Tuesdays with Marty

It’s my mission to keep the spirit of free-form radio alive and well on the airwaves in the city of Milwaukee. I draw from all genres of music made in the past 60 years or so. I like to sneak a little bit of everything in there if it feels right. Much of the music I select is based on my mood or whats going on around me.

Keeping the tradition of soul and r&b alive on Tuesday afternoons, I like to devote a whole program to the best of old school soul and r&b – Soul Patrol style,  digging deep for rare gems and old favorites – usually on the first or second Tuesday of each month.

Get to Know Your WMSE DJ Profile

How do you spend your days and nights when not hosting your radio show?

Well I do work a full time “regular job”. When I’m not doing that, I like to be outdoors as much as possible. I like taking marathon long walks and cruising around on the bicycle. I just started skateboarding again after a many year hiatus. Hanging out with my peeps, enjoying many of the fine drinking establishments in the Bay View area. Kicking back on my balcony checking out the local wildlife. Being lazy when I want and the occasional TV session or documentaries, and reading from time to time. I also listen to quite a bit of music! Like most people, I love cooking and eating, and tightening up my chef skills.

Do you remember what band, album or song took you from being a casual music listener to a passionate music lover? Is there a memory associated with that experience?

I don’t know if I can narrow that down to one band or song or album, for that matter. I’ve always been way into listening to music since a really young age. [What] most kids I think are raised on like cookies and milk are those corny children’s records. I was raised on rock ‘n’ roll music. The radio was always on in my house and both my parents played records on the reg. My dad was a moderate record collector when I was coming up, so he’d hit the mainstream record riots at state fair park back in the day (way back in the day) and the cut out bin blowout sales at Target. He’d let my brother and I get a few things and we’d get whatever had a cool cover or stuff we had heard of before. I remember listening to Kiss Alive 2 and News Of The World by Queen on a crap-ass Fischer Price record player at a super young age and listening to the records my dad picked up on his stereo setup. He used to make a lot of tapes so he’d always be playing records. Then you get a little older and get into your own music and the whole thing changes again.

Getting turned on to different stuff? I’d have to say that WMSE in the late 80′s early 90′s and skateboarding videos got me into some pretty incredible and totally diverse music. Some of those WMSE shows back then got me into wanting to do radio in the first place; truly incredible stuff. The Turf skate park had a real badass jukebox as well. Then I got into getting dubbed tapes from people, making dubs myself and the networking that dubbed tapes provided at that point in the days before the Internet. Wearing tapes out, getting stuff on crummy tape stock, wearing those out. Taping stuff off WMSE on Iron Maiden tapes [editor’s note: we do not endorse taping over Iron Maiden Tapes], stuff like that. I was an avid WMSE taper in the late 80′s early 90′s. I wish I had those tapes because they were awesome. Two or three have survived!

What band have you heard or discovered in the past six months that reminded you why you want to continue being a WMSE DJ.

Not so much a band, but a lot of stuff I hear on the station and what my fellow DJs are playing. It gets me pumped to do radio. Songs I hear when I’m checking out music or things I hear, I write it down, check it out and many times share with the listeners. I also don’t listen that much to current music, which is something I’m getting ready to change.

Who is your favorite non-you WMSE DJ and why?

My main man Cosmo Cruz. Just the way he put together songs, he was a master at building atmosphere. Whatever he played you knew something really kickass was coming next. Then there was his yakking — the ‘King of the Yak’! Having the opportunity to co-host with him was one of the great pleasures of my life. He turned me onto some really amazing stuff, I’m proud to call him a friend, and honored that he enjoys and supports me doing the show [Marty currently fills Cosmos Tuesday slot]…and I still consider it his show in a way. He was super stylish doing radio, too. Once his head gets bopping, you know you’re in for some incredible shit. He always delivered. It’s fun just hanging out with him, sitting around, shooting the breeze. Dude is a trip! He’s irreplaceable as a DJ — he’s like an American John Peel on many levels. I’m glad I got to roll with him.

Close second? Dewey Gill. Both of his shows are incredible. My earliest memories of hearing WMSE was Dewey’s Big Band show in the early 80′s. My Dad used to make my brother and I go to Sunday school on Sherman Boulevard, and after, he would take us around the city and show us cool things. The Big Band Show would always be on the radio.

Honorable mention? Barry Johnson and the Boogie Bang Gang! Been a fan of the show since the late 80′s. A great way to enjoy a Saturday, even if you’re working!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Fat chance at me growing up anytime soon. I’m afraid that ship has sailed…