Let’s start with the obvious question: how did a Gen Z guy like you end up hosting a show dedicated to Gen X music from the 1980s?
Well, it certainly all began with having Gen X parents and Gen X parents' friends who listen to 80s music. That was the initial exposure. But at this point, I've outpaced them all. I love music from all decades, 50s, 60s 70s... and stuff coming out in 2025 too. But 80s stuff just has a certain pull for me. I am especially into some of the alternative stuff coming out of the UK from the 1980s. I knew that having a show with 80s music was my calling, because I simply know so much of it!
Which albums or artists sparked your interest in 80s music?
That's a super difficult to answer, but my dad's favorite bands to this day are U2 and The Police... I really think those bands provided me with the framework to then branch out.
Do your friends listen to 80s music? How do they feel about you jamming to 40-year-old music?
All of my friends are music nerds like me, which means they are into the 80s stuff too. We each have our "niche", and I am absolutely known as the 80s guy who is into new wave, post-punk and other scenes from that era. I don't trust people my age who won't go back in time and listen to the gems of the past.
The 80s covered a wide range of musical genres, including late-stage disco, new wave, rap, heavy metal, and early grunge. Which of these is your favorite?
As I said above, I really enjoy alternative 80s music. New wave bands like Talking Heads, XTC, Prefab Sprout, New Order, and obscure picks like Cocteau Twins and The Blue Nile are absolute obsessions to me. I really enjoy the use of synths from this era, combined with a guitar and other instruments, it can add so much to a piece. All that said, I am also into other 80s stuff: soul stuff like Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, early rap like Public Enemy, Eric B/Rakim, ambient music like Brian Eno, David Sylvian ... and more "poppier" stuff like MJ, Phil Collins, Tom Petty and Cyndi Lauper. I love it all!
If you could time travel back to the 1980s, who would you want to see in concert?
I think this list would take up an entire page or two... given that nearly all of my favorite 80s groups are defunct or have members who have passed. I really would like to see Cocteau Twins, New Order, Depeche Mode, and how could anyone pass up on seeing Michael Jackson during the Thriller tour?
Vinyl or CD?
Vinyl all the way. I have a collection and even sell them myself at record conventions and online. CDs are cool and efficient, but Vinyl just has that "antique" feeling that CDs don't. If anyone has records that they want to share, let me know!
Some of us at Delmarva Public Media spent a lot of time listening to radio in the 80s. Which current artists should we be paying attention to?
Well, first I think if there are any groups/artists/scenes from the 80s that I listed and you aren't familiar with, go back and check them out. Much of the 80s underground was, well, underground at the time and overshadowed by the top charts. There's a lot of music from the 80s that I have shown to my parents for the first time.
Today, I think Magdalena Bay is a synthpop duo that brings a lot of what the 80s dance scene had to offer. They have that passion, glamour and flare to them that synthpop groups of the 80s offered, while also playing into modern experiments.
Tune in to All Access 80's on Saturdays at 8:00 PM, with an encore presentation on Mondays at 2:00 PM, only on WSDL 90.7 FM