WORDS FOR TOM TEUBER

 

TOM TEUBER
OCTOBER 1, 1946-JULY 20, 2023

It has been said that every time a person dies, a library is destroyed.

During the mid morning of Friday, July 21st as I was finishing a school meeting, I received a text from my friend Jeff Perry, DJ/Host of "This Week In Music History," as broadcast upon WVMO 98.7 FM-The Voice Of Monona and airs directly after my own show on Wednesday nights. He wrote to ask me if I had heard the news that Tom Teuber, veteran radio programmer, DJ and one of the chief architects in the creation of WVMO nearly 8 years ago had passed away just one day prior. He was 76 years old.

Much like Chicago's Lin Brehmer of WXRT FM, who passed away in January of this year, the influence of Tom Teuber upon me and my life long love of radio is immeasurable. His presence was in the behind the scenes aspects of radio programming that shaped my musical tastes and fueled my fantasies of the happenings on the other side of the radio speakers--and again, I never realized that fact at the time, especially in my youth. Tom Teuber was a force in the FM Chicago radio wars of the early 1980's (mirroring my own arrival to the FM dial) serving as Program Director of the long defunct WMET FM, who combatted for ratings with the mighty (and also now defunct) WLUP FM, otherwise known as "The Loop." 

By the time I arrived in Madison, WI from Chicago for college at the University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Tom Teuber was also setting up shop for more "radio wars" as Programming Director, first, at the former WMAD FM, a progressive rock station and then at WMMM FM, known lovingly as "Triple MMM," before departing in 2018. In both cases, to my ears, these two commercial and eclectic stations served as close cousins to the exemplary WXRT, a station that Teuber did not have a hand in, but did indeed possess a longtime friendship with 'XRT DJ legend Terri Hemmert, knowing each other since their own college days at Elmurst College in Elmhurst, IL  

So, with that, and with a detour to being a Producer for Chicago's public radio station WBEZ FM, Tom Teuber's influence fully spanned my life from the time I was roughly ten and the way through my twenties...and I never even realized it. But...unquestionably, he was there.

After departing Triple MMM, Tom Teuber continued to leave his immense mark upon Madison radio by taking a weekly morning DJ gig at the student/community radio station WSUM FM (itself the station that rose from the ashes of my college radio days at WLHA FM) and finally, he became one of the chief architects in the creation of WVMO FM, where I have made my radio home with Savage Radio for almost eight years now. 

My life intersected, so to speak, with Tom Teuber's at the very first meeting I attended for WVMO, a point in which I wondered if I could find a space upon this new community radio station which had been in the world for just a few short months at that time. I remember walking into the meeting space in the Monona Public Library, filled with people whom I had never seen before but somehow, I did spot Tom Teuber, bespectacled, bearded and sitting silently at a table facing the crowd of listeners. Perhaps I had seen photos of him in the past but I didn't remember. I just knew that it was him, his legend and reputation for being a mentor long preceding him. 

That evening also introduced me to another legendary radio figure, whose influence, guidance, innovation and mentorship wielded a hefty, lengthy reach...yet, in that moment, I had no idea. The meeting was led by the inimitable Mr. Lindsay Wood Davis, who, among his many accomplishments and accolades, is member of a three generation radio family, a member of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall Of Fame as well as being one of the key figures in the creation of WVMO alongside Tom Teuber, a longtime colleague and friend. 

In my years since joining WVMO, Lindsay Wood Davis has been nothing less than tremendous to me personally, as his mentorship, encouragements, priceless advice, superlative warmth and generosity has delivered one gift after another, both in radio and personally, as he has been present during times of immense difficulty as when my Dad passed away in December 2018 and during times when my bouts with depression became despairing. Yet, at that first meeting, Davis presided over the proceedings with an infectious enthusiasm that made me feel absolutely welcome, even if I was unsuccessful in joining WVMO. "You've got the bug!!" he positively beamed after I introduced myself and explained that I was once a college DJ.          

Tom Teuber, by contrast, said not one word that night, presiding over the proceedings like a wise, silent owl. He cut an intimidating figure and the brief moments I wondered if I should introduce myself passed quickly due to my natural shyness and fear that I would just irritate him. I now know that I need not have been so trepidacious. 

