He’s a musician too. Carter played bass in alternative rock band Dramarama in the 1980s and ’90s. “I loved Paul’s bass playing, but I got into wanting to play the bass from listening to Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper records. That really hooked me in.”

He was in the right place when he got the job. Carter follows original host Deirdre O’Donoghue, who died in 2001. The job offer call came just before he went to a Ringo Starr concert. “I knew once I got the job, I would be there ’til I died. This is one of those long-term things and I’m not going anywhere.”

Prep keeps it fresh. “I have to handpick 60 Beatles songs a day, or solo Beatles songs, and have them pertain to that day—say, an anniversary or ‘today in Beatles history.’ There’s always something in Beatles history.” On Wednesdays, he spins a wheel to develop a topic for the show, such as “fifth Beatles” or “violins.” “I have to instantly put a set of songs together that matches that category.” And news events also play a role. When Robbie Robertson of The Band died recently, Carter made sure to note that by discussing and playing Ringo Starr’s “Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond),” on which Robertson and other members of The Band played. “It never gets old. If they handed me a playlist, like they do for so many DJs, and said ‘Chris, play them,’ I would have no passion for that.”

Context is key. Carter loves to provide tidbits about the songs he plays, so that listeners can experience them with fresh ears. “You’re dealing with 50- to 60-year-old music. If it’s not served up properly, you know, how many times can you hear ‘Hey Jude’? But if you put it in context, like this song was No. 1 for nine weeks. It was the first single over seven minutes long. And it was the first release on their own label. Most Beatles fans, they think they know a lot about the Beatles, but when you give them some information they might not know, then they’ll come back to you and listen again.”

He broadcasts in front of a crowd. The satellite radio shows are put together in Carter’s home studio. But many of the shows for L.A. radio are broadcast live from one of three area venues. “I find it fun because in radio you never see your audience. Typically, you’re sitting in a room by yourself with a microphone. You could have maybe millions of people listening, but you don’t know who they are.”

The Beatles are fans. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have each called into the show for interviews, but Carter doesn’t have his head in the clouds about it. “They’ve got to sell a solo record. You’re on the radio. They need you for publicity. They know you’re there for them. Even though they’re the gods of the world, they still need you to sell their records.”

Not surprisingly, some of Carter’s favorite musical memories involve Beatles songs.

Song: “Two of Us”

Memory: Watching the 1970 Beatles documentary Let It Be

“I couldn’t believe my mom actually let me take my Schwinn Sting-Ray to the movie theater. I had to cross the Hamburg Turnpike and lock up the bike. It was a big deal. I got to sit in the theater, and I think there was one other person in there. It was a very intimate experience. I always say that was kind of my Ed Sullivan Show, because you got to watch these guys create this record that you were familiar with, but it was still new at the time.”

Song: “I Me Mine”

Memory: Watching John and Yoko dancing

“There’s that scene [in Let It Be] where John and Yoko are doing the waltz and the other three guys are playing this new George song. It made you want to be in a band. I want a girl to dance with me while my bandmates play a song. Everything about that was appealing to me. It was the Beatles, but it didn’t look like the Beatles like you knew them. That was a very trippy experience for an 11-year-old and it kind of cemented my lifelong relationship with them.”