I started this blog with the idea that it would be primarily about writing, not quick 15 word postings of songs, videos, updates, etc. .  I apparently do not have enough free time and/or motivation to do this when school is in session, so my blogging motivations are “evolving.”

Quick Hits:

1 – I recently came across the great work of a cinematographer/blogger who goes by the handle boneshow.  You can find his youtube channel here, which features tons of great videos of local singer/songwriters in the Americana vein, including some of the artists I champion like Todd Mathis of American Gun, Mac Leaphart, BJ Barham of American Aquarium, Danielle Howle, and more.   Case in point, here a couple of videos…

2 – The college radio station I DJ at, WUSC 90.5-FM, is having their biannual fundraiser, with the theme of “Playing Favorites.”  So, for 2 hours (Thursday 11/12, 4-6pm) I’ll be spinning some songs by the Memphis, TN band Lucero.  Please tune in, and donate if you can.

3 – Also on Thursday, Columbia’s new listening room The White Mule is hosting one of country music’s true legends, Charlie Louvin of the The Louvin Brothers.  If I was still in that writing-focus mode, I would probably spout on at length about the influence, power, and longevity of The Louvin Brother’s music, but I’m not.  So just trust me, it will be a show well worth seeing.

Several factors influenced our decision to establish an internet radio station in opposition to a terrestrial radio station.

Financial

The initial investment to establish the radio station significantly decreased when we decided to stream rather than broadcast. On our budget for terrestrial broadcasting we needed $ 25000 to buy the starting equipment including a transmission tower. While for our internet streaming budget we needed less than $10000 to buy the equipment that would allow us to start streaming; in fact we got an initial grant of $5000 with which we managed to buy the basic equipment to stream. In addition to the cost of the quipment, also the cost of music licensing droped to $500 (more about the FCC in an upcoming post) .

Reach

When we decided that streaming would be a better option from a financial stand point, we discovered that there was a whole new array of opportunities available on the web. We would not be stucked in the middle of Missouri and transmitting to a radius of 0.5 miles around us , instead we could potentially reach every single person around the world with an internet connection.

Target:

Being an internet radio station allowed us to serve the Westminster community as a whole rather than only students. Now we are able to serve parents, alumni, and friends who on a different geographic location. Further more it allows us to create more specialized programs, since we are able to use the long tail of e-business principle.

Anathema – Lovelorn Rhapsody (Serenades)

Sin Of Angels – Parasite (In the Grip of Despair)

Corrupted – Bajo De Cero (Nadie)

Thou – Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean (Tyrant)

Disembowelment – Spirits of the Tall Hills (Transcendence into the Peripheral)

Winter – Eternal Frost (Into Darkness)

Burning Witch – Warning Signs (Rift.Canyon.Dreams.)

Shrinebuilder album listening session!

Grief – Come to Grief (Come to Grief)

Acid Bath – Bleed Me An Ocean (Pagan Terrorist Tactics)

Los Angeles based band Warpaint, performing at this year's CMJ Marathon

Over 120,000 fans, artists, filmmakers, and music industry pros from around the world will congregate today at the CMJ Marathon, a five-day music festival. The extravaganza will take over downtown Manhattan, with venues at New York University and other locations. Participants can attend music panels, films, and live music shows all week by purchasing a full-access badge, or paying per event.

This year marks the 29th year of the CMJ (College Music Journal) fest, first started to clue the music industry in on the importance and influence of college radio. Some of the most talked about 2009 participating bands include Warpaint, Rough Francis, Electric Tickle Machine, Sin Fang Bous, and The Very Best. Take a look at the schedule on their website, or some of the events I have picked out below:

Today, October 20th:

Music: Warpaint, 7pm, at Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston Street

Music: Kaiser Cartel, 9pm, at Living Room, 154 Ludlow Street

Movie: The Perfect Age of Rock and Roll, 7:30pm, Clearview Cinemas, 260 W. 23rd Street

Wednesday, October 21st:

Music: Takka Takka, 8:30pm, at Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Ave.

Music: Gully Bank Sound System, 9:15pm, at Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave.

