Heavy Metal Liability

"To this day, people come up and say, 'I heard you wrecked the Rock [105.3] van,'" says James Welch. That's a rumor, but Welch lost his job at the station almost five years ago subsequent to a van ride.

"I was a promotions assistant and a board operator [studio engineer]," says Welch. "I got a DUI in the Rock 105 van. I was driving home from a club night." He says he doesn't blame Clear Channel for firing him from the part-time job.

Known on the air as Molten, Welch says he misses his role on the Sunday-night metal show called Another State of Mind. Welch was the sidekick to hosts Jack Kwiatkowski and Norm Leggio.

"I was with the show as soon as it started in 2000," says Welch. "I had a segment where I gave the news of the heavy-metal scene. My heart was into making a metal scene in San Diego."

In August, Kwiatkowski, a full-time Clear Channel employee, left Another State of Mind to launch an all-request Saturday-night show. Leggio would host Another State of Mind by himself. At that time, Leggio said the only cohost he wanted was Welch. But Rock 105.3/Clear Channel would not let Welch return, even on an unpaid basis.

"The word that came down was that I was still too much of a risk to the station," says Welch.

"I'd love to have him back on the show," says Leggio. "He's still my bro.... He blew his way with Clear Channel. Once you do something like that, even coming in as an intern working for free can't happen. It's not something they take too lightly."

"They say I'm a risk, but they haven't seen or talked to me in the last four years," says Welch. "I guess they can't accept the fact that people change.... February 16 marks five years of sobriety."