The Curious Case Of A DJ

For whatever reason, likely because I tend to be a DJ in spite of myself (and tend to be painfully aware of the whole "theater of the mind" aspect of radio, which is, when all is said and done, never more than an artful facade) there's a reference I keep falling back on - and for the sake of injecting it into the blogosphere, here's a summary; do with it what you will.

In "American Graffiti", Curt (Richard Dreyfus) decides to drive out to a radio station to get them to play a request out to the girl he saw earlier that night that he can't quite manage to hook up with. The station's DJ is Wolfman Jack, and over the air (and blasting out of all the windows of every car on the main drag) it sounds like he's the center of their cultural universe...but when Curt gets to the station, it turns out to be a little shack next to a broadcast tower staffed by an average (if not doughy looking) guy, the station manager, who says the Wolfman's not there, he's just on tape...

           CURT
Well, ah--where does he work? I mean,
where is the Wolfman now?

         MANAGER
The Wolfman is everywhere.

         CURT
But I got to give him this note.

         MANAGER
  (taking it from Curt)
Here, let me see the note.
  (he reads it)
Hell, that's just a dedication. All
I gotta do is relay it. And it'll be
on the air tomorrow, or Tuesday at
the latest.

         CURT
No, no. See, this is very important.
I may be leaving town tomorrow, and
it's very important that I--damn it,
that I reach this girl right now.

         MANAGER
You don't know whether you're gonna
leave town or not?

         CURT
Well, I'm supposed to go to college
back East tomorrow. And I don't know
if I'm gonna go.

         MANAGER
Wait a minute. Have a popsicle.

         CURT
No, thank you.

         MANAGER
Sit down a minute.

Curt sits down, undecided about leaving
and upset about not being able to get in touch with the lovely
creature he saw earlier that night.

         MANAGER
Listen, it's early in the morning.
Now, I can't really talk for the
Wolfman. But I think if he was here
he'd tell you to get your ass in
gear. Now, no offense to your home
town here, but this place ain't
exactly the hub of the universe, if
you know what I mean. And well--I'll
tell you this much--the Wolfman does
come in here now and then, with tapes,
to check up on me, you know, and
when I hear the stories he got about
the places he goes. Hell, here I sit
while there's a big beautiful world
out there, don't ya know. Wolfman
comes in last time talking about
some exotic jungle country, handing
me cigars he says was rolled on the
naked thighs of brown beauties. The
Wolfman been everywhere and he seen
everything. He got so many stories,
so many memories. And here I sit
sucking on popsicles.

  Curt looks at him a moment.

         CURT
Why don't you leave?

         MANAGER
Well, I'm no kid anymore. I been
here a long time. And the Wolfman--
well, the Wolfman gave me my start
and he's sorta become my life. I
can't leave him now. Gotta be loyal
to the Wolfman, you understand.

Curt nods and stands. The manager swivels around
and punches some buttons, putting on a commercial.

He turns back.

         MANAGER
I tell you what. If I can possibly
do it tonight, I'll try to relay
this dedication and get it on the
air for you later on.

         CURT
That'd be great. Thanks. Really.

He shakes the manager's hand, then wipes it on his pants.

         MANAGER
Sorry, sticky little mothers ain't
they? Bye.

         CURT
'Bye.

Curt goes out the door. He starts back out through
the maze of windows and electronic machines.
Echoing throughout the rooms, the Wolfman's
raucous voice follows Curt. The Wolfman howls and Curt turns.

Through the maze of glass, shifting like prisms,
he sees the station manager sitting by the mike--howling!
Then, he laughs and howls again, starting to sing a song
called "Bluebirds on My Dingaling," pounding out the
rhythm on the console.

         CURT
Wolfman...

He backs away, leaving the Wolfman, who's on his
feet now, screaming out the end of the
song, dancing by himself in the little
glass room, from which his voice radiates out through
the night and around the world...

...the station manager is played by Wolfman Jack (who, by the way, it should be said that John Peel idolized, this bringing the discussion back on topic. John Peel's always on topic.) It's a great "ignore the man behind the curtain" moment that does, actually, kinda sum up what radio's about.

(It's a shame George Lucas, who wrote that, forgot how to write movies...)