Rock radio memories: DJ Lou Santini recalls Metallica, Scorpions, Quiet Riot, Joan Jett

Lou Santini was a charismatic and popular DJ in what may be considered the last golden era of rock radio.

A fixture at Rock 107 in Canton in the 1980s and early '90s, Santini was fun, unafraid to be wildly irreverent and a champion for hard rock and metal before scoring a high-profile gig at WMMS in Cleveland.

Friday nights were the busiest at WRQK in his microphone heyday. Around 500 calls would light up the phones from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Stark County station.

More: From radio DJ to standup: Lou Santini teaches comedy at Krackpots in Massillon

Although Santini left radio decades ago, and he's now a standup comedian, the 55-year-old Green resident admitted he sometimes reminisces over those days.

"I really miss the fans calling into the show," he said. "A very close second would be saying something funny on the radio, because you're reaching so many people so quickly with the flip of a microphone switch, (and) seeing the request lines light up."

"... That was the thing I looked forward to every single shift, 'Oh, I wonder what callers are going to call in today?,'" Santini said. "And what good stuff of theirs I can use on the radio. I never knew what was going to happen with callers."

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Santini now performs at comedy clubs in the region, as well as outside Ohio. His next shows are at 8 and 10 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Krackpots Comedy Club, 14 Lincoln Way W in downtown Massillon. Tickets, $20 and $40, can be purchased at https://www.humanitix.com/us by searching the comedian's name.

Through his business Major Productions 3, Santini also performs standup for company events, emcees conferences and conventions, and does voiceover work for advertising on radio, as well as hosting television spots.

Hanging with Joan Jett, The Black Crowes, Scorpions

When asked about his radio glory days, the natural conversationalist becomes even more animated.

Names tumble out − Joan Jett, Jason Newsted, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice in Chains, Slash, Jewel, Gavin Rossdale, John Entwistle, Chris Robinson, Toad the Wet Sprocket. And then he shares photos from a scrapbook predating the Internet boom, each one with a time capsule quality − a kind of early selfie.

Many of the images show Santini sandwiched in the middle of celebrity rockers −Nuno Bettecourt and Gary Cherone of Extreme, the members of the Scorpions and Quiet Riot.

Meeting rock stars used to be a common occurrence. Now he observes the rock radio business from the outside. And it's changed seismically in the age of digital downloading and music streaming services when music fans can listen to any song at any moment on a cellphone.

Pay was markedly better for top rock DJs in the '90s, Santini said. And deregulation means companies now can own scores of radio stations.

"It gets watered down, and a sense of 'locality' is gone," Santini wrote in an email response to questions. "Only morning shows (besides WNIR in Akron) have any real personality to them anymore. It's a tighter playlist, program directors taker fewer risks, and you rarely see advertising on billboards or TV for radio − if ever.

"I think there's still a level of prestige working at WMMS, but certainly not like it was during my stint, 'The Next Generation,'" he recalled. "We were paving the way for another golden era of breaking new music and really making the air personalities 'rock stars' like back in the '70s to '90s for that era."

"Cleveland was in a renaissance − the music was really good in the early to late '90s, too," Santini said. "It's a shame that radio is (now) mostly voice tracking (recorded elsewhere and the 'drops' are edited in), or simply 'button pushers,' where the fans/listeners aren't 'part' of the programming the way they were at Rock 107 and WMMS. I was extremely lucky to be at those stations, and it's large part because John Gorman was consulting/programming those stations when I was at each."

People still frequently recognize Santini by face, voice or name. And it's certainly boosted his career as a comedian.

"I literally get at least three to 10 emails/messages on social media a week from fans who not only remember my show, but remember details, comments, contests, and concerts at the Akron Agora, and that's what I love most," he said. "I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a certain amount of 'fame' involved, and you have to be someone who loves that kind of attention, and I did, and still do (duh, I'm a comedian/TV host/event host/(voiceover) artist)."

Dave Jackson of Stark County remembers Santini from the '80s at Rock 107 when Jackson was a member of the local metal band Foxx, which attained some national success and toured the country.

"Lou was like a total rock star," said Jackson, 57. "We would play somewhere like the Akron Agora to a few thousand people, and Lou would be every bit as popular as we were. It had a lot to do with his look. He looked like a rock star, and he was the same age as we were.

