Coyote J. Calhoun

Well you can't turn him into a company man

You can't turn him into a whore

And the boys upstairs just don't understand anymore

Well the top brass don't like him talking so much,

And he won't play what they say to play

And he don't want to change what don't need to change

There goes the last dj

Who plays what he wants to play

And says what he wants to say, hey hey hey

. . . Tom Petty 

For those of us old enough to remember the late 1980's, Coyote J. Calhoun's infamous on-air firing by Z-102's program director is the stuff of legend. Obviously, those who remember this storied event lived within the broadcast range of the radio station, so this would certainly include Walker County. I clearly recall practically everyone I knew talking about it the next day at school (I would have been a Senior), but since no one had taped the episode I had to take their word for it. Now, all these years later, this notorious event can be heard in its full glory on Youtube.

We all knew Coyote J. to be somewhat of a shock jock, and those old enough to remember some of his antics during the 1970's may recall him faking his own murder live on air. By comparison, this particular antic would pale in its overall shock value. Perhaps he took  inspiration for this caper from FM, a 1978 film centered around a revolt by disc jockeys against the station's owners. It did somewhat remind me of the movie's main plot in that respect. Whatever the reasoning, me and my crew could have cared less for Z-102 and it's Top 40 format, and assumed our favorite dj was simply cutting against the grain as he always did. No one considered him a revolutionary per se, just a bored disc jockey combating the drudgery of merely going through the motions each day to earn a paycheck. Besides, Top 40 radio needed a good shaking once in awhile and the very existence of The Edge provided just that. The Edge, Coyote’s 2-hour Sunday night program, was unique to the region. Nowhere else on Birmingham radio was there a program dedicated exclusively to alternative rock music. If there were no Coyote J. Calhoun, there'd be no Edge. This was unacceptable. 

All these years later my memory is rather hazy about which radio station Coyote J.ended up at after Z-102. I remember there being no Edge for a few weeks, maybe even a month, but it eventually returned at another radio station. I seem to recall there still being an Edge program when I moved to Memphis in 1991 because this was one of the first regrets I had about moving. As I've mentioned earlier, this show was of monumental importance to me. We didn't have the internet in the late 1980's so, therefore, there was no Youtube, no streaming of any kind, and no immediate way to learn of new alternative music. No way outside of The Edge that is. If your favorite record shop didn't stock it, and you didn't subscribe to Alternative Press magazine as I did, you were 100% dependent on Coyote J.'s The Edge. 

Those who tuned in weekly surely remember the occasional "Horse Rotorvator" parties that, if memory serves me correct, would begin promptly at midnight. During such events the entirety of Coil's swansong album "Horse Rotorvator" would titillate the informed and potentially unnerve the uninitiated. Clock DVA's "Buried Dreams" may have also been played in its entirety on The Edge, or else I'm confused in my memories. "Blllluuuuuuuh!" 

A new beginning at a new station didn't temper Coyote one bit, as he was his cynical and caustic self, as expected. Even on the commercial-free Edge, he would still do the occasional plug from what I can remember, although I don't recall there being any the usual pre-recorded sound clips. Why I remember this one particular tidbit is beyond me, but it still resonates all these years later. I guess he was coerced by the program director to promote free tickets to an upcoming concert. These free tickets were for The Rembrandts, a pop duo who masqueraded as alternative. I clearly recall something along these lines: "So call me up and you can win two tickets to see the shitty Rembrandts." He spared no criticism when it was earned. The band, by the way, dodged the honor of being a one-hit wonder thanks to Friends, for which their song "I'll Be There for You" was chosen as the theme song. But I digress . . . 

To be fair, I didn't need The Edge to inform me about Bauhaus or The Cure as I was already well aware of them, but my CD and vinyl collection grew exponentially during those formative years with titles from artists I first heard on Coyote J.'s Sunday night program. Poesie Noire, for example, is still one of my favorites to this day. In fact, it was during a search for their release "Love is Colder than Death" that I actually met the man himself -- Coyote J. that is. I recall vividly asking Jimmy Griffin, one of the managers at Charlemagne Record Exchange, if he could order me a CD copy of this particular album that I'd heard on The Edge. I remember Jimmy pointing to a middle-aged guy standing next to me and indicating that he'd know all about The Edge. I had no idea what Coyote J. looked like so I didn't get the hint. Jimmy, likely seeing my confusion, added "this is Coyote." Well I'll be damned, I had never met a bona fide celebrity until that day at Charlemagne's. I was admittedly a bit star struck and quite excited, and I'm sure Coyote was tickled to meet a genuine fan of The Edge in particular. I remember him warning me off the band's older releases (they aren't very good in fact) but telling Jimmy and I that this newest release didn't have a single wasted track on the whole album. I also remember asking how he was able to tolerate the format he had to endure during the majority of his time on air, and to confirm my earlier suspicions "tolerate" was indeed the operative term. 

After moving to Memphis in 1991 it was several years before I returned to Birmingham, but Coyote was evidently still hosting his Sunday night show in 1994 or 1995 when I finally returned home for a visit. A friend from Jasper had advised me to go to The Magic Platter, a CD store, and check out their special section devoted to The Edge. In other words, if it was played on the program then the CD would be found in this dedicated space. I definitely remember picking up a few CDs, but the only one I can remember for certain was "Dancing in the Rain" by The Essence, a Dutch band that were basically soundalikes of The Cure. 

Fast forward a few decades into the age of streaming, and a friend of mine I had reconnected with on Facebook informed me that Coyote J. and The Edge was still very much alive and thriving. This time, though, I could tune in from nearly 250 miles away in Memphis! Indeed, The Edge had now fully integrated into the digital age and a reliable internet connection was all one needed. This latest iteration of the program lasted until 2019.

So, at long last, The Edge is gone. I'll have to say that 30 odd years is a good run. But wait, what's that? Coyote is returning to radio? Yes, Coyote was allegedly coerced out of retirement and (here's the best part) has a Sunday night show again . . . . and this time it's broadcast from Jasper! Jasper? Yes, Jasper. Coyote can once again be heard on Sunday nights from WJLX 101.5. I downloaded the station's app with a quickness in hopeful anticipation of a new take on The Edge. I dutifully tuned in a few Sundays back but was a bit disappointed when the alternative format I had grown accustomed to never materialized. Instead, it was mostly a mix of artists from the 70's, 80's, and 90's (yes folks, those are "oldies" now), many of whom weren't necessarily Top 40 in their day. The format wasn't crap, but it wasn't alternative either. Alternative, in itself, is as broad as any other genre and could possibly represent a select few of the artists played on his show, but most of the artists in their time were more commercial than what one would expect to hear on the college radio circuit. 

So, to sum up, Coyote is back and he's live on air in Jasper every Sunday night. Many will surely like his format, although it's not the alternative milieu we enjoyed on The Edge. I won't begrudge him his musical tastes outside the alternative playlist though. My personal CD collection is not exclusively alternative after all. I mean there's quite a bit of classical, West Coast jazz, Celtic folk, and new age electronic occupying quite a bit of real estate. So if Coyote wants to play Mountain or Boston instead of the "same old garbage" then it's his party. One thing's for sure, you'll be free from any "fascist, communist, socialististic programming fatheads".