Meet the Youngest Radio DJ In History with an Inspiring Story Shadoe Stevens

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We're Out of Time 49 min 3 speakers 8 chapters transcribed
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How did Shadoe become the youngest Radio DJ in the world?

Shadoe Stevens 0:46
find these things that you believe in, the greater your ability to turn your will and your life over to the care of this something that you can't begin to comprehend.
Unknown Speaker 0:54
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When did substances first enter Shadoe's life?

Richard Taite 1:04
Everyone, I wanted to introduce you to somebody who I saw in probably one of my first AA meetings ever. Shadow Stevens, the legend, the voice of television and radio. When I was younger and just an absolute icon, man, like most beautiful voice, most talented man. Please stop, stop, stop. No more, no more, please. I was telling you before this, you started talking to me and the only thing I could think of, I couldn't hear what you were saying. And the only thing I could think was, oh my God, he's got such a beautiful voice. And that is cute. So you kind of like a pretty girl, right? Like she can be as smart, as sharp as a tack, right? And you just can't hear her. So it's kind of like that. Sucks for you.

What led Shadoe to explore a life without drugs?

Richard Taite 2:09
Well, thank you. Yeah, it's good to be here or anywhere for that matter. Let me ask you a question, man. You were such a massive success. One of the biggest voices in America. How did drugs and alcohol fit into that? And were you using while you were working or was it just an off the clock thing?
Shadoe Stevens 2:31
Well, this is a long story. I don't know how much you want to hear of it. All of it. I'll tell you in a nutshell. I grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota. I'm the oldest of five children. And my parents didn't drink or smoke or use drugs or curse or fight in front of the kids. My dad was very entrepreneurial. He owned clothing stores and toy stores and go-kart tracks and firework stands on the 4th of July. And all of the kids would run a different firework stand. When we had fireworks displays, they were at our house. It was Norman Rockwell, and I had go-karts, I had motorcycles, I worked early, I was very aggressively enthusiastic, and I built a radio station from a kit in my house when I was 10.
Shadoe Stevens 3:28
And when I was 11, I was discovered by by a local radio station and they put me on the air as the world's youngest disc jockey and I did rock and roll on Saturday morning on KEYJ and then I stayed doing radio most of my high school part-time you know in the summers and went through five years of college didn't didn't want to drink Drank once, projectile vomited, thought this is like my dad says, why do you want to drink? Makes you loud and stupid. So I didn't until my fourth year of college. I discovered doctor prescribed prescription of Desbutol. Desbutol was a brilliantly subtle combination of a wide variety of intoxicants, mainly alcohol. meth and a barbiturate. So it gave you the energy and it allowed you to stay thin and get a lot done while taking the edge off at the same time. It was widely abused and is no longer available. But that was the gateway. So now I have an acceleration that made me, because I was always busy. I worked full-time in radio and I went to school full-time.
Shadoe Stevens 4:50
And by the time I got to the University of Arizona, I was working full-time at the radio station and doing school and doing plays and getting a lot done. Guy says, you want to try some weed? I said, you should try it. I mean, it's a plant. It's not like it's heroin.

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