FEATURED
Closer to iHeart Veteran WAAF DJ Mike Hsu brings the spirit of radio to The Pike CRAIG S. SEMON
“Bob Goodell really worked hard to get me on the air and I am very thankful for that. Even if it’s just a nvisible airwaves are crackling couple of hours a week, I’m still back with life at 250 Commercial St., on the air,” Hsu said. “Bob’s an oldas bright antennae bristle with school radio guy. He likes it being live the energy of The Pike’s newest and local. And, I like that, too. It was disc-jockey. great working in Boston but I live After a six month’s hiatus from here in Worcester. Anything I can do the commercial airwaves, veteran WAAF radio personality Mike Hsu is to be part of the community and to promote what is going on in this city, on The Pike 100 FM from 6 to 8 p.m. I’m just thrilled to do that.” Monday through Friday and 4 to 7 As with many of us, 2020 will p.m. Saturdays. certainly go down as a year Hsu will Hsu — who comes to The Pike always remember no matter how with more than 20 years on WAAF hard he tries to forget. And that was and additional 10 years of on-air even before the pandemic. experience prior to WAAF — said In January, Hsu, a diehard Rush he is really psyched to be working in fan, had one of the emotionally hardWorcester, not just because of the est on-air shifts when the news broke time chiseled off his daily commute that Rush drummer and lyricist Neal but he loves this city. Peart died. And it all started with a friendly While Peart’s death was tough call from Bob Rivers and Peter Zipel, to handle, it was nothing compared better known by the radio moniker “Bob and Zip,” the cohosts of the very to the heartbreaking news they got popular WAAF morning show in the on Feb. 18, that WAAF would be no more after midnight Feb. 21. ’80s. Hsu had been on-air fixtures at A month or so ago when they were WAAF for more than 20 years and, filling in for some slots on The Pike, alongside kindred spirit Mistress Bob and Zip asked Hsu, who hadn’t Carrie of Leominster (who just anbeen in the DJ booth since Feb. 21, if nounced her engagement last week; he wanted to sit in with them. Hsu congrats!), the two were there to the jumped for the chance. bittersweet, hell-raising, head-bang“Bob and Zip, I listened to them ing end. But it wasn’t easy for either when I was in high school. They’re of them, nor their diehard fans. one of the reasons I wanted to get “I was pretty down about it for a into this business,” Hsu said. “It was long time. I still get down about it,” a real thrill to work with them. I felt I was 15 years old again, I was a little Hsu said. “Luckily, I have my lovely wife and my daughter and they have intimidated but they were really been nothing but awesome during great and I had a great time. And, I this whole thing and super supportguess, somebody heard something ive and helpful. They’ve just been they liked.” great.” That “somebody” was consumThen, less than a month later, Hsu mate radio guy and corporate radio and the nation got hit with the harsh class act Bob Goodell. reality of the coronavirus. While Hsu The regional vice president of Cumulus Media (which includes WXLO has experienced the anxiety and stress that we all have, it wasn’t an 104.5 FM, The Pike 100 FM and easy time for the out-of-work radio NASH Icon 98.9 FM), Goodell, who once was WAAF’s regional marketing personality. During the downtime, Hsu sounddirector, knows radio talent when he proofed his closet in his home office hears it. to record “audio stuff ” and dabbled “As sad as I was to see my alma in a series of podcasts, including a mater and legendary rock station regular guest-spot on “Breaking the WAAF go Christian music, it gave us the opportunity to add Mike Hsu, Ice,” hosted by former WAAF alum Josh Dolan and Isaiah. one of WAAF’s best DJ’s, to our staff “The podcasts are a lot like a at 100 FM The Pike,” Goodell said. “Chuck Perks, The Pike’s program di- continuation of what we were doing on AAF,” Hsu said. “It’s really brash rector, and I both know and respect and juvenile and possibly offensive to Mike’s knowledge of rock music, his many people, but that AAF attitude roots from living in Worcester and is in there.” his talent. As the Who said, ‘Long Hsu has also been doing a Neil live rock!’” Young podcast called “Long May You
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Veteran WAAF DJ Michael Hsu can now be found on The Pike. SUBMIT TED PHOTO
Young” (a cheeky homage to “Long May You Run,” the 1976 collaboration between Stephen Stills and Young). On it, Hsu and brothers Luke and Russ Condon (of the Americana band Town Meeting of Ayer) amusingly, knowledgeably and affectionately examine a different Neil Young album each episode. The show, which was one of those happy accidents, was an instant hit and was quickly picked up by Pantheon Podcasts (aka “The Podcast Network for Music Lovers”). One thing Hsu loves more than playing music is talking about music. “There are not a lot of other people that I can talk music with because I’m such a nerd about it and I get into all the minutia and they start going, ‘OK, he’s out of control. I have to find out how to end this conversation,’” Hsu said. “There are only a few people that I can talk music with that geek out about it as much as I do.”
So the transition from “The Only Station in Boston That Really Rocks” to “Worcester’s #1 for classic hits” is not a hard one for Hsu. “It’s classic hits. I know all the hits. There’s a lot of stuff AAF used to play back in the day,” Hsu said. “The songs they play on The Pike, I love that stuff, and it’s fun talking about.” Perks, The Pike’s program director (and, formerly, the WAAF radio personality and heavy metal hairband connoisseur “Mike Wild”), knew Hsu is a big Rush fan, so he allowed him to play Rush’s “Working Man” as his first song on-air at The Pike. “I was really psyched about that. So I have to thank Chuck Perks for that,” Hsu said. “Chuck’s a great guy. I’m glad to work Chuck again.” When offered the job, Hsu said the first thing Goodell and Perks said to him were “We want you to be yourself.” Reflecting on the good times at
WAAF, Hsu hopes to play a bigger role at The Pike as time progresses, which includes, possibly, doing a podcast, blog, public appearances and live remotes. “Stuff like the Indoor Beach Party and Locobazooka, all those big shows WAAF used to put on,” Hsu fondly recalled, “and just hanging with the listeners and getting out of hand and doing endless shots of Jägermeister, I had so many good times, not just the staff but the listeners at WAAF.” Hsu said he’ll attend the next “Awesome ’80s Prom” put on WXLO, one of the sisters stations of The Pike and broadcast out of the same building on Commercial Street. “I’d like to think I had a pretty amazing mullet back in the ’80s. So if there is any way to recreate that, I will for the Awesome ’80s Prom,” Hsu said. “My mullet put Bono to shame. I would like to do that.”
