The young listeners of the rock & roll and heavy metal show made friends right away with VOA’s teenager DJ. It was the tone of Andrei’s voice, his youth, honesty, and energy that made the show so attractive, wrote one of his fans. The metalist enthusiasts understood, eventually, why VOA, the radio station of the U.S. government, would not send out pictures or personal information of VOA’s broadcasters, contractors, or interns [such as Andrei].
Three decades later, HelloMyFriends answers the questions about Andrei Staicu with a brief bio note, archive photos from his childhood and teenage years, and with interviews.
Andrei was born in Bucharest, Romania, on July 10, 1971. A happy and energetic boy, Andrei made many friends in kindergarten and in the elementary school; you may see some archive pictures below and to the right.
Three decades later, HelloMyFriends answers the questions about Andrei Staicu with a brief bio note, archive photos from his childhood and teenage years, and with interviews.
Andrei was born in Bucharest, Romania, on July 10, 1971. A happy and energetic boy, Andrei made many friends in kindergarten and in the elementary school; you may see some archive pictures below and to the right.
Let’s listen to Andrei’s best childhood friend, the little girl with huge ribbons in the picture to the left; she is now actress Andreea Măcelaru Șofron
.
Andrei was 11 when he emigrated to the U.S. together with his mother. He was fluent in English and went to school two weeks after he arrived in California. We can see him in the picture to the right bursting with Californian energy!
In the 1985 yearbook of the elementary school Rancho San Ioachim, Irvine, CA, “property of Andrew Staicu,” we find Andrei’s picture at page 29.
Three years later, his mother got a job in Washington, DC, and regrettably, they had to leave California, driving cross-country to the East Coast.
Andrei was a student at the T.C. Williams high school, in Alexandria, VA. As most of the teenagers in the US, at 16, he got his driver’s license – a very important event in a teenager’s life.
Andrei was a student at the T.C. Williams high school, in Alexandria, VA. As most of the teenagers in the US, at 16, he got his driver’s license – a very important event in a teenager’s life.
Just like many of his school-mates, he got a contract to distribute newspapers [at 5 a.m.] and earned money to help his Mom buy a videorecorder.
High-school graduation was a joyful moment for the young DJ, as we can see in the 1989 T.C. Williams yearbook picture.
Driving to the graduation event in a leased red convertible was cool!
At 17, in his senior year, Andrei launched the rock & roll and heavy metal show on the Voice of America, broadcast in Romanian. The high school yearbook included pictures with Andrei interviewing well known bands; to the right, we can see him getting an autograph from Klaus Mein of Scorpions.
Andrei was fully engaged in the production of his Tuesday shows, working closely with Bernie Bernard, one of VOA’s music editors. Here they are at a production meeting.
After three decades, in a Skype interview, Bernie Bernard
, now a professor of media arts and owner of RadioDiva Productions, shared her warm memories of Andrei and spoke about the impact of his rock & roll and heavy metal weekly show in Romania and in the East European region.
Indeed, Andrei interviewed the artists in many of the famous rock & roll and heavy metal bands he introduced to the young listeners in Romania. Nuno and Filiz, Andrei’s best friends, would often go with him to concerts and enjoy both the music and the privilege of back-stage passes. In a Skype interview, Nuno Ricardo
speaks about those moments and about his friend.
Thirty years ago, one of the promising bands Andrei included in his shows was Kage. The Romanian young listeners enjoyed listening to the band’s music, hoped Kage would come to Romania on a concert tour, and were somewhat disappointed they did not receive Kage cassettes. Let’s listen to David Groves, the band’s guitar player, and to his wife, Filiz Groves
Bernie’s, Andreea’s, Nuno’s, Filiz’s, and David’s heartfelt memories of Andrei and the unconditional friendship of his hundreds of friends in Romania are helping to fill the void Andrei left in our lives. In 2018, at 47, Andrei lost his battle with cancer.
The Photo Gallery brings back memories of Andrei’s interviews aired on VOA’s rock & roll and heavy metal weekly shows for six years, 1988-1994. Undoubtedly, the die-hard rockers and metalists will enjoy seeing pictures of younger Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Bobby Dahl, CC Deville, Brett Michaels, Kirk Hammet, Lars Ulrich, Mathias Jebbs, Sebastian Bach, and David Coverdale, along with the autographed picture Andrei received from the jazz great Dizzy Gillespie.
, speaking about their friend Andrei.
Bernie’s, Andreea’s, Nuno’s, Filiz’s, and David’s heartfelt memories of Andrei and the unconditional friendship of his hundreds of friends in Romania are helping to fill the void Andrei left in our lives. In 2018, at 47, Andrei lost his battle with cancer.
The Photo Gallery brings back memories of Andrei’s interviews aired on VOA’s rock & roll and heavy metal weekly shows for six years, 1988-1994. Undoubtedly, the die-hard rockers and metalists will enjoy seeing pictures of younger Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Bobby Dahl, CC Deville, Brett Michaels, Kirk Hammet, Lars Ulrich, Mathias Jebbs, Sebastian Bach, and David Coverdale, along with the autographed picture Andrei received from the jazz great Dizzy Gillespie.
