📄 DJ Tirefire
Filed by L. Wren (begrudgingly) from NBR broadcast logs, pirate tape labels, and three conflicting interviews. Take none of this as fact unless you were there. And even then, double-check.
🔥 Overview
He never said his real name.
He never said “hello.”
He didn’t cue the tracks — he unleashed them.
If the pirate radio scene had a pulse, Tirefire was the arrhythmia.
He showed up on NBR 101.3 sometime in 1989. No schedule. No format. No apologies.
Some people called him “Tirefire Tommy.” Some people called him a myth.
Either way, he’s in more bootlegs than most of the bands.
🎙️ Known (?) Facts
- Host of NBR 101.3 — pirate radio legend
- Distorted voice, analog hiss, signal dropouts
- Known for Tirefire Certified moments: when he played a song twice in a row with no explanation
- May have lived in a drainage pipe, a ferry tower, or Luna’s dad’s supply closet (unconfirmed)
- Refused to play anything by request — “If it matters, it’s already queued.”
🧨 The “I Am Shrug” Incident
After Downvent’s second album was rejected by the label in 1994, a cracked cassette version of “I Am Shrug” aired on NBR — no intro, no explanation.
Then it played again.
Twice in a row.
Tirefire Certified.
Some believe he leaked it himself.
Others think someone dropped the tape through the mail slot at Static Static.
Nobody’s taking credit.
That version still circulates. It’s the one fans trust.
📼 Songs Tirefire Certified (Known)
- “Hell of a Life” – Downvent
- “I Am Shrug” – Downvent (pre-release version)
- “Brick It Backwards” – Stan (solo)
- “Sunburner (Live at Spill)” – Jace Hollow bootleg
- “Neckbrace Gospel” – Soundgrit
- “Loop Glow (Demo)” – Unknown artist, tape degraded
🧷 Quotes & Rumors
“He doesn’t play favorites. He plays ghosts.”
— Bathroom sticker at The Spill“Tirefire’s not a guy. It’s a frequency.”
— Derek, while tuning his snare“I was Tirefire once. We all are, if you’re awake at the wrong hour.”
— Luna“He used to go by Tirefire Tommy. Or someone did. The signal’s not clean.”
— DJ Spoolz
📻 Last Known Broadcast Note
“They buried the mix. I dug it up. Now everyone gets to hear what the silence tried to hide.”
— Just before the second spin of “I Am Shrug”
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