“What if I told you that you are on the radio right now?” Johnny Thunder said enthusiastically.
“I am?” I said confused.
I have always been into music. First at an early age with Polka’s and Country music and then soon after Rock and Pop. The year was 1987 and I was 14 years old my favorite radio station with KFRX based out of Lincoln, Nebraska. They played “Today’s Hits” which at the time were the styles of Duran Duran, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Van Halen. I thought the DJ’s were super cool and decided one day I wanted to be one. I wrote the morning show a letter. Yes, a handwritten letter. Technology was not advanced at this time. We had cable in the small village I grew up in, but it consisted of only a dozen channels and I spent most of my free time listen to my boom box.
Dear Johnny Thunder,
I am a huge KFRX fan! I wake up each morning listening to the Morning Zoo and go to bed to Fast Eddie Finger’s Nuke ’EM segments. The music you play is super neat and I would like to be a guest DJ on your show! Please give me the chance I know that we can be best pals!
Eddie Lance (402)535–2509
I mailed it on a Saturday. All of the next week went by and I had forgotten about the letter. I got home that Friday afternoon after getting dropped off across the street from my house on the school bus and turned on the radio as I always did. Some song was playing when our phone rang. It was one of the old school black analog phones with a manual dialer. The ring sound came from two actual bells inside hit with a moving metal rod inside of the phone. Those were the days. No caller ID, it could have been anyway. But it wasn’t…
“Hello?”
“Hellllllooooo. Is this Fast Eddie Lance?”
“Yes, this is Eddie”
“This is Johnny Thunder and Sara Stills from KFRX, we got your letter”
“Oh, really”
“Yes, you mentioned you wanted to be on the radio, what if I told you that you are on the radio right now?”
“I am?” — I said in disbelieve. The radio was on in our kitchen and I could clearly hear Wang Chung’s “Everybody have fun tonight? playing.
“Yes, you are. Here’s your chance!”
RADIO SILENCE…
I don’t remember what I said after that, but it was unremarkable. I was confused and unaware of the pre-taping methods of the radio industry. The conversation ended and I hung up the phone.
Everybody have fun tonight, everybody Wang Chung tonight!
“Let’s call him now!” phone dialing sounds in the background.
Ring, Ring Ring
“Well I hope he answers, this is his big break!” Johnny said enthusiastically.
“Hello?” I answered. And you know the rest.
About 10 minutes later my older cousin Gary comes thru the front door. He was driving home from work and heard me on the radio and decided to take the 10-minute detour to stop by to laugh at me.
“Haha haha! That was great!” Gary said with a smile on his face.
I didn’t think so. Hopefully he was the only person that heard it!
The county fair was in full swing that weekend and I went with some friends the next night. I guess everyone in middle school owned a radio because they all knew about my letter. The untouchable girl from a neighboring school came up to me.
“I heard you on the radio Fast Eddie, that was pretty cool!” She said.
Maybe something positive did come of all if this I started to think. But of course, nothing ever materialized. I never spoke to her again. I also gave up the dream of Fast Eddie Lance in the mornings.
