Wyatt Sage

How did you first hear about KXUL? How long have you been involved there and when did you become MD?

I actually ended up finding out about KXUL my first day of college. I was going through my school’s process for moving into the dorms and saw a table outside the building playing decent music. My Stepmom ended up pushing me to go to the table, and after a few meetings I was brought in as an on-air volunteer. Did that for the entirety of my Freshman year, then stopped my first semester of my Sophomore year to focus on school and theatre.

At the end of that semester, the previous MD was graduating and hadn’t found anyone to take the position, so I was recommended for it, and took the offer. That was December 2021, so it has been about two and a half years since I first got the position of MD, and a bit less than four years since I originally started working here in an on-air position.

Tell us about the duties of your job and what part of it you love the most and what you find the most challenging.

  
I do a lot for the station. I’m in charge of adding the music, communication with record labels, artists, and distribution groups, I do the audio recording for our little themed specials at Noon and 5 PM each weekday, I have my own show on Sunday nights, and I occasionally record the little messages that play between songs that announce what the song is. My favourite part of the job is definitely the music discovery aspect of it.

I grew up listening to a wide range of music, from my Dad’s obscure Scandinavian metal, to my Mom’s 80s pop, to my Stepdad’s Pearl Jam obsession & 90s country, so listening to a wide range of music is just something that I’ve been doing since I got out of the womb. Being put in a position where it’s literally my job to listen from artists ranging from Genesis Owusu to Taylor Swift, Wet Leg to $uicideBoy$, Yves Tumor to New Order, and so much more is incredible. I genuinely feel like one of the luckiest people on Earth to be able to have a job in college that fits my interests.

Not only is it my job to listen to music, it is my job to have people listen to music that I like, and that’s great! The challenging aspect is probably the communication, I’ve certainly put in an effort to expand our contacts, and compared to how we were two and a half years ago we are in an incredible position on that front, but anytime I send out a big email asking for some music I always get a bit nervous when I get the response. I’m not sure why, the worst that they can say is “sorry, we don’t have it”, but it is always nerve wracking until I open the response. 

What do you do to ensure the new music that is sent you by labels and promoters gets played by your DJs?

Our shows are pre-scheduled by our Music Master system, and because of that, it is my job to schedule the music, not the DJs. It makes it real simple to make sure the new music gets played, but puts some more stress on me because I need to make sure that I am adding the best of the best because every DJ is going to be hearing that consistently for at least the next two or so weeks, and realistically, a lot longer than that.

Who is an artist or band that you’ve discovered in the past year or so that has become one of your favorites? What is it about their music you love?

You guys are so lucky that Memorial by THUS LOVE came out over a year ago because if that would fall under this I would be in the process of writing a 5 page essay on why they released the greatest Post Punk album since The Cure’s Disintegration, but I’ll focus on a more recent release (though, seriously, listen to THUS LOVE, please, they are so good!).

The Last Dinner Party is the immediate answer that jumps out to me. Every song they’ve released is at least an 8/10, Prelude to Ecstasy is the earliest frontrunner for album of the year that I’ve ever had. As someone who does theatre in his free time, and is also a political science major, their music fits that vibe perfectly. It is a mix of over-the-top theatrics, obscure references, and musicianship that feels almost unmatched by anyone else in the genre that sets them apart from any other artist or band that I’ve discovered in the past year. Incredible band, and I feel lucky that I get to play music as good as the stuff they release.

Do you have an all-time favorite artist or album you never get tired of listening to?

That is difficult, but right now I’d probably say The Wombats (though depending on my mood, The Cure, New Order or David Bowie are other occasional answers). I’ve been listening to them since I was 13, and despite the fact they’ve been around since I was 2, I still feel like I’ve felt their music grow up with me. Glitterbug was the first album I ever really remember caring about, and in a lot of ways, it fits the idealistic view of a young teenager learning how to be a conscious, somewhat independent person.

Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life came out when I was 16, and its darker, more alternative tone fits the mindset of an aging teenager who just learned what being cynical meant. Their release in 2022, Fix Yourself, Not the World, when I was 20, took the sound on Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life and matured it. Still alternative and sonically darker than their previous releases, it feels like they built off what came before, replacing some of the cynicism that is seen on BPWRYL with a mindset that comes off as more mature.

I’m not the best at describing why I love a certain artist, so I’ll just try and sum it up simply. The Wombats have been my soundtrack for the lowest, and highest, moments of my life. Listening to songs like Greek Tragedy feels like talking to an old friend I haven’t seen in a while, they may not be the most musically complicated band, their songs may not touch on deep philosophical subjects, but their music just means a lot to me. Also, their bass player is so underrated, that dude has made some incredible bass lines.

Is there a 2024 release on the horizon that you are particularly excited about?

None specifically, but I have been told that there is apparently a new THUS LOVE release scheduled for this year, so if that is true, then definitely that one.

Who is an artist or band totally outside the realm of the music you play on KXUL that people might be surprised to know you love?

I mentioned them earlier, but definitely $uicideBoy$.. We’ve gotten them sent in, but station rules (not my idea) prevent me from playing any rap music, but that doesn’t change how much I, for some reason, love their music. I’m not entirely sure why, there are other artists who do similar things to what they do who I just don’t like anywhere near as much, but there is just something about the sheer unabashed aesthetic of their music that draws me to it.

If you had the power to instantly change one thing going on in the world at the moment, what would it be?

Make rich people pay their taxes.

What event in your life would you say has shaped you the most as a person?

Moving overseas at a young age. I was born near to where I’m going to college, but when I was nine I moved overseas for my step-dad’s job, and grew up in an environment completely different to anything you would see in the rest of the United States. It gave me a different mindset, and also allowed me to grow up around multiple cultures. Because of that, I always feel a bit too foreign to ever really fit in where I’m at, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just gives me an urge to not stay in one place for too long. It also led to me spelling words Britishly, which is why, despite being in Louisiana, I’ve spelt favour and favour and not favor.

If you could choose, what time period in the past would you most want to travel back to visit and why?

Late medieval period, post-plague, as long as I have the ability to understand people. It is just a time period I’ve always been interested in and being able to be there would be great. Obviously I would not want to be there for more than like a week or so because I appreciate a lot of what we get in modern life, but being a time tourist for a bit would be cool.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in town that you recommend people try?

There’s this place called Magic Grill. It’s not exactly a 5-star restaurant, but I think it is locally owned, and they have really good burgers and po’boys.

What in your life brings you the most joy?

My friends. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them, I’m lucky to know some of the coolest, nicest, funniest, and honestly, best people on Earth, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than hanging out with them.

Lightning Round:

Dog or Cat: Dog
Morning Person or Night Owl: Night Owl
City or Country: City
Beach or Mountains: Mountains
Watch TV or Read A Book: TV
Sunny or Rainy: Rainy
Restaurant or Home Cooking: Restaurant (unless it’s my Stepdad’s brisket or Mom’s tacos)
Pants or Shorts: Pants
Warm or Cold drinks: Cold

Do you have any current favorite shows you’re enjoying/binging?  How about a movie (new or old) that you’ve watched recently that you loved?

I saw Fall Of The House Of Usher, an incredible show. Would recommend it to anyone who has not seen it yet. Dune Part 2 is a great movie that I saw just a few weeks ago and as someone who read the books, I think Denis Villeneuve did an incredible job at adapting it to film.

Finally, If you could have a lifetime supply of anything, what would it be?

Canes’ Bread. There is nothing quite like it.