--Written by Melissa Milton

It's good to have an alter ego, like Fox Duhon, even if what you really might need is a stunt double. Wouldn't that make it easier to anchor two very different shows each week on WWOZ, plus assist in the station's audio engineering work, all on top of being a professional musician in a popular band?

Maybe.

"If I'm pulling back the curtain a little bit, it does help me out to be Fox when I'm on air or performing. I'm not trying to draw attention to who I am on a personal level, I'm trying to be a vessel," says the host of Tuesday's The Morning Set from 6 to 9 am and co-host for Wednesday's Kitchen Sink program from 10 to MIDNIGHT.

"Most of what I have in my world, and I'm eternally grateful for it, has been via the vessel of music. It's genuine magic, you can't really explain why sound waves trigger emotional reactions. At its core, it's this mysterious, beautiful thing."

The Lafayette, Louisiana native grew up playing percussion but didn't discover WWOZ until ten years ago, when he moved here to go to school. He jumped right into the local music scene, having played a number of Crescent City clubs prior to moving to town, and sooner rather than later he met A.J. Rodrigue (WWOZ's Boudin Man). "I knew his voice, and I knew how he read the tag line (station ID), so the first time I met him it felt like, I know you." The pair hit it off.

One thing quickly led to another. Fox spent time in the station's studio watching his friends Boudin Man and show hosts A.A. and Scott Borne spin the magic, later more formally shadowing them. Fox was ready to make the leap. He sent the station what Fox calls "a long-winded appeal to become a DJ, or what I came later to understand was a show host. I had no idea how one enters the golden gates of WWOZ!"

Turns out, it's easier than you think to enter the golden gates of this community radio station. Fox talks passionately about his experiences here at OZ, from the generous encouragement of fellow show hosts to the support of the station's long-tenured staff and most recently the new state-of-the-art facilities atop the Jax Brewery building.

"WWOZ is a bona fide community with so many layers to it. We're so well taken care of and set up for success in such a great way. And the listeners on the other end make the volunteering really rewarding. It's about giving back, it's about filling in the blanks. You're trying to connect with one person and thousands of people all at the same time."

"I love the lore, I love the history, I love that K-Doe and John Sinclair and Billy Delle and Midnight Creeper are part of this, all these crazy characters and the people who have come before me, for 44 years, it's insane!"

"I don't often stop and contemplate what it means to be a part of it, but I've been given some special opportunities recently to reflect on the community and what it's brought to my world, and it's invaluable. OZ is my constant steady ship in the night. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. I love it dearly for that reason, and for many reasons."