Behind the scenes with Gunner Lane

RUSSELLVILLE — Whether he’s working a DJ booth at a wedding, announcing a college volleyball match, recording his podcast or helping backstage at the Historic Roxy Theatre, Gunner Lane has found a variety of ways to connect with people.

Radio, he said, has had a strong influence on his life.

“I remember just listening to the sound of radio,” Lane said, “and what it felt like hearing people connecting and how it was making me laugh and smile.”

His interest in broadcasting began when he was 11 years old during a trip home from Atlanta with his grandmother, Louise Cole, and his sister, Whitney Lane.

“My sister had SiriusXM on in her car, and there was a station called Z100, a radio station out of New York City,” he said. “That’s where I fell in love with radio.”

His grandmother, whom he called Mammaw, remained one of his strongest supporters until her death in February 2022.

“She always was one to tell me, ‘Follow your heart. Do what you want,’” Lane said.

He said Cole taught him to remain positive, keep smiling and look for ways to comfort people or make them laugh.

“I feel like that’s something I’ve been able to keep, that little legacy of ours in the family,” he said.

As a teenager, Lane searched online for a radio station in Russellville and found WMTY. He helped organize music and occasionally went on the air.

During the summer of 2017, he worked on Hutty Hutchinson’s radio program near Spruce Pine before heading to his shift at Bojangles later in the day. He later created his own podcast, “Stay in Your Lane with Gunner Lane,” where he interviews guests and talks about his life, Russellville and whatever interests him.

He also found another creative outlet through the Historic Roxy Theatre in downtown Russellville.

“Getting introduced to the Roxy brought out another side of me,” he said. “I got to perform and express myself.”

One of his first roles made him almost impossible to see.

Cast as the Clock in “Beauty and the Beast,” he spent the production inside a costume that stood about 7 feet tall.

Later, he took on larger speaking roles. Before long, he was helping behind the scenes as much as onstage.

He worked sound, prepared productions and eventually joined the theater’s board.

Some of his favorite projects are the ones audiences may never notice.

He has repaired parts of the stage and repainted sections in the theater’s original plum color, hoping the work blends in so completely that no one realizes it was ever done.

“Art is a great thing for somebody to express themselves for the first time,” Lane said of creative endeavors. “It did that for me.”

“I think art and theatre are good ways to find your family,” he said. “The family you don’t know you’re going to find.”

Christmas productions at the Roxy remain among his favorites.

“I love getting the kids riled up during the Christmas shows, getting them to scream and have fun and forget about the math test waiting for them at school,” he said.

A fictional character he likes a lot is Shrek. He said he relates to the character because of how he is judged before people take the time to know him.

“People were scared of him,” Lane said. “People didn’t want anything to do with him. I feel like people think, ‘Oh, he’s weird,’ and then they get to know me. I’m okay being weird. I’m okay with who I am.”

He got an opportunity he didn’t expect when Northwest Shoals Community College needed someone to announce volleyball matches.

Although he knew almost nothing about the sport, he accepted and got to work learning all he could.

For three weeks, he watched instructional videos until he knew the rules well enough to call matches with confidence.