When I was 14, the local radio station—with 50,000 watts of power—broadcast from neighboring Presque Isle, Maine. I found one DJ, whose name is lost to memory, quite exciting. One summer afternoon, the he put out the request for a bikini. The first person to bring him a bikini would get a free album.
Excited, I phoned and asked: “How many albums for filling the bikini?” This guy was never at a loss for words on air, but he stumbled at the request. I then sweet-talked my sister and her friend to put on bikinis and for my mom to drive the six miles or so to the radio station.
For my two filled bikinis, the DJ gave up three albums, including Black Oak Arkansas‘ “High On the Hog”. I didn’t know any of the three artists, and no longer recall the other two. There were no hitmakers among the groups.
But I was happy, nevertheless; three free albums gotten in a cool, cunning way. Being a 14 year-old male, I gave my sister and her friend little more than thanks for their participation. But they had fun, which might have been reward enough.
Photo Credit: Bruce Berrien