Movie: My Movie Girl, 9:15pm, Clearview Cinemas, 260 W. 23rd Street

Thursday, October 22:

Music: Vertical Horizon, 8pm, at Hiro Ballroom, 371 W. 16th St.

Music: Camp Lo, 9:20pm, at S.O.B.’s, 204 Varick Street

Friday, October 23rd:

Music: The xx, 10:40pm, at Music Hall in Williamsburg, 66 N. 6th St.

Movie: The Invisible Life of Thomas Lynch, 7:15pm, Clearview Cinemas, 260 W. 23rd St.

Saturday, October 24th:

Music: Mama Bear, 6:45pm, at Delancey, 168 Delancey St.

Music: Strand of Oaks, 10:15pm, at Bruar Falls, 245 Grand Street

Movie: The Fourth Kind, 10pm, Clearview Cinemas, 260 W. 23rd St.

-Caitlin

“I furiously began scribbling notes onto an old grocery list.  Graduated ’09, no job, blog for Bates as graduate, networking important, puts face to application- little notes like that.  And then he said it “And now we’re going to Stephanie in Watertown, MA.  Hi Stephanie.”  (Gasp) “Hi Tom!”  And then I don’t know what happened.  It was all a blur.  But I finished and ran back into the kitchen where Jordan was standing by the radio.  I caught the last sound bites of my speech.  I had done it!  I had called in to NPR.  I can die happy. Here’s the link to the show- it’s quite an interesting topic, you should definitely listen to the whole thing.” Read more about Steph’s NPR highlights while listening to the show HERE.

interview Part 1

interview Part 2

Hello loyal listeners and followers of The Inferno.  This is your Duke of Darkness Bodybag.  Today’s show went extremely well.  Everything flowed like the blood through a thin persons vains just before they get slit.  LoL a little dark humor to start things off.  I was turned onto some new bands that I have never heard of before now.  I had some great requests from some local listeners, thanks guys.  If any of you would like to make some requests just leave your comments below the blog and I promise to get them on the air for you, cross my dark black heart.

Tune in every Tuesday night from 4-5pm on Hawkradio to get your weekly dose of metal.  If for some reason you miss it on Tuesdays The Inferno will re-air Wednesday nights from 11-Midnight.  Don’t forget to get your requests in.  Message my myspace or call me @ 813-526-9133 or you can leave your requests in the comment section below each blog.

For everyone who is confused by what WUML is here you go:

WUML is UML’s underground radio station. It is known for playing artists that need air-time.

I found out at orientation that WUML will be holding a meeting Sept. 16 for new comers. I have always been interested in radio and being a DJ so I decided to head over to the meeting tonight. I was planning on going with Singer but he didn’t have the resources to make it tonight.

Either way, as I walked up to the crowd of people around WUML the GM Andrew Bass yells to me, “You here for WUML?” and of course I respond with “Yup”, he continues to say “Then get the fuck out of here……… Just kidding.” This started the night off awesome and instantly made me comfortable. He proceeded to do that to every other person who came down the stairs, and it was genuine and new every time.

We continued in to the tiny room which was not even close to big enough to house the amount of kids who came. It wasn’t long before comments were being made about how friggen close we were packed in.

The meeting started and basic info was given such as that all of us are now officially bitches of the directors. We have to earn 15 “Intern Hours” which can be given out by any director for any sort of task they can think of. (Cleaning, errands, anything they want) Along with that we need to attend every weekly meeting and choose a show to intern on till the end of the semester. I haven’t quite decided which show I want to go on but there are two that interest me greatly.

1 is The Chiptune Lounge, first of all, because I love the music. Second of all, because I met Will at orientation and he guided us through the station and I got a good vibe from him. 2 is Mixtape Science because I  love indie music and the music selection seems to fit my personality closely.

In conclusion, the time required for the intern ship is about 4 hours a week. I am definitely going to put these hours in and I am excited to see what comes from it.I am now a WUML Bitch.

Let me know what you think of these posts and if you think I should keep writing them.

Where do internet nicknames come from? And why do I have three of them?

When Nanny Goats in Panties recently asked why my blog is named Sassmo’s Blog, my posts are signed by Donkephant, and my comments are signed Grizzly Kitteh, it left me contemplating my own online existence.

