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| From | "Will Harris" <NonStopPop@cox.net> |
| Subject | Radio today (was "Hit Record Spin-Offs / Oran "Juice" Jones") |
| Date | Sun, 12 Dec 2004 18:48:45 -0700 |
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You know, just thinking about Oran "Juice" Jones' "The Rain" made me think
about how much I enjoyed listening to the radio back in the '80s and how,
despite the fact that top-40 was all about repetition, there was still an
awful lot of variety being played on those stations even as recently as,
say, 1986...mostly because there was a wide variety of stuff making it into
the top-40, from rock to country to R&B to rap. But nowadays, everything is
so rigidly formatted and everyone has to be defined by an incredibly narrow
music type that it's impossible for anyone to really build musical
diversity. All I had to do was turn on the radio and I heard everything
from Dexy's Midnight Runners to the Sugar Hill Gang, from the Charlie
Daniels Band to the Scorpions, and I didn't even have to change the freakin'
station. I think we only have one top-40 station in this area anymore, and
even that focuses on the most danceable songs on the chart; everything else
is hard rock, classic rock, R&B, rap, country, or some other very specific
niche.
It's damned depressing.
My wife and I just found out the other day that we're expecting our first
child, and, frankly, I'm really glad that, when he or she enters the world,
I'll be able to provide them with a wide and varied education of popular
music, stretching as far back as Al Jolson and as far forward as whatever
the latest "next big thing" is in Rolling Stone, Spin, or the NME. (I'll
also give them a little classical as well, but I'm not claiming that I can
personally provide a strong education as far as that goes.) I'd never keep
them away from what's popular on the charts today because I don't want them
to live a completely insulated existence...but it'll be nice to say, "Oh,
you like this? Then you should try this!" Maybe they'll ignore me just
because I'm their father and I can't possibly have good taste in music...but
maybe if I start on 'em young enough, I'll fool them into thinking I
actually know what I'm talking about...:-)
Latah,
WiLL
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