New to Paducah from St. Louis, Cale Simmons, 24, is fast becoming the area’s hottest DJ, burning up the airwaves on 105.5 The Cat’s All-Request Lost ’80s Lunch and 106.7 WZZL’s midnight hour. Toss out a topic and Simmons will play verbal ball with his sharp, funny, off-the-cuff insights. Sure, he sounds cute on air. But in person? Yep, he’s super cute! And he won’t even complain if you request Debbie Gibson.Cale Simmons, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it! Cale is a very unusual name, yes?
Actually, my real name is Billy Simmons. But when I joined Withers Broadcasting, they already had a Billy — Billy Biggles. (See sidebar, right). So I had to pick another name.
Did they give you a list?
No. I’m good friends with my oldest sister, so I just called up and said, “This is going to sound weird, but we have to come up with a new name for me.” I even went to baby name Web sites to find something.
That sound like giving birth to yourself!
Yeah, it almost is. I thought Cale would sound good on the radio and go well with Simmons, and it just kind of stuck. Now most people call me Cale instead of Billy, even away from work.
Cale Simmons. Kinda sounds like Gene Simmons meets a stir-fry.
Mmm. I love Chinese! You’re making me hungry. Let’s go grab a bite, iList!
Rock on! Meet you at Number 1 Super China Buffet! Welcome to Paducah, by the way! You came here from St. Louis?Yes, I was an intern for Emmis Communications while I was in radio school there, and they surprisingly liked me well enough to hire me part-time. I finished school, and it was clear that the Emmis job wasn’t going to turn into a full-time on-air position. So I sent out a demo and, low and behold, now I’m in Paducah. I moved here the first week of October.
It’s already starting to feel like a home. The people are very welcoming and have definitely treated me well.
And now you’re on from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., including the noontime All-Request Lost ’80s Lunch, and you’re on midnight to 5 a.m. That’s quite a schedule! When do you sleep?
Well, let’s just say, “Never underestimate the magic of radio!”
So how does on-air Cale Simmons compare to off-air Billy Simmons?It’s tough to say. When I’m on The Cat, it’s a daytime show and people want to hear the music. So I try to be brief. I’m not a gigantic personality on-air — I’m more of a facilitator. On ZZL, I have more liberty to ramble or rant about what is going on. I’ll talk more about the game the night before. But on The Cat, I’ll talk celebrity gossip.
How did you get interested in radio?
Growing up in St. Louis, I listened to sports talk radio constantly. I thought that was the coolest thing that you could get paid to just talk about what’s going on in the world. I bounced around to three different colleges — including Northern Illinois, where they just had that shooting. And I just woke up one day and had an epiphany. I knew I couldn’t sit in an office for the rest of my life.
So I went to the Broadcast Center in St. Louis where all you do is radio — they work with you on your voice and diction, and your board work. I was in heaven. That pretty much changed the whole direction of my life. I’m very thankful that I did it.
And so are we! What do you love about radio?I love the surprises. The music on my ’80s show is pretty much the same, but every day is different with different things going on in the world. I’m not a newscaster, but my job is to entertain, so I try to find the fun stories of the day. And I really like the interaction with the fans.
You mean when they call in?
Yes. The highest compliment I can get is when someone calls and tells me I’m doing a good job, or they’re enjoying the music or that they laughed at a joke. The interaction with the fans is a high that I get every day. It’s cool to know there are people out there who are listening — and who aren’t related to you.
Do you have tons of groupies who hang around the station?
No, no, nothing like that. We have very strong fans, though. It’s cool to recognize the voices calling in. I almost always know what kinds of they’re going to request. Like if we play Debbie Gibson, there’s always some guy who will call in and want to hear Run DMC or the Beastie Boys.
Which band gets the most requests?
People live for Duran Duran. I don’t know what it is — they cannot get enough. Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf — it does not matter. And Bon Jovi. Anything Bon Jovi. And Pat Benatar.
What about Madonna?
I have to slip Madonna in on my own. I think people overlook her. More guys than girls will request her.
What do you listen to when you’re off duty?
Bob Marley and Radiohead are always in my rotation. My favorite of all time is Citizen Cope. I love John Coltrane. Definitely blues and jazz.
So what makes a good DJ? I mean, how is it that David Lee Roth couldn’t make it as a DJ?David Lee Roth is immensely talented, but he followed Howard Stern. You don’t wanna be the guy who follows the guy. You wanna be the guy who follows the guy who follows the guy.
