(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)
WIUS
Ten Albums: They Might Be Giants, Flood (1990)
Continuing the Ten Albums list as inspired by Facebook posts.... #8. They Might Be Giants, Flood (1990) I first stumbled on They Might Be Giants in my first year in college radio. In the spring of 1988 I was hanging out at the radio station late one night - as we often did - and … Continue reading Ten Albums: They Might Be Giants, Flood (1990)
Ten Albums: Too Much Joy, Cereal Killers (1991)
(Above: You don't have this one?) There's been this thing going around on Facebook where people are posting up their ten favorite albums, or ten albums that meant something to them, or so on. You've probably seen this: you get tagged, you make the post, you tag someone else. I got tagged in one last … Continue reading Ten Albums: Too Much Joy, Cereal Killers (1991)
Rest in peace, Pat DiNizio: The Smithereens, “A Girl Like You” (1989)
(Above: One of The Three LPs of early 1990.) For the last year or so it's felt like there's been an increase in the rate of death in the music world. Basic math explains a bit of this: the Baby Boom generation + time = end of life. Rock stars in their 70s and 80s … Continue reading Rest in peace, Pat DiNizio: The Smithereens, “A Girl Like You” (1989)
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)
One morning in college radio: WIUS-FM, March 6, 1990
(Above: The square in downtown Macomb. I vaguely remember a restaurant there called "Eat," which I am sure is long gone by now.) March 6, 1990 was a Tuesday. In Macomb, Illinois, students at Western Illinois University were preparing for their much-needed spring break. Among them, though, was an interloper: a college-aged radio veteran posing … Continue reading One morning in college radio: WIUS-FM, March 6, 1990
New year’s resolutions: Dramarama, “Last Cigarette” (1989)
(Above: Cover art for Stuck in Wonderamaland, 1990) I was never really a smoker. I was in the habit of buying cigarettes only when working at my first job, which I fondly think back on as "petroleum distributor." To be correct, I had exactly three jobs that were not in radio: -Gas pump jockey, Brian's … Continue reading New year’s resolutions: Dramarama, “Last Cigarette” (1989)
Canadian content: Kon Kan, “I Beg Your Pardon” (1989)
The word "earworm" gets thrown a lot to describe pieces of music that stick in your head. I am terribly susceptible to these. The worst kind for me are advertising jingles, especially from my childhood. You have no idea how much restraint it takes for me not to share every damned jingle that pops … Continue reading Canadian content: Kon Kan, “I Beg Your Pardon” (1989)
Greatest Misses: The Producers, “She Sheila” (1982)
In early 1990 I was, in a radio sense, homeless. My first full-time gig at KRVR flamed out very quickly. (Lesson learned: sometimes you're hired to be fired. The PD was planning to bring in his friends and fire the rest of the staff. I quit before he got the chance.) Being largely unwilling to … Continue reading Greatest Misses: The Producers, “She Sheila” (1982)
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