A beautiful mind full of creative passion for FM radio in the truest sense, Richard reached deep into the airwaves for nearly 25 years at KVMR.
I knew him early on as an impulsive voice that at times could be abrasive, but always genuine.
In his latter years I sensed a mellowing of the fires burning deep within, almost a softening of the once cutting edginess that that had both attracted and pushed me away from time to time. His Dead Air programs are legendary as are his Night Roots episodes which always offered a fun journey into places that most broadcasters only hinted at.
In the autumn of 2014 he approached me about doing a monthlyJazz On Filmseries on The Other Side which debuted in September of that year. He continued to expand that concept for another three years until his last show in mid November of 2017. That collection spans a diverse range of artists such asLou Reed and The Velvet Underground,Polish&New Wave French Cinema, classicDiva singers, and with a strong bent towards rediscoveringMiles Davisand hisBitches Brew&On The Cornersessions. More recently he led an in-depth look at guitaristBill Frisell, which he co-hosted with long time friend, and fellow DJ Joel Brungardt, who I might add will be finishing up Richard’s proposed final series which was scheduled through March of 2018. In fact, Richard and Joel co-hosted nearly a dozen specialOther Sideepisodes together, many of which you can find posted on the TOS website*.
This is a cat who sold his last television set back in 1972, who married his girlfriend, became a dad and later a grandfather, cooked with gas and heated their home with wood and made one bad-ass Manhattan to boot!
He was a big NPR fan and also the president of KVMR’s Board as well as being a very vocal and active Program Committee member. Yep he was a classic character no doubt.
Richard had a radio persona born straight out of the original underground 60’s and 70’s FM Radio culture, the kind of radio I grew up with i.e.KMPX,KSAN,KZAP, radio where the music was what it was all about.
For me Richard was all about radio that's coming from the heart.
He’d long-valued doing good radio over getting along with people and made a point of saying what he felt whether it was the popular flavor of the moment or not.
That passion of beingWHO HE WASno matter the time or place is what endeared him to me. He knew who he was and made his choices accordingly.
Born in the desert and raised in a lion’s den, that’s how he put it and that’s how he lived it.
You are, and will be missed my friend.
We’ll carry on knowing your spirit is alive and living strong straight from the other side whenever I’m on the radio. Love & hugs forever!
Check out his archivedOther Sideshows when you can, they’re full of great radio gems to be sure. Here’s a link to one of my favorites Mr. Dunk episodes:Freeform Radio #1 Tombstone Blues
Late Breaking News: Here's a copy of Richard's last Other Side Show Notesthat he left for Joel, so it appears there will be yet one more Richard Dunk specialon the The Other Side coming your way in 2018!
I'll let ya'll know once we get it scheduled for broadcast.
I'm very sad to hear that Richard passed. I hadn't seen him in so many years, but got to catch up a bit at the last few ECHS events. A true and fine character. Will be missed.
Just came home from a a few days in the City - and reading my emails - then the nofitication hit me - again another passing from one I knew in my youth. Of the people I do remember from my days at this school Richard Dunk is one - he I LIKED....very off the wall kind of guy - kind of irreverent....kind of snarky - but hell I was no prize either. He was seriously dating a sweet young girl namedLynne Siefer - they never married. He was an original - no shrinking violet - yet to me a very astute kid at a time when conformity was the norm. I hope he kicked some serious ass as a grown man - I kind of think he did.....Salute my friend.
I first met "friend of my essence" Richard in the third grade at a time when our essential characters had not quite been completely submerged beneath personality. We shared many adventures over the course of several years before growing apart due to chance circumstances. As young boys we spent many hours and days along the banks of and in the middle of the American River. Some of our favorite haunts included Ancil Hoffman (before it was a golf course), the Arden bar area (before it filled in with suburbia) and the Watt Avenue area (before the bridges). I well remember the “secret” Indian burial grounds we once uncovered at Ancil Hoffman, which of course turned out to be a seasonal salmon fishing midden site of the Nisenan tribe. At the time of our youth the American River still had somewhat viable salmon runs each year during the late summer and early fall. We often delighted in wading out amongst them as they crossed shallow rapids trying to catch them with our bare hands – I don’t believe we ever mastered this form of fishing. Like us at that time the salmon still had remnant traces of wildness that had not been entirely bred out of them (in the salmon’s case by fish hatchery operations.) Richard and I crossed paths a few times over the decades, the last during the early 1990s when he helped us out with a major mainframe conversion project when we were all quite bewildered.
So glad Richard came to our “70’s Birthday Bash”. In fact his check was the first l received. Please look at the pictures again of the bash and hopefully you all had a chance to chat with him. It’s always sad when we lose one of our classmates 😥. RIP Richard.
Pat Montich (Bigelow)
musings from the other side… Richard Dunk RIP
My friend and longtime KVMR broadcaster Richard Dunk has moved on to the other side.
A beautiful mind full of creative passion for FM radio in the truest sense, Richard reached deep into the airwaves for nearly 25 years at KVMR.
