With the inventions of iPods, mp3 players and other various music devices, it is almost unheard of that someone chooses to listen to radio. However, for Jack Gohl, it’s quite the opposite; radio is one of the few mediums he enjoys. Gohl spends several hours of his day with the radio. He’s either listening to it, creating mixes, or broadcasting his radio show here at UIC.
Gohl, aka DJ Just Jack, is senior here at UIC, majoring in Communications in hopes continuing his love for radio broadcasting. His interest in radio sparked at a friend’s party, he explains,
“It all started at a house party my friend was dj-ing at and I instantly fell in love. I have basically been behind the decks ever since. Then, last semester I saw a flyer up at school on how UIC radio won an award for the #1 College Radio Station of Chicago (which was also won this year). I recognized a kid from my calculus class on the flyer and gave him one of my mix tapes. The very next semester, I was mixing live on our college radio station.”
Although he loves radio, one issue Gohl has with it is the lack of variety,
“One of my pet peeves would have to be mainstream radio station playing only top 40! But hey, it’s a business! You’ve got to sell time!”
For this reason, his show is formatted differently, offering a plethora of music choices,
“I enjoy anything with a beat. If anyone reading this and has ever listened to Pete Tongs show on Radio 1, this is a prime example of how my show is formatted. It is basically my show, except I’m mixing live on air.”
Gohl has learned a lot from working at the UIC radio station and is loving every second of this time there,
“I love the UIC radio station, because it is ran by students. Having a student ran community allows us DJ’s to be a creative and not to mention play what we want to play.”
Right now, DJ Just Jack is DJ-ing at clubs in the Chicago Land area and working creatively on the side, teaching himself how to create music and beats. His radio show is his best experience at the moment; however, he plans to intern at one of the top radio stations this summer and hopes to continue moving along in his journey. Ideally, Gohl wants to work for BBC Radio.
What makes Gohl’s show different is his pure passion for it. You can tell he really loves what he’s doing.
According to him, listening to his radio show is basically like having a live DJ spinning at your apartment or home. Why wouldn’t you want that?
So, tune in every Saturday on the UIC Radio Station from 8-10 PM. www.uicradio.org or www.thereturnoftheblogg.blogspot.com.
He is also on Twitter and Facebook. Just search “DJ JUST JACK” or “THE CHICAGO HOUSE LOOP”.
NOTE: DJ Just Jack will not be broadcasting this Saturday. He will be in Michigan, welcoming his cousin back from Iraq. He will be back next week for all your music listening desires. J