(Above: I may have a similar shirt, but that hair ain't comin' back.) In the two years I spent as an undergrad at Lewis University from 1987-1989 before setting out on my own to try and start a radio career, I probably spent more time in the radio station than anywhere else, including classrooms. One … Continue reading Video killed the radio star: “Network Video Hour,” Lewis University Television Network, November 6, 1988
1988
College Radio Day 2018: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Hate Myself For Loving You” (1988)
(Above: Joan's 1983 album, called Album, which is fantastic.) Today is the 8th annual College Radio Day. CRD started in 2011 as a way for college radio stations to get together and celebrate what they do: give artists that wouldn't otherwise get a chance some exposure, and give new air talent that wouldn't otherwise get … Continue reading College Radio Day 2018: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Hate Myself For Loving You” (1988)
30 years ago this week: The Billboard Hot 100, September 10, 1988
(Above: What a wacky college morning show looks like, apparently.) Thirty years ago this week I was starting my second year at Lewis University on the air at WLRA. I almost didn't come back; at the end of my first year I was left off of the management team and threatened to take my ball … Continue reading 30 years ago this week: The Billboard Hot 100, September 10, 1988
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)
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: 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)
Greatest misses: Midnight Oil, “The Dead Heart” (1988)
(Above: LP cover for Diesel and Dust.) A few days ago I wrote about the process of going through old college airchecks and finding great lost songs - the ones that we played a lot on our college station, WLRA, but didn't seem to get the sort of chart popularity that they should have. I've … Continue reading Greatest misses: Midnight Oil, “The Dead Heart” (1988)
Songs you hate, then love: The Beach Boys, “Kokomo” (1988)
(Above: Which is the guiltier pleasure - the song or the movie?) If I haven't made it clear enough in earlier posts or by dropping lyrics into text sans citation, I like the Beach Boys. A lot. That's why the revulsion I felt when I first heard "Kokomo" was so troubling. Eventually, though, I came … Continue reading Songs you hate, then love: The Beach Boys, “Kokomo” (1988)
One day in college radio: November 14, 1988
Above: A clinic in how not to design a business card, in terms of readability. Monday, November 14, 1988 was an overcast day around much of Chicagoland. The snows of winter weren't falling yet, and on the campus of Lewis University thoughts were beginning to turn to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The Chicago Bears had … Continue reading One day in college radio: November 14, 1988
Crossing the line: Utter Confusion, “Beer Goggles” (1988)
(Above: The 12" single in question. Good luck finding it.) I had a long conversation with my college radio advisor yesterday. John Carey has been responsible for the students of WLRA at Lewis University for the last thirty years or so. He was a young advisor when I was a freshman back at the school … Continue reading Crossing the line: Utter Confusion, “Beer Goggles” (1988)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 