MARS FM was officially on the air from May 24, 1991 to August 14, 1992.
20 questions 20 years later with Freddy Snakeskin.
1. How did mars get it's name?
FS: once upon a time Big Ron & I were kicking around ideas & he said, I always thought MARS would be a good name for a station because then you could say "the best music on earth comes from Mars"
2. What was your biggest surprise at mars?
FS: probably how instantly popular rave songs like "Spice" & "James Brown Is Dead" became -- despite the initial objection from some quarters, "but those aren't even songs..."
3. What song stands out to you as a the mars 'classic'?
FS: the 2 aforementioned were probably major contenders; others: "Sex On Wheelz," "Little Fluffy Clouds," etc. Most don't remember, but we were also first to play Nirvana, among many others...(no Pearl Jam however)
4. If MARS were still here today, what do you think it would be playing?
FS: good question; not sure PPM would allow it to exist...
5. Who do you think left the corn dog in the toilet?
FS: just guessing, Susan Wallace? (or possibly King Ludwig)
6. What is your favourite blender setting?
FS: puree
7. If it could be back on the air next week, what would be the first song (or hour) of music?
FS: who knows...maybe "James Brown Is Dead" for old times sake?
8. What else would you do with it?
FS: find & play the hits, and keep experimenting
9. What did you want to do or get on or make happen that there didn't end up being enough time for?
FS: was cautiously optimistic it might help change the face of music the way KROQ of the 80's once did
10. What direction was the station headed in before it was thrown from a cliff?
FS: up, up & away -- thought we'd have a bit more time, however
11. If you could do it all again, would you?
FS: definitely -- right now really need a job that pays enough to live on!
12. Would you do anything different?
FS: yes, lots of things
13. Is there anyone you approached to work at MARS that declined?
FS: no, not at all
14. Do you have any favorite new artists?
FS: probably but have always been more song-oriented than artist-oriented
15. What was the first & last song played on the station?
FS: "Hello" by the Beloved / "James Brown Is Dead" by LA Style
16. Do you still keep in touch with any of the other DJ's or staff?
FS: not all that often, at least lately
17. What was the ratio of Techno vs. regular Alternative tracks?
FS: it fluctuated -- BTW hopefully not too much of any type of music was "regular"
18. Why do you think people remember it only for the techno?
FS: probably because that seems to be what made it stand out from every other station -- but of course there was a lot more to it than that.
19. Did the MARS DJs get to pick any music?
FS: Swedish Egil (of course!), Rob Francis (nightly MARS mix), Don Bolles (All Night Truckdriver Show), Tony Largo & (occasionally) Big Ron, Raechel Donahue, Christian B & Holly Adams.
20. What kind of on-air stunting was heard leading up to the MARS launch?
FS: played songs from each of the past 30 years for 30 days leading up to day 1 -- some memorable music, some less so...but hopefully nothing too boring and/or horrible
21. How long did it take to convince Ken Roberts to run with the MARS format?
FS: just an informal agreement that we'd focus on upcoming cool new music of the 90's in the same general way KROQ found success doing in the 80's; other than that, no specific discussions on what it would sound like. (certainly the "T" word never came up, if that's what you're getting at!)
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20 years have passed. Roll the Memory Pain!
The Begining
The Middle
1991 - Production Reel
MARS-FM Jingle
"Change Back"
1991 - Production Out Take
Christian B.
nails it in "One Take"
8/5/1991 - MP3 Aircheck
Rob Francis
Edited/Mastered by Scott Lowe
8/21/1991 - MP3 Aircheck
Raechel Donahue
Edited/Mastered by Scott Lowe
The End
The Day After The End
Top Row: Mike Fright, Christian B., Holly Adams, Egil and Gia
Bottom Row: Frank Martin, Remy Martin, Tony Largo, Freddy Snakeskin, Raechel Donahue, Tom Iguana and Don Bolles... oh and on the floor Venus 'The Goddess Of Fleas!'
