The Playlist Reveals the Soul
“What is your favorite song?” can be a difficult question to answer. West Texas VIPs are getting a chance to shine by answering this very question on a radio program featured on KTXT-FM.
Loosely based on a BBC radio program called “Desert Island Discs,” the “Top’s Ten” program asks prominent people from West Texas to share 10 of the most influential songs from their lives. David D. Perlmutter, dean of the Texas Tech University College of Media & Communication, hosts the program. The program airs on Texas Tech University’s FM radio station, KTXT-FM, on Sundays at noon and repeats Mondays at 5 p.m.
Derrick Ginter, general manager of KTXT-FM, is involved as an editor and producer of the program. Ginter said the program is great exposure for Texas Tech University, the CoMC, and even the radio station itself.
“The question is not just ‘What are your 10 songs?’” Ginter said. “It is ‘What are your 10 songs and why?’ Every song has a story behind it. In the episodes I have produced, I have gained some interesting and telling insight into these people through their selections of music.”
Perlmutter agrees that music is a connection point and one can get to know someone through his or her music choice.
“You can learn a lot about someone by what kind of music they listen to,” Perlmutter said. “The playlist reveals the soul. I am always fascinated to see what kind of music people listen to if we are driving in the car together.”
“The playlists are not just about favorite songs,” Perlmutter said. “It might be the music this is most important in their life. I can imagine someone saying ‘This is not my favorite song but it is the song that was playing on the radio when my father died.’ It is about the songs that had the most influence on who they are as successful people.”
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs Todd Chambers has been a featured guest on “Top’s Ten” and serves as a backup host. Perlmutter introduced the idea of the program to Chambers when both sat down to brainstorm about possible guests on the program. Chambers said he was impressed with the program and Perlmutter’s interviewing skills.
“I was blown away by how good he was at the interview,” Chambers said. “He sounded just like someone you would pick up on a national network feed. It was just seamless.”
The feedback on the program from guests has been positive. Chancellor Robert Duncan stopped by the show in December. He said he enjoyed the interview and had fun picking out the songs for his playlist.
“Coming up with a list of my 10 favorite songs was certainly a nostalgic experience,” Duncan said. “It was really fun to look back, and each song brought back its own memories from my life. Forty years later, the words may have more meaning than they did when I first heard them. But, the music is still good.”
Jaryn Kilmer, communications coordinator in the Office of Communications and Marketing, helped Duncan pick out his song choices.
“This was definitely a great way to get to know your boss,” Kilmer said. “I had never heard a few of the Chancellor’s favorites, and it was interesting to find out when we did like some of the same songs.”
Ginter said his main responsibility concerning “Top’s Ten” is to find the music on the guest’s top 10 list and make the songs available after the interview to produce the show. He said he is also responsible for running the engineering during the show and editing the show after the interview. Clips from the 10 songs are featured throughout the interview.
“We usually only play about a minute of each song,” Ginter said. “If it is a popular song, I will try to find a spot where most people would recognize the song. We usually end up with about 45 minutes of interview and about 15 minutes of music throughout the show.”
Ginter said he has a greater appreciation for the guests and their professions after the interviews. He said he has learned about professions and people that he has not had the opportunity to learn about previously.
“I do not know the sheriff of Lubbock County that well,” Ginter said. “But, after having him in our studios and listening to his interview, I can appreciate a lot of what he faces.”
“This is a show about ideas,” Ginter said. “One of the best interviews so far was with Ambassador Tibor Nagy. I learned so much in that one episode. What do ambassadors do? What is an ambassador? How do they function? He is a fascinating individual.”
Perlmutter said prominent people in Lubbock and at Texas Tech University comprise the majority of guests featured on the show. However, Perlmutter said he also hopes to be able to interview prominent people who pass through West Texas.
“As for the ‘Top’s’ part, we want to find people who have made a real impact,” Perlmutter said. “We want to have people who have made an impact in society, culture, business, politics and education. We want to see what is the music behind the man or the woman.” mc
New episodes of “Top’s Ten” air weekly at noon on Sundays and repeat at 5 p.m. on Mondays. All previous shows are available for streaming on KTXT-FM’s website and are also available for download on iTunes.
(Preston Redden graduated in 2015 with a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communications and in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. Jacob Copple, 2015 Master of Arts in Mass Communications and 2013 Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media and Communications, is the Coordinator for Photo & Video from Lubbock. Eli Ramirez is a freshman Electronic Media and Communications major from Donna, Texas. David Vaughn graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in University Studies.)
