Before the Internet made sourcing new music and rising bands a simple matter of keystrokes, bookmarks and RSS feeds, there was the radio DJ. Those with an insatiable thirst for the fresh and undiscovered relied on the savvy DJ with the right connections to feed us a steady diet of the up and coming, the unsigned, the ones-to-keep-an-eye-on.
For the unsigned and undiscovered, it was said DJ who provided the air time, created the buzz and could ultimately set the stage for stardom. Or at least greater notoriety.
One DJ who epitomized this role was Seattle’s Marco Collins, a local legend whose work on 107.7 The End helped propel the careers of notables like Weezer, Beck, Deathcab for Cutie and The Prodigy. And that’s just using the fingers on one hand. As Chris Ballew of Presidents of the United States of America puts it: “He was the on/off switch for your potential career.”
Such is the story behind Marco’s rise (he’s in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a DJ) and fall (battles with addiction) that Seattle-based director/producer Mark Evans & his team have set out to create a documentary on the man, which they’re calling The Glamour & The Squalor. They’ve interviewed 32 people for the film but need a little help rounding out the interviews and editing down the footage and archival material.
Marco’s story deserves to be told. He turned his passion for new music into a career and he battled some seriously determined demons along the way. And he’s still standing.
Check out the Kickstarter video for The Glamour & The Squalor above. If you are keen to help see this project through to the end, donate here.
Marco Collins, still hard at work. With Allen Stone. Photo by Michael Profitt Photography.
Absolute informative suggestions that you have remarked, warm regards for putting up.
It is really a great and useful piece of info. I am glad that you simply shared this useful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Watched the project and it was interesting. Still don’t understand how did it help to propel the careers of notables? I’m sure that Dj’s are professionals and doing the right job but it’s starting to be boring to listen to Dj’s; sometimes you want just music. Marco’s story is interesting to know. Hope they’ll shoot a brilliant documentary.
Thanks God people realize that. Its high time.
I’m down for seeing archival footage of the Seattle music scene. Loved the older camcorder stuff in PJ20. Tight circle. Is Seattle’s current music scene as collaborative as it was in those early 90s?