Meet the DJs is a series where we get to know the DJs that keep WRFL on the air. This time around we’re talking to our in-house legal expert, Brian Frye. You can hear Brian’s show The Bindle on Tuesdays, 10am to noon. His legal scholarship podcast Ipse Dixit plays during his show at 11am.
How long have you been a WRFL DJ?
Six years?
Do you have any frequent guests or co-hosts?
I host a podcast on legal scholarship called Ipse Dixit. Every week, I play an episode on the air at 11am. Sometimes, I record episodes live in the studio, when legal scholars are in town.
Why did you join WRFL?
I enjoyed listening to the station and always wanted to do radio programming.
What do you play on your show?
I play an assortment of different kinds of music on LP, 45 & 78. I am especially interested in folk music, old time music, world music, spoken word, and environmental recordings.
Why do you play what you do on your show?
I try to play records that people would not hear elsewhere.
Who are some of your favorite musical artists?
Joan Shelley, Liz Phair, Washington Phillips, Billy Bragg, Mississippi John Hurt, Nils Frahm and Connie Converse.
What’s your process for planning your show?
I tend to play records I recently acquired.
What do you do outside of WRFL?
I am a law professor at the College of Law. I am also an artist.
Do you have a favorite memory of something that happened at WRFL, either during your show or at a WRFL event?
A listener called me while I was playing Alvin Lucier’s composition I am Sitting in a Room and asked me to play something else. I said, “Different strokes for different folks.”
What other WRFL shows or DJs do you like listening to? Why?
Psychedelicatessen, The World Beat, many others! I like the wide variety of interests & approaches.
Do you have a “Most Interesting Phone Call” story from your time as a DJ?
A caller tried to explain Democracy Now! to me. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I am a law professor.
Can you share a story of an interaction with a listener of your show?
When my friend Phil Solomon died, I did a tribute show in his honor, playing the songs he loved & songs others recommended in his memory. He was an important filmmaker, and a lot of people around the country and the world tuned it. It was like a communal mourning.
What do you want listeners to take away from your show?
Radio is whatever you choose to broadcast. Listen with open ears.
What do you hope for the future of your show?
That I continue to have the time to produce it! And that my girlfriend will be able to come on the show with me sometimes, when she is in town.
You can tune in to The Bindle and Ipse Dixit with Brian Frye on Tuesdays, from 10am to noon on WRFL.
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