RICH RUSSO BIO
Springsteen’s line from No Surrender says it best, “we learned more from a 3 minute record than we ever did in school”
A true music aficionado and collector, Russo boasts a collection of vinyl and cds that has approximate 100,000 pieces.
“Music is the most personal and yet one of the most shared experiences you can have. I don’t expect that everyone will like every song or choice on the show but hopefully for the times they don’t, they’ll stick around for the 3 minutes til the next song comes on.”
“The DJ needs to develop trust with the audience that trust will allow the occasional song that normally might cause someone to switch the dial to stick around”
A lifelong jersey resident, Russo grew up listening to NY and NJ radio and remembers how the DJs were almost as big as the music they were playing. He feels DJ’s need an identity and need to go beyond just playing what research or record labels are pitching. He probably averages seeing 1 to 2 live shows a week, and has seen the E Street Band live close to 400 times as has seen close to 50 Pearl Jam shows and numerous other bands at various stages of their careers.
“Part of, if not all of, the woes of radio, and especially rock radio, is the formula it’s become. Focus groups and call out hooks, it’s ridiculous, a great song is a great song regardless of it’s source, the audience is hungry and wants the DJ to help them mold their music choices. RXP breaks that mold. Just the other day, I was going through a box of records I had bought years ago and there were a bunch of radio station copies and the coolest thing was that most of them had a sticker or something on it, next to each song title with the air staff’s opinion of each song, not just the hit, but every song. I highly doubt that happens now.”
Anything Anything will go deep, and will find some great new things as well. Russo is also highly opinionated and not afraid to lets his thoughts be known. As you listen to his show every week, he’ll leave you no doubt what his feelings are towards musical trends and happenings as well as a message board where listeners can discuss a wide array of topics.