The first light young Mr. Calamar saw was on a movie screen. He was vaccinated with a phonograph needle.
Born in the shadows of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx NY, Gary first found his passions lit when his parents took him to see West Side Story. By the time A Hard Days Night and Goldfinger came out, he was hooked on the explosive combination of movies and music.
He traveled west in the early 80’s, landing in Los Angeles. In need of a job that would ensure him a steady flow of promotional records and free concert tickets, Gary stepped behind a cash register and worked retail. He was managing a Licorice Pizza record store, as 12-inch vinyl records turned into 5-inch digital discs, and later moved on to Rhino Records, mixing with the customers and building up his music collection.
In the mid 90’s Gary started as a volunteer at KCRW. After (literally) getting down on his knees and begging music director Chris Douridas for a radio show he was given a shot. Gary’s unique brand of “adventurous pop music both timely and timeless” proved to be a hit. His show currently airs Sunday nights from 9-midnight. Through the years Gary has hosted live performances and interviews with musical greats ranging from Brian Wilson and Elmer Bernstein to Wilco and The Flaming Lips.
In 1998 Gary broke into the music supervision game and tackled the movie Varsity Blues, resulting in a #1 box office hit and a soundtrack album certified gold.
At the turn of the century, Gary, along with friend and fellow music supervisor Thomas Golubic, oversaw the music for the HBO original series Six Feet Under and were nominated for Grammy Awards for producing both volumes of the Six Feet Under soundtracks.
Never one to keep his feet on the ground, you can also hear Gary while flying the musical skies of Delta Airlines where he hosts a show for Delta Radio.
He lives in a lovely home in Los Angeles with his lovely wife and their amazing daughter.
Gary Calamar on KCRW
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