The Amazing Nigel has things under control in 10 Geary.

Chaos seems ready to explode onto the sound boards and compact disc players as Nigel puts on his WEHR-FM radio show. But, somehow, the Thursday-night disc jockey keeps his head screwed on straight, shouting out words such as "fascism" and "corporate stooge" at random.

Everything runs smoothly -- until the "Fone Flasher" blinks its strobe light and the dorm-sized room in East Halls spins into a frenzy. As many as nine different people are in the studio: Nigel is on the air, "Cabin Boy" Tim Maese is working the sound board, DJ-in-training Rami Barker is keeping a program log and someone tries to answer the flashing phone, pulling it around the corner.

"Nobody's as much as a freak show as I am," said Nigel, who won't give out his name because of an incident in high school when someone threw a log through his window after he wrote an "inflammatory" newspaper article.

Nigel said he is obsessed with the idea of breaking away from the "corporate system" and the radioheads of the past who thought rock'n'roll was just noise. He said he refers to fascism so much because his grandfather fought for Mussolini during World War II.

"In order to be successful in radio, you can't play by the corporate rules," Nigel said. "My dream is to see 40,000 Penn State students march on State College and say, 'We don't like how this fascist system works.' "

Nigel tries to reflect this bit of rebellion in the music he plays on his show -- a combination of classic and college rock.

"It's the stuff that's the foundations, and it's the groundbreaking stuff, too," he said.

Music isn't the only thing Nigel uses to cause a stir. The Amazing Nigel Show has been trying to cause chaos outside Geary Hall via the WEHR airwaves since the beginning of Fall Semester 1993. The long-haired DJ gives out the answering-machine number at the White House and at the Office of Physical Plant to encourage listeners to whine about ice and snow cleanup.

From 8 p.m. until whenever (usually 1 a.m.), Nigel reigns over the neat stacks of CDs -- most of which he brings from home -- and the crowded DJs, fans and friends. Nigel takes calls from various "anti-Nigelists" and requesters, and plays a combination of music and comedy skits ranging from James Brown and The Jerky Boys to The Beatles and PJ Harvey.

Although Nigel basically ad-libs his show, what really make his show stand out are the live acts, giveaways and comedy bits he plans. It's important for bands such as the Dirges and Dogtown Road to appear live on his show because it's a chance for underage students to listen to local bands, Nigel said.

"I think he has a talent for putting different things together," said DJ Joe Myers (sophomore-computer science), citing Nigel's live show and comedy bits as examples. "I don't think a lot of the things individually are that funny, but everything together -- it's like a variety show."

Toward the end of the show, a listener calls, requesting either Sepultura or the Jackson Five. Almost by accident, the caller wins a Bubba's Breakaway sub for correctly identifying James Brown's "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud."

As Nigel's friends and fellow DJs search for the requested albums, Nigel says goodbye to the caller, adding, "You are the perfect listener for the Amazing Nigel show."