When I joined the I Can Has Cheezburger team in January of 2008, I met Happy Cat, Tofu Burger, and a handful of other similarly nicknamed coworkers. It seemed only fitting that I adopt a persona for work purposes, thus Grizzly Kitteh was born.

Soon after my arrival, Happy Cat requested I spearhead a new project, which turned out to be Pundit Kitchen. Given PK’s highly political nature and a need for a neutral figure to watch over it, I donned the nickname Donkephant as well.

Sassmo has been with me the longest though, originating on Christmas Day, 2002. It’s the moniker I use most often online and somewhat offline, including @Sassmo on Twitter. The name originated with this guy:

Me, circa early 2003, teaching a tour group of pre-schoolers about KTUH, the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa college radio station

Christmas Eve 2002 I spent the night partying until the wee hours with an apartment full of Brazilians in pajamas, followed by a rather messy session of downhill skateboarding before I finally made it to bed.

Three hours later (Christmas morning, 8am) – bruised, bloodied, and still intoxicated – I reported for my first day of training at KTUH, my college’s radio station.

Ari, the station manager and my trainer, helped select jazz records to play for the next 3 hours. I didn’t know much about jazz, so my first day consisted of almost entirely The Charlie Brown Christmas album and Louis Armstrong.

Before I went on air, Ari insisted that I have a cool DJ name. My roommates, Cassiano and Chas, frequently called me Sassafrasquatch. Combined with my lack of better ideas due to post-party grogginess, and my budding fondness for Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, a name was born.

As Sassmo, I was the host of three different radio shows on KTUH, over the span of 3 years – The Sassmo Jazz Show w/ Stoney Hawk, The Hootenanny Hoedown, and The Beast With Two Backs. I also worked a handful of director positions and as Interim General Manager.

Even though I’ve done some great things before and since, KTUH will be one of the most cherished times of my life, and thus the name Sassmo will stick with me forever.

So, even though Grizzly Kitteh and Donkephant have become part of my online persona, it’s been hard to separate myself from my job and the two worlds have spilled into each other.

Since part of job description actually entails interacting with our users and being a brand ambassador to the world of BlogHer and the people that encompass that corner of the internet, I’ve grappled with the question of whether or not I should be Sassmo or Grizzly Kitteh. Do I keep the professional name? Or do I be as genuine as possible and post as the guy who runs around half naked and calls it a fundraiser?

Thanks to my friend Evan, who alerted me on Monday that some serious Aughties musical canonization was going down this week, I’ve been following Pitchfork’s unveiling of the Top 500 tracks of the decade. As it may be of interest, I thought I’d share my feelings. 

In subsequent posts, I may comment on their impending coverage of the decade’s best music videos and albums, as well as their formulations on the reclamation of pop, the exploration of noise, and the mainstreaming of indie rock. I won’t devote posts to it, though, because there’s a fine line between providing useful commentary and hearing yourself type. And my hunch is that discussing the singles list will suffice, as it presents, by microcosm, a general set of criticisms I’ve long held about the “tastemaker” e-zine.

Covering Pitchfork’s appraisal of the decade in this way makes more sense to me anyway, as the 2000s marked the resurgence of the single. Our increasingly digitized media culture cultivated the need for that one song, found at the click of a mouse or the touch of an mp3 player button or phone pad. That song also tended to get posted on blogs, e-zines, and MySpace pages (however briefly) as a means to define the self or selves (this was a decade when Gnarls Barkley, Brightblack Morning Light, and Crystal Castles could potentially coexist on the same shuffle or mash-up).

So, this list is the first time I’ve seen music of my youth canonized in such a way that it now seems historical. When Pitchfork first did the list half-way through the decade, I was 22 and just out of college; an adult, but only sorta. More specifically, the songs were still new. But having graduated from college twice over and a year into my second post-college job in 2009, I can look at songs from 2000, when I was in high school, and feel my age like many folks who transitioned into adulthood in decades prior.

