Extra Credit: Sex, Drugs, & Rock n' Roll

Chris Jackson entered the room in a ripped pair of jeans and a leather jacket over his t-shirt. He was casual and laid back, and it showed. His hair was a cool rock n' roll shag. I was expecting a long lecture about the three ideas, but instead Professors Dona Nichols and Cynthia McCune led the discussion in the style of an interview. They had the audience members write down questions for Chris that they would ask him for us. There were no restrictions on what questions we could ask. In fact, some were as humorous as what he preferred most: sex, drugs, or rock n' roll? Like a true rockstar, he said all.

Chris told stories about his adolescent days, and how he was almost never home on the weekends. He was in a band for a good amount of time, and then got into the radio profession. The coolest fact about Chris was where he went to school: none other than San Jose State. With that said, I jumped at the opportunity of asking him for advice on how to get a job in the broadcast field. He gave me great advice to walk away with, telling me that I should go in with a demo tape and ask for the head guy in charge to critique it. He advised never to go in asking for a job opportunity.

It was a lively discussion full of laughter and awe, from stories about growing up a "bad boy", to meeting famous singers. Chris Jackson has managed to keep his cool in an industry where many are jaded. He never came off as a know-it-all, even though he is a famous and respected radio personality.

My favorite story of his was definitely the one where he worked for two different radio stations at the same time, on the same day. He created two different personalities and they never found out. Talk about a talented individual with a great sense of humor.