Saturday September 24th 1983

Emperor Rosko was born in Hollywood in 1942, son of film producer Joe Pasternak. (His real name is Michael Pasternak). He was educated in Paris, Switzerland Japan and California.

He was particularly influenced by the KYA Los Angeles DJ Emperor Hudson and Wolfman Jack. Rosko's opportunity to broadcast came whilst in the US Navy where he presented show on a aircraft carrier. He then went to Europe and hosted sponsored programmes in France and Belgium.

He joined Radio Caroline in 1966 where his pacey American style soon made him one of the station's best loved DJs. He then was heard on French language stations Radio Monte - Carlo and Radio Luxembourg.

As a Disc Jockey with Radio 1 at its launch in 1967, Rosko initially recorded shows in France for 'Midday Spin'.
On his first Midday Spin show at Radio One, Rosko introduced himself like so...."I am the Emperor....the geeter with the heater; your leader, your groovy host from the West coast, here to clear up your skin and mess up your mind.
It'll make you feel good all over!!" He highlighted the new Motown, Reggae, and Rock music on his shows.

John Dunn, BBC news presenter who followed Rosko's show must have had difficulty understanding some of Rosko's 'Jive Talk' when he announced "Now here is the News.......in English!"

He moved to the UK in 1968, so was heard live on Radio 1. Along with DLT, he launched the first Mobile Discotheque, The Rosko International Roadshow.

From 1970 he presented the Friday Roundtable where new records were reviewed by a panel, and a Saturday lunchtime slot.
He stayed with Radio 1 until September 1976, when he left to join his Father in America who was suffering from ill health.

When he returned to Europe, he was heard via recorded shows on Radio Luxembourg. In 1982 he returned to Radio 1 for a 13-week Sunday series of shows, and continued to broadcast at weekends on Radio 1 during the Summer for four years.
In 1992 he helped celebrate the station's 25 years birthday with a special broadcast, before being heard on Virgin 1215 in April 1993.

(Article appeared on www.radiorewind.co.uk)

In the early days of underground radio in the 1960's, Mike Pasternak, a.k.a. DJ Emperor Rosko,was a pioneer in pirate radio in Europe, broadcasting from a boat off the shores of England.

He is known as Kaiser Rosko in Germany, "Le President" in France, and "El Presidente" in South America.
Throughout Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England he is simply called the Emperor.
Other monikers include the Happy Gringo and Senor Loco... and rightfully so as "It's a crazy program. They want the craziest possible show".

He's been the No. 1 DJ in France, and No. 1 DJ in England and now he's back to rule the information superhighway with all new broadcasts.

Pirate radio's last Emperor [ Courtesy of Variety Magazine, April 6, 1997 ]

In the U.K. of 1965, hip entrepreneurs got around BBC restrictions mandated by Harold Wilson's Labor government by beaming rock 'n' roll music to the mainland from floating transmitters outside territorial waters.

Great Britain's rock-famished listeners tuned in to Radio Caroline, where Emperor Rosko was the "highly rated, often imitated, but rarely duplicated mayor of mayhem."

"We liberated England", says the former "toe-tapping, hand-clapping, lean, mean record machine" now living a quieter existence Stateside at his ranch in Calabasas, a semi-rural area north of Los Angeles.
There, Emperor Rosko is known by his given name, Michael Pasternak.

Pasternak/Rosko spun the sounds of Motown and Stax, the Moody Blues, the Kinks, Stones and Beatles from a 200-foot rust-bucket freighter anchored four hours offshore.
Beginning at Radio Caroline and going on to Radio One, Emperor Rosko was the toast of Swinging London. He was also the first in Europ to take records on the road with lighting and invented the mobile DJ business.

Most who only knew the voice believed the jive-talking DJ ("I'm rough, tough and hard to bluff") was black. In fact, the young white man behind the voice of pirate radio was a product of Hollywood.
He was the rebellious son of producer Joe Pasternak, the man who made "Destry Rides Again" with Marlene Dietrich, and "Spinout" with Elvis Presley.

"I didn't like the movie business, "Pasternak says now, "maybe because I grew up with it"

Today, the Beverly Hills industry kid who grew up with Cyd Charisse, Elvis, and Mario Lanza lounging by the backyard pool has his own recording studio, where he puts together 40 weekly hours of radio shows for 15 radio stations in the U.K. and others in Europe.
he also runs his own party DJ business, and has been known to spin discs for wingdings from ABU Dhabi to Hollywood.

But he acknowledges things are tame now compared to when he used to bob about on the high seas beneath a 50,000 watt transmitter for two weeks at a stretch and buzz around London on hi Norton 750 during shore leave with a "bird" hanging on.

Pasternak was notorious for throwing records he didn't like through the portholes, even when they were on the label of the record company that owned the boat.
He was fired repeatedly for hijinx such as sabotaging a Christian evangelist, who'd bought time on the station, by mixing in the sounds of lovemaking with the religious chorales.
Payola was the norm. ("I never played a record I wouldn't have already played", he shrugs.") And even with lookouts stations on the ship, the crew was forever dodging raids by British mobsters looking to muscle in on the outlaw enterprise.

He recently revisited those days, as the guest of honor at Radio Caroline reunion, playing original Emperor Rosko tapes at a stadium appearance broadcast live.
The music he spun was once considered cutting-edge, but is now considered Golden Oldies. But that's fine with Emperor Rosko.

"The Stones are still god as far as I'm concerned."

20.03.2008. 20:44

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