interview by Jan yahudeej@y Pawul




The difference between ignorance and awareness is wisdom
We don't know where we are going unless we know where we've been
Without that knowledge... history is gone with the wind









 on Wembley discotheque




EMPEROR ROSKO
USA discjockey

interview for the eBooks:

“DISCJOCKEY” 
disco encyclopedia

 and 

“SILENT RECORDS”
disco history

by
Jan ‘YAHUDEEJ@Y’ Pawul

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................

Y@HU - This time my interview is with EMPEROR ROSKO – an American deejay,
discotheque pioneer who remembers what was interesting in the ’70s.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................



Y@HU - when did you decide to become a disc jockey
- when and where did it really start
- how long have you been a deejay ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – I WAS GOING TO BE A DEEJAY FROM THE AGE OF 9 OR 10, WHEN I FIRST HEARD BILL MERCER ON THE RADIO IN L.A., STATIONS LIKE ‘KRLA’ JUST GOT ME EXCITED, SO I STRATED COLLECTING MUSIC FROM THE DAY ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK WAS RELEASED. MY FIRST DJ NAME WAS MICHAEL LONDON AND THEN IN HONOR OF ANOTHER ROSCOE I BECAME ROSKO.

YOUR MEMORIES
Y@HU - Tell me something (as much as possible) about the pioneer deejays you know / you've met in your career ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – I LIKED BILL MERCER AS HE FOLLOWED A STYLE AND PATTER FROM A DJ CALLED BOSKO AND ANOTHER CALLED SOCKO AND WE ALL DID A STYLE CALLED RHYTHM AND RHYME, TODAY IT IS CALLED RAP. I AM A FUSION OF MANY STYLES I AM FUNKY AND ROCKY AND SEXY AND POPPY. THANKS TO TOM DONAHUE AT ‘KYA’, BOB MITCHELL AT ‘KYA’, WOLFMAN AT ‘XERB’ AND MONAHUE IN CHICAGO. THEY WERE THE FRONT LINE THERE WERE MANY THE OTHERS WOULD TAKE A BOOK DEAL!!



Y@HU - Do you keep / hold any contact with the other Disco deejays /artists / '70 mega stars (can you mention any names) with whom you've become close friends maybe, because of your work ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – I AM FRIENDS WITH MOST ALL BRITISH DJ’S AND ALTHOUGH WE DON’T CHAT ON THE PHONE WE ALL NATTER WHEN AT A GIG OR FUNCTION.

Y@HU - Tell me about most exciting moments in / about your deejay / producer career ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – WELL THERE HAVE BEEN 100’S OVER 34 YEARS OF BROADCASTING, LAUNCHING THE MILLION WATT SHOW ON LUXEMBOURG FRANCE WAS PRETTY EXCITING , IT WAS CALLED MINI-MAX IN 67, A NEW STYLE OF RADIO FOR THE FRENCH. INTRODUCING THE WEMBLY ROCK AND ROLL SHOW WITH 80 K FANS WAS PRETTY HOT. THE DAY 66 I STARTED ON RADIO CAROLINE RANKS UP THERE PRETTY HIGH.



Y@HU - Can you tell anything interesting about other artists you know or met ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – YOUR QUESTIONS WOULD FILL A BOOK AS I RAN THE BBC ROUND TABLE SHOW FOR 3 YEARS THAT IS 52 x 3 = 159 FAMOUS ARTISTS, THUS TOO MANY TO LIST, I WILL SAY, I HAD THE MOST FUN WITH LITTLE RICHARD, DON MCLEAN WAS THE BIGGEST PAIN IN THE ASS. WILSON PICKETT WAS ON THE BACK OF MY MOTERCYCLE AND THE MOST SCARED AND OTIS REDDING AND THE STAX TOUR THE MOST FUN, STEVIE WONDER LEFT ME ON STAGE FOR 25 MINUTES TO FILL WHILST HE PLAYED WITH HIS PIANO, THAT WAS THE ROUGHEST 25 MINUTES I EVER HAD, I DON’T DO JOKES OR STHICK SO I HAD TO IMPROVISE, WOW TALK ABOUT SWEATING! (I MANAGED)… JUST.

Y@HU - Do you remember/can you tell which was your best DJ gig ever ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – WEMBLEY ROCK AND ROLL SHOW CIRCA ’76. I EVEN HAD MY OWN 10 K RIG! @ 8 OHMS!! THE BIGGEST IN THE UK AT THAT TIME.

