Sage (born sometime in between 1970 and 1974) is an "alternative" DJ who hosts the alternative radio station Radio X in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
She is voiced by Jodie Shawback.
History[]
Events of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
Like other DJs, Sage's comments change as the game progresses, including a brief comment about OG Loc, threatening to set herself on fire after Bone County becomes accessible and claiming that the Los Santos Riots are part of the "revolution" she often mentions.
Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith of K-DST radio has a vendetta against her even though her radio station plays Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" , which Tommy's voice-over actor, Axl Rose, sang.
Like Tommy Smith and Forth Right MC, Sage is not very popular with her audience, as callers will usually insult her. One caller berates her name and her photography exhibit in San Fierro, while another criticizes her appearance, attitude, and lifestyle.
Sage is one of the honored celebrities on the Vinewood Walk of Fame in Grand Theft Auto V.
Character[]
Personality[]
Sage is a very self-obsessed woman and self-confessed rebel who seems to always be worked up about something, despite believing that nobody can be lazier than her, making her a stereotypical Gen X-er.
Sage suffers from poor mental health and frequently displays signs of psychopathy. As stated before, Sage is overwhelmingly narcissistic, seeing herself as "the only one who doesn't suck" and rambling about how she loves the sound of her own voice. She shows no concern or remorse for others, instead choosing to badmouth most people, including her own parents. What is most telling are her views on death; aside from her open welcoming of her own death, she frequently threatens various people (such as an unnamed record store employee), wishes to kill everyone over 30, and even confesses to murdering a gas station attendant while on her period. Similarly, she also seems to view crime favorably, according to one nighttime remark. Sage seems to be aware of her poor mental state, as she declares herself to be insane in one quip, and reveals that she escaped from a mental institution in another.
Sage is obsessed with sex, and frequently discusses her promiscuity on-air. Partners she has previously had include the chief of police, a man she "did behind the Cluckin' Bell", a man with safety pins in his genitals, as well as Axl Rose and the entire Danzig line-up, among others. She also mentions that she is attracted to Scottish guys (due to their kilts; "Guys in skirts — VERY alternative") and "everyone still in bed." This sexuality is apparently not confined to people, as she also mentions a will to sleep with the color gray in a radio comment. It's probable that Sage could be sexually desperate, as she even goes as far as to plead "could somebody please sleep with me!" during the outro to Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage". This hypersexuality is likely the cause of her pubic lice, as a radio caller implies he caught her masturbating with a urinal cake in a men's restroom during a Soundgarden concert.
Another of her unhealthy obsessions is her dedication to an "alternative" lifestyle. She has a serious drug addiction (including psychedelics and huffing paint and ether) that she mentions consistently. Sage's other favorite pastimes include activities such as staring at candles, moping in the rain while wearing heavy mascara, reading bad horror novels by candlelight, smoking "anything that goes up in flames" (including clove cigarettes, marijuana, and even clothes), and burning at her pubic lice with a cigarette lighter.
Interestingly, Sage seems to have come from a very well-off background. In stark contrast to the stereotype that Gen-Xers came from single-parent, working-class homes, Sage came from a stable two-parent household in an affluent suburb, admitting that her father is rich and stating her rejection of her parents' attempts to teach her how to be responsible in life. She even has a trust fund, which she says is meaningless to her and suggests giving it away. It is likely because of her privileged background that she feels the need to self-verify constantly, saying how much of a rebel she is and that she is "poor in spirit". She also seems to believe "living in the suburbs is SO much worse than the ghetto", suggesting she may hold a sheltered view of the world. This is further evidenced by her stating she'll "have to get her money back" after being ripped off in a drug purchase, showing Sage is completely naïve to the world of street life.
Views[]
One of Sage's defining characteristics is her extreme pessimistic view. She mentions that her depression and angst are a "lifestyle choice", and, as stated before, has a very favorable opinion towards death. She declares that nothing is possibly cooler than death, and believes that she will be mourned by everyone at her funeral as Primal Scream's "Movin' on Up" plays. She apparently believes in reincarnation, which may explain her welcoming of her death.
Due to her "lazy" worldview and extreme self-obsession, Sage complains incessantly about things she dislikes. One of her complaints are cartoons, which she describes as "stupid and cheery" and adds that "life isn't supposed to be cheery". She also dislikes rap music, claiming she would rather "spend all day staring at candles" than be a gangster. As more of the map is unlocked with the story's progression, Sage also voices her disapproval of this too, claiming that she "longs for another earthquake" and even threatens to set herself on fire at one point. Her complaints even touch upon her job, as she occasionally gripes about the effort required to play the next song or say something in between. She may also complain about the health system of San Andreas.
Sage seems to believe that she is the forerunner to a generational revolution against the baby boomers. She believes everyone over the age of 25 is "stupid" and frequently expresses to kill everyone over the age of 30 (except for Ozzy Osbourne, who "gets it"). As a result, she holds great pride in her own generation, constantly saying how they will go on to do great things. She seems to tie in her music choice to this view, constantly describing Radio X's content as a revolution and telling people to be "individuals" by listening to it. When Los Santos erupts in riots near the game's ending, Sage celebrates the anarchy and believes it to be the revolution she's been discussing for so long. She also states that she admires Vladimir Lenin's idea of a never-ending revolution, although she suggests she only looks up to him because he is dead. Despite her revolutionary character, she also seems to be anti-war, saying that wars are started because "you're old, there's nothing to do, and you can't find any pot."
Appearance[]
Sage is a young woman in between the ages of 18 and 22. She claims that her birth name became "irrelevant" one day, when she "found herself one day while staring out a window listening to spoken word." However, another comment reveals she actually can't remember it, something she blames commercials for.
No artwork or photos have been revealed of Sage, however her appearance is frequently hinted at through radio comments. On her own accord, Sage is bulimic, doesn't wear underwear, and wears plaid shirts. She also has several tattoos, including some Celtic artwork on one of her arms, and some other unknown tattoos on her armpits.
The most damning details are given by listeners of Radio X that call into the station. One coldly advises her "You could at least show some skin, douche", suggesting she doesn't wear revealing clothing. Another station caller discloses of her appearance, "the few teeth you do have are gun-metal gray from cigarettes and drug abuse, and you dress like you blew up a homeless person and then knitted his clothes back together", revealing that she doesn't care about personal hygiene. This is further reinforced by Sage mentioning that she suffers from pubic lice in the same conversation.
Influence[]
While the possible inspiration for the character of Sage has been much speculated over — including Hole frontwoman Courtney Love and Donita Sparks of L7 — Jodie Shawback has personally refuted both of these. In a 2022 interview[1], Shawback asserted that she had had no particular influence for her performance as Sage, and went so far as to doubt that Rockstar had even intended for Sage (or any of the other DJs) to have such detailed characterization in the first place. Shawback reiterated that her involvement in the game was due to her real-life personal friendship and connection with Lazlow Jones as radio colleagues.
In the same interview, however, Shawback did divulge that Sage was originally supposed to have been voiced by Juliette Lewis, who backed out of the game after objecting to some of Sage's dialogue. Shawback speculated that if the character had originally been written for a specific individual in mind, it might well have been Lewis, perhaps coming off of her image in the role of Mallory Knox from the 1994 film Natural Born Killers.
The Helmut Schein Shine perfume ad, also voiced over by Jodie Shawback was, according to her, produced and recorded before she was asked to step in as Sage. It was based on a similar parody of a Calvin Klein ad that Shawback and Lazlow had produced in the 1990s while working together in radio, which Lazlow had then invited her to recreate for the game. The ambiguity of the announcer possibly being Sage, then, was wholly unintentional.
Gallery[]
