K-DST ("The Dust") is a radio station in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is hosted by Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith (voiced by Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose) and plays classic rock.
Description[]
K-DST has the identity of a classic rock station that has been airing its music "successfully for 22 years" according to one of the radio stingers, suggesting it was first broadcast in 1970. As such, there are somewhat nostalgic comments in the radio stingers, such as "music never gets old, just a little *cough* dusty" and mentions to "buddies from the '70s [who have] gone to rehab". The stingers also mock the current music trends of the time, such as grunge and Gangsta rap.
"The Dust", the station's nickname, is a reference to the drug phencyclidine, commonly known as "angel dust". As such, the station's stingers take a new meaning when taking into account the references to the drug, like the obliviousness to pain ("if the police can't stop you *sounds of gunshots and police sirens* you must be on «the dust»").
The station appears to have a gonzo sense of humor, as evident in several jingles; When all your buddies from the 70s have gone to rehab, we strongly encourage you to stay on; The Dust, and in some of Smith's lines of dialogue, such as "You can cry about the miscarriage or keep drinking, rock on." and "For those of you coming to consciousness in a strange bed next to an ugly chick with beer cans and underwear across the floor, run the hell out and get to the clinic" or even "It's not every day you hear that record-- wait, yes it is. I love it.", the latter being an apparent reference to the ever-looping songs of the in-game radios.
K-DST's host, Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith, is a washed-up former member of the fictional 1970s progressive rock act Crystal Ship. He holds misogynistic views and thinks highly of himself and his music. He frequently gets lost in random musings when he voices his opinions. Three callers call into the station, and all of them criticise Smith for his DJ skills ("No-one understands what the hell you're saying"), and his seemingly underwhelming music career ("My God you were crap, you really sucked"), causing Smith to angrily insult them.
Tracklist[]
| Song: | Preview: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|
| "Slow Ride" by Foghat (1975) | ||
| "Green River" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969) | ||
| "Barracuda" by Heart (1977) | ||
| "Strutter" by Kiss (1974) | ||
| "Hold the Line" by Toto (1978) | ||
| "Young Turks" by Rod Stewart (1981) | ||
| "Runnin' Down a Dream" by Tom Petty (1989) | This song is missing from the iOS, Android, PS2 Classics (PS3, PS4 and PS5), Rockstar Games Launcher, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition. | |
| "Woman to Woman" by Joe Cocker (1972) | This song is missing from the iOS, Android, PS2 Classics (PS3, PS4 and PS5), Rockstar Games Launcher, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition. | |
| "Get Down to It" by Humble Pie (1973) | ||
| "Some Kind of Wonderful" by Grand Funk Railroad (1974) | ||
| "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973) | ||
| "A Horse with No Name" by America (1971) | ||
| "Eminence Front" by The Who (1982) | ||
| "Smokin'" by Boston (1976) | ||
| "Somebody Up There Likes Me" by David Bowie (1975) | ||
| "Two Tickets to Paradise" by Eddie Money (1977) | ||
| "White Wedding" by Billy Idol (1982) |
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Radio Station[]
The station plays at the following locations:
Individual Tracks[]
- The Who's "Eminence Front" was featured in the Xbox trailer of GTA San Andreas.
- Humble Pie's "Get Down to It" is featured during stadium competition.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- A real life radio station named KDST (minus the hyphen) broadcasts from Dyersville, Iowa. It has been named "KDST" since 1988, though it plays country music rather than classic rock.
- The name could also be a reference to the fictional station K-Dirt from the 1990 film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.
- The station's nickname is a reference to PCP, commonly referred to as angel dust. This is evidenced by the jingle above and Smith's consumption of such referenced in lines such as "I'm on the dust." and "You know what fog is? Clouds on the ground. That's why I try to stay as high as possible".
- K-DST is the default radio station for most aircraft, the exceptions being the Andromada (which plays Radio X), Skimmer (which plays CSR 103.9) and sometimes Hydra (which plays Master Sounds 98.3).
- This is the favorite radio station of Freddy, Mike Toreno, the Mafia, San Andreas Bikers, Security Guards, CWFYFR1 and one of the favorite stations of the Los Santos Vagos.
- Sometimes, after playing Billy Idol's "White Wedding", Smith may say "This is a plaid shirt free zone. We're rockstars, people. Not lumberjacks". Creedence Clearwater Revival's lead singer, John Fogerty, often wore plaid shirts during concerts, and is commonly seen wearing them in publicity photos. Axl Rose was also known to wear plaid shirts in the 1990s.
- During the San Andreas Anniversary Weekend, it was possible to find a T-Shirt with the K-DST logo in the Special Crate drops in Grand Theft Auto Online.
- The only song Tommy Smith will never make an intro or outro comment over is Toto's "Hold the Line". [1]
- During one of Tommy Smith's stingers, a brief guitar sound can be heard which is very reminiscent of "Rock 'n' Roll Singer" by AC/DC.
- During the intro to Kiss's "Strutter", Tommy says "This song will put hair on your chest; it certainly did on my ex wife", which could be a reference to a past marriage to Mary-Beth Maybell, the host of K-Rose, because she says "Here's a record that'll put hair on your chest. It sure did in my case. A whole lot of it" to introduce Patsy Cline's "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray".
- During one of the segments of WCTR when reporter Richard Burns assists a carjacker, the car's radio is tuned in to this station, as Foghat's "Slow Ride" can be heard playing.
See Also[]
- Head Radio - a pop and rock radio in GTA, GTA 2, GTA III and GTA Liberty City Stories.
- It's Unleashed FM - a hard rock and alternative rock radio in GTA.
- King 130.7 - a punk rock and hard rock radio in GTA 2.
- V-Rock - a hard rock and heavy metal radio in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories that plays another song by Kiss.
- Emotion 98.3 - a power ballad radio in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories that plays other songs by Eddie Money and Toto.
- Wave 103 - a new wave and post-punk radio in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories.
- Radio X - an alternative rock and grunge radio in GTA San Andreas.
- Liberty Rock Radio - a classic rock and alternative rock radio in GTA IV and GTA Episodes From Liberty City that plays other songs by David Bowie, Heart, The Who, Rod Stewart, Foghat, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Steve Marriott as a solo artist.
- Liberty City Hardcore - a hardcore punk radio in GTA IV and extreme metal in GTA Episodes From Liberty City.
- Radio Broker - a contemporary rock radio in GTA IV and GTA Episodes From Liberty City.
- Prairie Cartel - an alternative rock and electronic rock instrumental radio in GTA Chinatown Wars.
- Tortoise - a post-rock instrumental radio in enhanced versions of GTA Chinatown Wars.
- Anvil - a heavy metal instrumental radio in the enhanced versions of GTA Chinatown Wars.
- Vinewood Boulevard Radio - an alternative rock radio in GTA V.
- Los Santos Rock Radio - a classic rock and pop rock radio in GTA V that plays other songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Humble Pie and Boston.
- Channel X - a punk rock and hardcore punk radio in GTA V.
- Pre-Millennium Radio - an alternative rock and grunge radio in GTA V that was cut from the final version of the game.
- Santos Surf - a surf music radio station in GTA V that was cut from the final version.
- Kult FM - a post-punk, indie rock, and mixed genre radio in the enhanced versions of GTA Online.
References[]
- ↑ Game audio files:
Hold the Line (Intro) Hold the Line (Mid) Hold the Line (Outro).All other songs have three intro and outro files with two of each containing spoken over variations:(Intro DJ #1), (Intro DJ#2) (Intro), (Outro DJ#1), (Outro DJ#2) and (Outro).