Joan Jett at the 2010 Long Island Music Hall of Fame Gala

Joan Jett was the first presenter at the 2010 Long Island Music Hall of Fame Gala on Tuesday, November 16, 2010. She inducted former WLIR program director Denis McNamara.

I can’t find any pics of Joan from the event (!!), but here’s a short video. See glimpses of Joan at 0:25 and 2:44:

Watch on youtube.

From http://www.limusichalloffame.org/ :

The night kicked off with Joan Jett, who was the very first inductee into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006 inducting former WLIR program director Denis McNamara, “He is a man whose voice we all remember.” McNamara changed the face of music when he changed the format of WLIR from classic rock to new wave in 1982. Jett described, “Music in America would not be the same without Denis. I am proud to call him my friend.”

From http://long-island.newsday.com/going-out/music/long-island-music-hall-of-fame-inducts-new-members-1.2467867 :

[F]ormer WLIR program director Denis McNamara, [was] inducted by Long Island Music Hall of Famer Joan Jett, who hailed him as a groundbreaker in radio. “It seems impossible to believe now, but it took a huge amount of courage for Denis to play my punk-rock, girl-led band’s songs, especially since the biggest bands for WLIR at the time were the Grateful Dead and the Doors,” she said. “But there was change in the air.”

East Northport’s McNamara recognized his part in building the area’s national reputation. “Because of what happened on the air at WLIR, especially in the ’80s, Long Island is seen as a gateway for new music and emerging artists,” he said. “That same compelling force now lives on in the scholarships of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.”