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Jim Ladd (born January 17, 1948), an American disc jockey, radio producer and writer, is the last remaining freeform rock DJ in United States commerical radio.
Unlike his contemporaries, Ladd personally selects every song he plays. He combines music with atmospheric sound samples and social commentary, often inviting listeners to participate on the air. Most of his music sets center around a theme or storyline, such as Wild West outlaws, beautiful women or fast cars. He often adds appropriate listener requests to his themed sets; sometimes a request will inspire an entire set. His repertoire combines classic rock standards by artists like the Beatles, the Doors and Led Zeppelin with songs and artists not normally heard on commercial radio. As was once standard in radio, most of his broadcasts end with a long song, such as the Doors' "When The Music's Over," Neil Young's "Cowgirl In The Sand" or even Pink Floyd's 23-minute-long "Echoes."
Ladd served as an inspiration for the 2002 Tom Petty album The Last DJ and its title track. In his career, he has become friends with many rock legends such as Petty, John Lennon, and Jackson Browne, along with original MTV veejay J. J. Jackson and filmmaker Cameron Crowe. (He played an all-night DJ in Crowe's 1989 film Say Anything.) Ladd appeared on Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters' fourth solo album Radio K.A.O.S. as "DJ Jim," joined Waters on the tour that followed, and appeared in the three music videos for the album.
Ladd began his career in 1967 at KNAC, a small Long Beach rock station. After two years there, he moved to Los Angeles station KLOS. In 1974, he moved to KMET, or "The Mighty Met," where he would remain for most of the 1970s and 1980s save for brief stints on syndication and on KLOS. He finally left KMET in 1987, when it phased out on-air disc jockeys and switched to a smooth jazz format. For several years, he did not work as a DJ because he refused to follow a playlist, as most station owners demanded. He currently plays free-form rock music on KLOS weeknights from 10 p. m. to 2 a.m. His show routinely leads its timeslot in Arbitron ratings.
Ladd's daily radio show is available only in the Los Angeles area because it is not syndicated and KLOS's audio stream is not available on the Internet as of 2005. However, he has produced, written and narrated a number of nationally syndicated programs, including interviews, concert specials and album premieres. National audiences probably know him best as the host of Innerview, an hour-long interview program that aired in the 1970s and 1980s.
Ladd is slated to receive a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2005.
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