At about the same time, a local DJ named Nasty Nes began playing Mix-A-Lot on his radio show, K-FOX's Fresh Tracks. Eventually, Nes and a local promoter named Ed Locke would form the indie label Nastymix Records and release Sir Mix-A-Lot's records.

When the local college station KCMU (now KEXP) asked me to host my own rap radio show, Nes and I — despite being good friends at this time — soon found ourselves as competitors. This is where I became the "Shockmaster" Glen Boyd. And although there is far more to this story than I have the time or space to go into here, we would soon find ourselves teaming up to host KCMU's pioneering hip hop show Rap Attack.

And that is how your Rockologist became the "Shockmaster" for a brief time in the eighties.

This ended up changing my life in more ways than I can begin to recount. I also ended up going to work full time for Nastymix, promoting records by Mix-A-Lot and other rap artists like Rodney O and Joe Cooley. I was name-checked on records by everyone from Public Enemy to 3rd Bass, and I even ended up in one of Mix-A-Lot's videos. That's me in the video below for Mix's song "Beepers," playing the part of the Joker:

"Walk into a party, looking like Joker.."

It was one hell of a time.

When Mix-A-Lot left Nastymix to join Rick Rubin's American Recordings, I also went along for that ride. I even accompanied Mix to the American Music Awards, where he won Best Rap Song that year for "Baby Got Back."

Last summer, Nes and I got back together for a reunion on KEXP's rap show, which is now hosted by DJ B-Mello.

Anyway, another time that seems like a lifetime ago. Obviously, your friendly neighborhood Rockologist is a long ways from his days as the "Shockmaster" of hip-hop radio and journalism in Seattle. And I'd still like a word with the WCW pro-wrestler who stole my handle, and tarnished my good name as a jobber.

But I've still got my memories.