12.5.19 Hero of the Day: Aris Hampers

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Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.
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 A VERY SPECIAL HERO OF THE DAY!

Name: Aris Hampers
Age: 70
Occupation: former radio personality, rock musician
Last Seen: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Awarded For: using his personality to warn people about a mistake he was making for 55 years
 

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When people think of the words "west Michigan" and "rock 'n roll", they think of everybody from Pop Evil, Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop, Sleeping With Sirens, Still Remains and The Verve Pipe.

But long before any of those artists even cracked a microphone, there was Aris Hampers.

In the 1960s, the classically-trained pianist and high schooler with his friends formed a garage rock band called The Soulbenders. The band quickly gained momentum around Grand Rapids and soon, their records were selling well and local radio stations were playing their hits. In 1967, their rendition of "Hey Joe" was a top hit on Grand Rapids radio. As a matter of fact, it was the biggest single on WLAV-AM 1340 (now all-Sports WJRW The Ticket) in all of 1967. The band was offered a record contract, but turned it down. Years later in an interview, Aris exclaimed that he wished that signed the contract. Not long after, The Soulbenders reformed as Phlegethon, forming a more-progressive rock sound. Their 1971 mellotron-infused single "Last Voyage Home" was also a top hit on west Michigan radio. Shortly thereafter, Phlegethon disbanded.

In 1973, Hampers helped to launch WLAV-FM, Grand Rapids' first Album-Oriented Rock station. He was a staple there in the 70s and 80s, along with stops at the short-lived Fox 101 in the early 80s and a run in the 1990s at WKLQ. In the 2000s, he returned to 101.3 when it was relaunched as Classic Rocker The Fox (now The Brew). His last on-air gig was at the short-lived Alternative Radio X 96.1 (now an ESPN affiliate) about a decade ago.

Aside from radio, Aris lived the rock 'n roll lifestyle and was its hero. His annual Hometown Rock Searches were well-attended (I went to one of them years ago at the long-defunct Orbit Room) and was a champion for upcoming talent. He even owned his own record store, Aris' Disc Shop, which sadly was not very profitable.

Aris has been away from the microphone for several years now, but still appeared at local events and hanging out with friends and fans at downtown venues. As a matter of fact, I even got a chance to hang out with him for a bit at The Intersection many years ago after a concert by Local H and Electric Six.

But sadly, that voice has been forever silenced.

This morning, Aris took to Facebook to announce that he can no longer talk. Several months ago, doctors discovered a 1.5-inch cancerous mass on his windpipe, which he called his "reward" for being a heavy smoker for 55 years. The tumor had damaged Aris' voicebox so badly that in order for him to survive, doctors had to remove it.

The good news is that the tumor did not spread to the rest of his body and no chemo is needed. Since breaking the news early today, several hundred of his fans and colleagues took to Facebook to give him well wishes and positive vibes. His voice might be gone forever, but for the thousands who have listened to his voice for decades, Aris' voice will live on in memory.

Years ago, I visited Aris at his Disc Shop at Celebration! Cinema North, where Clear Channel also kept a remote studio and where he broadcasted his afternoon shift on The Fox. I would go there after a movie and browse around. Aris would be at the front counter and sometimes we would chat about radio. Knowing that I was the Chuck69.com guy, he'd tell me "Howard Stern is worthless". Well, he had every right to say that. At KLQ, he handled middays, and as we all know, Howard loves overtime. With Stern nipping away at his shift and management wanting him to play older rock because, well, he was the old guy, Aris had every God-given right to be pissed. Of course when Stern moved to Sirius in 2006, I pretty much bashed everybody who hated his guts, including Aris. Since I boycotted Clear Channel after what they did to him after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl nip slip, I made a picture of a tombstone with a caption proclaiming terrestrial radio's death. On it, I made a graffiti that read "Aris sucks". I look back 13 years later and realize why he hated Howard and probably still does. Nonetheless, I do feel sorry for making it, but considering how Howard was being treated by Matt Hanlon and Clear Channel in general, I did it anyway. I never wished ill will on Aris, but considering that he was a smoker, cancer was going to happen as it was.

My grandparents smoked and when my cousins and I were born, they quit. Even though he was smoke-free for 20 years, my grandfather still died from lung cancer in 2002. Both my parents smoke; my Dad's 67 and has smoked Marlboros since he was 11. Thankfully, my Mom, 64 has switched to vaping, though yes, even that's still dangerous. From my parents alone, I think I huffed enough second hand smoke to make me not want to begin smoking in the first place.

For some people it will take almost a whole lifetime to learn their lesson. Sadly, it will be too late when they do. I'm happy that Aris regretted wasting all this money and time on something he thought was cool in the 60s. In the end, it cost him the one thing that made him famous.

At least it didn't put him on the Long Voyage Home.

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