I’ve just been doing this a year — but I think it all boils down to keeping it personal. You have to let your listeners know what’s going on in your life so that you’re an actual person that they almost know. If I’m having a bad day, I’m not going to say that I’m having a bad day. But when my sister had a baby the other week, that’s something I shared with my listeners.
OK, speaking of Howard Stern. I’m no prude, but how long can he keep milking the same old shtick?
Howard Stern does disgusting, controversial things, but he’s highly intelligent. He definitely knows what he’s doing. He’s definitely my generation’s most influential and important radio broadcaster.
Yick.
Well, he’s a great businessman. And he’s making bank with Sirius. If you’re in the talk format, no matter what you think of him, he definitely is today’s radio icon.
Oh ick, ick, ick. I mean, if Howard Stern called up and offered you a job?
I’d take it, without a doubt. I’d even be an intern. It would be an invaluable experience for someone starting out in radio.
What if he made you do all those mean things to strippers? What would your mom say?
She wouldn’t be too pleased.
Me neither! OK, back to our G-ish rated interview. You’re a Cardinals fan, of course!
If you grow up anywhere near St. Louis like I did, you grow up with the Cardinals. I like all sports, but especially Cardinals baseball. I love baseball.
What’s your take on Roger Clemens?
I think he’s a gigantic liar and now he’s lost all respect and dignity in the baseball community. And you know it’s pretty bad when you’re throwing everyone under the bus, including your wife, to prove your innocence.
Plus, he has a terrible haircut. It’s shaved too short. I don’t know what’s up with that. It’s sad.
And you’re quite the salon expert! Cute video (right) of you shaving Billy Biggles’ head!Billy has been a great inspiration to all of us around the station. He’s only 22 and has shown tremendous strength through his battle with cancer. That day was just something fun to do for the listeners — to keep them involved with what was going on with Billy. I think it was pretty admirable that he has maintained such a sense of humor throughout his ordeal.
Absolutely! I love your political comments. How did you get interested in politics?
I love competition. Politics takes competition to a whole new level. I was one of those weird little kids who forced my mom to take me to Target so I could mock vote for a candidate. I’d go around with my dad to pass out fliers.
So, would you pass out fliers for Obama or Hillary?
I just want someone who can cross party lines — and I think that’s what most people want. Someone who can unite our country.
Hum…. Speaking of uniting, how’s your love life?
Well, it’s been close to non-existent since I’ve been here — I’m so busy.
Cale, you’re too cute to be too busy for a love life! People have tried to set me up, and let me just tell you — it does not work. I’ve dated enough girls and been in enough relationships that I know what I’m looking for.
And that is?
Well, I mean, I don’t have a checklist, but I have a pretty high energy level. In the spring and summer, I like to mountain bike at the lake. Or go to the driving range. I can only sit in the house and watch TV for so long before I go stir crazy. So I’d like to find someone who enjoys being active — or who can at least tolerate that I’m like that.
Well, I’m sure you can find plenty of active women around here.
There’s definitely one thing I like about Kentucky women — they’ve got that Kentucky accent, and that’s hot. You’ll be thinking that a girl is OK and all, and then she busts out that Kentucky accent….
And then what?
I pretty much melt.
All y’all guys do! OK, I have to ask. On your Myspace, you list Fight Club, Gladiator, V For Vendetta and Little Miss Sunshine as your favorite movies. Little Miss Sunshine? That’s quite a departure from Fight Club.
Well, I do have a soft side that not too many people know about. I like The Notebook too.
Oh, dude, Howard Stern would totally roast you for that.
Haha… I guarantee Howard Stern liked The Notebook, also. If you didn’t like that movie, you have no soul!
So if Howard doesn’t end up calling (and frankly, you are just too cute for Howard Stern), what’s ahead for you?
I definitely want to continue doing radio — a morning talk show would be great. I don’t like to look too far into the future. I’m truly enjoying my time here. Paducah is big enough to grow with but small enough so that I can make mistakes and not get into trouble. You can’t buy that kind of experience.
The station really has let me find my voice and personality. No matter how natural you feel behind the microphone, it takes several years to find who you are on the radio. I have a lot of things I need to improve upon.
Well, Cale Simmons, you sound plenty good to us! You can turn our dials anytime! (Oh, that sounded a little Howard Stern-y, didn’t it?) DJ on, Cale Simmons!
