The first light young Mr. Calamar saw was on a movie screen. He was vaccinated with a phonograph needle.
Born in the shadows of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx NY, Gary first found his passions lit when his parents took him to see West Side Story. By the time A Hard Days Night and Goldfinger came out, he was hooked on the explosive combination of movies and music.
He traveled west in the early 80’s, landing in Los Angeles. In need of a job that would ensure him a steady flow of promotional records and free concert tickets, Gary stepped behind a cash register and worked retail. He was managing a Licorice Pizza record store, as 12-inch vinyl records turned into 5-inch digital discs, and later moved on to Rhino Records, mixing with the customers and building up his music collection.
In the mid 90’s Gary started as a volunteer at KCRW. After (literally) getting down on his knees and begging music director Chris Douridas for a radio show he was given a shot. Gary’s unique brand of “adventurous pop music both timely and timeless” proved to be a hit. His show currently airs Sunday nights from 9-midnight. Through the years Gary has hosted live performances and interviews with musical greats ranging from Brian Wilson and Elmer Bernstein to Wilco and The Flaming Lips.
In 1998 Gary broke into the music supervision game and tackled the movie Varsity Blues, resulting in a #1 box office hit and a soundtrack album certified gold.
At the turn of the century, Gary, along with friend and fellow music supervisor Thomas Golubic, oversaw the music for the HBO original series Six Feet Under and were nominated for Grammy Awards for producing both volumes of the Six Feet Under soundtracks.
Never one to keep his feet on the ground, you can also hear Gary while flying the musical skies of Delta Airlines where he hosts a show for Delta Radio.
He lives in a lovely home in Los Angeles with his lovely wife and their amazing daughter.
Gary Calamar on KCRW
More from KCRW
LA district attorney, City Council: Primary race results so far
PoliticsThough votes are still being tallied, LA Magazine Reporter Jon Regardie weighs in on which LA races will go to a run-off in November and which saw early wins.
Crenshaw Dairy Mart’s first film festival: Stories of abolition, healing
ArtsThe Crenshaw Dairy Mart put on its first film festival in Inglewood after hearing from BIPOC filmmakers that they need more spaces to showcase their work in LA.
Griffith Park spectators awestruck at partial solar eclipse
EnvironmentHundreds of locals flocked to the Griffith Park Observatory to witness Southern California’s partial eclipse.
From radio waves to Olympics, Kareem Maddox shares his journey
SportsSouthern California’s Kareem Maddox, a former radio host and Princeton alum, will compete in 3x3 basketball for Team USA at the Paris Summer Olympics.
CA won’t have a woman senator for first time in 30 years
PoliticsAdam Schiff or Steve Garvey will become the state’s next senator. Abortion access and pay equity will fall more heavily under the purview of men in the Senate.
SCOTUS homelessness ruling could shift LA policy
HomelessnessA Ninth Circuit case has limited how LA responds to homelessness. If the Supreme Court tosses out that decision, the city could ban camping in more places.
Places & Spaces: The Mizell Brothers’ LA Alchemy
ArtsLost Notes introduces a pair of brothers - one from NASA, the other from Motown - who launched an entire musical universe from their Hollywood Hills hideout.
CA kids learning to read may finally get hooked on phonics
EducationIn the 1990s, a reading strategy called “balanced literacy” took over CA public schools. The problem? Kids didn’t learn to read. Now, phonics is making a comeback.
Descendents of LA immigrants are packing up permanently for Mexico
ImmigrationWith rising costs of living in California and the proliferation of remote work, many Angelenos are starting new lives where it’s more affordable: Mexico City.