It's 10:30 p.m. on a Sunday; the streets of Medford are quiet. Most Tufts students are in their rooms doing the work they had been avoiding all weekend. Meanwhile, I'm in the WMFO studios trying to remember who that guy on The Rockford Files was. Hosts Ben Smith and Stefan Marolachakis of the radio show That's My Word posed that question to their listening audience after opening the show with the Rockford Files' theme song.
That's My Word is a show with music as eclectic as the studio d?©cor. Smith and Marolachakis play everything from the Beastie Boys to the Beatles (and many lesser-known groups) on a weekly basis. Between songs, I watched as they rifled through the numerous stacks of music and discussed the merits for airplay of various albums.
Seniors and English majors Smith and Marolachakis have been doing That's My Word for two and a half years. When asked what their gimmick was, Smith explained the nature of the station and freeform radio. "We're kind of gimmick-less. Since this is freeform radio, we can just play music we like. Our gimmick is good music; we just come in loving doing our show."
As much fun as That's My Word is, Smith and Marolchakis do have lives outside the show. The duo teaches an Explorations class on shock and art. At one point they brought their class into the studio and played music that is or has been considered shocking and discussed it. They are also part of a band that plays around campus and the Boston area. Their next gig is on Nov. 15 with two other groups in the Crane room on campus.
TD: Give us your life story, in 60 words or less.
Marolchakis: I'm from Manhattan. I very much enjoy food. The Knicks are important to me. So are my family and friends and Latrell Spreewell. [pauses and asks for a word count] Oh, and my dad is from Crete and my mom is from Cuba.
Smith: My life story is funny, or at least Stefan thinks it is. I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My dad works in an oil refinery. Here's the funny part: growing up, I worked on the racquetball circuit. Seriously. That's actually how I got to Tufts. I was going to come and help them with their racquetball program, but when I got here I really started getting into music.
TD: What was the best concert or musical experience you've ever had?
Marolchakis: I think the same for both of us - Dec. 7, 2000; the John Spencer Blues explosion at Avalon.
Smith: John Spencer had an in-store [appearance] at Newbury Comics that day. He was running around on the CD racks.
TD: What are your favorite groups?
Smith: Pavement.
Marolchakis: The Beastie Boys, the Stones, the Replacements.
TD: What do you think of the Boston music scene?
Smith: There are a lot of good rock venues.
Marolchakis: The music stemming from Boston I'm not too thrilled with, but there are a lot of good bands that come through.
TD: What musical trends were you sad to see/glad to see go?
Smith: I'll tell you the story of the trend I was glad to see go. I was driving down 93 North when I say a GAP ad. Now GAP had gone through a lot of stages: GAP rock, GAP swing. When I saw the messy haired person with the dark glasses, I realized that emo was a joke and officially over. They took themselves way too seriously. (For all those who are not well versed in various rock genres, emo is emotionally charged punk rock.)
Marochalkis: Hmm...I don't know what I'm happy to see go. I'd say rap metal, but that's still around. Know what I would like to see? The end of DJs on rock songs. They just sit there until they do that one scratch [on a record]. It's ridiculous. I can tell you what I was least happy to see go: the Macarena.
Smith: I was really sad to see the decline in the popularity of "Cotton-Eyed Joe."
Marochalkis: The house version. Yeah, that was good.
At this time I took the liberty of informing them that "Cotton-Eyed Joe" lives on in high school homecomings and proms across America, which seemed to make them happy.
At the end of the show, no one has yet called in with the star of The Rockford Files, but Marochakis has found a trend he was glad to see go. "Puffy. Just Sean 'Puffy' Combs."
Smith offers a final thought on their show. "It's one of the few places where you can turn on the radio and hear anything. If you wanted to get on here and play feedback for an hour, you could. Other station are formatted - they play what the record companies send them so you rarely hear anything new. We try to keep things fresh."
And for all those who were wondering, the answer was James Garner.
