Mouth to Ear

"Mouth to Ear"
by Matthew White

?Wanted,? read the ad, ?a Dick Summer style dj for east coast major.? The ad used lingo, to save costly space. ?Major,? the reader knew, meant a radio station in a large, east coast market. Perhaps the ad came from Boston, Miami or New York City. The goal was lofty.

Many djs claim such ads ran about them; it?s shtick to hype self-importance. Opening Billboard Magazine, to the classified ads, this one jumped off the page, about 1978. ?A Dick Summer style dj? is asking a lot. Why didn?t the advertiser call Dick and offer him a job?

Surely, the ad flopped. There never was, isn?t now and won?t ever be another Dick Summer. The mould broke after the original. From Brooklyn come unique successes, and few copycats.

Summer fit well among giants. His warmth, sensitivity and style matched ?Wolfman Jack.? He balanced the raucous ?Cousin Brucie.? His intelligence complimented Carl de Suze. His subtle mischievousness laid way for the lampooning Don Imus. He and Alison Steele, the Nightbird, were late-night poets, who set listeners free and aloft.

The sum all others and more, Dick Summer stands tallest. He?s as smooth as Larry ?Superjock? Lujack or Sonny Fox. He?s as off-the-wall as Dale Dorman or Soupy Sales. As cerebral as Steve Allen, Dick Summer is cleverer. He offered Shrewsbury crumbs or a scoop of peanut butter to contest winners.

William B Williams (William Breitbard), of WNEW-AM, was the childhood idol of Dick Summer. About Williams, Bill O'Shaughnessy said, he confirmed "good taste knows no age or season ? [he] was comfortable with everyone ? and everyone was comfortable with him." The same, and more, is easily said of Dick Summer. As with Williams, you heard it in every air shift.

Summer leapt more than his share of tall radio towers. A New York station fired him for being too successful. On a cold Christmas Eve, thousands of women, men and children jammed the Boston Common, in response to an innocent on-air comment. His interviewed shy celebrities, such as Rod McKuen, Judy Collins and the late Sandy Baron, and stamped lasting impressions.

?It was fun,? says Dick Summer, as if it were usual. If only it were usual. His hopes for radio are few. The move away from listener needs, to the wants of owners, he believes, lessens the role of radio, in our lives. The purpose of radio has changed, but radio has a purpose. We need only to find that purpose. We are almost sure where to look, but no one has bothered.

Summer has little ego, but much attitude, both the result of a lifetime of creative expression. He worked as a hypno-therapist, helping men and women manage their fears, phobias and frailties. Fittingly, he called his practice, Quiet Decisions. His passions, today, are flying, and Wonder Wench.

Matthew White joined Dick, in his home studio, for a chat. Many truths emerged, as you?ll read. Do what you love and success follows is most obvious. Less apparent is that in our uniqueness lies opportunity: find out what makes you unique and work it to your advantage. Dick did. Click here to read how he did it.