And now, some nostalgia. A lot of the songs on this list bring up specific memories, images, people, and feelings. I remember my friend Brooke trying to teach me a dance routine to Aaliyah’s “Try Again” for our junior prom. PJ Harvey’s “Good Fortune” reminded me of a high school boyfriend which, in hindsight, speaks to an epic love song’s power to project. I remember a classmate singing the chorus to OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” to herself in French class. I remember hearing Jay-Z and UGK’s “Big Pimpin’” at a Claire’s somewhere in New York City on a field trip. Radiohead’s “The National Anthem” confused the hell out of me, but I kept playing it at full volume anyway. Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On” was a confusing song that made perfect sense. And if Daft Punk’s “One More Time” was released when the class of 2001 voted for our song, it would’ve been my pick (I submitted U2’s “Beautiful Day” and Counting Crows’ “Hanging Around”; our song ended up being Aerosmith’s cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together” from the Armageddon soundtrack, for some reason).

Then there’s the rough transition between high school and college. Songs off Radiohead’s Amnesiac and Daft Punk’s Discovery suggest my lonely, uncertain summer before college. I started college, withdrew mid-way through my first semester, and resumed in the spring. This was a “the” time — The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Shins, The Avalanches, and the last album by The Dismemberment Plan. It was also when I started to follow Pitchfork, mostly to avoid writing term papers.

After a summer back home, I applied for a college radio show. It was here that I really started learning about music, and just how much music there was. KVRX maintains a “none of the hits all of the time” policy; if a musical act got a single or video on rotation in a commercial market, they could not be played. While I was there, we pulled The Arcade Fire and Franz Ferdinand from rotation. Some deejays would think that by pulling a musical act they liked out of rotation, we were initiating a taste-based attack on coolness (i.e., undiscovered = good, discovered = bad). While this prejudice existed (and I would certainly perpetuate it at times), pulling an artist embraced by the mainstream out of college radio rotation felt like more political to me. “Spoon is on 101X? Great! They’re awesome. Now let’s shine a light on the thousands of other bands who’ll never get that kind of attention.”

Pitchfork made an effort to shine a light too, biases notwithstanding. During my tenure at KVRX, my relationship with Pitchfork became contentious. While I followed Pitchfork, I was also dismissive or derisive of the staff’s opinions (a classic push-pull for many music geeks: we are at once too cool for Pitchfork, yet check to see if we line up with their rulings). As I came into my own as a feminist, I also became more critical of what they covered, how they covered it, and what they dismissed, out of which came, among other things, this blog.

Yet, there are so many songs on this countdown that remind me of that time. I remember my first radio show, when I played Interpol’s “NYC” because I had some vague idea of who they were. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard TV on the Radio’s “Staring At the Sun” and Dizzie Rascal’s “I Luv U.” I remember seeing Spoon perform “The Way We Get By” on Conan and hoping they’d get big. I remember hearing the bass line to Broken Social Scene’s “Stars and Sons” for the first time. I remember fighting The Rapture’s “House of Jealous Lovers” for weeks before surrendering. I remember being unable to avoid The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” I remember playing Broadcast’s “Pendulum” while getting ready for parties. I remember rocking out to The Gossip’s “Standing in the Way of Control” in the deejay booth. I remember LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge” being one of the go-to songs deejays would throw on for a smoke break when we weren’t quoting from it (I alluded to it in this post’s title). I remember hearing M.I.A.’s “Galang” at a party and having it blow my mind. I remember impromptu dance parties after Alliance for a Feminist Option meetings when a bunch of sweaty grrrls I still call friends would shimmy to Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” and OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” I remember skanking harder and smiling wider than I ever have with the person I built my life with to Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’ “Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?”

In addition, there was Boards of Canada, Wolf Eyes, Feist, Black Dice, Andrew Bird, Ladytron, Devendra Banhart, Destroyer, Hot Chip, The New Pornographers, Deerhoof, M. Ward, Liars, Junior Boys, The Walkmen, Manitoba (later Caribou), El-P, The Go Team, (Smog), Sufjan Stevens, RJD2, The Books, Talib Kweli, Phoenix . . . . The list goes on. If I ever had trouble keeping up with new artists after graduating in 2005, it was only because I had so many established artists to follow.

