“To be remembered as a radio personality you need a singular vision, and you can’t be compromised.”
– Meg Griffin
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the rock radio DJ played an unprecedented creative role in the rock music world. I Am What I Play profiles four DJs in major markets during this period: their programming, their politics, and their deep connections with musicians and fans in the heyday of rock radio. Where are they now — and how did they reinvent themselves as the medium changed?
I Am What I Play combines material shot on location in the 4 cities (Seattle, Boston, New York and Toronto) with rarely seen archival footage of the disc jockeys, the radio stations and well-known rock performers, all complemented by a soundtrack that features many great rock songs of the era.
Available Now!
Past Screenings
See IAWIP on TV! – December 18, 2016
Documentary Channel
Dec 18 9pm ET/10 PT
IAWIP Canadian Broadcast Premiere – August 14, 2016
Documentary Channel
Toronto Magic Lantern Carlton Cinema – May 6, 2016
20 Carlton Street
Toronto, ON M5B 2H5
Northwestfest – Edmonton, AB – May 7, 2016
Landmark Cinemas City Centre
10200 102nd Avenue,
Edmonton AB T5J 4B7
Phoenix Film Festival – April 8, 2016
Harkins Scottsdale 101 Theater 7
7000 E Mayo Blvd
Phoenix, AZ 85054
An Evening of Film and Discussion featuring Meg Griffin – February 25, 2016
Narrows Center for the Arts
16 Anawan Street
Fall River, MA 02721
Wellfleet Independent Documentary Series – March 3 & 4, 2016
Wellfleet Preservation Hall
335 Main Street
Wellfleet, MA 02667
EUROPEAN PREMIERE! Sunday March 13, 2016, 14:00h
Radiodays Europe
Le Palais des Congrès des Paris
Paris, France
Read a Radiodays Europe interview with Director Roger King here!
A Q&A with Pat O’Day and a screening of the film – January 21, 2016
Pickford Film Center
1318 Bay Street
Bellingham, WA
An Evening with Charles Laquidara and a screening of the film, Boston MA – December 23, 2015
The Regent Theatre
7 Medford StreetArlington, MA
Beacon Quarterly Film Series – Mt. Beacon NY – November 13th, 2015
Howland Cultural Center
477 Main St, Beacon, New York 12508
Loyalist College’s 91X FM Fundraiser – November 25, 2015
Loyalist College
376 Wallbridge Loyalist Rd,
Belleville ON, K8N 5B9
Vancouver Film Festival/Vancouver Film Center, Vancouver BC – November 30, 2015
Special Presentation
Vancity Theatre
1181 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC V6B3M7
Screening at the Princess Cinema, Waterloo ON – October 29, 2015
A one night only screening of the documentary, I Am What I Play at The Princess Cinema in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
6 Princess Street
Waterloo, ON N2L 2X8
Reel Independent Film Festival, Toronto ON – October 15, 2015
I Am What I Play at The Royal Cinema in Toronto, Ontario.
608 College Street
Toronto, ON M6G 1B4
Red Cinemas, Greensboro, NC – October 2, 3 & 4, 2015
Six screenings over 3 days at Red Cinemas in Greensboro, North Carolina.
1305 Battleground Ave
Greensboro, NC 27408
Beacon Independent Film Festival – Mt. Beacon NY – September 18th, 2015
The Beacon Independent Film Festival (BIFF) showcases creative films in a unique venue, nestled among the trees at the foot of Mount Beacon, NY.
Jacob Burns Film Center, New York – August 18, 2015
Sounds of Summer: New Music Documentaries series
Canadian Music Week, Toronto – May 8, 2015
Canadian Premiere – Opening night
Boston Independent Film Festival – April 26, 2015
U.S. Premiere
The Stars
Meg Griffin is a rock radio legend, having spent almost 40 years on New York airwaves. Her early stint at WRNW lead to a lifelong friendship with colleague Howard Stern. Later, at the incomparable WNEW, she played a major role in championing the punk and new wave scene of the late 70s and early 80s, introducing listeners to the music of Patti Smith, The Ramones, Talking Heads and many others. Griffin has been honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and continues her groundbreaking free-form radio work on three different Sirius XM satellite radio channels.
David Marsden first ruled the Toronto airwaves as David Mickie, a motor-mouthed DJ who hosted two television shows and was featured in Marshall McLuhan’s book “Understanding Media”. Later he would carve out his own identity on powerhouse CHUM-FM in the early 1970s and then as program director of one of North America’s first alternative rock stations, CFNY, known as “The Spirit of Radio.” He is the subject of an exhibit at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and was recently given a lifetime achievement award by the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame.
Charles Laquidara was the morning man for pioneering free form station WBCN in Boston for over 25 years and was among the highest paid radio personalities in the U.S. He was one of the first morning show hosts to have a staff of writers and a cast of comic characters but was also known for using his show “The Big Mattress” to take on major issues like the Vietnam War and Apartheid in South Africa. Laquidara was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2009.
Pat O’Day was a DJ and Program Director at legendary Seattle station KJR for the better part of 15 years. His dance and concert promotion business eventually became Concerts West which at its peak represented big names such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and Elvis Presley. O’Day is credited with putting the Seattle music scene on the map and is a part of a permanent exhibit at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.