DJ Punky enlightened listeners this semester by sharing some insane moments from music history. From Justin Bieber's unlikely arrest to a big state of confusion for Alice Cooper, DJ Punky shares her takes on some of music history's biggest moments. Check out a look back at some of those takes below!
March 21, 2004 - Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne was named the nation’s favorite ambassador to welcome aliens to
planet earth. The 55-year-old singer came top of a poll as the face people want to
represent them to alien life. The poll of internet users was carried out following the
discovery of signs of water on Mars. Ozzy won 26 percent of the vote. A spokesman
for Yahoo! News said: “As the world waits desperately for signs of alien life, we
decided to ask our users who they thought was best suited for this most auspicious of
roles. Ozzy is a great choice but I’m not sure what the Martians would make of his
individual approach to the English language.
DJ Punky’s take: Ozzy Osbourne is, undoubtedly, the Earth’s best first line of defense for hostile aliens.
March 28, 2013 - Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber ran into some trouble at Munich airport when customs officials detained
and quarantined his monkey. Bieber had recently been given the capuchin monkey as
a pet by record producer Mally Mall. Bieber apparently brought the monkey along to
join him on the Austrian and German leg of his European tour, but he didn't have the
documentation required to bring his new friend into Germany. Bieber went on to
perform in Munich while the monkey was kept in the custody of authorities.
DJ Punky’s take: Who buys their client a monkey as a gift? And why didn’t I know about this until now? Also, I love how Justin Bieber was so awful, even his pet monkey found a way to get out of touring with him.
April 4, 2007 - Metallica
A Swedish couple ran into trouble with authorities after trying to name their baby
Metallica. Michael and Karolina Tomaro went to court with the country's National
Tax Authority about naming their daughter after the rock band. The six-month-old had
been baptized Metallica, but tax officials said the name was "inappropriate". Under Swedish law, both first names, and surnames need to win the approval of authorities before they can be us.
April 11, 1977 - Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper played to an audience of 40,000 in Sydney, Australia, the largest crowd to attend a rock concert in the country's history. After the show, Cooper was placed under house arrest at his hotel until he posted a bond for $59,632. That amount was the sum that a promoter claimed to have paid Cooper for a 1975 Australia tour he never made. The two settled when it was found that the promoter did not fulfill his part of the agreement either.
DJ Punky’s take: Bold of this man. I must say this is the first I’ve heard of someone essentially using the Australian government as a lawyer to sue someone.
April 18, 1975 - Bay City Rollers
Four Bay City Rollers fans were taken to the hospital and 35 others required on-site treatment after they attempted to swim across a lake to meet their heroes. The group was making an appearance at a BBC Radio 1 fun day at Mallory Park.
DJ Punky’s take: I have nothing to say except that’s dedication. It truly is. I bet they don’t regret it either.
I'm DJ Punky, the one and only host of It's Just A Phase, your teen music specialty show. I'm not a teen anymore, but I'm a little emo who never quite grew up. I'm also the Station Manager here at WUSC for the 2022-2023 term, so if you ever want to meet me, I'll be at our events! I'm a record collector, ironic dresser, industrial music lover, emo enthusiast, converse collector, piercing fanatic, and of course, a DJ! It's Just A Phase features music that's the stuff you know your parents wouldn't listen to. I've always loved weird music, the kind of stuff that mostly teenagers listen to and think they're edgy and unique for. My show is made up of music that, in some way, is about or essential to teens. If it inspired a teen movement, like glam metal, I'll play it. If it's a stereotypically teen sound, like pop punk, I'll play it. If it's something super weird and out there and I'm the only listener on Spotify, I'll play it. If it's emo, I'll definitely play it. My classic line when someone asks me to describe my show is "Imagine you walk into a teenager's bedroom and ask what they're listening to. If they'd tell you that you wouldn't understand, that's what I'll play." So if you're here for the weird, wacky, and wonderful, listen to It's Just A Phase.