Turn up the volume and the hair with The Big Hair Show

In a world where radio has evolved beyond the traditional airwaves, Chris Kurle, Basin Electric manager of Purchasing, is making waves with her own show, bringing passion, personality, and a unique voice to the industry.

In 2020, Kurle was approached by friends DJ Paulie and Lou Lorenzano to appear on their podcast, Back in Time Brothers. “I thought it was a one and done thing and figured that would be the end of it,” Kurle says. That didn’t turn out to be the case. “In 2021, Paulie told me that he and Lou were starting their own internet radio station and asked if I wanted my own show. I thought he was crazy.”

Kurle couldn’t imagine who would want to listen to a North Dakota farm girl, but in a moment of weakness and a need for a distraction from the COVID-19 drama, she said yes, and, along with producer Lou Lorenzano, The Big Hair Show was born.

Why that name? “In the ‘80s I took on the challenge of having big hair. Let’s just say Aqua Net was my friend,” she says. “So, because I always sported big hair, eventually people started to call me Big Hair instead of Chris, and it stuck. That, along with my love for hair band music, it was a natural fit to call it The Big Hair Show.”

Because the show is formatted around ‘80s hair band music, there’s always some type of hair metal mania playing. “I usually feature a Big Hair Artist of the Week where I pick a band or solo artist, talk about how they became popular and then play three of their songs, along with a history segment of things that occurred on that particular day,” Kurle says.

Kurle has listeners of all age groups so she also plays rock music from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘90s and 2000s, so everyone can relate to something on the show. “I also like doing birthday shouts for friends and family along with fun stories from the past,” she says. “Sometimes I share stories of things I did with friends back in the day, and I find that people get a kick out of hearing their names on the radio. It’s all about having fun, letting loose, and having an outlet to get away from the stress of the world.”

One of her most memorable shows includes an interview she did with Todd Lane, the drummer for the band New Haven. “The interview with Todd was so cool because he told me stories of living on the Sunset Strip and hanging with hair bands like Poison, Skid Row, Slaughter, and Guns N’ Roses, just to name a few,” Kurle recalls. “It was a great experience for me to interview a semi-famous rocker who lived the hair band dream, and it was by far one of my favorite shows to record.”

Some of Kurle’s best advice is to not be afraid to try something new, even if it is outside your comfort zone. “When I started this show, I was very self-conscious of what people would think of the show or critique my skills or lack of skills, but once I decided to have fun with it, from that point forward it has been a blast,” she says.

Kurle pre-records her show each week and sends it to Lou to produce. Once the show is complete, Kurle sends it on to URL Radio and they add it to their programming list.

Kurle’s show airs on Thursdays each week at 1 p.m. CST on URL Radio.