Too hip, gotta go!

DJ:

"Garfield" from 7/15 made me think of you! Did you ever hear of a guy named Frazer Smith? He was a DJ on KLOS radio in the ’80s, and he had a club called “Too Hip.” I still have my membership card!

— Allen Stanko, Alpine

Never been much for Garfield, but, thanks, I guess…

Frazer Smith, you say? DJ who started with KROQ during that station’s infancy? Later made the jump to album rock at KLOS, and then worked his way to a few other stations? That the guy you mean?

He started using the phrase, “Too hip, gotta go!” when he was at 95½ KLOS in the early ’80s. The phrase comes up every now and again, but the most noteworthy tribute remains a Stray Cats song of the same name. Second track on Rant N’ Rave with the Stray Cats, to be specific. If you’ve got it on vinyl — as you should — you’ll know that already.

The “Too Hip Club” was a sort of spin-off from Smith’s catch-phrase. Totes deck that you still have an actual membership card. Would have been a yellow rectangle, picture of a hipsterfied Frazer Smith character looking all smug on it. I think Smith used the cards as parts of his creative promotions, from back in the day when radio personalities could get away with extravagant, potentially dangerous publicity stunts that would get them sued into oblivion these days.

Fun fact: Smith’s back on the air these days. Sundays at 4:00 on KLOS. Radio’s not what it used to be, though, so don’t expect another “Christmas in My Car” anytime soon.