I've mentioned it before, but I loved being a DJ in college. But how could you not love it?
I played music for everyone in a whopping eight-mile radius.
I heard new music before anyone else. The Internet has put everyone on equal footing, but this used to be a big deal.
Free posters.
Sorrority girls called the station to flirt with me. Why wasn't this my first point?
I played bumpers of alternative bands that the station had somehow bribed to announce their call letters.
Free bumper stickers.
I was in a tiny little room all by myself, the perfect getaway for a music-loving misanthrope.
I did two shows a week and garnered a bit of a following, even though I didn't go to school there. I met the Station Manager in a bar one night and, rather than hitting on her, hit her up for a job.
But there was one thing I didn't like about being a DJ.
There was one thing I didn't like about being all by myself.
Eventually, I'd need to take a leak. Or grab a smoke.
That's where the cigarette songs came in.
Cigarette songs were always marked in red on the albums (yes, we played ALBUMS in the early 90s. How fucking archaic was that?).
Cigarette songs were songs that were over five minutes in length.
Do you what you can accomplish in five minutes if you set your mind to it? A lot.
Hell, you can smoke and take a leak if you don't worry about washing your hands.
Cigarette Songs
