Sep 2021 - Ballito Umhlanga

Going for gold
From his days at Capital 604 to East Coast Radio and then onto his time on Magic 828,
Dave Guselli has always turned listeners into friends. This month, as he keeps music lovers
company - playing classic hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s on East Coast Gold - the muchloved
legend in the South African radio landscape celebrates a 40-year career in radio.
“Radio is all about connection, and that’s what people seem to have forgotten.
My motto is ‘it’s just radio and nobody died’. You’ve got to put the fun back into it.”
Reflecting on his first day at independent radio station, Capital Radio 604, which
was run out of a rambling old double story house in Port St Johns, Dave laughs. It
was 1981 and he was a blue-eyed lad fresh out of Manchester, where he worked
at Piccadilly Radio. “What a disaster! I was so psyched and mentally prepared for
my first day on the graveyard shift - 1am to 5am – and then my wife got food
poisoning the night before. She was so sick that we had to get a doctor out and
he was rather drunk, which didn’t help. The only other option was making an
almost two-hour trek on the dirt road, in the pouring rain, to the nearest hospital
in Mthatha. Fortunately, former programme head of the radio station Stuart Lee
took care of that first show for me so I could take care of Cindy.”
Durbanites might remember Dave better for the 22 years he spent with East
Coast Radio (then Radio Port Natal), seven of them being in the afternoon drive
time slot. He has always had considerable crossover appeal and, over the years,
built a loyal following.
“The short and sweet of 40 years of radio is this: getting onto radio is easy, staying
on is hard. You have to be creative and move with the times. I started with vinyl
and today the songs I play are all in an IT cloud. Dealing with big changes has
not been easy, but I have a hunger and a passion for what I do. My show is very
light-hearted and steeped in nostalgia … there’s very little of me, and a whole lot
of good music.”
A big fan of music from the 70s and rhythm and blues, Dave says he could listen
for hours to the likes of Luther Vandross, The Real Thing, or Earth, Wind and Fire.
My favourite song of all time is Let’s Stay Together by American singer Al Green
and I’m not going to tell you why. Everyone knows I’m a storyteller, but there are
some things I’ll take with me to my grave.”
Speaking of stories, some of Dave’s greatest radio experiences make for
really good ones. Being a warm-hearted, caring individual who loves to give
back to the community, some of his biggest inspirations have been Stage 4
cancer fighter and friend Byron McDonald and a young girl he helped raise R300
000 for so she could be flown to the States to remove a malignant brain tumour.
The operation was a success and they are still in contact today.
“I’m privileged to have met Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Elton John, Chris de
Burgh, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder, with highlights being Celine Dion and
Nelson Mandela – if ever there was a day my knees were weak and I was filled
with humility!”
When the work day is done, Dave enjoys unwinding with a glass of decent red
wine. “I’m a dog lover, a Manchester United fan and a man of healthy eating
habits. I love a good cup of coffee to start the day, drink lots of water, moisturise
with an SPF and thrive on long beach walks.”
With Heritage Day around the corner, Dave admits he’s by no means a ‘Jan Braai’.
: “But it isn’t all about that anyway, it’s about celebrating who we are as a nation.
It’s hard for me not being a true South African, but I look back to where I come
from and where I am today, and I think I’ve earned the right to feel like I belong.”
Catch Dave on East Coast Gold every
weekday from 5 to 9pm and Saturdays
from 2 to 6pm.
10 Get It • Ballito Umhlanga September 2021