Of course, my college radio utopia didn’t last. It couldn’t. My monolithic friend group fragmented. People moved, lost touch, became casual, or just stopped being friends. Perhaps this is really when the decade became more to me than a sequence, instead an evolution of time. Late-in-the-decade offerings like LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” and Animal Collective’s “Fireworks” convey this for me.

After college, I acquired Deerhunter, CSS, Hercules and Love Affair, Santigold, Bat for Lashes, Grizzly Bear, Battles, No Age, Be Your Own Pet, Girl Talk, Magik Markers, Vampire Weekend, Vivian Girls, Women, King Khan and the Shrines, and St. Vincent.

Assuredly there will be more new artists for me (and you) to adopt. Just this week, because of the countdown, I picked up on The Knife.

There are artists whose countdown placement evinces moments when we were willing to bet the farm on an act that now seem dated (Death From Above 1979, The Streets, and Klaxons). There are also acts I didn’t “get” but sorta came around on later (hello, Joanna Newsom). There are acts I didn’t know that well in college but came to treasure later (bless you, Neko Case). There are acts I enjoy but could never fully champion (I like you fine, Belle and Sebastian). There are acts I appreciate, but kinda overwhelm me and can’t listen to all the time (Jesus, Xiu Xiu). And then there are acts for whom I just never got the fuss (Fleet Foxes and The Decemberists).

With that said, this countdown plays predictably. Accepting minor issues like what song was selected to represent an artist and where songs fell in ranking, Pitchfork got a lot right. They also got caught up with some songs that I think they’re overselling, and some things they marginalized or completely overlooked. I’ll preoccupy the rest of this post with those flaws.

For me Pitchfork’s big Achilles heel has always been hip hop, primarily because they really only cover mainstream hip hop (Lil Wayne, T.I., 50 Cent, Clipse, Eminem, Cam’ron, OutKast, Kanye West, and Jay-Z — the last three are all over this countdown). And while this isn’t a problem in its own right, it limits how hip hop is defined and what it represents, which, in a lot of commercial hip hop, that still means money, Cristal, whips, blunts, and bitches (though not in all cases). It certainly suggests that the only way for rappers to be successful and culturally relevant is to be part of a corporate mechanism. This seems like something a publication that prides itself on giving visibility to independent artists should re-evaluate. Because, in my mind, if there’s no Busdriver or Jean Grae, I question the validity of the list.

As a result, it largely eclipses underground hip hop which has seen tremendous advancements over the course of the decade, particularly in the states. Talent from labels like Stones Throw, Quannum Projects, Rhymesayers, Definitive Jux, and anticon., along with talent at labels like Plug Research, Mush, Warp, and Ubiquity have created some of the most vital and interesting work in the genre, expanding its sound and its content while working outside a corporate mechanism in the process (anticon. runs as a collective). But you’d never know that if you only read Pitchfork, who primarily acknowledged a few efforts, primarily from white male label owners (El-P) and instrumental artists (RJD2, DJ Shadow). No female MCs were acknowledged. This may also speak to the dearth of female MCs in underground hip hop, but doesn’t excuse it (I love you, Jean Grae; I love you, Psalm One). My challenge to hip hop fans in the next decade is to try to create an online resource as influential as Pitchfork to get the message out. You’ve got a guaranteed spot on my blogroll. My apologies if someone’s already doing this and I don’t know about it.

Also, as you may have noticed if you combed through the entire list, only the top 200 songs are accompanied by blurbs from the writing staff. While I understand that writing 300 more blurbs presents its own challenges, I also think it suggests that tracks 500-301 weren’t good enough for a write-up. And this makes me especially sad when many of the women I loved in this decade – Vivian Girls, St. Vincent, Goldfrapp, Sleater-Kinney, Bat for Lashes, Björk, and The Gossip — are thrown at the end and not given any qualifying statements. This especially seems necessary for a song like The Gossip’s “Standing In the Way of Control,” which became a bit of an LGBTQ anthem this decade. That would be especially useful to read alongside #18, Hercules and Love Affair’s “Blind.” This is a great dance song that I’ve always interpreted as an anthem for coming out and living life queer. But you wouldn’t know that from Tim Finney’s write-up.

