remembering…

I remember hearing the alarm clock go off at a time my body is never ready to get up. I put on decent clothes that I hope matched and lazily applied enough makeup to look presentable for the office. As I start the engine and drive to work, I turn on the radio and listen to the DJ’s talk gossip about The Bachelor and American Idol, make jokes about being Mexican and poke fun at each other. This was the best DJ crew to wake me up in the morning and make me laugh. That show was Kidd Kraddick in the Morning.

We all heard the news this weekend about Kidd Kraddick’s death while at a golf tournament for his beloved charity, Kidd’s Kids. By now we know about the heart disease, the memorial services and have listened to some or all of the morning show that aired live on Monday with tearful memories from Kelly Raspberry, Jay-Si and Big Al Mack.

When I moved to Dallas in 2006 it was the first radio station that I really liked. Sure there were times I thought the DJ’s were annoying, mostly because it was too much energy for 7am, but they got me up and made the 20-30 minute drive time to work a little brighter. It was pop culture to the max with top 40 hits, gossip on reality shows (hizzywood hizzle), and idiosyncracies between the crew that you just couldn’t help but laugh at. I often looked forward to the commentary of The Bachelor the morning after the show aired and often found myself getting to work just a tad bit late in order to hear the whole thing. I never met any of the DJ’s, but my first reaction when I looked them up was a resounding “that’s what they look like?!?!”. 

Kidd Kraddick was a genius at his craft. A fabulous DJ voice that found and lead an incredible crew with personalities that meshed so well it’s almost magical. Not only was he successful at what he did, he also had a heart with Kidd’s Kids, a charity I’m sure will flourish even more now.

Thanks Kidd for making my mornings a little brighter. This article from D Magazine said it best:

“Next week, and later, when school starts up again, countless people are going to climb into their cars, stare at that thing with two knobs on the dashboard, and not know what to do with it.”