My Space

KXCI Tucson celebrates 30 years on the air next month. In the latest of our series on people's favorite spaces, DJ Vance Sanders, aka Van Man, talks about why being surrounded by nothing but music is better than therapy. By Gillian Drummond.

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KXCI operates out of a historic house in downtown Tucson's Armory Park. Photo by Gillian Drummond

"I got into music fairly early. My mom listened to a lot of music. She had John Denver and Neil Diamond on, but she also had Revolver by The Beatles. At three years old the perception I had [at the end of that record] was of bats flying.

"I DJ'd at college, and after I moved to Tucson I took the DJ class here at KXCI. This is my 18th year here. We have about 80 on-air DJ's and all but two are voluntary.

"There are people that walk in here five minutes before their gig and they sound great. I'm just not that person. I have to get organized. I come in here around 8:30 a.m. for my 10 to noon Monday shift and then go to work. Mondays are my late nights at the office (I'm a pediatric doctor) so I'm going from 8 till 8 that night.

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Vance Sanders, a regular at KXCI for 18 years. Photo by Gillian Drummond

"I walk in and I've already got my music picked. That's why I call requests suggestions. In my case I probably play less than half of the requests I get. But it's amazing how often people call in with a suggestion that fits right in with what I'm playing. I've got very good listeners that way.

"I dream about songs and I dream about the segues between songs. I probably play more goofy songs than most of the other DJs here - funny, sick and twisted kinds of songs.

"I've always said I work through a lot of issues through music. It's cheaper than therapy. Music can really totally express what you feel. I've said it on-air - no matter how the week goes, I know I've started the week with something that isn't going to suck.

"I probably took a good ten years to get comfortable with the microphone. You're talking to thin air. At 2 a.m. you might be just playing records for yourself. It took me ten years to realize that if I play music for myself, it's going to sound better to the audience. I used to try to play things I didn't necessarily like. But my [music] tastes are varied enough that I didn't have to play stuff I didn't like."

* KXCI celebrates 30 years on the air in December. Its current Amplify KXCI! Capital Campaign is raising money for an auxiliary transmitter, and to make improvements to its offices in Tucson's historic Armory Park. To donate, click here. Find KXCI at 91.3 FM.

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KXCI celebrates 30 years as a community radio station in December. Photo by Gillian Drummond

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Comments

  1. Love this behind the scene intro to Van Man.

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