And while I’m heartened by the women who did make it to the top 200, especially women like M.I.A., Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, Annie, and Karen O of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who made the top 20, I can’t help but notice that many of these women were pop artists who worked extensively with predominantly male producers. I don’t want to suggest that cutting a track with Timbaland or Pharell from The Neptunes means that women are robbed of artistic autonomy, as I wouldn’t say that for Justin Timberlake. However, I do take issue with what female artists and what songs get praise. Or even what versions of songs. While the Diplo remix of the version of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” that features UGK is great, I wonder why her version isn’t enough.

That said, the 2000s were both a hell of an education and a hell of a time. Pitchfork knows it. I know it. Hopefully, you know it too. It was a great time to be alive. I hope the next decade is even better.

It’s the time of year when the new improved DCU FM is getting its act together. After the mess that became last year with DCU FM, it’s great to see new Station Manager, Denis McEvoy, getting his teeth into it already.

I’d love a show again this year, maybe something with some arts and technology rather than just pure music.

Here’s where I would like your opinions please.

What do you think a College Radio station should consist of?
What type of music would you want a college station to play?
Even if you’re not in college what kind of programming would entice you to listen to a college station?
Should a college station cater for the surrounding residents also?

I would really like your opinions and views, I want to really get involved with the station in this upcoming academic year an would love to be able to give Denis and his other officers some solid feedback..

You can email me nessymon@gmail.com or leave a comment here.

Thanks in advance

…nessy out!

EDIT:23/8/09

Yesterday I got an email confirming that I will be doing an Arts type show on DCUFM

If you have any ideas or want to appear on the show please contact me.

…nessy!

Billed as “distinctively non-commercial,” the student-run JACradio at the University of Queensland has been pumping out the music and talk online 24/7 since its debut in May.   It is the latest entrant into Australia’s radio Webosphere- and according to one report the UQ School of Journalism and Communication (JAC) has been ”overwhelmed by the number of students wanting to take part and also the website’s traffic.”

–

–

The site currently lists 15 staffers, and the names of their 15 programs scream eclectic student radio mix.  A few of my favorites: “Em and Stacey’s Banter Show,” “Neophilia,” and “Pickles and Fez.”  The program director’s take: “The whole idea is to prepare students for the future and the internet is definitely the future of radio.” In a separate interview he defined his goals for JACradio only slightly sarcastically: “I’m hoping it will conquer the world.”

This interview was conducted By Robert Larson on his show “Out The Rabbit Hole” On KUCI FM in Irvine California

Just Click Here:
http://www.mixpod.com/standalone.php?id=7027966

This gives you an idea of how a lot of us political bloggers fell into this work & what my thought process was before we knew Obama was going to be the candidate … and the president.

What you hear is the sound of someone who was a far lefty his whole life and decided that he had to reach out to everyone.

Today we see that this was correct in that the lunatic right is a very small group now.

- Corp

What’s the worst kind of internet degenerate?  Liars, Fanboys, Music/Religious elitists, Trolls? -Lourde_VJ

Oh, God. White Knights. Hands down.  Is there anything more pathetic that a guy standing up for someone over the internet solely because shes a woman?   I just can’t find it in myself to allow them even a slight shred of credibility. Plus, they are feeding attention whores, my second least favorite type of internet user, and least favorite type of real person.

My girlfriend dumped me, but as it stands, I still have to give her rides to work.  Is there anything more pathetic than that? -ValidDickTorian

Pathetic?  Yes.  But, also, a little opportunity to twist that dagger.  Grab some of your sister/Moms perfume and spray it in the car the night before.  Then pick her up with the windows down so it looks like you were trying to mask it.

Can you imagine how epic it would be to see the Star Wars V twist in theatres for the first time? -Victor777

Kinda sad that no one from any following generation will get the twist. With all the pop culture reference and what not. I remember that an episode of Muppet Babies spoiled it for my little sister. Kids now will just find it as a shocking moment to Luke, and important to the plot, not shocked themselves.

