| |
Angie:
How did people react to you being the first female disc jockey
in Knoxville?
Adele:
[Chuckling] It was different. It was more of a novelty because
I was a woman. I was told that I had a radio voice. Women enjoyed
it because it was more of a quality issue with them. Men enjoyed
it sometimes because they thought it was a novelty hearing a woman
on the air. In my business, when I started out, it was different.
It was usually male dominated. 33% were [females] in the entire
industry at the time. Now it's more than half. That includes those
in front of the camera, behind the camera, in front of the microphone
and behind it. It has changed a lot in the past 25 years. It's
for the better, I can say. Women in the industry are at the very
top positions.
Ashton:
Okay, what kind of music did you play then?
Adele:
Top 40 and what was called back then AOR, which means Adult Oriented
Rock. Actually, my very first station in a very tiny town in Tennessee,
I played country music! So I've got country, top 40, and adult
oriented rock.
Ashton:
What kind of music do you listen to now?
 Adele:
A very wide range, I have a very eclectic taste in music. I like
easy listening, I like jazz, and I like some pretty hard rock.
So it runs from, it looks like, let's say David Csanborne all
the way to Metallica. That's a pretty wide range.
Ashton&Angie:
Wow, that's really weird!
Adele:
Yeah! [Laughing]
Angie:
In your everyday lifestyle, do you apply any of your cultural
practices?
Adele:
I've had the opportunity in Chicago, where I was before, to meet
many members of the Asian community. And in that circle of acquaintances,
you do learn a lot about these local communities' commitment on
their ethnic background. They contacted me and sought me out.
And I've had the opportunity to help them and they have helped
me in return.
Angie:
I'm sorry, I meant specifically like food, holidays, customs,
language, etc.
Adele:
Oh! Well, I'm a third generation Sansei. There is Issei, Nissei
and Sansei. You know I am half Sansei. And as is typical with
many generations of any ethnic group, by the time you get down
to the third generation much of the language is lost. My mother
is bilingual, and speaks both languages, which is Japanese and
English. My grandmother and grandfather spoke no English. They
only spoke Japanese. Myself, unfortunately, I am not bilingual.
I can get by in a Japanese restaurant, but that's it. So I do
not speak Japanese at all, not fluently. But my son loves sushi!
He is exposed quite a bit at least to Japanese food, and loves
it! I take him on a lot of community events that I have to do
with the Asian community. So he's very aware of the redress issue.
It's a very large issue with the Japanese American community,
and the internment in WWII. So I make sure that he knows about
his heritage.
Angie:
I'm Amerasian, but people don't know. Do people know or care who
you are?
 Adele:
Yeah, people don't know. You know a lot of times it depends on
genetics. But a lot of people ask me and people sometimes don't
know how to ask. So they'll literally say, "What are you?" and
you would sometimes say, "I am human, what are you?" and , and
the reaction is funny, you know. You say "I'm half Japanese" and
they understand that. I look a lot like my dad, who is Caucasian.
My sister looks all Japanese and my son looks as Asian as my mother.
So most of the genetics are there. A lot of people ask me if I
am Hispanic, if I'm even African-American. They'll ask me, you
know, whatever ethnic group comes in mind! So a lot of times they
don't identify with it. But usually when you tell them, because
they're just curious what your ethnic background is, you tell
them, and then they're like "Oh, cool!" So that's the reaction
that you normally get.
Ashton: What kind of advice
would you give to the current younger generations?
Adele:
Oh, the current younger generation? Just life in general you mean?
Ashton:
Yeah.
 Adele:
The main thing to me is, education is so important and I know
you hear that so much. But I can't stress the importance of getting
a good education. That doesn't mean that everyone is suited to
go to college. It means that there are people suited to go and
some who are not. But at the very least, I strongly encourage
every young person to at least get their High School diploma.
Because you know it doesn't just teach you things, it prepares
you for life. And it also sets the tone for your standard of living
as well, and your own learning potential. And frankly, how you
communicate with others, too.
Ashton&Angie:
Thank you!
Adele:
Why, you are very welcome!
|
|
