The news early this morning confirming the death of rock legend Tom Petty is still a shock. Petty, just 66, had completed a major tour this summer and was active on his Twitter account as recently as Saturday. I alluded in yesterday's post to a long-lost mixtape of all Petty songs being a staple in … Continue reading Positively Petty: A TP Top 40
1980s
Rest in peace, Tom Petty: “Don’t Come Around Here No More” (1985)
(Above: Tom Petty from the coolest video of 1985.) This one's going to be hard to write. I have a list of them in my head: the musical obits that will be tricky ones for me, because the music that the people who will be featured in them meant so much to my formative years. … Continue reading Rest in peace, Tom Petty: “Don’t Come Around Here No More” (1985)
Fall, football, and forgetting: U2, “A Sort of Homecoming” (1985)
(Above: My senior picture, Fall 1985. You'd think someone would have said "Do you want a comb?") The past week has been Homecoming Week at my high school. I was at Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park for four years. I haven't been back to it in twenty, or five times as long … Continue reading Fall, football, and forgetting: U2, “A Sort of Homecoming” (1985)
College radio classics: The Pursuit of Happiness, “I’m An Adult Now” (1988)
(Above: Cassette single version released in Canada. It's a Canadian Cassingle.) The fall of 1988 can best be described - in my life, anyway - as "the awkward transition." On the one hand I was a typical college kid, dealing with classes, girls, and getting into trouble after class by sneaking in to the campus … Continue reading College radio classics: The Pursuit of Happiness, “I’m An Adult Now” (1988)
College radio classics: Squeeze, “Hourglass” (1987)
(Above: Another 45 that college radio made me buy. It was a very expensive extra-curricular.) As a part of my month-long celebration of college radio (lining up with the fact that I started in it 30 years ago, which is surreal), I've been going through surviving recordings of shows from my freshman year in radio. … Continue reading College radio classics: Squeeze, “Hourglass” (1987)
One morning in college radio: WLRA-FM, September 19, 1988
(Above: Screen shot from Lewis University's "Network Video Hour," fall, 1988. No, I really dressed like that.) September 19, 1988 was a Monday morning. I had just settled into my regular schedule as "every day" morning host on Lewis University's WLRA-FM. There's a show from a week earlier that exists, but I chose this one … Continue reading One morning in college radio: WLRA-FM, September 19, 1988
College radio classics: The Cure, “Just Like Heaven” (1987)
(Above: the 45 "picture sleeve" for "Just Like Heaven") I've mentioned in earlier posts on college radio - most recently last week's entry on my first-ever show - that one of the goals of the student station is often to introduce audiences to music that they may not be familiar with. Some stations take this … Continue reading College radio classics: The Cure, “Just Like Heaven” (1987)
College radio classics: They Might Be Giants, “Don’t Let’s Start” (1988)
(Above: This video spellbound me the first time I saw it.) Among the bands I discovered in college that stayed with me after my college radio days ended, I'd have to put They Might Be Giants at the top of the list. The hard part about this piece was "which song do I pick?" I … Continue reading College radio classics: They Might Be Giants, “Don’t Let’s Start” (1988)
A month of college radio! The Icicle Works, “Understanding Jane” (1987)
(Above: My Intro to Radio book from when I was a student is in my college office. Hopefully there's been an update to this edition since then.) This morning I got an unusual notification from Facebook. It was in the "memories" section, which highlights posts made on this date over the last few years. I … Continue reading A month of college radio! The Icicle Works, “Understanding Jane” (1987)
Soundtrack for the first day of school (Various)
(Above: First day of school, 1974.) Today is the first day of school for Grand Valley State University (and for many other colleges, high schools, grade schools, etc.) Many schools have started already: you've no doubt noticed your time line filling up with pictures of kids heading off for school as relieved parents plan to … Continue reading Soundtrack for the first day of school (Various)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 