Y@HU - Who were some of the great parties and DJs of the time ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – WELL ALL THE ONES I MENTIONED IN THE BEGINNING WERE ICONS TILL THEY DIED, I AM BECOMING ONE THOSE AS WE SPEAK …

Y@HU - Have you ever done something else or is DJ'ing your life ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – WELL I DID SOME TV WORK AND RECORD PROCING (NO HITS) AS A PRODUCER BUT HAVE SOLD ½ MILLION OVER MY LIFETIME AS A SINGING JOCK. I ACTED IN A FEW MOVIES, WORLD WAR 3 WITH ROCK HUDSON, LIFE OF ELVIS (HE WAS DEAD), I WAS WITH NEIL DIAMOND IN THE JAZZ SINGER.



Y@HU - Since you're one of the pioneer disco DJ's - how was the DJ regarded
in the beginning and how it has changed during the years ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – WELL IT JUST SEEMED LIKE THE WAY TO GO WHEN I STARTED, ONLY DLT (Dave Lee Travis) WAS AHEAD OF ME, BUT I TOOK IT QUICKLY TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH ADDED PLAYERS AND DANCERS AND LIGHT SHOWS ETC. IT CHANGED WHEN IT MORPHED TO “SPINNING” THE PUBLIC EXCHANGED PERSONALITY AND PARTISIPATION FOR SEAMLESS MUSIC AND THE SPINNER WAS BORN, NOT MY CUP OF TEA. WHEN I STARTED WE COULD SPIN BUT WE DID IT BY MOVING FREQUENCY’S AND UTILIZING NATURAL BREAKS ETC. TODAYS JOCK HAS ALL THE TOOLS, MAKES LIFE A BIT EASIER. HELL WHEN I STARTED IN CLUBS WITH MY BIG MOBILE RIG WE HAD SO MUCH BASS RUMBLE WE HUNG THE DECKS OFF THE CEILING WITH BUNJIE CORDS TO KEEP THE HARMONIC BASS FREQUECY FROM VIBRATING THE DECKS!!

Y@HU - Where do you live now ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA

Y@HU - Do you regular work now as a deejay ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – I AM HEARD WEEKLY ON CLASSIC GOLD IN THE UK ON 40 STATIONS, THE SKY SATILITE, MORE INFO ON http://www.emperorrosko.net/ I ALSO DO MOBILE WORK ONCE A WEEK TO KEEP IT FRESH.

Y@HU - What music do you prefer and vinyl or CD ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – I LIKE ROCK AND SOUL, CD’S HAVE MADE LIFE ON THE ROAD A LOT EASIER, BUT WHO CAN FORGET LE PETITE 45!!



Y@HU - What was your favourite club you worked for ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – IT WAS IN KENT BY THE TUBE STATION THE NAME - ESCAPES ME…

 Y@HU - Do you prefer just mixing records with BPM, pitch control or use microphone and speak to the people like early '70 deejays did ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – THEY WANT ME FOR MY MOUTH (WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AND HOW I SAY IT)!!

Y@HU - Do you plan write any book about ’70 discos / deejays or an autobiography ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – MY SECOND BOOK WILL BE A DVD.



Y@HU - No doubt for me that black artists created late ’70 disco music, disco history based on soul and R&B - what is your point of view ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – I AGREE WITH YOU!!

Y@HU - What is your life now - deejay, producer - what projects are you working on now ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – AS I SAID I AM ON THE AIR AROUND THE WORLD VIA THE INTERNET, IN PARTIES AND WORKING ON A MOVIE IT WILL BE ABOUT PIRATE RADIO AND MY LIFE AND A DVD OF RECOLECTIONS OUT ONE DAY.



Y@HU - Do you like techno / house music – which uses old tracks, mixes, samples, new beat etc. and then call it new - BUT we know it's piece of nothing if no because serious '70 music was used they can remix because they simply do not know how this music was created or recorded ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – I AM OK WITH IT BUT IT IS NOT MY #1 TYPE.

Y@HU - What more do you want to tell to the international readers ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – THANKS FOR BEING A FAN.

Y@HU - Thank you and let me ask you some questions again in some 
time - OK.?

EMPEROR ROSKO – THANKS – OK.


february 2004

INTERVIEW UPDATE
over 10 years later ...



From: Mike Pasternak 
Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 11:10 AM
Subject: new questions






Y@HU – One of the biggest, very early disco pioneer deejay name of ’70 was Tom Savarese (Billboard deejay of the year 1976 / ’77). No one even know how is he and where now. Some people even thought and published information that he is died. Another disco era pioneer deejay Barry Lederer died of heart attack in his NYC appartment alone and they found him a few weeks later. Same happend to many disco era heroes. It seems as disco / club deejay world / environment forgot about their roots and people whose created club business and seems like today deejays and media do not care disco era heroes. Do you think is this good idea to create special organisation and fund (DISCO AID) to help poor and health weak disco era heroes in everyday life, etc. ?

