Meet Your Freeform Portland DJ: Mr. B / Mark Brittell

Host Of: Stranger Than Fiction (Sundays 12pm – 2pm)
On Freeform Portland Since: April 2021

Tell me about the role that music plays in your life and why it’s important to you.

Music has driven my entire life. From school bands and dance floor DJ gigs – to FM DJ producing Planetarium Laser Light Shows and my work with the IMAX industry at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry music has been the common bond.

Tell me about your show.

In 1978, I was in my first year in Broadcasting courses at PCC. I met this guy named Equinoxe who was impressed by the fact that I had been a KBOO Volunteer in High School. He told me that he had a friend that did a late night show on KBOO, and invited me to bring a few records down to the station at 3:00am to sit in and play a couple tracks with them. The first song I played on air was Carpet Crawlers from the Genesis LP The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The DJ (Bush) beamed a huge smile and left the air booth leaving me to finish the set with the rest of the records I had brought. Equinoxe was blown away and countered each of the tracks with the music he had brought. In the meantime, the KBOO DJ searched the music library for cool sound effects and mayhem we could run along with the set. Needless to say, by the end of the year the first edition of Stranger Than Fiction w/Mr.B and Equinoxe hit the air-waves from 3:00-6:00am on 90.7 FM KBOO Portland.

Stranger Than Fiction ran on KBOO from1978 through 1992.

At the time I was the youngest FCC licensed DJ in the Portland Metropolitan area. The alt-Rock format was not totally accepted by the KBOO Programming committee right away. In those days KBOO was classical music and spoken word stuff until noon and then Jazz for the rest of the time. They had taken a chance with STF. After our first pledge drive they saw the power of our alt-Rock format and expanded our air time.

STF would begin the expanded editions from 10:00pm until 6:00am. We helped a few more alt-Rock, PUNK, Experimental shows come on board and the station flourished. The current station on SE 8th was purchased, remodeled and went to a Stereo FM signal as the result of the income generated during pledge drives. I helped local musicians get radio air play and proudly launched a few of them into the industry. Johnny and The Distractions, Nu-Shooze, Quarter Flash, The Crazy 8’s and Elliott Smith to name a few. Elliott honored me by naming his first Band Stranger Than Fiction and sent me his first promotional release. I played him this entire tape on air as he listened with the band.

Then in 1992, I became a father. I quit radio entirely and focused on my career in the Science Theater Industry and became a Director at The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). I needed to raise my son (Zoe) well and make the money to do so.

Fast forward to April of 2021. Zoe comes to me one afternoon excited and tells me about a new station in town Freeform Portland. He wants me to apply for a show. He had been listening to tapes of my old shows realized how much I had given up to raise him well and care for his mom. We start talking logistics and possibilities. I applied to Freeform Portland, secured a spot, and Zoe built me the STF Studios in my home where I remote broadcast from to this very day.

Finish this sentence. “Freeform Portland is…”

Freeform is an open expression of feelings and emotions through art.

Three songs you’re digging right now:

Tips for aspiring DJs.

Never give up on a dream!