This time as a podcast. Yeah, I know, I’m a few years behind the curve when the latest Internet gold rush got going, making Adam Curry pretty wealthy or at least famous again. I remember scratching my head, wondering what the heck Brian was talking up then.
Recently I was inspired by my friend Helen lamenting over the horrible state of radio in her area (Washington, DC) especially when its intelligent, true Alternative station (whatever the heck “alternative” really means) converted to Dinosaur Rock. I could sympathize. Austin claims to be the live music capital of the world but it has the crappiest radio stations so it doesn’t deserve such a reputation. How irritating it is to see 101X posters at Stubb’s allegedly promoting the shows I’ve been to this Spring: Ladytron, Guster, the Faint and Cut///Copy. It’s false advertising because every time I surf the airwaves 101X sounds more like they’re trapped in 1997. Through their limited playlist they’ve turned Nirvana’s Nevermind into my generation’s Dark Side of the Moon. This isn’t a compliment, it’s an insult if you get the joke. This station’s slogan is even more annoying: “Independent. Local. Alternative.” Wrong on all three counts. Independent? No, some Emmis hack in Indianoplace dictates what we will hear according to the Abrams homogenization guide; Local? See the complaint on Independent; Alternative? As an alternative to the Dinosaur Rock on KLBJ, the Jukebox of Crap on Bob-FM or the pretentiousness of KGSR (aka K-Geezer)? Not really. Emmis controls them too.
I’ve ranted enough yet I think many of you share my complaint.
So last week I gave Helen an iPod Touch courtesy of Somara (won it as a prize). Now my friend can listen to “Mommy Music,” free of her sons’ incessant whining to hear Van Halen instead. It also gives me an outlet to provide it content much like I did years ago through those cassettes! Same goes for my cousin Leesa whose husband Joe gave her an iPod Classic.
It won’t stop there. I’ve been discussing a new music show with my main partner in music, Mark (M, not B). We’re tentatively putting it together; we’ll reveal its title later but we buy a lot of stuff and I hope to have guests such as Chip from Waterloo Records and other people whose opinions I respect. My argument for these podcasts goes like this. Not long ago, the great FM stations did more than play new material, they were tastemakers. I recall radio’s influence on my opinions as a teenager, especially when MTV wasn’t available (and it didn’t suck so much). Radio for better or worse was the unspoken friend playing its record collection for me until I left for college. Then came WMUR, awesome record stores, live shows and persuasive people (Downstairs Dan, Paul, Chris, Mangy Man and Sheila).
Sadly, Mark is busy so we’ll keep a modest goal of once a month. I’m not discouraged. I did buy this bitchin’ USB microphone at the recommendation of a ProApps guy named Frankie (hey, always ask a musician on what’s the smart buy) so the bigger plan is to make other types of shows to introduce my Austin-based friends to you who live elsewhere. I will let them pick around an hour’s worth of stuff, ask, them questions to answer, etc. It’ll be cool.
Interested? Click on this link but you’ll need an account and password though. I don’t want uninvited strangers bothering it like they do with their comment spam. When this story gets bumped down, I will move its link to the Friends of the Picayune section on the right side.