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The Golden Road’s Art O’Sullivan moved to Santa Cruz to attend UCSC as an alternative academic experience, but the ocean, redwoods and counterculture kept him here. Upon first listening to KZSC, Art was drawn to the alternative music, talk and special format programming.

He started programming The Golden Road on June 18, 1997 as a 30th anniversary celebration of the Monterey International Pop Festival–the same festival that made stars of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Ravi Shankar and Otis Redding. Art’s musical taste ranges from A to Z (The Association to Frank Zappa); he loves The Grateful Dead, classic rock (Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Dire Straits), blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, early Fleetwood Mac), hard rock (Midnight Oil, The Who), and punk rock (The Clash, forever). He likes to feature upbeat and melodic songs, live performances, and long jams on The Golden Road, every Wednesday from 3 to 6 pm this summer. He also appreciates jazz, folk, Celtic, African, Brazilian and Caribbean styles.

As a writer, an editor, and an animal rights advocate, Art has written PSAs for KZSC about animal welfare, and other issues close to his heart. Art has also contributed to the Metro alternative newspaper, covering topics such as The Grateful Dead archives, the 10th anniversary of Jerry Garcia’s passing, animal welfare, cats, and the invasion of Iraq. Art was on the air, programming a show called Earwax during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Art’s columns, criticism and commentary in Metro Santa Cruz won an award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association and he was voted the third Best Writer in Santa Cruz by Metro readers in 2005. He’s traveled extensively, making friends on four continents–Art is pretty sure the world is round, and “Love that’s real will not fade away.”

– Abraham

Photo: Hypnotica Studios Infinite