Dennis Elsas
Dennis Elsas | |
---|---|
Born | |
Country | United States |
Website | www |
Dennis Elsas is an American
Career
Early broadcasting career
Raised in
At the same time, the rock radio landscape was changing as
WNEW-FM years and John Lennon interview
On July 11, 1971, Elsas launched what would become a 25-plus year career at WNEW-FM in New York City. During this time he was the station's music director in addition to hosting nighttime, mid-day and weekend shows. On-air interviews included Elton John, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon. While at WNEW-FM, he became an important voice in the progressive rock FM movement. Elsas left WNEW in 1998.[3]
Elsas interviewed Lennon on September 28, 1974. The two-hour interview holds a special place among Beatles fans and scholars. Highlights from the interview have been featured in numerous Beatles documentaries and books, including in the permanent collection of the
Considered by many to be the ultimate Lennon broadcast interview, Elsas got the story of the infamous Beatles "butcher cover."[4] Elsas recalled, "I was asking the right questions, about the album art. While we were off mic, I mentioned something about the Beatles, and he lights up. He turns around, and there's a huge wall of albums, I picked out an album and he said, 'Oh yeah, the one with the dead babies,' and begins telling me the story.... I said, 'John, do you mind telling me that on the air?' It was all live. We only had two turntables so I had to cue something up. It's that sort of on-the-fly-stuff. If they're comfortable, then you can ask the question."[4]
WFUV and SiriusXM
Since the summer of 2000, Elsas has hosted weekday afternoons (2-6PM) on New York's WFUV (90.7 FM, and streaming at WFUV.org). He presents a wide variety of rock, folk, jazz and blues in the tradition of progressive radio he helped to create. He has interviewed numerous artists in studio including Elvis Costello, Ben Folds, Patti Smith, Edie Brickell and Ringo Starr.
In May 2004, Elsas joined SiriusXM's Classic Vinyl (26). Focused on classic rock music, history and memories, his show airs Saturday and Sunday from 6pm-12am ET.
On May 18, 2017, SiriusXM launched The Beatles Channel and announced Elsas as host of the call-in show The Fab Fourum.
Rock 'n' Roll Never Forgets
In 2010 Elsas created Rock āNā Roll Never Forgets, a live multi-media event that showcases his historic radio interviews with music legends such as Elton John, Jerry Garcia, Pete Townshend, and John Lennon along with his personal memories and behind-the-scenes stories, starting with the Top 40 radio that he grew up with, the progressive evolution of WNEW-FM, and his current work on WFUV and Sirius/XM.[5]
References
- ^ Staudter, Thomas (24 March 2002). "On The Radio With a Mix Very Distinctly His Own". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
- ^ "He Likes That Old Time Rock 'n Roll". Westchester Magazine. September 2003. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
- ^ "DJ Dennis Elsas set for Port Washington show". Newsday. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
- ^ a b Orel, Gwen (2014-10-28). "Dennis Elsas remembers rock and roll in Montclair [video] - Music". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
- ^ "Dennis Elsas and Rock 'n' Roll Never Forgets". The East Hampton Star. Retrieved 2017-07-13.