the voice of austin
Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience explores the eccentricities of Austin's public radio icon
John Aielli, the voice of Austin.
To describe radio icon John Aielli is to list quirks that made him a staple of "weird" old Austin. He was a lover of whalesong, cherries, thrift stores, and all types of music (from The Beatles to Tuvan throat singing). He was a polarizing figure; loved and disliked across the Austin community for his eccentricities, on-air mistakes, and his unapologetic lack of preparation throughout his 55-year-career on KUTX 98.9.
Locals and SXSW attendees caught a glimpse of Aielli's legacy during the March 10 film premiere of Faders Up: The John Aielli Experienceat The Paramount Theatre. Film distribution after the festival is not completely nailed down, but a shortened version is expected to air on KLRU on an undetermined date.
The documentary journeys through Aielli's life and career, starting with his humble upbringing in Killeen, Texas, through his eventual move to Austin and the beginning of his famed all-genres show, Eklektikos. Translated from Greek by Aielli as "chosen from the best," the program was an amalgamation of music that piqued his interest, including live performances, freeform interviews, and famously long stretches of dead air. The show spanned up to six hours a day, five days a week.
During the talkback after the film premiere — with co-directors Sam Wainwright Douglas and David Hartstein, plus more including composer Graham Reynolds — Douglas crowned Aielli "the voice of Austin" and shared why he believed his legacy would find a meaningful home in the outside world thanks to the film.
"I think people crave individual genuine culture," Douglas said. "When you have an individual like [Aielli], who is so open and embraces the city ... He was the real mascot of Austin. Think about it. He was on the radio for five decades, the period from the 60s to 2021. That is that is the Austin we know. When did Austin start getting cool? He was here for all of it. It was like a radio hug to the town."
The elements that made Aielli emblematic of the city and its weirdness were numerous: from his calming baritone voice that felt like a caress as he led listeners in between scenes and songs, to his reading hobby at Cherrywood Coffeehouse with his personal vintage banker's lamp lit on the table. Even his home was a museum of odds and ends found in local thrift shops.
Aielli's interview preparation technique was simply nothing at all, the documentary revealed. He relied instead on his love of culture and his enthusiasm. His unstructured approached differed greatly from the vast majority of radio shows, which are based on organization, research, and a smooth experience. Letting a few choice curses slip out on-air is another big no-no in radio, but that didn't stop them from flying on Eklektikos.
"I never got fired for it, how about that?" Aielli quipped.
Faders Up is not just a tribute to Aielli's legacy. It also draws a stark comparison between two different Austins: the polished facade we have come to know and expect today, and the imperfect, experimental city that Austin used to be decades ago.
As many Austinites are quick to point out nowadays, Austin is no longer as "weird" as it claims to be. In the documentary, KUTX podcast host and producer Elizabeth McQueen speculated that if Aielli were beginning his career now, it's not likely he would get the six hours of daily airtime that he had in the 1960s.
"There are many parts of me that wish not only that John Aielli was still alive, but that Austin was still a city that wanted six hours of John Aielli a day," she said.
If we're taking anything away from the film, it's that we all need to unapologetically embrace the "weird" in our own lives, like Aielli did. It's time to look beyond our established tastes and welcome new experiences, whether it be in music or other activities that bring us joy.
Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience will have two additional screenings on Wednesday, March 13, at 11 and 11:30 am at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. These are open to SXSW badge-holders. Stay tuned with KUT and KUTX for announcements about film distribution after the festival.
