As a young man in the Bronx, Darren DeVivo chose to attend Fordham University not because it was so close to home but because of its alternative radio station, WFUV (Fordham University’s Voice, 90.7 FM). He was impressed that the station played the new King Crimson album in its entirety. He’s loved music since he was 4-years-old but never learned how to play an instrument or write songs. He never was in a band. But while studying at Fordham, he got the opportunity to play with music on-air. He never really left campus after that. He first hosted FUV’s weekly Friday night rock show, then the afternoon drive. He later became the weekday morning host, and then landed his current midday shift (10-2). He’s interviewed everyone from Adele to Sting, and likes to play songs of one writer/band/musician as recorded by other artists during his “Under the Covers’ set (every weekday at 12). Wilco, say, doing Woody Guthrie.
His favorite song to play on-air is “Hocus Pocus” a 1971 instrumental by Dutch rock group Focus. (It’s his DJ locus, one could say.) It’s a hard rock chord riff layered with yodeling, organ playing, gibberish lyrics and whistling. “I get a chuckle out of it,” Darren admits.