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David Syme: Swapping his musical knowledge for a plug.
Returning To His. Roots
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to The Jewish News
David Syme's
unique radio
interviews have
brought him
home in several
ways.
rom the outside, David
and Suzie Syme's con-
temporary West Bloom-
field condo gives no hint
of the unusual.
On the inside, however, ..
outfitting the lower level is
high-tech equipment that con-
nects them with radio sta-
tions across the country and
accelerates the processing of
mail orders for his classical
and pop recordings.
Mr. Syme, who was trained
as a concert pianist, connects
with talk radio programs to
perform any songs — old or
new — requested by listeners.
His payment is the opportu-
nity to announce the toll-free
phone number (1-800-321-
PIANO) for ordering tapes
and CDs recorded on his own
label.
Mrs. Syme, who schedules
her husband's appearances,
answers the phone and makes
sure the orders are filled.
"When people are sick of
talking about wars and vio-
lence and politics, the station
calls me up and says listeners
need a break, and then they
put me on," says Mr. Syme,
who can be heard locally on
WJR.
With the equipment next to
his piano, he can talk to the
host and audience as he per-
forms concertos, show tunes
F
and rock numbers, sounding
as if he is in the studio.
Each week brings engage-
ments on 10 to 20 different
shows.
Mr. Syme, who bills himself
as a human jukebox, has sold
40,000 recordings since
launching his radio idea
about two years ago.
Regularly scheduled on 75
stations, he has entertained
on 300. He tells about his al-
bums that combine standards
and light classics. "Play It
Again, Syme" includes "As
Time Goes By" and "Polonaise
in A-Flat."
"I have the ability to repro-
duce instantly any music that
I hear," says Mr. Syme, who
began teaching himself how
to play at age 3 and did not
take any lessons until after
he turned 13.
"I had never made that an
issue or attempted to publi-
cize that in my career as a
concert pianist. But I men-
tioned it on a radio interview
and went over to the piano to
play a few TV themes.
"The host started naming
other songs I could play, and
suddenly the switchboard lit
up. People started calling in
their own requests."
Mr. Syme contracted
with a San Francisco
public relations firm
to help arrange per-
sonal appearances
on radio and TV to promote
his recordings, and the word
got out.
"My greatest strength is in
my range, in my diversity,"
Mr. Syme says. "I've made it
my business to understand all
kinds of music that people
love deeply.
"I'm like an actor who is
able to play a wide range of
roles. Even if it's not a my fa-
vorite kind of music, I am able,
to enter into the spirit of that
music."
Mr. Syme's parents set the
stage for his musical pursuits.
His mother, a classically
trained pianist, was his first
inspiration as he tried to im-
itate what he heard her play
at home. His father, Rabbi M.
Robert Syme of Temple Israel,
had been a can-
tor.
"When I
was young,
I wanted
to play
mu-
sic,
but I wasn't interested in tak-
ing lessons," he says. "I would
just sit at the piano and strive
to express myself musically.
"It was an act of will be-
cause I couldn't play a thing.
I started to pick out melodies
very badly, but after a while
I became so accustomed to sit-
ting at the piano and playing
that, when a melody was on a
record or radio, I could envi-
sion the keys that corre-
sponded to it."
Mr. Syme, 43, made his
performance debut at age 14
with the Mumford High
School orchestra, performing
works by Beethoven. At 18,
after studying locally with
Mischa Kottler and Julius
Chajes, he played the Rach-
maninoff Piano Concerto No
2 with the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra, later joining the
Continued on Page 71
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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