The lovely and eccentric storyteller of generations of Austinites’ morning journeys, John Aielli, has passed away. As of this writing, he was 76 years old.
On Sunday, Austin radio stations KUT and KUTX stated they were “heartbroken to report that our cherished friend and colleague John Aielli died away just before 8 a.m. this morning,” KUTX reported.
From 2020: “Now on to my favorite band. Except for a few others, yes. To paraphrase a line from 2021: “I have no idea what your eating habits are, but I wish you well.”
Rick McNulty, the music director of KUTX, recalls the moment he first heard Aielli. He was scouting in Austin in 1995. While tuning in to KUT, he heard a new Oasis song
Aielli has become a local celebrity in Austin because of his long history on the air. “Eklektikos” was a significant part of KUT’s programming when Joy Diaz arrived at the station in 2005
In 2008, Reilly joined the station. He had a disciplined career in commercial radio. He held a large crowd and went about his business unorthodoxly. Reilly described the experience
According to Reilly, Robert Plant fell in love with Aielli’s performance when he briefly relocated to Austin. Jody Denberg, a KUTX DJ, took to Instagram on Sunday
McNulty replied, “He’s the last of his type.” Nobody (could be) more articulate on air and still be a hot mess in the studio than you. The fact that he didn’t have any headphones
A lot of people cared about him,” Diaz said. Several of her friends had made a commitment to send food to Aielli, and she was one of them. This “was developed in spirit
In 1991, Aielli told the Statesman, “It may seem useless to conceive of a radio show as a vehicle for art, but I consider what I do an art form.” As of right now, nothing is set in stone.