Not long out of high school in 1986, Laura Taylor got an invitation she remembers today. One of her radio idols, Jim Beeler, a regular presenter on community radio station WMNF, invited her to spin records for a half-hour on his weekly show.
"I was obsessed with the station because it played everything I liked, from ’60s music to contemporary punk at the time," says Taylor.
Beeler's show, with its playlists of punk rock, New Wave and industrial music, was one of her touchstones. After guest DJ-ing on his show, Taylor went on to become a DJ and development director at WMNF. She also became longtime friends with Beeler, who died in Tampa this morning at approximately 2:45 a.m.
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2012.