By Rick Kaempfer
ALTERNATIVE ROCK PIONEER
T
im Virgin first hit the airwaves in
Chicago over twenty years ago.
“(Loop program director) Greg Solk
hired me in 1996. At that time they were
thinking of turning the Loop into an XRT-
ish type format, the best music on the plan-
et, and he needed an alternative guy, and
that was me. When they went a different
direction, my buddy Alex Luke took over at
Q101, and I went there.”
Virgin is back at that 101.1 frequency
now, but he has been just about everywhere
since then (including a second stint at the
Loop), and has done just about every type
of format. His ability to shift back and forth
between different types of formats makes
him one of the most versatile jocks in the
business.
They were kind of on each other a little so I
asked if they were dating, and Dennis said
yeah. Well, the next day that got into the
media, and my phone started ringing.
Dennis’ assistant called ‘Dennis is pissed at
you! It’s in the Enquirer.’ I replied, ‘Did he
notice those microphones in front of him?
He was on the radio! He didn’t talk to me
for a few weeks. We did make up, and we
did have a friendship for a few years and I
got to know the real Dennis. He was just a
sweet guy. He just wanted to help people
out. Some people were really taking advan-
tage of him. Another time he came in with
Eddie Vedder on a Saturday. It was amaz-
ing.”
The alternative format is a little different
these days. It’s more of a top-40 approach,
Tim Virgin
“I’ve done top 40, classic rock, alterna-
tive, and various different mixtures of those
things. It is unusual. Totally different
approaches. Top 40 needs keep the music
moving, and alternative and classic rock
were more traditional stopping and talking,
and I just went with the flow and did what
I needed to do. It’s acting, man.”
Though he’s done them all, his heart
definitely lies in the alternative format. He
was one of the pioneers of the format, and
recognized its potential immediately.
“When Nirvana came out I was work-
ing at a top-40 station, and I wanted to play
MTV stuff, alternative into hip hop into
whatever was happening at the point. They
acted like I was taking over the station
every night and doing the show from my
basement, and that’s what I did--the best of
the black and the best of the white, and
that’s the show that really launched me.”
In his early days at Q101, he found out that
he wasn’t alone in his love of the format.
“Dennis Rodman was on the Bulls, and I
met him at a Bulls game one night. I was sit-
ting in these great seats, and I had like a
purple Mohawk at the time. One of
Rodman’s guys says to me, ‘Hey man,
Dennis loves the music you guys play.’ I
invited him to come into the studio, but I
really didn’t think he would ever come.
Sure as shit, the next day, they called me
and said Dennis is here and wants to come
on. I said hell yes. He was so huge at that
time. He showed up with Brian Liesegang
from Filter and Carmen Electra at like 8:00
one night, and his guys said ‘Dennis like
Kamikazes and Miller Lite. I told one of the
interns--‘Go get Dennis some fuckin’ Miller
Lite.’ He got so comfortable. He was with
Carmen, but it was a well-known fact that
she was dating a guy from Cypress Hill.
16 illinoisentertainer.com september 2019
with constant movement, talking over the
records, and letting the music do the talk-
ing. Virgin has adjusted, and manages to
pack a lot of personality into a small win-
dow of opportunity.
“Way harder to do these short bits,” he
admits. “It’s like talk-texting. Don’t waste a
word. Pack a punch. I admit, it’s hard on
your ego--sometimes I think am I really cut-
ting that out?--but it’s what the people
want. It’s our audience – younger 18-49
year olds – they don’t want extra stuff. And
there’s an art and a challenge to it.”
For the first time in several radio stops,
Virgin is able to concentrate exclusively on
his on-air approach.
“I’ve been a music director and program
director just about everywhere before, but
I’m not doing that now. And I kind of like
that. Here is the best part of not doing it.
I’m now 100% on the air when I’m on the
air. Before there was always part of me that
was thinking about programming, and
wasn’t 100% there. I’m lovin’ doing this
now. The older I get, the more committed I
get.”
And like so many others in the music
radio business, Tim loves the music. He has
even worked as a record company execu-
tive in the past. It’s something he studies
and thinks about it and lives. Right now,
he’s really keeping his eyes open.
“I am clamoring for the new thing--that
thing replaces guitars and hip hop. What is
next? There’s a bit of a lull. Like the late '80s
when Poison was the thing before there
was a course correction and we got grunge.
Something new is coming soon. I just know
it. And we’ll be the ones to play it.”
Tim Virgin can be heard afternoons on
WKQX 101.1 FM.