Al "Slayer" on MySpace
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Born and raised in Royal Oak, he had his first DJ experience as a child when he would play Beach Boys tapes to his sisters over a baby monitor.  He grew into his own as a rocker with the help of The Riff.  It wasn’t until he was in high school that he discovered his well known love for Heavy Metal. 

After graduating from Dondero High School in 2004, Al spent close to two years working as a mobile power washer, spending all of his time with headphones and soapy water.  On a cold November night, busy washing a whole fleet of semi-trucks with icicles hanging off of his beard he heard a commercial for Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts on WRIF, soon there after enrolling in the school in February 2006.

Three weeks into his time at Specs Howard, Al sought an internship at Greater Media Detroit, the company that owns WRIF.  After two weeks as an intern Al met Screamin’ Scott, the then Overnight DJ and host of Midnight Metal, and volunteered his services as the producer for Midnight Metal and eventually made his on air debut delivering the news segment on Midnight Metal, along side his duty’s to the Promotions Team as an intern.  During the internship was where he gained the “Slayer” nickname, the joke being that “He only own 10 shirts, and nine of them are ‘Slayer’ shirts… and the other one is a ‘Riff’ shirt.”

After spending months as an intern, everything just seemed to come together in what may be considered record timing.  Al had the opportunity to take a spot on the Promotions Street Team as an official employee, leaving his internship behind him. 

Still working with Screamin’ Scott on Midnight Metal and working the street on the Promotions Team, after the turn of the year into 2007, Al found his way into the studio as a board-op, and Doug Podell picked him up to fill the vacant spot as his co-host on Motor City Riffs, which lead very soon to weekend, and fill-in air shifts on WRIF, making his debut as a DJ on the station exactly 364 days after his journey began with the first day at Specs Howard.

After just under three years following the beginning of the internship with the company, Al moved into the Overnight position Tuesday-Friday from 1am-5:30am.  He can still be heard along side Doug Podell on Motor City Riffs on Sunday nights at 10pm, and is now the host of the very show that started it all for him, Midnight Metal, which you can hear Wednesday-Friday 12am-1am, and holds down an afternoon air shift on The Riff’s HD side channel, Riff2.

Midnight Metal Page

Al's Pix