XP-END of an era

YOU COULD say that Michaela Majoun got a little sidetracked. In 1989, the writer and radio host arrived in Philadelphia from Los Angeles with a very temporary timeline in mind: She'd log a bit of time on the air here, then parlay that experience into an a.m. hosting gig back on the West Coast, dedicating the remainder of her days to writing.

More than 25 years later, Majoun is stepping away from the microphone to refocus on that goal - though she's managed to accomplish a thing or two along the way.

Today marks the final time that Majoun will host WXPN's morning show (5 -10 a.m.), a gig that has been hers since her arrival all those years ago. Along the way, she's witnessed Philly's media and arts scenes, as well as the city as a whole, grow exponentially. She's now poised to rededicate herself to writing and has already completed a handful of promising projects, including the screenplay for a locally set relationship drama. (Her dream cast: Sam Smith, the singer, and Jason Bateman.)

We recently sat down with Majoun and asked her to reflect on her time on the air at XPN, a position she's proud, and a little sad, to leave behind. "I'm not leaving because I don't love this job," she said. "I love it - it's just time to do something different."

Here's an edited version of our conversation:

Q: How have these last few days on the job been? Weird?

A: Every once in a while I get a twinge. It's a huge send-off, and I'm very grateful for that. It's difficult, though, as people come forward, some people on the street have been stopping me. "We'll miss you! What are we going to do?"

I jumped up onstage at the Keswick [recently] at a Richard Thompson and Joan Osborne show. I went up and said, "I wasn't planning to, but this might be the last time I host something here. I'm leaving [XPN] June 30."

And the whole audience went, "Noooo!" That's really gratifying, because when you're on radio, I don't see who I'm talking to. So I still have twinges. But I really need to do this. I need to switch gears.

Q: What precipitated such a big change?

A: I came here with an agent. He was in Los Angeles. I thought, I'll get on morning radio in Philadelphia; it's a major market. I'll use that to get on morning radio in Los Angeles, and then I'll write in the afternoon.

The agent lasted for maybe a year. And by then I was sort of embroiled here, so I forgot to go back. One year led into another, and there were big changes at the station, and in Philadelphia, and I established a life here.

But then it's always been pulling on me that I want to write, and I haven't been able to do both. I've wanted to get back to that for quite a while. And now there are more outlets for writing than when I first started here, with Netflix and Amazon and all these people producing such great work on television.

Another factor is that I live on a road that isn't always necessarily plowed, and I was struggling into work one morning this past winter after it snowed, and I thought, "Do I want to be doing this next year?" And from deep inside was a resounding "no!" [laughs]

Q: Can you share any details about the projects you're working on?

A: Now that I've made the decision to write, I've already written some things, and it wasn't forthcoming before.

I called a woman who had written a historical book about a historical figure in New Orleans. I emailed her after having the book for 10 years or so, thinking this would make a great television series or movie. She immediately got back to me and said she was interested.

It's kinda like the ball was rolling and the intention was being set. Since then, all these other people have said, "Let's write something together."

Q: Do you remember your first impressions of Philadelphia?

A: Yeah, I really wanted to go back to L.A. [laughs] Philadelphia was different then. The city was bankrupt, nobody went downtown. It was just a very different place. Then the idea of the Avenue of the Arts was floated by Ed Rendell, who was mayor, and things started changing after that. It became a better and better place, and I just fit into it more.

A few years after I got here, I was co-hosting the AIDS Walk, and I remember looking down the Parkway and thinking, "I belong here. This is my community." I was onstage addressing the crowd, just thinking, "I'm part of this now."

Q: You also got to watch XPN evolve into what it is today.

A: Exciting things happened at the station, too. I was the first professional hire. [XPN] was in transition from being an all-volunteer and student station into a professional station. And I got to see the whole development of the kind of music mix that the station's become famous for.

Q: In what ways has the Philly music landscape changed since those days?

A: Technology is so different from what it was then, and the local music scene has changed so much. It's gotten so much bigger. People are moving here now to make music, as opposed to moving somewhere to get to the next step in their careers. And it seems like the musicians who are here are much more cooperative than when I first got here.

I think XPN has had something to do with that. We really have put the focus on local music and provided a place for people to play and be heard, and I think that's helped foster the scene.

Q: Can a person who aspires to be on the radio learn to do what you do, or is it more of an innate skill?

A: I joke that I got into this because nobody in my family listened to me, and that's actually true [laughs]. You have to be able to think and talk on your feet. But it's changing so much now, too. There's another generation that thinks differently, talks differently, has a different attention span.

I think it helps to have a point of view or a personality, and to be able to express it on the fly. It's competitive, but on the other hand there are all these other outlets that didn't always exist. Like podcasting - the sky's the limit with that.

Look at this Marc Maron, he interviewed the president in his garage! There's a demand for an audio experience. They used to call it theater of the mind.

Q: How would you describe your relationship with the listeners?

A: People tell me, "I feel like I know you. I feel like you're my friend." I feel like I'm able to talk to people in a natural way, and when they meet me, they say, "Your voice, the way you sound now, [it's] just the same as on the radio." They're surprised, because there was a whole era where [mimics cheesy radio announcer voice] people did this!

That's so not what XPN is like. The relationship with listeners is like nothing else in the world. These are people who let you into their lives and their brains and their bathrooms [laughs]. It's just wild.

Q: The people telling you they know you . . . is it possible they actually do?

A: Probably more than I want them to [laughs]. It makes having an intimate conversation with someone out in public really impossible. If your voice is recognizable, people will say, "I know who you are! I recognize your voice." I'm kinda used to it.

Q: Who are some artists, both local and national, you've been proud to watch come into their own during your time at XPN?

A: The War on Drugs and Amos Lee are from here. They make Philadelphia more lustrous. I'm so happy for them both. And there are artists that we were the first to play. Hozier - this was the first station to play his music. Now he's everywhere, it's wild. Jonatha Brooke, she has been a real role model for me. She has been so encouraging of my writing. We may even write something together.

Q: In addition to your many other duties, you were well-known at the station for championing the music of female artists.

A: Back then, [women] were making tons of music, but they still didn't have the recognition. It was absurd. XPN was started at a time when commercial stations would say, "Oh, we can't play a woman back to back with another woman's song, because no one will be able to tell them apart." Now, Taylor Swift rules the music business. It's amazing. It was great to be able to champion them.

Q: Other than your writing, what are some things you'll be able to do now?

A: Travel more. And remember things better. [I'm forgetful] because I'm tired [laughs]. I am so looking forward to being well-rested. I don't know what that feels like.