Don Cookson
Weekdays 6-10am
I grew up in the Bangor area listening to a steady diet of classic rock, first on Z-62, later graduating to sweet sounding FM and WKIT. I still have fond dreams of the handlebar-mounted bike radio I listened to while tooling around town, and readily admit operating that radio was my first foray into distracted driving; I routinely careened into the path of oncoming traffic while busily attempting to crank it all the way up to 11 despite a volume knob that clearly did NOT go that high. I started freaking myself out with Stephen King books at a very young age, and I credit my first reading of The Shining in 6th grade with my near-insatiable appetite for chewing Exederin. I love concerts, puppies, craft beer, bikinis and classic rock in equal measure, with a particular fondness for Neil Young, The Who, Pearl Jam, Queens of the Stone Age, and Dire Straits in no particular order. Unfortunately, due to an intervention by the Zone Radio HR department, I can no longer wear those bikinis to work.
I was told that someday I might have to write a description of myself so that others may get to know me better. Apparently that day is here. It’s a crisp Fall day…. wait, maybe I should leave that out in case you are reading this in a different season, such as Summer. Ok, we can delete that later. Where do I start? Ok, I was born in the town of….. You’re right, who cares about that. Umm, I grew up in an area that…… Not feeling this one either. So…. let’s see…. Once when I was a teenager I rode my bike to….. Boring!
What would be some of your questions. Let’s see. When did I start in radio? A long time ago. This really is going nowhere fast, isn’t it?
Ok, I like food. Most foods anyway. There are some that I don’t like. Fruitcake. Not liking the fruitcake. I’ve been called a fruitcake, but that has nothing to do with why I don’t like it. Let’s see, what else is there about me….. I am the proverbial jack of all trades, master of none. I can either do it or convince you that it doesn’t need doing in the first place. Maybe…
Ok, sorry about that, had sloppy joe’s for lunch. That was awesome.
I would pick up where I left off, but to tell you the truth, I don’t remember where we left off. So…. I really like working here at The Zone, on WKIT. We have a great crew here and lots of fun both on and off the air. Wait, you’re going to think I was made to say that. Yeah, that did sound a little fake didn’t it. It’s all true, but how else can I put it without it sounding fake? Maybe we can rewrite this later after I give it more thought. I wonder just how much space I am allowed here? I mean, I’ve got a lot of spare time to just sit here and write whatever comes to mind. “Hey look, a squirrel!” Haha. Anyone feel like having some pizza? Wow. I can’t help but feel like I’ve let you down now. I mean, I’ve said pretty much nothing that you probably expected me to say. I bet this looks like I’m just rambling on…. wondering if I should tell you what I had for a dream of last night, or the night before, which was kinda scary actually. In my dream, I was….. well… you wouldn’t believe it if I told you. You had to be there, but then again, you couldn’t be so you’d just have to take my word for it, at which point I could make up anything I want, couldn’t I? Who would know?
Maybe if I tell you what I like it will make up for all of the stuff you just read, if it didn’t get deleted that is. Let’s see… I like hiking, biking, motorcycling, fishing, taking pictures, back roads, campfires, pizza, balloons, playing guitar, old cars, sloppy joe’s, planes, rooms with a view, a good laugh, trains, flying kites, chop suey, the sound of the ocean, any family with a pet monkey, most animals but not the ones that can kill you, a good joke, sunrise and sunsets, pounding on a rock with a hammer, wrapping threads with that white Teflon stuff, not having to replace shingles or vinyl siding, mowing the grass, seeing the check engine light go out after starting the car, not smacking my knuckles on something when wrestling with a stuck bolt or nut, my wife Cherilyn, my family, snowshoeing, Frisbee, a clear sky at night, the way the [As webmaster, I have to appologize, but Mark has taken up all of the space, actually, a little bit more, that he was allowed to use for his biography. We are sorry for any inconvenience. I’m pretty sure he was about to wrap it up anyway. Thank you for your understanding.