The Life and Times of the Drunken Rogue: Part Seven

This is the eight installment in the continuing adventures of the illustrious Drunken Rogue. You know him as a lover, writer, and Malaysian kickboxer, but you might not know that the Rogue also finds time in his busy schedule to be a Dj. That's right in the unexplored territories of north Louisiana, the Drunken Rogue brings music to the indigenous peoples. While the locals treat him as a god not understanding how he is able to send his voice through the air, he teaches them of the music, country music. Here is the story of how he came to this position...

How the Drunken Rogue Became the Drunken DJ

It's April of 2004. I am less than a month away from graduation, I've already proposed to Ella, and given her the ring. We are (loosely) planning a late summer wedding, but hoping to actually do it sooner. I do not have a job. I do not have any prospects for a job. I do not even have a good copy of my resume. I am not worried.

Worry is for lesser men, I just figured it would work out. If you been following the tale from the beginning (and if you haven't shame! Go back and read it right now), you know that while the Rogue has not always made the best choices (living with his sister...in a trailer park no less) he generally lands on his feet. I'm sort of blessed that way. So when a friend (thank you Don) suggested I call the local radio station, I thought, "Well here it is. Another opportunity that falls in my lap, just because."

And it was. I met with the Program Director, turned in my resume and was hired that day. If any of you doubt the existence of God, His benevolence, or His interest in the affairs of men, my continued success in life is about the best proof I can offer. I should be dead by now. And yet here I am, a steady job, a loving wife (that's WAY too good for me), and all the friends a fella could ask for. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The radio station is one of the most interesting places I could possibly work. Even though we're a fairly small operation, our building contains a great sampling of the different personalities you can expect to encounter in the workplace (or perhaps you already have worked with these people, depends on your age, and ambition).

The Hot Salesman - I don't mean hot in any sort of physical way, I just mean the guy who has made more than the rest of the sales staff for so long, nobody remembers what it was like when he was humble. Not a bad guy (and definitely not a bad guy to have on your side), he may be a little rough around the edges, but if you can deal with him, he can be a great ally.

The Good Boss - Sometimes you are lucky enough to work under someone that is not a complete tool. If that is the case where you work, be thankful. Most managers suck, it's just a fact. The Good Boss is understanding, informative, friendly, and can be a big help with: promotions, raises, interoffice conflicts, your next job, etc.

The Feisty Secretary - In the last part of this never ending saga, I mentioned a lady by the name of Rose. Rose is another example of this type of coworker. This is the lady (or man, I suppose) that is extremely good at their job, makes everything around the office run smoothly (and it's a good thing because everything runs through her). But she (or he) also has a nasty habit of saying exactly what she's thinking. If there are asses that work in your company, she points them out. Whenever you (or anyone else) does something stupid, she is there making sure you notice how stupid it was. This is not really a negative personality to be around. As long as you're competent at your job, and nice to her (him), she can actually be very entertaining.

The Partners in Crime - These are the people in your office that are at (roughly) the same station in life you are. Not necessarily the same age, but they are your peers. For me, this counts one other Dj and our two sports guys. We are all mid twenties, married/serious relationship, making crap money at a job we enjoy a good deal. These are the people you spend your time with. I'm not a coffee drinker, but if I were I'd take my breaks with these cats. Under the right circumstances, having people like this around you, can almost make work feel like fun...almost.

The Underlings - It's quite possible that you don't have any people that you actually supervise (I don't, technically) but there probably are people in lower positions, maybe a couple of years younger that look up to you for advice, help etc. That's who I'm talking about. These are the ones that ask you on Friday, "You coming to the club? We're gonna be dancing till like three, it'll be a blast." When your first thought is "Why the hell would I want to dance until 3am?" You are officially out of this group. Maybe they're part-timers (the case in my office), maybe they're interns, maybe they just got started early on their careers. But these early twenty-somethings can be exhausting. Not to mention give you a bad case of the "Good God I'm Old"'s. Help them when they ask for it, but don't try to chase their lifestyle.

The Bad Boss - While some of us (hopefully, most of us) are blessed with having a boss like the one I described above. Some only get the opposite side of the coin. When I first started at the Radio Station, I had both. (If you've read Tayadore Goosel Has Left the Building, you know that I now have a great boss, and another great boss. Read it now!) The Bad Boss has the power to literally steal your soul. Even a job that you enjoy (occasionally love) can be ruined by a Bad Boss. He has nothing to teach you (and wouldn't even if he did), will rant and rave even about you taking your actual holidays, is abusive to the Underlings (leaving you as the consoling figure), and generally a waste of company resources. The good news is, most Bad Bosses are also not great at their actual jobs, so they are often found out and (like in my case) shown the freakin' door. Incidentally in cases where a Bad Boss is fired, feel free to go dance until 3am with the Underlings in celebration, you've earned it.

My favorite thing about working at the Radio Station is the opportunity for advancement. In the (just over) two years I have worked here, I have gone from the lowest part-time worker all the way to senior announcer, afternoon drivetime DJ, and Texas Music Director. There is only one position (as far as air-staff) above me, that of my new (good) boss, Program Director and Morning Dj. Ella and I have been blessed to have a steady job taking care of us over the last two years (incidentally July 24th was our wedding anniversary, booyah). I've learned an amazing amount, made a lot of great friends, and become a much better employee. No matter where I go, I'll be better because of my time here. Thanks boss, for the opportunity (yep, even the Bad one). Coming Soon to a Blog near you:

The Drunken Rogue Turns 40 -- Where They Are Now, a Drunken Prognostication