Richard Blade
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Richard Blade (born Richard Thomas Sheppard; May 23, 1952 in Bristol, England) is a British-American
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
-based radio, television, and film personality from
Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. He is best known for his radio programs that feature new wave and popular music from the 1980s. He was a disc jockey at
KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The st ...
in Los Angeles from 1982 to 2000 and has been a host for
SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius S ...
's 1st Wave
classic alternative Classic alternative is a radio format focusing on alternative music from the late 1970s to early 1990s, with particular focus on the early days of MTV. Typical genres * New wave: A major part of this category, especially early bands like The Car ...
station since 2005.


Biography

Richard Thomas Sheppard attended
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, graduating in 1974, and worked as a club DJ known as "The Young Dick Sheppard" in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and Europe. He moved to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1976 where he continued his work as a club DJ, and served as a party DJ for celebrities in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. He began his radio career in 1980, initially working for stations in
Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...
,
San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly hal ...
and
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...
before joining KROQ-FM in 1982. He took a new name from the 1982 science fiction film, ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...
''. Within a few months of working in Los Angeles, Blade had become the #1
Arbitron Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...
-rated radio personality on the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...
, and in 1982, he began to host a daily television program on KCAL-TV called ''MV3'', which later became ''Video One''. In 1984, he created, produced and hosted ''VideoBeat'' for
KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is the seco ...
. The weekly series ran for two years. Between 1991 and 2003, Blade hosted several music-related television programs, including ''
America's Top 10 ''America's Top 10'' (commonly abbreviated to ''AT10'') was a popular weekly syndicated music television chart show that began airing in 1980 and ran until 1992. The show was hosted by Casey Kasem throughout its run, with Charlie Tuna announcin ...
'', which he took over from
Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably '' American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice Nor ...
, and audio music programs for in-flight entertainment produced by Sony Transcom. He hosted several "Flashback" radio programs on KROQ-FM, and was a frequent host at Los Angeles dance clubs on their ''KROQ Nights'', including the famous
Palace Theatre, Hollywood Avalon (or Avalon Hollywood) is a historic nightclub in Hollywood, California, located near the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, at 1735 N. Vine Street. It has previously been known as The Hollywood Playhouse, The WPA Federal Theatre, El Capi ...
. He appeared on the cover of a six-volume set of 1980s music compilations called ''Richard Blade's Flashback Favorites''. In 2000, he wrote the second-season finale for the
UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
science fiction television series '' Seven Days'', titled "The Cure". Blade left KROQ in 2000 after 18 years at the influential radio station, and moved to St Maarten in the Caribbean, taking a two-year break from the industry to work on several writing projects. He moved back to Los Angeles in 2002 and returned to his career in radio and television. In June 2003, he consulted for
MTV Networks Paramount Media Networks (formerly known as Warner Cable Communications, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, MTV Networks, Viacom Media Networks, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks) is an American mass media division of Paramount Global tha ...
on the television program ''
Bands Reunited Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...
'', then worked for VH1 as a writer and producer on both seasons of the series. In 2004, he returned to radio on Los Angeles station KYSR ( Star 98.7), originally as host of a Saturday night "Totally 80's" program and short features in the afternoon drive-time period. In 2006, when the station became more 1990s and current-based, the Saturday night program ended. In 2005, he left terrestrial radio and joined
Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Sirius ...
, where he began hosting a show on 1st Wave, a 1980s
new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
channel. He can be heard on the channel weekdays from 3-9 PM eastern. Recently, Blade has taken over for Ray Rossi on '' The Pulse'' on weekends. In April 2006, he co-starred with
Gabrielle Anwar Gabrielle Anwar is a British and American actress. She is known for her television roles as Sam Black in the second series of ''Press Gang'', as Margaret Tudor in the first season of ''The Tudors'', as Lady Tremaine in the seventh season of '' ...
and
Craig Sheffer Craig Eric Sheffer (born April 23, 1960) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading roles as Norman Maclean in the film ''A River Runs Through It (film), A River Runs Through It, ''Aaron Boone in the film ''Nightbreed' ...
in ''
Long Lost Son ''Long Lost Son'' is a 2006 American thriller television film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith. It premiered on Lifetime on July 24, 2006. Production Trenchard-Smith and producer Andreas Haas had previously made '' The Paradise Virus'' together ...
'', which he wrote, shot on location in the Caribbean. It premiered on Lifetime in August 2006. Blade plays 1980s music on "Flashback Lunch" every weekday on
Jack FM Jack FM is a radio network brand, licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits format, in most cases not using DJs. Format characteristics Stations ...
(
KCBS-FM KCBS-FM (93.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and broadcasts an adult hits music format branded as "93.1 Jack FM". Unlike most radio stations airing t ...
) in Los Angeles. His autobiography, ''World In My Eyes'', was released in November 2017. Blade released his second book, "The Lockdown Interviews" on November 18, 2021. It reached #5 in Biographies of Pop Artists, #10 in Punk Music (Kindle Store), and #16 in Biographies of Rock Bands.


Film and television appearances

Blade appeared in such television series as ''
Square Pegs ''Square Pegs'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1982–1983 season. The series follows Patty Greene (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson ( Amy Linker), two awkward teenage girls desperate to fit in at Weemawee High S ...
'' and '' Hunter'' and appeared as a real contestant (as "Dick Sheppard") on such game shows as ''
Win, Lose or Draw ''Win, Lose or Draw'' is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City (one of the few non- CBS game shows to tape there), often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at various ...
'' and ''
Card Sharks ''Card Sharks'' is an American television game show. It was created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson- Bill Todman Productions. The game features two contestants who attempt to predict the outcome of survey questions to gain control of a ro ...
'', winning $2,300 on the latter. He also appeared in several films, including ''
Girls Just Want to Have Fun "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a song written, recorded and performed by American musician Robert Hazard, who released it as a single in 1979. It is best known for the version of American singer Cyndi Lauper, who covered the song in 1983. I ...
'' (1985), '' Depeche Mode 101'', (1989), ''
Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever ''Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever'' is a 1991 musical comedy film and sequel to the 1979 film ''Rock 'n' Roll High School''. The film stars Corey Feldman, Mary Woronov, and Sarah Buxton. Plot The movie begins on May 14, also known as ''Rock ...
'' (1990), and '' Spellcaster'' (1991). In August 2007, Blade made an appearance on the reality show ''
Rock of Love ''Rock of Love with Bret Michaels'' is an American reality television dating game show. It stars Bret Michaels, the lead singer from the band Poison. The show closely resembles the show ''Flavor of Love''. The first season featured 25 women com ...
''. He made regular cameo appearances on '' Glory Daze'', set at a college frat house in 1986.


Personal life

Blade lives in Southern California with his wife Krista, whom he wed around 2000. He became a United States citizen in 1988.


References


External links


Blade's personal websiteSirius Satellite Radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blade, Richard American DJs American radio personalities American male film actors English DJs English radio personalities English male film actors People with acquired American citizenship Living people Mass media people from Torquay 1952 births