Guest post by Nathan Arizona
This is a post about Wolfman Jack, powerful radio signals and goat testicles.
It’s also about exciting music U.S. fans could find only on Mexican radio stations, whose call letters all began with “X.”
From the 1930s to the 1970s, Mexican radio stations could operate with far more wattage than U.S. stations were allowed — up to 500,000 watts, so strong it’s said folks could pick them up on barbed wire and bedsprings. When U.S.signals didn’t reach young listeners, they could turn to the Mexican “border blasters” for the rock ’n’ roll, r&b, hillbilly music and blues they wanted to hear. The American stations didn’t play much of that anyway.
A lot of rock musicians grew up listening to what they called the X, especially in the southwest, and they remember it fondly. ZZ Top wrote “Heard It on the X“ and a Texas supergroup called Los Super 7 was among those who covered it. The Blasters wrote about the X in “Border Radio.” The Doors had a song about it called “The Wasp.”
The best-known X disc jockey was Wolfman Jack, a white man from Brooklyn, born Bob Smith, who talked like a black hipster. Earlier, the Carter Family established their country reputation by playing on a border blaster when U.S. stations didn’t want them.
Before we get to the songs — and the goat glands! — here’s a sample of what these stations were about. The office here was in Del Rio, Texas, but the tower had to be somewhere across the river. Turn it up.
You might be somewhat familiar with the Xs through the movies. In “American Graffiti,” the Richard Dreyfus character visits Wolfman Jack while he’s on the air. The Wolfman was heard in Modesto, Calif., but a visit would have meant a trip to Mexico. Pappy O’Daniel from “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” was loosely based a real politician by that name who campaigned on the X.
Now, the goats. A quack doctor named John R. Brinkley was one of the first to realize powerful Mexican stations could move merchandise in the U.S. He had gotten rich in Kansas convincing the gullible they could enhance their masculinity by having the good doctor implant goat testicles. When the authorities cracked down, he moved his operation to Mexico.
Dave Alvin of the Blasters talked about listening to the X in his introduction to this live version of “Border Radio.”
Los Super 7 consisted of Texas musicians who recorded in various combinations, including Flaco Jimenez, Doug Sahm, Rick Trevino, Joe Ely and members of Los Lobos. Here they are with “Heard it on the X.” The great guitar work is by Charlie Sexton.
And now Jim Morrison emoting on the subject with the Doors.
