Vin Scelsa
Encyclopedia
Vincent Anthony Scelsa, better known as "Vin," was born on December 12, 1947 in Bayonne, New Jersey
. He is the host of a freeform
radio show known as Idiot's Delight
.
He attended Upsala College
in East Orange, NJ, where he spent his early broadcasting years at WFMU
. Scelsa originally considered becoming a Jesuit priest
before pursuing a career in radio
. His eclectic mix of music, reviews, and lengthy interviews with authors and artists has established Scelsa as a fixture in late night New York City
radio for decades.
Scelsa went on to work in radio on Long Island
in the early 1970s at WLIR
and on WBAI
-FM in New York City. He became road manager
for singer-songwriter
Townes Van Zandt
and also worked for Poppy Records. On February 14, 1971, while he was music director at WABC-FM
, the station changed its call letters to WPLJ
, an acronym for and homage to the song, performed by The Four Deuces in 1955 and the Mothers of Invention in 1970, called "White Port and Lemon Juice."
In 1981 he was namechecked on The Ramones
' "It's Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)".
Scelsa later worked at WNEW-FM 102.7 from 1973 through 1982, briefly at WLIR
, and then WXRK
-FM 92.3 K-Rock from 1985 through 1996. His popular show was subsequently named "Idiot's Delight," many fans of which participate in the online "Idiot's Delight Digest."
When K-ROCK decided to solidify its format as all rock
(except for Howard Stern
in the morning), Scelsa left the station and returned to WNEW. For a period of time, Vin played a different version of "I'll Be Seeing You" each week.
He remained at WNEW through 2000. During this stint, Idiot's Delight did not have a fixed ending time. Rather the show ran from 8:00 PM until at least 2:00 AM but some ran as late as 3:00 or 4:00, depending upon when Vin felt it had reached an appropriate conclusion. His last show for WNEW was particularly memorable. It aired on December 31, 2000 and ended at around 3:30 AM on January 1, 2001.
Starting in 2001, following a changed format at WNEW, he moved "Idiot's Delight" to WFUV
/90.7 FM, the voice of Fordham University
. He also briefly hosted an internet only radio show called "Live at Lunch" during 2000 and 2001 which he broadcast from his home or from a studio at J&R
Music World.
Scelsa broadcasts a separate version of "Idiot's Delight" live on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons (12noon - 2pm ET) for Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's "The Loft" (Channel 29 on Sirius/Channel 50 on XM). The combined four hours of the Sirius/XM broadcasts are repeated on Sunday nights, 8pm to midnight ET, and at several other times during the week, also on "The Loft".
Scelsa was the music editor of Penthouse Magazine from 1988 to 1992 and was the co-creator of a musical series with the lengthy name In Their Own Words: A Bunch Of Songwriters Sittin' Around Singing at The Bottom Line
in NYC..
Scelsa has also appeared on stage numerous times, most notably as Vladimir in the Luna Stage's production of Waiting for Godot
.
In 2006 he underwent successful prostate cancer surgery. On his WFUV
show of September 16, 2006, he announced a schedule change which he attributed to his health problems. "Idiot's Delight" presented new programming only from 8-10 pm on Saturdays, with archived material (from both WFUV
and his earlier jobs) from 10 pm to midnight. Currently, Idiot's Delight airs from 8 PM to 10 PM.
Scelsa only used this format for a few weeks before deciding to once again change his recording format at WFUV. Scelsa currently records the 10pm to Midnight hours the week before his Saturday broadcast. Then, he records live to tape in WFUV studios with guests on Saturday mornings. Those recordings air from 8pm - 10pm the same night.
On December 13, 2007 (a few weeks after celebrating his 40th anniversary on New York radio; and the day after his birthday) Vin Scelsa was the recipient of the prestigious ASCAP Deems Taylor Radio Broadcast Award, presented at The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Vin was praised for "outstanding coverage of music on his long-running show Idiot's Delight" (as heard on WFUV broadcast radio and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio The Loft 29 [Sirius] The Loft 50 [XM]). Songwriter Marilyn Bergman, current President and Chairman of the Board of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) stated in her presentation of the award, "Vin Scelsa, a mainstay of New York radio for four decades, is one of the last true free-form radio hosts... He is a champion of new and untested music and, with his devoted listening public, an important tastemaker."
In accepting the award Vin thanked New York radio veterans Bob Fass (an early mentor and role model), Scott Muni
(WNEW-FM air personality and program director) for trusting Vin with total freedom on a major commercial radio station) and air personality Alison Steele
(who taught him about the painful struggle faced by women in broadcasting until well into the 1970s).
