Inside traxx: Diary of DJ Sisyphus

The Crossroads

Well, after all a week of scrambling for cash and playing Casanova, today is the big day: the day I finally sign up for broadcasting school. This morning I am going to my official National Broadcasting Training Network interview, to talk about getting placed in a real live radio station. Pretty exciting stuff, after a lame summer of watching music videos and working at the record store. I'm nervous too though, you know? I feel like this interview is the crossroads deciding whether I am destined to become a DJ, or work in the record store forever. What if, after all this effort and expense, this NBTN place isn't even legit, and their idea of an on-air gig is the intercom at Mickey D's?

I'm sweatin' seriously, and it's not just this cheesy sports coat my mother insisted I wear. Yes, yours truly is currently stylin' down the street in his one and only three-piece suit (bought for my Aunt Zelda's wedding) but don't worry, my lucky Pumas are still in tact. Be true to thyself, said Emerson and DJ Sisyphus. "And that's exactly what I intend to do", I thought, as I approached the door of the National Broadcasting Training Network, the broadcasting school that would make or break my chances of becoming a DJ once and for all. It was go time.

As it turned out, I needn't have worried. Compared to my last disastrous KMPU interview, my NBTN interview was a breeze. The NBTN Placement Director Nina was real nice and she didn't make me feel unprofessional or anything just because I didn't have experience. She mostly just asked me questions about what I was looking for, like what was my dream radio station to work for, how long had I wanted to be a radio disk jockey, what got me interested in broadcasting school, etc. The questions were real detailed and I got the feeling NBTN really took my dreams of becoming a DJ seriously, not just treating me like some punk kid like KMPU did. Overall, it was a really good experience.

After Nina and I talked and decided NBTN was the right broadcasting school for me, I had to pay $250 to begin the placement process, but that was okay. I was really psyched about NBTN and since my parents helped me pay the initial fee, I had a little money left over. Besides, after Nina told me the cost of most broadcasting schools, I realized I was getting a great deal, and felt like one of those smart shoppers my mom is always watching on TV.

The thing is, Nina said the placement process could take about two or three weeks, so its up to me, DJ Sisyphus, to sit tight and wait to hear back. But she assured me that the waiting process was only that long because they wanted to fit you with the best radio station possible. She even said they usually place you within your top three choices of radio stations. But here's what I haven't told you yet: in my interview, I named, like, my dream station, the one I was telling you about, WDRQ, where DJ Loco works. What if NBTN really could make that dream happen? I don't even want to think about how cool that would be...

Holding Steady,
DJ Sisyphus