Ok, now I'm repurposing content. But I think it's OK. I posted this on the message board at WXPN, my all-time favorite radio station in the world. Actually, I listen to their sister station, yrock, nearly all the time.
Anyway, they are having an XPN Essentials contest. They do this 885 (their frequency, natch) countdown every fall, and that's the theme this year. I have been listening to this public, alternative music, station since 19ahem. That's 20 years! (Damn I'm old.) Of course what we love about them is the variety, being introduced to new music and reminded of old favorites (so-called "heritage" artists").
So coming up with this list was kicking my ass. Everytime I heard a promo, it would set me off again. What artist? What song? The universe was too broad...it was driving me nutz!
So here's what I did (this is what I posted on their message board):
I thought long and hard about this - and long and hard again. Like another poster said, it was a little like Calculus. In the end, I ended up doing a tribute to the Women's Music Hour, the fact that when I started listening the morning show featured two women (what ever happened to Flash Rosenberg?) and the station's great female djs like Michaela Majoun and commitment to finding & supporting woman artists.
So I put 10 female artists' names in the 10 spots: kd lang, Erykah Badu, Angelique Kidjo, Happy Rhodes, Beth Orton, Jonatha Brooke, Aimee Mann, Toni Childs, Lucinda Williams & Joni Mitchell, and then picked songs for each one - Big Bone Gal, On & On, Voodoo Child, Feed the Fire, Central Reservation, Secrets & Lies, You Could Make a Killing, Why, Get Right with God and Twisted (oops - shoulda picked Coyote).
That was pretty random. I could have included Ani DiFranco (Joyful Girl) and Suzanne Vega (99.9 F), and PJ Harvey and damn, I forgot Emmylou Harris and Alison Krouse and Loreena McKennitt and Sam Phillips and Patti Smith (crap!) oh well. What can you do.
I could have done four more lists: a singer/songwriter list, a Land of the Lost (new wave) list, a Blues Show list, a Sleepy Hollow (quiet Sunday morning) list (Jevetta Steel!). I would have included Richard Thompson (anything from Rumor & Sigh), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah - even considered a Hallelujah list - Leonard and Jeff Buckley and kd and Rufus Wainright - but could only come up with those 4), the B-52s, Bongwater (Talent is a Vampire), Wilco, Ruth Brown, Johnny Lang, Keb' Mo, The Violent Femmes (You'll Dance to Anything - so true!) oh for heaven's sake!
But thank god - I've submitted my list and now I can relax and wait for the big reveal. I swear, I'm done thinking about this!
Well, I hope I'm done thinking about this! I have to admit that obsession is the character defect that keeps me up at night. So for god's sake, I've hit the big submit button - it's over, there's no turning back! So now I can move on...to whatever my next obsession turns out to be!
'm out!
Anyway, they are having an XPN Essentials contest. They do this 885 (their frequency, natch) countdown every fall, and that's the theme this year. I have been listening to this public, alternative music, station since 19ahem. That's 20 years! (Damn I'm old.) Of course what we love about them is the variety, being introduced to new music and reminded of old favorites (so-called "heritage" artists").
So coming up with this list was kicking my ass. Everytime I heard a promo, it would set me off again. What artist? What song? The universe was too broad...it was driving me nutz!
So here's what I did (this is what I posted on their message board):
I thought long and hard about this - and long and hard again. Like another poster said, it was a little like Calculus. In the end, I ended up doing a tribute to the Women's Music Hour, the fact that when I started listening the morning show featured two women (what ever happened to Flash Rosenberg?) and the station's great female djs like Michaela Majoun and commitment to finding & supporting woman artists.
So I put 10 female artists' names in the 10 spots: kd lang, Erykah Badu, Angelique Kidjo, Happy Rhodes, Beth Orton, Jonatha Brooke, Aimee Mann, Toni Childs, Lucinda Williams & Joni Mitchell, and then picked songs for each one - Big Bone Gal, On & On, Voodoo Child, Feed the Fire, Central Reservation, Secrets & Lies, You Could Make a Killing, Why, Get Right with God and Twisted (oops - shoulda picked Coyote).
That was pretty random. I could have included Ani DiFranco (Joyful Girl) and Suzanne Vega (99.9 F), and PJ Harvey and damn, I forgot Emmylou Harris and Alison Krouse and Loreena McKennitt and Sam Phillips and Patti Smith (crap!) oh well. What can you do.
I could have done four more lists: a singer/songwriter list, a Land of the Lost (new wave) list, a Blues Show list, a Sleepy Hollow (quiet Sunday morning) list (Jevetta Steel!). I would have included Richard Thompson (anything from Rumor & Sigh), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah - even considered a Hallelujah list - Leonard and Jeff Buckley and kd and Rufus Wainright - but could only come up with those 4), the B-52s, Bongwater (Talent is a Vampire), Wilco, Ruth Brown, Johnny Lang, Keb' Mo, The Violent Femmes (You'll Dance to Anything - so true!) oh for heaven's sake!
But thank god - I've submitted my list and now I can relax and wait for the big reveal. I swear, I'm done thinking about this!
Well, I hope I'm done thinking about this! I have to admit that obsession is the character defect that keeps me up at night. So for god's sake, I've hit the big submit button - it's over, there's no turning back! So now I can move on...to whatever my next obsession turns out to be!
'm out!
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