Jim, when you first DJ'd, were you mic' shy? If so, what made you feel comfortable?

Jim replied....

First?

I was always mike shy.

I used to get quite nervous before each and every show I ever did, and frankly, I do not know of any way to cope with being nervous.

However, I had a trick which got me round it, which I got from a news reader.

I asked him how come he never seemed nervous (he would be laughing an joking with me even as the News Jingle was playing), and his answer was:

"What have I to be nervous about. I am only reading it off a sheet of paper. Can't get that wrong!"

I knew that about five or ten minutes into every show, I was fine, so I started to script the opening two or three links - and stuck rigidly to the script.

After that, it flowed fine.

Weird thing is - when I was PD, I often had to literally step in suddenly without warning and with no script - and everything went OK!

But when I knew I had a show to do, it seemed to build up a sort of tension, and I needed those first few links scripted.

Sorry not to be of more help.

The only thing I can say - do not take a drink before going on air! I did it once, and several people remarked later that I sounded so relaxed, they presumed I had been drinking!

• RE: Pat Boone - Speedy Gonzales - 1962 - John 04/26/2010 15:27:55 EDT (1)