I’ve never been a fan of the term Musicologist, especially in Classic Rock. While it’s supposed to denote someone who knows a lot about the music, it sounds dry and dusty. Additionally, that label is often hung on a person who has a hard time being a personality. The easiest way to try and develop them is to suggest they study hard to become a musicologist.
A term I like better — but I’ve never heard used in radio — is sommelier. Probably because the dictionary definition is very specific: a trained and knowledgeable wine professional who specializes in all aspects of wine service, storage, and food pairing. I had never heard it refer to being an expert in anything but wine until recently when an article on the Food and Wine website caught my attention.
The headline reads, “I Trained as a Beef Sommelier at D.C.’s Hottest New Steakhouse.” The article described how the Ox & Olive Steakhouse has a five-page manual that lays out how they train their “Beef Sommeliers.” There are currently eight beef experts on the restaurant’s payroll. Each has extensively studied the owner’s massive “Beef Bible” as part of the training.
Creating a New Standard for Expertise
According to owner and executive chef Ryan Ratino, “You have wine somms on the floor, of course, and I’m like, ‘If we really want to nerd out on beef, we should have somebody with that equal knowledge of steak and cows and beef to really tell people what we have.'”
I’m left with several questions. First, if they can expand the term sommelier to beef, why can’t we have Classic Rock Sommeliers?
You can argue we’ve had many over the years without using the title. There’s Jim Kerr on WNEW. Additionally, Adam Reader hosts the syndicated show Classic Rock U. He goes by the Professor of Rock but certainly qualifies. Bob Stroud recently retired from WDRV/Chicago was one. The late Jim Ladd should have definitely held the title. He guided listeners through many unique Classic Rock meals night after night. Similarly, the late Pierre Robert qualifies. Although he was technically on a Mainstream Rock station, let’s call him a Rock Sommelier.
That leads to the second question. How can we teach more people to be worthy of the title?
The Challenge of Knowledge Transfer
The majority of examples I listed are either older, retired, or have sadly passed away. That leaves us with a format to nurture. We have fans who love the music and appreciate true expertise on the subject. Yet, by necessity, we keep plugging in younger and younger people as hosts. They might have been to a Rolling Stones show. However, they weren’t there when the band was in its prime. The Rush tour provides them with a great experience they can talk about on air. But they don’t necessarily appreciate the true nostalgia of the band’s setlist. Notably, we should give credit to the team at Ultimate Classic Rock for carrying the torch. They’re a valuable resource. Still, when you look at our format, there is reason for concern.
There is no five-page manual on how to train a Classic Rock host to be a sommelier. There’s certainly no Classic Rock Bible like what people study to gain the title at Ox & Olive Steakhouse. While some of that knowledge used to be informally passed down from Program Director to younger hosts, there is less of that today. The reasons are clear: people are busy wearing multiple hats. Additionally, formats are piped in from outside or across markets.
Moving Forward: A Call to Action
Unlike what I usually strive for in these columns, I’m not offering a solution today. However, I will be trying to find one. I am just encouraging Classic Rock hosts and Program Directors alike. Consider the type of training the Beef and wine Sommeliers are getting. Think about how we can continue to train people to exhibit that sort of expertise at our stations.
Think of it like the article’s author, Alice Levitt wrote, “I’ve never seen a service team more deeply steeped in sharing every bit of information about the meat they serve.” Serving up rare cuts — of music — is a big part of what we do. Let’s make sure we’ve got hosts who can share valuable information about what we’re serving.
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