Family Guy was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. That has only been the 2nd time an animated show has been nominated in that category. The Flinstones is the other. -wool21

Great show.  But the fact that the Simpsons wasn’t the 2nd animated show to be nominated is borderline criminal, and definitely produces credibility problems for the Emmy’s, in my eyes.

Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter vs Bill Clinton’s affair. Why do people who love Clinton bash Palin for her daughter being pregnant?   Sounds pretty stupid to me.  -Harts1780

I think it’s because while Gov Palin preached abstinence as the best policy and from her daughters actions, it seems she didn’t have her families support on the issue. President Clinton wasn’t trying to make adultery or cigar molestation a punishable legal offense or anything.

What restaurants should the health department hit hard; Asian or Mexican?-Emptymedia

Oh my God. Mexican BY FAR. Mexican food is slow cooked and left out in double boilers or under heat lamps for hours.  Chinese food is flash fried to order in searing woks. And in order to get many sauces to caramelize, they have to be brought to a ridiculously high temperature.   You could seriously add a teaspoon of swine flu in front of me into the wok thats preparing my food, and I’d still take the chinese food over Mexican.

Do you know that paramedics can’t pronounce someone dead unless they’re decapitated?  Moobs1818

You saying the movie “Knowing” had inaccurate information involved in its presentation?

As I type this, my girlfriends step dad is playing guitar and singing Christian music. I’m an atheist, and he knows it. -MDTerps07

Make up your own lyrics about how you should kill women for speaking in church, and stoning gays and sing along.

Were you involved in any school activities at college?-DimNeon

My friends and I had a radio show. We created fictional personalities and interviewed each other.   I was the Prince of International Waters for one show. We broadcast live Zonk games from the dorms. Played music and held marathon shows for lunar eclipses and meteor showers. Some of the greatest times I had was in that studio.

Which minor injury sucks more; Papercut or Splinter? -DigitalTornado

Ill go with splinter. Papercuts heal themselves.   You have to wait until you can take a sliver out which can be hours, and then you have to deal with this painful annoyance in you for hours, possibly.

Thoughts on the Erin Andrews nude video? -Crackagoboom

Its not fair to her at all. But in the mean time, she’s smoking hot and she’s welcome to see me naked any time she would like to.  Additionally, shes the one who confirmed it.  The video quality isn’t great enough to make a definitive claim as to the identity.  If she said “That’s not me” I would have believed her and likely never have seen it.

For all of you who didn’t know, I do a radio show every week on WIUX here in Bloomington with the very talented Katie, from the Live Buzz. We try to stick to the generic “college radio” format, but we like to take liberties with that definition as well. I will try to find a way to host the actual show, but for now, here’s the list from Monday’s show with links where you can listen to the songs if you are interested:

The Blow – True Affection
Sunset Rubdown – Idiot Heart
The Smiths – That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore
The Clash – Janie Jones
The White Stripes – Truth Doesn’t Make a Noise
Bauhaus – Ziggy Stardust
Grandaddy – The Crystal Lake
The Mars Volta – Teflon
Fugazi – Repeater
Secrets Between Sailors – In the Summertime
Eels – Fresh Blood
Fall Out Boy – Beat It (Feat. John Mayer)
The Kills – What New York Used to Be
Minutemen – Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Red Eyes and Tears
Dirty Projectors – Rise Above
Elliott Smith – Coast to Coast
Mudhoney – Twenty Four
Dinosaur Jr – Pieces
At the Drive-In – Rolodex Propaganda
Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings
Brewer and Shipley – One Toke Over the Line
DNA – Blonde Red Head
Handsome Boy Modeling School – The World’s Gone Mad
Trio in Stereo – Jupiter
The Horrors – Primary Colours
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
The Arcade Fire – Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
A.A. Bondy – You Got to Die

WIUX is 99.1FM in Bloomington, IN or you can listen on the web at http://www.wiux.org (or through iTunes/other media players). The station has been highly ranked on a few Internet radio sites and was chosen multiple times as an iTunes staff pick. We are on 11pm – 1am on Monday nights so listen in and send us your requests!