"He knew all the coolest music; his sense of humor was the same as us, and he totally got what we were about," said Jackson, who is friends with Santini and now works as a voice actor, including for audio books and video games. "We dated some of the same girls, hung out at the same places, and moved in the same circles. It was actually pretty awesome and a lot of fun."

Santini also supported local bands like Foxx.

"He always promoted us, and helped us immensely when we were back home in (Northeast) Ohio," Jackson wrote in an email. "I remember once when I was home from a long tour, and I was on a date with this stunning girl who was like totally out of my league, and we were driving down the road on our way to dinner, and I was thinking, 'Well … this is one that isn't going to happen' … when suddenly, Lou played the 'newest hit single' by Foxx.

"I didn't say a word," he recalled. "The girl said, 'Is that you?' And I just nodded. Next thing I knew, she was sliding over in the seat, getting closer and closer. I still owe Lou for that! We ended up dating for a few years and having a lot of fun."

Watching Metallica from the snake pit at the Coliseum

Santini happily obliged when asked for anecdotes about the days when he ruled local rock radio before moving on to the prestige of WMMS in the mid-'90s.

Like when he was in the "snake pit" clad in a Rock 107 jacket with about a dozen people directly next to the stage at a Metallica concert in 1991 at the former Richfield Coliseum. He even made an appearance on the big video screens during the show.

"I'll never have better seats for a concert," Santini said. "It was better than being on the side of the stage or backstage. You were on stage but chest level and you are surrounded 360 degrees by the entire band."

Meeting Klaus Meine, vocalist of the Scorpions, was "a really big rush because they were my first favorite metal band ... and they were just all class, and we took so many nice pictures.

"And backstage, they were just drinking one glass of wine. I thought they would do something crazy."

Another highlight is when Santini interviewed Jewel at WMMS "before she was a household name, (and she only) had one hit song."

The radio station "had to pay for her flight," he said. "She came there with a guitar and was living in a Volkswagen bus; she wasn't the pop music star she is today."

Lou told Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes: 'I'm not your pimp'

Santini met some rock stars at their peak. Others he mingled with in their club stage.

An example of the latter is The Black Crowes and vocalist Chris Robinson.

Just having released their first single, the band had an Akron show, where Robinson made demands to Santini − "three blondes, two redheads, an Asian girl, Latin girl ... and we want a case of tequila."

Santini's response: "First of all, I'm not your pimp, and if I could get all those women, I'd keep them for myself."

Robinson said he wouldn't go on stage, Santini recounted. The club owner, however, convinced him to do otherwise, and the show went on.

Tossing Joan Jett out of the studio

Interviewing Joan Jett also didn't go well, Santini said.

"I threw her out of the studio when I was at WMMS," he said. "I like Joan Jett, and I've always said she's the real deal rock and roll woman. She never really sold out. She lived the lifestyle, and her voice held up."

During a visit at Rock 107, Jett was "cold" in demeanor, he said. Maybe it was an off day, he thought. Maybe she thought he was too "jokey."

But her vibe was the same for a second interview. "It just didn't go great," Santini said, noting a condition of her visit at WMMS was that Jett's friend could join them in the radio studio, which he agreed to as long as she didn't go on the air.

Things didn't improve, however, and Santini cut the interview short and "tossed" her from the studio.

'I had visions of naked women everywhere and debauchery...'

But he raves about Quiet Riot, his all-time favorite interview.

"Despite being past their prime, (band members Carlos Cavazo, guitarist, and the late vocalist Kevin DuBrow) were incredibly fun, interesting, and the best part, I told them we could play anything they wanted, as long as it was in studio (even if it wasn't on our playlist)," Santini wrote. "It was cool to see what their music tastes were and see how excited they got when they saw that we had an album in the studio that they liked. I remember playing the original version of, 'I Don't Need No Doctor' by Humble Pie, (but they really wanted to hear the version by WASP, which we didn't have), and I really liked seeing how excited these two musicians got who really loved music."

After a stellar performance at the Akron Agora, DuBrow invited Santini and his buddy to his hotel room.

"I had visions of naked women everywhere and debauchery only to see him order a salad with low-fat dressing, while he drank water," Santini recalled. "... And Cavazo let me hold his guitar, which is unheard of by many musicians. They were a generous band, and it was a great weekend I'll never forget."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com. On Twitter @ebalintREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Former Canton and WMMS DJ met the stars: Metallica, Scorpions, The Who