Nov 24, 2002 By April Straughters 7 min read

After more than 76 hours of continuous live broadcasting, California University of Pennsylvania disc jockey Marc London was still functioning in a sort of dream state when nurses made him stop his five-day, on-air marathon Thursday. London left the airwaves after he began talking out of his head on the air and bumped his head on the station’s control board.

Much of what happened in the hour or so before that is still a blur to London, who slept only five hours after being carried out of the broadcasting area around 3:30 p.m. Thursday to a couch in the back room of the station.

Friday morning, London, despite his cheery neon green and blue-streaked hair, looked more disappointed than he did tired.

“Of course, I’m a little disappointed. I feel like I let a lot of people down. With all the media coverage, so many people have called. I’ve gotten so much attention that it got to the point that I felt like I owed it to them to finish. Still, the fact that I made it as long as I did amazes people,” London said, wearing big puffy slippers and a pin with a picture of his father and him as a child standing in front of a lake.

Ben Slazek, a disc jockey and officer at the station, announced to listeners that London had left the airwaves and explained the situation at 4 p.m. Thursday. Slazek and other friends and fellow DJs immediately stepped to the microphone and continued London’s primary effort: to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease.

London had been broadcasting live from his university’s radio station, Power 92 FM, 91.9, WVCS, for “London’s Marathon for Memory,” an effort he thought up to honor his father, Ira T. London, and to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s disease, which ultimately claimed his father’s life only hours before London began his quest. London’s goal was 120 hours, or five straight days, of live broadcasting, which would have earned him a Guinness Book world record for most consecutive on-air hours performed by a single DJ. The current record is 103 hours held by a DJ in Sweden.

London completed 76 hours and 17 minutes, not bad for a 28-year-old who lost his father, the inspiration for his project, hours before reporting to the station. London had only four hours of sleep the night before the marathon because he was worried about his father. He never had time to grieve and he had been battling a cold for two weeks.

“My vital signs were good. I guess I was just mentally drained,” London said.

Remembering what had happened before he zoned out, London said he was convinced that he would succeed.

“I got to a point that I really believed, ‘I’m going to do this,'” London said. “I got a shower downstairs and felt energized. I came back in here (the station) mad, determined to do it. And I don’t know how I lost it.”

The last thing London remembers is interviewing Sue Smith, director of the Greater Pittsburgh Alzheimer Association.

“I remember bits and pieces when I started to go out. The last thing I remember is zoning out looking at (Smith’s) name tag, and then after that everything seems like it went into fast forward,” London said.

As London recalled his last hour Friday, memories still flashed into his mind, reminding him of the events that took place.

“I was unaware of all this. When I woke up I was still out of it. Even now, I still have things popping in my head that I’m trying to figure out if it really happened.”

London said he was still playing songs and controlling the board about three hours after he had zoned out.

“I don’t remember any of that. I felt like I was in a dream, like I hadn’t done this yet and I was dreaming about what was going to happen when I actually did it,” he said.

He recalled his mom storming down the hallway of the Natali Student Center to the radio station with a picture of his father, saying, “This is what you are doing it for, not a record. It’s for him. Remember that.”

He remembered Mike Daugherty, station manager, slipping ice down London’s shirt to liven him up a bit and in turn throwing the ice down his pants, but he didn’t remember Daugherty putting him in head lock.

Lastly, London remembers standing at the board and trying to talk, but failing.

“I know I said (on the air), ‘I can’t (expletive) do this anymore,'” London said. “I do remember that.”

That memory sparked laughter to those still at the radio station who remembered that moment.

It was at that point that the nurse told London it was time to stop. London said when the nurse made that announcement he began yelling, “never, never, never,” but he doesn’t remember that part.

“I was out of it. I must have been in a dream state. At the time it didn’t seem real,” he said.

And then friends carried him off to a couch in the back room of the station.

London said he slept for about five hours before his wife, Rebecca, and friend Amanda Kash woke him up. They wanted him to hear as Slazek and DJ Steve “Chewi” Stavar doing a spoof of the show “The Crocodile Hunter” pretending in Australian accents that a sleeping London in the back room was their latest wildlife discovery.

They also wanted London to see all his supporters.

“They urged me to get up and out of the station to see all the support I had. Then I get up and see all these balloons and signs. I really felt like I let people down.”

But from the beginning, London maintained that his main goal was to honor his father and raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. His quest has earned national and international attention from media from Canada, Oregon and the state of California.

“I don’t think he has anything to be ashamed of. I stayed up 16 hours before for something we did and couldn’t move for three days afterwards. He did great,” Slazek said. “When (London) left this room, 10 to 15 people were in here clapping for him, so it’s not just me feeling this way.”

Support for London remained strong. Calls from friends, media and donors continued to flood the station. Balloons and banners remained in the hallways, and fellow disc jockeys, friends and London remained on the air for the sake of the cause.

London said he is very grateful to those who helped him throughout the whole time, especially the “rookie” disc jockeys who went well beyond their call of duty. He said he feels comfortable now that when he graduates next semester, the station is in good hands.

Looking back on it all, London said that it was probably best that the nurse called it quits.

“I guess I should be grateful because if they would have left it go on, I would have been in serious health danger. At one point, I remember standing up with my son (Gage, 21 months) on my shoulders and being asleep on my feet. I don’t like that,” London said.

London said he will finish the rest of the 120 hours.

“I reached my main goal to raise awareness. I’m going to stay up. At least I will be able to say that I only slept five out of 120 hours. My mother’s proud and I know my father’s right here with me now, and it wouldn’t matter to him because I fulfilled his wish,” London said.