News
LONDON -- When Paul Gambaccini '70 first came to England, he was already on a roll.
Having just graduated from Dartmouth, he was already a regular contributor to Rolling Stone magazine, and he had been invited to come across the Atlantic for two years of study at Oxford University.
Most 21-year-olds would be quite happy being in such a position, but Gambaccini, as it turns out, was just getting started.
Now, some 26 years later, Gambaccini is still here -- and he has made a wildly successful career for himself as an author, radio and television broadcaster and music and arts critic.
He is practically a household name in London, and some time ago the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine called Gambaccini "undoubtedly Dartmouth's most famous alumnus" -- not bad for a school that has produced its fair share of well-known politicians, lawyers and business executives.
Despite the constant demands on his time by his many literary projects and appearances on radio and television, Gambaccini was still happy to set aside part of his day to reflect upon his success, his experiences in London and his time at Dartmouth.
Two big breaks
Gambaccini got his first big break when he was a senior at the College.
As a regular disc-jockey on WDCR-AM radio, Gambaccini said he received a phone call early one morning, asking him to fill in as the host of the breakfast show, an offer he gladly accepted.
Unable to fall back asleep, Gambaccini decided to write a review of a music single and send it in to Rolling Stone magazine, since he had always been telling himself he could write a better review than Ed Ward, the magazine's music critic.
Gambaccini said "to his astonishment," he received a reply from Ed Ward himself, saying "anything that makes me laugh as much as your ... review has to go in.