 EMPEROR ROSKO – I WILL REPLY IN CAPS SO YOU CAN SEE IT EASIER, REF THIS QUESTION, YES, AS LONG AS DJ’S PAY IN WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG, AND COLLECT BENEFITS WHEN THEY ARE ILL OR OLDER. THIS ALREADY EXISTS BUT YOU HAVE TO BE A PRO AND ON RADIO STATIONS 

 Y@HU - Has today's music become too technically driven, thus losing some of its magic touch when you were performing ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – 100% CORRECTO, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS LIKE PHARRELL , TIMBERLAKE, BRUNO MARS ETC BUT I THINK MOST IS CRAP.




WELL I DON’T TO BE HONEST AS IT HAS BEEN SO LONG ! I TEND TO LISTEN TO THE NEW DJ’S WHO MIX, IT IS ALMOST A DIFFERENT PROFESSION ! 

Y@HU - Tell me about your cooperation with any labels (if) ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – ATLANTIC MAINLY AND THAT IS NOW GONE RHINO RECORDS FOR MY OWN LP’S. 

 Y@HU - What do you think of the Disco era now ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – DISCO TODAY ?? DOES NOT EXIST !@!! 

 Y@HU - It looks like some deejays, disco pioneers, artists, musicians, disco websites owners / editors, etc. - they sometimes seems jealous or what and do not help in contacts to other disco era pioneers if I ask them help in my disco history work – they do not want to cooperate to save as much as possible knowledge for history, for future generations - WHY ?! 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – HUMAN NATURE, DOES NOT MAKE IT RIGHT , IT IS A FAULT, WHEN YOU GET OLDER, YOU JUST IGNORE PETTY JEALOUSIES AND LIVE YOUR LIFE. 




Y@HU – What is your opinion about how present time people save (or do not) disco history for future generations – is this enough what they do or history may disappear for good ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – WELL THE GOOD SINGERS ARE IN HALL OF FAMES HERE AND THERE 

 Y@HU - How do you remember late ’60 and very early ’70 disco deejays whose mixed and commented in radio style - rock, pop, r&b, funk, soul artists music (listed below) to dance in the first discotheques ? 

Atlanta Rhythm Section, Deep Purple, Budgie, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmi Castor, Stax Sound, Philadelphia Sound, Motown Sound, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Betty Davis, Staple Singers, Otis Redding, Al Bell, Carla Thomas, Booker T & MG’s, Wilson Pickett, William Bell, Isaak Hayes, BarKays, Johnnie Taylor, Rufus Thomas, Sam & Dave, Albert King, Steppenwolf, Sugarloaf, Iron Butterfly, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Black Sabbath, Ten Years After, Jethro Tull, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, Sly & Family Stone, Dennis Coffey, Free, Fleetwood Mac, Vanilla Fudge, Free, Jefferson Airplane, Lynard Skynard, Big Brother & Holding Company, Cozy Powell, Nazareth, J Geils Band, Three Dog Night, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Poco, Linda Rondstadt, America, Sweet, Slade, T-Rex, Blood Sweet & Tears, Little River Band, Chicago, Van Morrison, Uriah Heep, Savoy Brown, Moody Blues, Guess Who, Doobie Brothers, Doors, etc.

- how it all did start - whatever happen’ later. No doubt – discotheque and deejay history is not ONLY (?!) Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever, Donna Summer, Larry Levan, Paradise Garage, David Mancuso, The Loft, Studio 54, Nicky Siano, etc. 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – WELL IT STARTED WITH A RHYTHM AND A SOUND AND IT WAS A PEROID WHEN WE WERE HAPPY, LIFE STRUGGLES WERE NOT AS TOUGHT AS NOW







Y@HU - How significant was this whole stinky and dirty affair with Chicago’s ‘Comiskey Park’ anti-disco riot and this punk, pseudo DJ creator name Steve ‘anything’ ?

EMPEROR ROSKO – WAS NOT THERE SO DON’T KNOW 

 Y@HU - How disco was labelled around that time and why – “as fag” ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – WELL ONCE AGAIN IT WAS DIFFERENT AND GAY PEOPLE EMBRACED IT SO THE INTOLERABLE TYPES WENT AGAINST IT 

 Y@HU - How valid that time in real(!?!) was: Larry Levan, Paradise Garage, David Mancuso, The Loft, Studio 54, Nicky Siano, Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever - maybe it was / they were too much publicity than real value for disco, deejay and music scene and it stay like this until today for a few history less educated people ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – YOUR MIXING APPLES AND ORANGES TOGETHER !! GOOD MUSIC WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE 




Y@HU - What was the last impact of those early ’70 disco ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – WOW, PUNK!! IT WAS THE OPPOSITE AND CAUSED A CHANGE IN THE YOUTH 