Vin thanked the many general managers and program directors who tended to ignore him and pass him along from one to another, rather like an enigmatic "grandfather clause." He tipped his hat to a mysterious "rabbi named Mel" - in thanks for whatever it is the rabbi does or doesn't do to protect him from the harsh realities of 21st Century radio. This tribute may have been a reference to veteran radio executive Mel Karmazin
. He thanked his parents for being constant radio listeners; post WWII the radio was always on in the Scelsa household: Mom listening to her soaps and talk shows on WOR and Dad digging Sinatra and Basie and the Milkman's Matinee on the old WNEW-AM.
But most of all he thanked Freddie, the girl he met when they were both 17-year-old seniors in high school. They married in 1970 and have been together ever since. Vin said he enjoyed success, freedom and longevity in his radio career because of Freddie's support, generosity, understanding, patience and love. "Without Freddie there is no way I would be standing on this stage in this beautiful room accepting this remarkable honor tonight."
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
. He is the host of a freeform
Freeform
The word freeform may refer to:* Freeform , an alias used by experimental/IDM producer Simon Pyke* Freeform Style of Hardcore Techno influenced by trance.* Freeform Five, UK electro-house band...
radio show known as Idiot's Delight
Idiot's Delight
Idiot's Delight is a 1939 MGM comedy film, with a screenplay adapted from the 1936 Robert E. Sherwood play of the same name, by Sherwood himself. The movie stars Norma Shearer and Clark Gable. It is notable as the only film where Gable sings and dances, performing a version of the Irving Berlin...
.
He attended Upsala College
Upsala College
Upsala College was a private college in East Orange, New Jersey, USA, founded in 1893. Construction of the campus started in 1900. The college closed in 1995, after several years of financial problems.-History:...
in East Orange, NJ, where he spent his early broadcasting years at WFMU
WFMU
WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM, presenting a freeform radio format...
. Scelsa originally considered becoming a Jesuit priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
before pursuing a career in radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
. His eclectic mix of music, reviews, and lengthy interviews with authors and artists has established Scelsa as a fixture in late night New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
radio for decades.
Scelsa went on to work in radio on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
in the early 1970s at WLIR
WLIR
WLIR-FM is a Christian radio station as part of the WLIX Voice of Hope Radio Network. WLIR-FM broadcasts in the Hamptons-Riverhead area. Its transmitter is currently located near East Quogue, New York....
and on WBAI
WBAI
WBAI, a part of the Pacifica Radio Network, is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station, broadcasting at 99.5 FM in New York City.Its programming is leftist/progressive, and a mixture of political news and opinion from a leftist perspective, tinged with aspects of its complex and varied...
-FM in New York City. He became road manager
Road manager
In music industry, a Road Manager is a person who works with small to mid-sized tours...
for singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Townes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt
John Townes Van Zandt , best known as Townes Van Zandt, was an American Texas Country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet...
and also worked for Poppy Records. On February 14, 1971, while he was music director at WABC-FM
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
, the station changed its call letters to WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
, an acronym for and homage to the song, performed by The Four Deuces in 1955 and the Mothers of Invention in 1970, called "White Port and Lemon Juice."
In 1981 he was namechecked on The Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
' "It's Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)".
Scelsa later worked at WNEW-FM 102.7 from 1973 through 1982, briefly at WLIR
WLIR
WLIR-FM is a Christian radio station as part of the WLIX Voice of Hope Radio Network. WLIR-FM broadcasts in the Hamptons-Riverhead area. Its transmitter is currently located near East Quogue, New York....
, and then WXRK
WFNY-FM
WXRK , known on-air as "92.3 Now", is a radio station in New York City. Owned by CBS Radio, WXRK broadcasts a Contemporary Hit Radio format with a rhythmic lean...
-FM 92.3 K-Rock from 1985 through 1996. His popular show was subsequently named "Idiot's Delight," many fans of which participate in the online "Idiot's Delight Digest."
When K-ROCK decided to solidify its format as all rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
(except for Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
in the morning), Scelsa left the station and returned to WNEW. For a period of time, Vin played a different version of "I'll Be Seeing You" each week.
He remained at WNEW through 2000. During this stint, Idiot's Delight did not have a fixed ending time. Rather the show ran from 8:00 PM until at least 2:00 AM but some ran as late as 3:00 or 4:00, depending upon when Vin felt it had reached an appropriate conclusion. His last show for WNEW was particularly memorable. It aired on December 31, 2000 and ended at around 3:30 AM on January 1, 2001.
Starting in 2001, following a changed format at WNEW, he moved "Idiot's Delight" to WFUV
WFUV
WFUV, 90.7 FM in New York City, is Fordham University's 50,000-watt, non-commercial radio station, with studios on campus and its antenna atop nearby Montefiore Medical Center. First broadcast in 1947, WFUV has an airstaff which includes such New York radio veterans as Pete Fornatale , Dennis...
