Matt from Matt and Kim was his high school valedictorian. Sam Adams was captain of his college soccer team. Discovering up these facts are just par for the course for Staples’ WWPT radio personalities.
Before each interview, members of WWPT dig deep to find as much interesting subject matter they can to keep their audience interested.
Musical groups LMFAO, Super Mash Bros., Matt and Kim, and the Flobots, and musical artists Sam Adams, Daniel Webster, and Mikey Wax, and ESPN sportscaster David Lloyd, are just a few of the celebrities that have been interviewed on the air.
Yet, such famous musicians and sports celebrities are not easy to get a hold of—WWPT members have much determination and effort.
Co-Director of WWPT and Head of the Sports Department DJ Sixsmith ’11 was able to interview rapper Sam Adams and sports anchor for ESPN David Lloyd. He utilized Facebook to attain Adams’ contact information, and sent an email saying that he was interested in conducting an interview with him.
“Matt And Kim were playing at Toad’s Place [in New Haven, Conn.]. I gathered every single contact that they had listed online and sent out emails saying that I wanted to interview them to promote his upcoming show,” said Ben Meyers ’11, the music director.
Disc Jockey Matt Fitter ’11 was able to speak with LMFAO over the radio. Although the group has toured across the nation, “the artists sometimes seem intangible, but they are actually only an email away,” said Fitter.
Yet, Fitter explained how not all artists have been as responsive.
“I’ve gotten some emails back when the manager said that the artist was too busy, or that I emailed the wrong person.”
Sports Broadcaster Mike Nussbaum ’11 furthered how he has been denied, as well.
“I know it’s a lot to ask of the artists, especially since we are not paying them,” said Nussbaum. “I still keep an open mind, and it is very cool when celebrities do reach out.
It sheds a good light on celebrities to take time out of their busy touring schedules to talk to high school kids.”
Each member of WWPT has prepared differently for the interviews that they have conducted.
“I try to think of questions that bring about new information that people wouldn’t necessarily know, so people can learn something new,” said Sixsmith. “I use my questions as backup so that I have enough confidence to have a normal conversation with the person.”
For Danny Fishman ’11, a radio show host and committee member, meeting the celebrities in person is the most exciting element of the interview.
“My first image of the person is usually from an album cover. When I meet them, they become a real person—it brings them down to a relatable level and proves how a talented person can transcend reality with his or her music,” said Fishman.
One of Nussbaum’s favorite questions to ask the celebrities is ‘What were you doing when you were in high school?’
This allows him to relate the artist to Staples students, and find out more about the lives of the artists when they were his own age.
“Matt from Matt And Kim said that he was his school’s valedictorian. It’s funny to see celebrities in their human stages,” said Nussbaum.
On Meyers’ show, the celebrities have to call in to him.
“We just wait for the phone to ring.” Said Meyers. “Then it rings and your heart starts racing, but you try to sound calm. I try to hold back the butterflies.” He furthered how he realizes that the celebrities are actually real people, and he pretends that he is having a conversation with someone that he already knows.
WWPT has a few more celebrities in store for the Westport community. Sixsmith has scheduled an interview with Mike Greenberg from Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN, and Frank DeFord, a Westport resident who writes for Sports Illustrated.
He also wants to create a show called “Success after Staples” which will showcase Staples graduates who have “gone out into the world and done something interesting.”
