Mark’s Best, Worst, and Nightmare Roommate Stories in Montana

I had somebody recently ask me about getting started in the radio business.

I told her that back when I started, if you wanted to make it work, you needed two things. First, was a second job. And the second was a roommate. Usually, a couple of roommates.

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I made $600 a month from the radio station I was working at. So I got another job making pizzas, and I had to get a roommate to help with expenses.

My first one was a guy named Steve. He was great. He helped cook, clean and throw parties. He also went out and shot us a deer, so we were eating pretty good for not having much cash flow.

Shortly after that time, I moved to Missoula to go to college. I got hired right away at a radio station and would go on to accumulate zero credits.

But that was partly because I was also working in the pizza industry, DJing dances on weekends, and driving a school bus. All of that left little time for school.

And of course, I needed roommates. So four of my Godfather's Pizza coworkers and I found a house and all moved in together. All I really recall about that time was never having a place to park, no hot water, and nothing but pizza in our refrigerator.

So, I traded the four of them for living with one: My best buddy, Tim. We lived together at several locations until he got married and I moved away.

But, my favorite cohabitator was a guy named Russ. He had been sleeping in his car. And a relative of his called and asked if I could take him in. So I did.

I was rewarded with some car stereo equipment that mysteriously disappeared and a $500 phone bill that he never paid.

That's when I changed my cohabitation policy to females only.