Legendary New York DJ and FM Rock Radio pioneer Scott Muni has passed away

I know this may not mean much to anybody who is not from the New York area, but I just heard the very sad news that Scott Muni passed away last night. He had a stroke several months back, and his health had been in decline ever since. Scott was the gravelly voiced DJ who was a veteran of the New York airwaves and a major, major local hero. He started in Top 40 radio in the early 60s, and was a huge radio presence when the Beatles first came to New York and America in 1964. In the mid 60s he WAS the beginning of FM rock radio. One of the pioneers if not THE pioneer who started what was then an underground format. He is best known for his years on the FM Rock giant WNEW-FM which existed as a rock station from 1967 until the late 1990s. He was there the WHOLE time and had made many, many friends in the music community. Ask ANY rock star (if you ever actually get to talk to any) from that era from The Stones to The Kinks, to Springsteen and even the (surviving) Beatles and they'll tell you they knew personally and loved Scott Muni. John Lennon, in fact was a close friend of his. When John Lennon died Scott vowed to play three Beatles songs at the top of his show from then on. He has done that to this very day on his shows from his latest radio home Q-104.3/WAXQ-FM.

He was known as 'The Professor', 'Fats' and most of all 'Scottso'. He made radio his life and did it 'til the end.

When rock stars and movies stars die it can sadden you, but when a guy on the radio who was great at being your on-the-air 'friend' leaves the planet it's really, really, really sad. Scott is gone and in a way, I'm sad to admit, New York radio in the very frail form in which it is today, will go with him. He was the last hold-out of the old school as far as FM Rock goes.

God bless, Scott. You will definitely be missed.

(If any of you have Ramones 'End of the Century' give 'Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio' a spin in memory of Scott. Whether you knew about him or not. If you were a rock fan and lived in New York you definitely would've heard of him.)

http://www.q1043.com/muni/scott.html

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/29/obit.muni.ap/index.html

[ Edited by: donhonyc on 2004-09-29 19:50 ]

And another little piece of my childhood goes to Heaven...

Growing up on Staten Island in the '70s & early '80s I listened to Scott Muni & Vinnie Scelsa on WNEW religiously. He gave XTC, the Jam & the Clash a place on the playlist when no one else would. Damn, but I miss real radio stations.

Scottso was as they say 'a giant in the field'. Definitely knew what he was tlking about in terms of radio programming. I didn't think it would make me as sad as it did, but I'm not surprised either. I will miss hearing him at noon.

Freddie, they have had some great tributes so far on Q-104.3 and they're posting them on the website at the link posted above. Rock on dude.