 Y@HU - What is your opinion about those DISCO history books – I mean are all those books real disco history facts or maybe a little bit created by authors / fake disco history(?):

* This business of Disco by Radclife Joe
* Disco by Albert Goldman
* Turn the beat around by Peter Shapiro
* Last Night A DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton
* My Life And The Paradise Garage - Keep On Dancing by Mel Cheren
* Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco by Alan Jones, Jussi Kantonen
* Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979 by Tim Lawrence
* The Disco Files 1973 – 78 by Vince Aletti
* And Party Every Day (the inside story of Casablanca Records) by Larry Harris
* The Record Players by Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton 

EMPEROR ROSKO – I TEND NOT TO READ WHAT I LIVED THROUGH ! WHO KNOWS BETTER 

 Y@HU - Can you write a few words of your(!) short, private opinion about USA deejays they were over rated maybe or deserved fame / publicity they got ?

David Mancuso –
Richie Kaczor -
Nicky Siano -
Tom Savarese –
Steve D’Acquisto –
Michael Capello –
Francis Grasso -
Larry Levan -
Bobby Viteritti -
Tony Smith -
John 'Jellybean' Benitez -
Bobby Guttadaro -
David DePino -
Eddie Rivera -
Walter Gibbons -
Francis Kevorkian -
Tee Scott -
Robbie Leslie -
Danae Jackovidis -
Paul Casella –
Frankie Knuckles –
Barry Lederer – 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – DON’T KNOW THEM PER SAY, I MAY KNOW THEIR WORK, SO I WOULD COMMENT MORE ON A PIECE OF MUSIC OR MIX 




Y@HU - What do you think of today’s discotheque and deejay scene ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – SUCKS 

 Y@HU - What is your best remix you ever did ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – THE MIXES I DID WERE DONE BEFORE THE MODREN TYPES AND WERE MAINLY FOR RADIO, I DID A GREAT ROLLING STONES 
MIX !1 

 Y@HU - Why did you left disco business ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – I GOT IN TO RADIO 

 Y@HU - Have you won any awards for your career / gold records, etc. ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – MANY 

 Y@HU - Do remember any hit records titles and artist names you were mixed at the time ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – I MADE DJ ALBUMS FOR ATLANTIC RECORDS ALL ARE NOW EXSTINTE LIKE THE DINOSOURS :) 




Y@HU - What more do you want to tell – I mean - is there anything I did not ask BUT you want to tell us about ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – YOU HAVE TOUCHED ON EVERYTHING !@! 

 Y@HU - How did things change when very early / first ’70 USA deejays became famous and how they changed: 

Tom Savarese
Barry Lederer
Bobby Guttadaro
Don Findlay
Lary Sanders
David Mancuso
Nicky Siano
Francis Grasso
Michael Capello
Roy Thode
Vincent Carleo
Jimmy Stuart
Tony Smith 

EMPEROR ROSKO – THEY MADE MORE MONEY, THEY ALSO BECAME MIXOLOGISTS AND COMMAND UP TO 100,000 A NIGHT AT BIG VENUES !!

 Y@HU - Where do you live now ? 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – CALIFORNIA 

 Y@HU – How do you remember early USA / UK - disco / deejay magazines and can you write a few words about below titles and people / editors ?

Melting Pot - USA - Bob Casey editor and NADD President
Disco Star, New York, USA , Art E. Scott editor
Progressive Platter, Boston, USA, Cosmo Wyatt editor
Disco Gossip magazine, Chicago, USA, Alfred Cain editor
Disco News, New York, USA, Scott Anderson editor
Discothekin', New York, USA, Alex Kabbaz editor
Discotheque, Los Angeles, USA, Bernard Blain editor
Disco World, New York, USA, Susan Friedman editor
Discotrade, New York, USA, Nicole Sehmon editor
Mix Master, New York, USA, Michael Gomez
Disco Encyclopedia by Marianne Ilaw, St. Albans, NY, USA
Steppin' Out, Los Angeles, USA, Jeff Kutash editor
DISCONET mixed records + magazine, New York, USA
Dee Jay Monthly, London, UK, Ben Cree editor and NADJ President
Disco Mirror, London, UK, Mike Sharman editor (?)
Disco International , London , UK , Gerry Gilbert editor 

 EMPEROR ROSKO – I MIGHT RECALL ONE OR TWO, BUT I THANK ALL THOSE THAT PLUGGED ME 





















...more disco and DJ history in my giant eBook - best ever published history document about '70 disco & DJ, because of real creators memories !! This book / eBook biggest ever published (4.5GB content) !!

- disco history told by its ’70 creators, 
- over 130 interviews of DJ's, artists, producers, journalists, etc. 




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