeners a bit better) that it could explode into an event that just gets better each year. (It also allowed me to game on the clock, so ... bonus points.) But I knew that everyone at the station had some kind of game vice -- Big J with his Call of Duty, or Nic with Madden (Boy, do our jocks love Madden and talking smack...)

It's way better than expected. I'm pretty sure we hit $5,000-plus (it could have been 6k by the end, I'm not sure) but we were the #1 group in the state by a long shot after everything was tallied after 24 hours. (I also believe we hit top 100 nationally -- at least that's what the medal they sent us said.)

KQXR's Extra Life Hero Medal on Display!

What do you like to do for fun when you're not in "radio" or gamer mode?

I don't think I exist outside of those two realms really. I dream in eight-bit. However, I'm finding that Dad-Mode is my favorite right now ... teaching seven-month-old Liam how to clap, say things, and make fart noises with his mouth, that's more rewarding that any #1 book. I've got a perfect little family with Lisa and Liam; I'm so effing lucky.