I knew him early on as an impulsive voice that at times could be abrasive, but always genuine.
In his latter years I sensed a mellowing of the fires burning deep within, almost a softening of the once cutting edginess that that had both attracted and pushed me away from time to time. His Dead Air programs are legendary as are his Night Roots episodes which always offered a fun journey into places that most broadcasters only hinted at.
In the autumn of 2014 he approached me about doing a monthly Jazz On Film series on The Other Side which debuted in September of that year. He continued to expand that concept for another three years until his last show in mid November of 2017. That collection spans a diverse range of artists such as Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, Polish & New Wave French Cinema, classic Diva singers, and with a strong bent towards rediscovering Miles Davis and his Bitches Brew & On The Corner sessions. More recently he led an in-depth look at guitarist Bill Frisell, which he co-hosted with long time friend, and fellow DJ Joel Brungardt, who I might add will be finishing up Richard’s proposed final series which was scheduled through March of 2018. In fact, Richard and Joel co-hosted nearly a dozen special Other Sideepisodes together, many of which you can find posted on the TOS website*.
This is a cat who sold his last television set back in 1972, who married his girlfriend, became a dad and later a grandfather, cooked with gas and heated their home with wood and made one bad-ass Manhattan to boot!
He was a big NPR fan and also the president of KVMR’s Board as well as being a very vocal and active Program Committee member. Yep he was a classic character no doubt.
Richard had a radio persona born straight out of the original underground 60’s and 70’s FM Radio culture, the kind of radio I grew up with i.e. KMPX, KSAN, KZAP, radio where the music was what it was all about.
For me Richard was all about radio that's coming from the heart.
He’d long-valued doing good radio over getting along with people and made a point of saying what he felt whether it was the popular flavor of the moment or not.
That passion of being WHO HE WAS no matter the time or place is what endeared him to me. He knew who he was and made his choices accordingly.
Born in the desert and raised in a lion’s den, that’s how he put it and that’s how he lived it.
You are, and will be missed my friend.
We’ll carry on knowing your spirit is alive and living strong straight from the other side whenever I’m on the radio. Love & hugs forever!
Check out his archived Other Side shows when you can, they’re full of great radio gems to be sure. Here’s a link to one of my favorites Mr. Dunk episodes: Freeform Radio #1 Tombstone Blues
Late Breaking News: Here's a copy of Richard's last Other Side Show Notes that he left for Joel, so it appears there will be yet one more Richard Dunk special on the The Other Side coming your way in 2018!
I'll let ya'll know once we get it scheduled for broadcast.
Jim Walt
I'm very sad to hear that Richard passed. I hadn't seen him in so many years, but got to catch up a bit at the last few ECHS events. A true and fine character. Will be missed.
Shaaron Severy (Wilson)
I didn't know you after high school. The post I just read made me wish I had know later... RIP
Mary Lou Moulton (Mary Lou Molina)
Just came home from a a few days in the City - and reading my emails - then the nofitication hit me - again another passing from one I knew in my youth. Of the people I do remember from my days at this school Richard Dunk is one - he I LIKED....very off the wall kind of guy - kind of irreverent....kind of snarky - but hell I was no prize either. He was seriously dating a sweet young girl namedLynne Siefer - they never married. He was an original - no shrinking violet - yet to me a very astute kid at a time when conformity was the norm. I hope he kicked some serious ass as a grown man - I kind of think he did.....Salute my friend.
Warren Wilkes
I first met "friend of my essence" Richard in the third grade at a time when our essential characters had not quite been completely submerged beneath personality. We shared many adventures over the course of several years before growing apart due to chance circumstances. As young boys we spent many hours and days along the banks of and in the middle of the American River. Some of our favorite haunts included Ancil Hoffman (before it was a golf course), the Arden bar area (before it filled in with suburbia) and the Watt Avenue area (before the bridges). I well remember the “secret” Indian burial grounds we once uncovered at Ancil Hoffman, which of course turned out to be a seasonal salmon fishing midden site of the Nisenan tribe. At the time of our youth the American River still had somewhat viable salmon runs each year during the late summer and early fall. We often delighted in wading out amongst them as they crossed shallow rapids trying to catch them with our bare hands – I don’t believe we ever mastered this form of fishing. Like us at that time the salmon still had remnant traces of wildness that had not been entirely bred out of them (in the salmon’s case by fish hatchery operations.) Richard and I crossed paths a few times over the decades, the last during the early 1990s when he helped us out with a major mainframe conversion project when we were all quite bewildered.
Linda Lemon (Powers)
So glad Richard came to our “70’s Birthday Bash”. In fact his check was the first l received. Please look at the pictures again of the bash and hopefully you all had a chance to chat with him. It’s always sad when we lose one of our classmates 😥. RIP Richard.
Larry Bramblett
Two memories, first in 8th grade a really good birthday party at his house and the 50th class renunion. In both Richard's sense of humor was there.