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10 Questions with ... Pat Martin
September 1, 2020
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Pat, we like you, you’re a good kid, we think you have a lot of potential, but we don’t have a lot of money to pay you. I’ve got a hundred guys who would kill for this job, so you’re going to have to take $18,000 a year.
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1. How did you first get bitten by the radio bug?
My junior year in high school I started writing for the school’s newspaper as the entertainment reporter. My editor gave me an assignment: interview a disc jockey at KNAC in Long Beach, a guy named Bobby Blue. I became enamored immediately. Bobby was so cool, and he’d met rock stars and played music on the radio for a living. So I asked him how to get into radio. He gave me some very sage advice…go to San Diego State, get a gig at the campus radio station, and see what happens.
2. So what happened? How did that work out for you?
I applied, got accepted, and got a shift on KCR, which at the time was a station on Cox Cable, which meant we actually had listeners. About a year later, much to my surprise, I got a call from the Program Director of KGB-FM, a gentleman named Rick Leibert. He offered me a weekend job. My first shift was 4 am to 9 am on Saturday mornings. A few months later I was bumped up to daytime weekends, and a few months later he hired me to do nights, full time. I was 20 years old. So yeah, the SDSU advice from Bobby Blue turned out to be pretty good.
3. What was it like to be so young and a full-timer on one of the biggest rock stations in the country?
It was amazing. When Rick called to tell me I was the new night guy, he told me to come in the next day because the GM wanted to talk to me about my salary. So I go in to see “Sunny Jim” Price. He sits me down and says “Pat, we like you, you’re a good kid, we think you have a lot of potential, but we don’t have a lot of money to pay you. I’ve got a hundred guys who would kill for this job, so you’re going to have to take $18,000 a year.” You could hear my jaw hit the floor. I thought I was rich. I was buying a Porsche, a condo on the beach, everything. A couple of paychecks in I realized it wasn’t much. But really, at the time, it was plenty. I was able to pay my rent and have some fun. I loved every minute of my time there, which turned out to be about ten years.
4. Didn’t you leave San Diego for a while to work in Los Angeles?
Yes, in early 1986 I took a job at “The Mighty Met”, KMET. I was hired to do the shift once held by Mary Turner, 6 to 10 pm. That whole experience was a trip. I’d pull up to Metromedia Square (well, the Fox Television Center when I worked there), sign my name at the glass guard booth and head up to the top level to park. When I’d pull into my spot, there in front of me was the Hollywood sign. Very surreal.
5. What happened with that gig?
While I was lucky enough to work with some amazing and legendary people, like Denise Westwood, Paraquat Kelly, Cynthia Fox, David Perry, and Sky Daniels, I was there at the worst time in the station’s history. It just wasn’t doing well, and at the beginning of 1987 they decided to pull the plug. Everyone was washed out by “The Wave”, a smooth jazz format. Luckily, I was able to return to KGB in San Diego.
6. Let’s fast forward to the present. You’ve now been at KRXQ for 32 years, with the longest running consecutive radio show in Sacramento history. Did you ever think you’d be there for so long, and why have you stayed?
Not even. My plan was maybe a couple of years, then who knows what?
Right after moving here though, I got married. We had a son, then a daughter, and bought a house. We decided that we didn’t want our kids growing up as “radio nomads” so we made a pact to stay put. You see, both my wife and myself grew up in broken households, constantly moving. It was very hard on both of us, and we just didn’t want our kids to have to go through that.
The second part of that, of course, has been the station itself. Over the years we’ve grown, evolved, and enjoyed a good amount of success. I’ve loved (almost) every minute of it, and to contribute my part of the deal to the brand of 98 Rock has been very rewarding. At this point I’ve spent over half of my life here, so I guess you could say I’m pretty invested in the station.
7. A couple of years ago you celebrated a pretty big day for your 30th anniversary…what was that day like?
Very special. I started the day at 6 am by having breakfast delivered to me on live television by Mark S. Allen with ABC News 10. He brought a catering crew and the whole works. Then I did a live interview with Tina Macuha on Good Day Sacramento. As my shift started at 10 am, Mark joined me on the air for a bit. Then, at 11 am, I had the honor of interviewing one of my media idols, Ben Fong-Torres of Rolling Stone magazine fame. I think I was more excited to have him on my show than I’ve ever been for any rock star. We talked for a good 30 minutes, with Ben giving me his thoughts on the movie “Almost Famous” (which he himself is famously portrayed in). Then at Noon, I was joined by Frank Hannon and Jeff Keith of Tesla, two of my dearest friends. Frank played guitar and Jeff sang, it was so cool. Then at 1 pm, the Mayor of Sacramento, Darrell Steinberg, joined me live in the studio and presented me with a Key to the City and a Proclamation declaring it “Pat Martin Day”. And finally, at 2 pm my buddies in The Vagabond Brothers (Aaron Leigh, who is the bass player in Y&T) performed acoustically as our GM busted in with champagne and shots of Fireball! What a day.
8. And didn’t your band play that night as well?
Yes, “Pat Martin’s All Stars” played a gig that night to celebrate my anniversary, and we had a blast. I’ve had this roving band of merry musicians for about 15 years now. The band includes members of Tesla, Papa Roach, David Bowie, Cake, UFO, Ratt, Y&T, Montrose, Oleander…you get the idea. These guys and gals are very special. So yeah, it was a big day.
9. Can you give us a major highlight from your 40 plus year radio career that still stands out for you?
In 1985 I was sent to London to cover Live Aid. It was the musical experience of a lifetime, and I’m so fortunate to have been there. When Queen took the stage at Wembley Stadium, it was one of the biggest moments in rock history, and I got to witness it. People have asked me if we knew the magnitude of that historic moment…and we did.
10. I would also imagine you’ve interviewed a few Rock Stars in your time. What were some of the most memorable interviews and why?
I did an interview with the late Chester Bennington of Linkin Park that was run on all of the Entercom rock stations. We recorded in Casey Kasem’s studio…I sat in his chair and talked into his mic. For me that was really cool.
When I was at KMET, I did my radio show live from Van Halen's dressing room at The Forum in Los Angeles. This was right when Sammy had joined the band, and the party was on!
The most memorable interview I ever did was really just a 45 minute conversation I had with Pete Townshend. To me he is the consummate spokesman for rock ‘n’ roll and talking with him you get to experience the passion and intelligence he has for it.
Bonus Questions
What do you like to do for fun and relaxation when you’re not in “radio” mode?
My wife and I just bought ourselves electric bikes and we’ve been having a blast. (And no, we haven’t broken our backs like Simon Cowell!) Last year I bought a collector Mustang, so I enjoy driving that around as well. I’ve also taken up a new hobby, painting. And as always, I listen to tons of music, mostly on vinyl.
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