Elvis Duran on the magic of radio and his special bond with listeners

If the annual Jingle Ball at New York’s Madison Square Garden is the Super Bowl of holiday concerts, then Elvis Duran is in the role of head coach. From introducing acts like Olivia Rodrigo, to mingling with pop princesses (“Sabrina Carpenter, everyone!”), and interviewing rock royalty like Cher, on this day, this Elvis is king.

But he says being interviewed for TV is different for him: “I’m not a camera guy, I’m a radio guy,” he said.

If you don’t recognize his face, you may know his voice. Since 1996 the 60-year-old disc jockey has been host of “Elvis Duran and the Morning Show,” the country’s most popular Top 40 morning program. “I can’t believe it’s been 30 years, because it’s been nothing but fun,” he said.

Every day, millions of listeners nationwide wake up to Duran and his crew dishing about music, pop culture … pretty much whatever’s on their minds. “I’ve been working with some of the same people for 25-30 years,” he said. “The energy with each other is what makes it work. I don’t need to be the center of attention.”

With 70 markets across the country listening, Duran’s a rarity these days – a nationally-known radio DJ.

I asked, “Growing up, I remember big-name radio DJs. Now it’s kind of you and Ryan Seacrest. What happened?”

“Radio isn’t what radio used to be,” Duran replied. “A lot of radio companies gave up on personalities; they just wanted to play music, it’s cheaper. That’s not good for our business. So, I’ve done everything I can to keep personality on a radio show in the mornings.”

And it’s Duran’s personality that over the years has won him loyal fans, including some of the biggest names in pop music. “Lady Gaga grew up dreaming of hearing her song on our show,” he said. “And when she walked into the room, she was sort of nervous. And I was thinking, ‘Well, shouldn’t it be the opposite way? It is Lady Gaga!'”

But it’s everyday listeners with whom Duran feels a special bond. He said, “We are in the friendship business. I think about you when you hop in your car in the morning. You’re either leaving a house that may be full of turmoil, or going to a job with a boss you don’t like. But I have you for 20-30 minutes, and I can be your friend.”

Duran fell in love with radio as a kid: “I’d spend the night at my grandmother’s house when mom and dad were out late, and I listened to the radio. And I became friends with this voice in the dark.”

He was just seven and growing up in McKinney, Texas. “I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. I was a loner. And so, I found friendship through the radio.”

And so began his quest to become one of those voices. He even built his own transmitter, with a studio located in his bedroom closet. “My only listener was the lady next door.”

Duran’s first real radio job came at age 14. After dropping out of college, he spent a decade bouncing between markets across the country. “Back in the old days in radio, you never unpacked, you never took dishes out of boxes, because you were always moving,” he said. “But you know what, I’ve been very lucky. I’ve been at Z100 since 1989. So, I’m doing okay.”

While his show is based in the Big Apple, Duran’s heart belongs in New Mexico. As a kid, he visited the “Land of Enchantment” frequently. He says the quiet of Santa Fe is the polar opposite of New York City. “Of course, I need that. Santa Fe is a magical place. And I think, in some ways, this city has kind of saved my life a little bit. It’s good to be in a situation where you’re forced to relax.”

Duran and his husband, Alex Carr, share a home here, not far from where they were married in 2019. But decades before their first date, they had a chance encounter – where else? – on the radio, back in 1998. “I had him on as a contest winner once,” Duran said.  “Jingle Ball tickets. How old were you?”

“Eighteen,” said Carr.

“Ooh, God!”

Duran often hosts his show from Santa Fe. Thanks to a home studio, his commute is short. “Every morning at 2:30 a.m. Santa Fe time, I slither up this staircase, and here you go.”

I asked, “Is the Elvis in New Mexico a different Elvis than the Elvis in the New York studio?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he replied. “And everyone back in New York has said to me at one time or another, ‘You’re so relaxed out there. We really like the New Mexico Elvis.'”

Duran can’t say how long he’ll keep broadcasting (“To be able to do this this long, with this family, it’s a miracle, it really is”), but he isn’t ready to mute his microphone just yet. He’s still got a lot of friends to keep company.

Asked how much this goes back to the seven-year-old Elvis listening to that voice on the radio, Duran replied, “All of it. You know, I’m not lonely anymore. I never, ever want to go back to being a lonely person ever again. And I don’t want anyone listening to our show to be lonely. That’s the legacy we’re all trying to leave. I don’t want them to remember my name; I just want them to remember how we made them feel every day. That’s it.”

     
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Story produced by Michelle Kessel. Editor: Karen Brenner.