Just one week after that meeting, on November 11, 2015, I had my very first show for WVMO and shortly thereafter, I began to hear from Tom Teuber a little bit via Facebook messages and comments. I remember him writing to me when I immediately played a live version of "Driven To Tears" by The Police, and he remarked that the photo of drummer Stewart Copeland behind his drum kit adorned with a WMET t-shirt was taken during Teuber's reign. I remember other times when I would write to him to ask a question, whether regarding possible playlist inclusions or about rules concerning the "seven dirty words." He would always take the time to deliver succinct answers and in doing so, I felt a sense of trust building that I could utilize his services and not feel as if I was being a bother. 

As I have been writing, it occurred to me that I should look into my Messenger app to see if any of our correspondence remained as I am notorious about not deleting very much of anything. With the grace of the universe, my back and forth messages with Tom still exist, which is perfect as there was one memory that I really wanted to recount and now, I have the actual proof. 

One evening, after a show, I received the following message from Tom:

"Did I hear you play a song off the new Paul  Simon album? Do you have the whole album? If so, may I borrow it? I'd like to put a couple of tunes in rotation.

I also dug that Monkees song!

thanx
twt"

Tom Teuber was listening. 

Certainly because of all of the work he had involved himself in with the creation of WVMO. But, even still...this man...this radio legend who had experienced lifetimes of radio, a figure who had existed as a massive influence in my radio listening...was actually listening to me and he reached out when he never, ever had to. 

At station events, I would look for Tom but I never saw him.  Even so, I always heard one story after another from DJs expressing their immensely positive feelings about him. He and I continued to correspond on line here and there and one day, I received the following message from him: 

"It occurs to me that you and I have a lot to talk about. If nothing else, I can regale you with stories of WMET and WXRT. I kn ow it's short notice, but my Friday afternoon is wide open. Otherwise, pick a day next week. 

thankx
twt"   

Now, obviously, I jumped at this chance to meet up to, as he once wrote to me, "Drink a little beer, talk a little trash...solve the problems of the world," but my work schedule and responsibilities left almost no extra windows for me to punch through to really nail down a time to meet, no matter how deep my desire. 

And in retrospect, before anyone knew it...the pandemic happened, no one went anywhere and we were all separated in our own homes unsure of how or when we would all reconnect again.

When I think of Tom Teuber now, I return to that sentiment about libraries I stated at the outset of this remembrance. I can only imagine the sheer library of history of radio, music, rock  stars and cultural history that existed inside of just this one man and how I had access to said library but never had the right chance to enter. And now...that library is no more.   

Of course, with people like Lindsay Wood Davis, who himself is a living, breathing library of whom I should indulge more often than I do (maybe perhaps as I do not wish to bother him or take up his valuable time, which hehas more than earned now that he is officially retired) and others who knew the man personally and had forged a shared history, the idiosyncratic Tom Teuber library still exists within every person who ever knew him. 

 

To this very moment, I have no idea of why Tom Teuber ever invited me to join him at a local restaurant or bar to meet officially and to hear stories of his life and career. I can only gather that perhaps he may have found a more than willing person to hear him extoll due to the music selections I played. Or maybe this was just who he was a person. Regardless, I really wanted to know and yet, we could never get our schedules to line up and I have regretted that ever since. 

But...I am thankful. Thankful that someone of his pedigree saw something in me that he felt I was a worthy recipient of his knowledge. Yet, regardless of any failed meetings, I take this time to thank him and send him my eternal gratitude for if  not for him and his influence, I would not be a part of WVMO, and living out my childhood radio fantasies in a way that feels true and representative of my own spirit. I don't think that my soul is really made for commercial radio and corporate driven entities. A local, community radio station that just happens to have a world wide reach thanks to internet streaming capabilities is just the perfect size for me. 

Tom Teuber was a figure who could navigate any and all of the worlds within the genre of radio and miraculously leave his personal mark everywhere he traveled. 

The very same mark that he made upon me.

Thank you, Tom. Rest In Peace.


CODA                                                                                                                                                          By the way, the song by Paul Simon Tom asked about was "The Werewolf" from the album "Stranger To Stranger" (released June 3, 2016) and the Monkees' track was "Me & Magdelena," a lovely duet featuring Micky Dolenz and the late Mike Nesmith, composed by Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard and produced by the late Adam Schlessinger from the album "Good Times!" (released May 27, 2016).  

I think for a future episode of The VMO Show, I should play both songs in tribute.