The turntables are still turning, new podcasts are humming, indie bands are still being discovered, and social networking is drawing in new listeners at college radio stations worldwide.  According to a new Chicago Daily Herald piece (a localized version of a December 2008 New York Times article), the student radio revolution of the 21st-century is a mix of old school and all-things-digital.

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Rev Moose, editor in chief of College Music Journal: “Instead of killing it, the Internet has just forced college radio to get more creative.  College DJs are producing some of the best music podcasts out there, for example.”

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Also, here’s a separate recent piece from Imprint Magazine by the talented Kelsey McArdle on making the most of the modern college radio experience.  I was humbled to be cited in the piece.  Here’s my take on student radio’s timeless appeal: “From those with whom I’ve spoken and observed, college radio holds a trifecta-sized mystique: on-the-job learning, an empowerment to rock the house the way you want and the opportunity to be surrounded in studio-sized confines with peers who think and behave the same way you do.”

College radio stations will be hurting- and some might even be forced to go quiet- with the passage of new legislation requiring non-commercial stations to pay music royalty fees and deliver regular music reports.

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As The Daily Texan dutifully reports, under the proposed bill, all stations (including student-run radio) would have to pay annual royalties of $500 to $1,000 and ante up for expensive new equipment to report what they’re playing.

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A snippet from the Texan piece: “[S]tations would have to build a system to account for every song they play, what time the song starts, how many times it is played and the number of people listening online. This would be a problem for disc jockeys at stations like KVRX [student station at UT-Austin], who often play songs from vinyls, CDs or iPods. The radio stations would be forced to devise new way to efficiently record this information. [A Radio Free Alliance spokeswoman says] ‘Stations would have to come up with the money to put these systems in place, taking away even more money in addition to the $500 to $1000 royalty fees. That would put a pinch on an already tight budget.’”

I’m old. It’s true.

I’m old enough to be that guy that says things like, “I remember when MTV played music videos”.

So far I’ve lived through 8-tracks, records, cassettes, CDs and into the digital age.

Old.

I had an apple IIc…I think I still do, as a matter of fact. I remember black and white TVs, and life before cable or VCRs.

I remember flash cubes, and a little something called the Kodak Disc.

I remember the original versions of all the TV shows and movies being remade these days.

I remember being afraid of the nuclear bomb…(looks like even that’s getting a remake, thanks S. Korea)

I lived through both Bush presidencies, and remember Coke before it was Classic.

I mean, I remember when MTV played music videos.

More specifically, I remember watching videos on MTV during those lovely high school years–riddled with all the angst a Gen Xer could muster up, for reasons still unclear to me.

I remember coming home late at night, sometimes drunk, sometimes not. Sometimes buzzing from potential love, other times, unable to sleep because something didn’t happen, and I wasn’t sure what.

Whatever the reason, I was awake, and they hadn’t invented the internet yet.

That’s when I’d turn on MTV and watch a little show called 120 minutes. This was my education. This delivered me from hair bands, and bubble gum pop.

I’d watch videos from The Jesus and Mary Chain, Bronski Beat, New Order, The Replacements, School of Fish, Trashcan Sinatras, Robyn Hitchcock, KMFDM, Kate Bush, Echo and the Bunnymen, Erasure, Ministry, Sonic Youth, Violent Femmes, Blake Babies, Happy Mondays, Morrissey, Kitchens of Distinction, They Might Be Giants, and Hüsker Dü…

I could go on for days listing the alt.bands of yesteryear…The type of band that was once described as “college radio”, but would now be saddled with the horrible genre label “indie.” It’s a far cry from what I listen to these days, but it’s what got me to where I am now. It taught me what being alternative meant.

I mean, jesus …it introduced me to grunge. It introduced me to Nirvana and Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam…(mad props to Eddie Vedder for not overdosing and/or being dead)

It opened me up to a culture that sat just below the surface of the mainstream, at least for a little while…

Any time I stumble across a song on youtube from this era, I can’t help but pause and listen. I close my eyes and remember my youth. I remember a young, nearly optimistic kid getting his mind blown by something completely new…before I got old and started fearing change.

It almost makes me feel indestructible for a minute or two.

So in honor of that, here’s this:

and this:

and what the hell, here’s this:

Back to school with CJLO college radio