DJ Major Tom
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DJ Major Tom a.k.a. T Natural a.k.a. Original T or simply, the Major, is a controversial Canadian radio host.
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[edit] Radio Host Career
The Spray Net Show and the Parti Québecois Debacle
While attending Le Petit Séminaire de Québec high school in Quebec city, young DJ Major Tom started and co-presided the first radio station of the school in 1995. After failing to get three shows approved on the air of CKIA-FM in Quebec City, the Major’s radio debut took place on his high-school’s closed-circuit radio station (later the FXG CEGEP station). His first radio show, Le Spray Net Show, (i.e. the hair-spray show) was devoted to the Eighties music, with tracks covering the whole spectrum of styles, from new wave to mullet rock.
The show ran into controversy when the fomer Prime Minister of Quebec, Jacques Parizeau, held a conference at CEGEP François-Xavier Garneau. Members of the Parti Québecois asked for the show to go off-air for the duration of the conference. The Major responded on-air in a typical québecois slang, that he would shut down Le Spray Net Show for a propaganda conference. A stand-off ensued, but as the Major was still in his formative years, he soon succumbed to the pressure of the Parti Québecois and accepted to go off-air, in addition to issuing an apology for his remarks on the former Prime Minister.
After the Parti Québecois debacle the show went on to run for one more year, and moved to Toronto-based AM radio station CKRG 800 in 2001.
The Major Tom Show
After wrapping-up Le Spray Net Show, and in the fall of 2002, the Major went live on FM for the first time with the move of CKRG to 89,9 FM. This marked a significant turning point in the DJs career, and coincides with the adoption of his DJ name Major Tom, which is a reference to Belgium singer Plastic Bertrand remake of 1983 Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom” a reference to David Bowie’s hit song “Space Oddity”, as well as to the Major’s own christian name. The Major had decided to take on an entirely new approach to radio-hosting and was given carte-blanche regarding the production and direction of his show. And so the Major created, with the Major Tom Show, a radio show entirely devoid of structure or format whatsoever. Along with the Major’s new co-host, MC Poits, and with participation from The Artist, Gasoline Red Hair Girl, and Hype & the Ballgaggers, the Major Tom Show was a success from the start, combining humour, gangsta rap, crude commentaries, and live performances.
The Tribute to da Major Tom Show
In the spring of 2003, perhaps simulating the unstructured nature of his own radio show, the Major announced one evening, to the shock and dismay of the show’s now quite substantial audience, that he would no longer be hosting the show. The Major moved to Europe to take a break from the stress of the radio show that had increasingly come to dominate his life. In an effort to attenuate the outrage that the Major’s fait accompli had caused, co-host MC Poits to assume the lead of the show (over 2003-2004). MC Poits re-titled it to: Tribute to da Major Tom Show ( a.k.a. the TMT Show). Although The Major was not part of the creativity process of the new show, he did interact in a few shows while in Europe. The TMT Show was also a big success. MC Poits helped to further broaden the audience with the aid of some colourful new co-hosts, including: DJ Frenchie, DJ Lola, and DJ Jihad.
[edit] Hiatus Period
The TMT Show went onto hiatus on the spring of 2004 when the collaborators of the show decided to pursue individual careers. Rumours originating from Madrid, Spain in early 2006 suggest that the Major could be set to start back his radio career in the very near future.
[edit] Music career
The Major is also a prominent MC in the Quebec City underground rap scene. With fellow MC’s D-Full-Bill (a.k.a. D-Bill Grave) and 2 Fesses, Major Tom formed the phoney rap crew Le 52. Although Le 52 never broke an official record deal with their first project Chillin’ Lifestyle, they always stayed away from the glamour of commercial hip hop, refusing to compromise on their lyrics and each of the MC’s personal styles. Inspired at first by French hip hop pioneers IAM, Le 52 soon started rapping about more hardcore subjects and the hard life in the 52 ghetto. Rapping in French and English, their most acclaimed songs are Je chill-e, J’me cup, c’l’top and Comme d’habitude (English title With Attitude).
The Major has also written other material far from hip hop such as the guitar rock anthem Boston Cream Song and Cold Meat Blood, a title of the never released soundtrack of the Cold Meat Blood horror movie which never passed the preproduction process.
[edit] Television career
According to a recent interview in September 2006, The Major is working with a new dynamic team on a few television concepts. As The Major cited :" ...I see the [television] move as a normal step in my creative development. The shows I'm working on are still in their primitive stages, but I've been having positive feedbacks so far from major TV networks ..."
[edit] Quotes
Entry line "Yo Glen-to-da-Don, live from CKRG 89 POINT 9 FM, it's the Major Tom Show!"
"Hey Glen-to-da-Don, you're tuned in to CKRG 89,9 FM and this is Major Tom. What? You don't know me? You don't know who Major Tom is? Before Saukrates, before DJ X, there was Major Tom. And now there is MC Poits and his funky crew!"