/90.7 FM, the voice of Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
. He also briefly hosted an internet only radio show called "Live at Lunch" during 2000 and 2001 which he broadcast from his home or from a studio at J&R
J&R
J&R is a well-known retail store in New York City, located on Park Row, across from New York City Hall.J&R stands for Joe and Rachelle Friedman, the founders, who established the company in 1971 after emigrating from Israel...
Music World.
Scelsa broadcasts a separate version of "Idiot's Delight" live on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons (12noon - 2pm ET) for Sirius/XM Satellite Radio's "The Loft" (Channel 29 on Sirius/Channel 50 on XM). The combined four hours of the Sirius/XM broadcasts are repeated on Sunday nights, 8pm to midnight ET, and at several other times during the week, also on "The Loft".
Scelsa was the music editor of Penthouse Magazine from 1988 to 1992 and was the co-creator of a musical series with the lengthy name In Their Own Words: A Bunch Of Songwriters Sittin' Around Singing at The Bottom Line
Bottom Line
The Bottom Line was a music venue at 15 West Fourth Street between Mercer Street and Greene Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
in NYC..
Scelsa has also appeared on stage numerous times, most notably as Vladimir in the Luna Stage's production of Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
.
In 2006 he underwent successful prostate cancer surgery. On his WFUV
WFUV
WFUV, 90.7 FM in New York City, is Fordham University's 50,000-watt, non-commercial radio station, with studios on campus and its antenna atop nearby Montefiore Medical Center. First broadcast in 1947, WFUV has an airstaff which includes such New York radio veterans as Pete Fornatale , Dennis...
show of September 16, 2006, he announced a schedule change which he attributed to his health problems. "Idiot's Delight" presented new programming only from 8-10 pm on Saturdays, with archived material (from both WFUV
WFUV
WFUV, 90.7 FM in New York City, is Fordham University's 50,000-watt, non-commercial radio station, with studios on campus and its antenna atop nearby Montefiore Medical Center. First broadcast in 1947, WFUV has an airstaff which includes such New York radio veterans as Pete Fornatale , Dennis...
and his earlier jobs) from 10 pm to midnight. Currently, Idiot's Delight airs from 8 PM to 10 PM.
Scelsa only used this format for a few weeks before deciding to once again change his recording format at WFUV. Scelsa currently records the 10pm to Midnight hours the week before his Saturday broadcast. Then, he records live to tape in WFUV studios with guests on Saturday mornings. Those recordings air from 8pm - 10pm the same night.
On December 13, 2007 (a few weeks after celebrating his 40th anniversary on New York radio; and the day after his birthday) Vin Scelsa was the recipient of the prestigious ASCAP Deems Taylor Radio Broadcast Award, presented at The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Vin was praised for "outstanding coverage of music on his long-running show Idiot's Delight" (as heard on WFUV broadcast radio and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio The Loft 29 [Sirius] The Loft 50 [XM]). Songwriter Marilyn Bergman, current President and Chairman of the Board of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) stated in her presentation of the award, "Vin Scelsa, a mainstay of New York radio for four decades, is one of the last true free-form radio hosts... He is a champion of new and untested music and, with his devoted listening public, an important tastemaker."
In accepting the award Vin thanked New York radio veterans Bob Fass (an early mentor and role model), Scott Muni
Scott Muni
Scott Muni was an American disc jockey, who worked at the heyday of the AM Top 40 format and then was a pioneer of FM progressive rock radio.-Biography:...
(WNEW-FM air personality and program director) for trusting Vin with total freedom on a major commercial radio station) and air personality Alison Steele
Alison Steele
Alison Steele was a pioneering American disc jockey in Manhattan at what would become the archetypal progressive rock radio station in the United States, WNEW-FM. She was commonly known as "The Nightbird"...
(who taught him about the painful struggle faced by women in broadcasting until well into the 1970s).
Vin thanked the many general managers and program directors who tended to ignore him and pass him along from one to another, rather like an enigmatic "grandfather clause." He tipped his hat to a mysterious "rabbi named Mel" - in thanks for whatever it is the rabbi does or doesn't do to protect him from the harsh realities of 21st Century radio. This tribute may have been a reference to veteran radio executive Mel Karmazin
Mel Karmazin
Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin is an American executive. He co-founded and was the president of Infinity Broadcasting and eventually became the president and chief executive officer of CBS. As of 2008, he is the CEO of Sirius XM Radio....
. He thanked his parents for being constant radio listeners; post WWII the radio was always on in the Scelsa household: Mom listening to her soaps and talk shows on WOR and Dad digging Sinatra and Basie and the Milkman's Matinee on the old WNEW-AM.
But most of all he thanked Freddie, the girl he met when they were both 17-year-old seniors in high school. They married in 1970 and have been together ever since. Vin said he enjoyed success, freedom and longevity in his radio career because of Freddie's support, generosity, understanding, patience and love. "Without Freddie there is no way I would be standing on this stage in this beautiful room accepting this remarkable honor tonight."