Saturday, November 20, 2004

On my radio.

As some of you know, this is blog is named after a short-lived but much loved (at least by me) radio show I presented at WMSV in the spring of 1999. I've been doing shows on two continents since 1986 at URY, KZSU, and WMSV. This one was my favorite. I took the BBC Office approach of less can be more. So these were the four best shows I could put on given my knowledge of music and my available resources (translation if I didn't own it, WMSV sure wasn't gonna have it).

I'm particularly proud of these shows for 3 reasons:


1) I'm positive there was something in every show that had not nor has been still ever played in Mississippi on the air before. For you cosmopolitan types, the reality is that this is probably true for 80% of listening areas in this country-the red ones. And boy do they need some help!

2) I successfully pushed the boundaries of "community standards" in the Bible Belt. Remember this was before Nipplegate, but Don Wildmon's America Family Association is just up Highway 45 in Tupelo. Not one call of complaint ever. Even on Show #3 when I played a bunch of N(ot) A(ir) Q(uality) songs. NAQ was WMSV code for profanity.

3) Yes I obsessed about this show. I have three evolving potential playlists for the first show. But anything worth doing is worth doing well. And I think I did o.k.

The Nevermind Aesthetic Show #1

10 PM
Negativland-Kasem/U2 (edit)
The Creamers-Cover Your Ass
Hüsker Dü-New Day Rising + In a Free Land (live)
MC5-Kick Out the Jams
Amboy Dukes-Journey to the Center of the Mind
Iggy & the Stooges-Search and Destroy
Pere Ubu-Final Solution
GBV-Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox
Tesco Vee's Hate Police-Losing My Religion
Lemonheads-Luka
Hi-Fives-Tainted Love
Ciccone Youth-Into the Groovey
Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy-California Über Alles
Lee Ranaldo-Fragile
My Bloody Valentine-Map Ref 41N 93W
Electric Hellfire Club-Callin' Dr.Luv

11PM
Simple Machine-Nothing
Molly Gish-Song #1
John Brocato-Me and My Kind
John Black Attack-That's When I Reach For My Revolver (Live at Rick's)
Men from Nantucket-Daguerrotype (Live at Dave's)
JBA (Gordon)-Pickup Lines (Demo)
Billy Bragg-A 13, Trunk Road to the Sea
Mudhoney-Touch Me, I'm Sick
Warren Zevon-Lawyers Guns and Money
Syd Barrett-Let's Split
Echo and the Bunnymen-Do It Clean (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)
Boredoms-Pop Tatari
Flying Luttenbachers-Metal Machine Muzak
Swell Maps-Let's Build a Car
Henry's Dress-Definitely Nothing
Magazine-The Light Pours out of Me

The Nevermind Aesthetic Show #2

10 PM
Archers of Loaf-White Trash Heroes
John Black Attack-Sexy Like White Trash (Live)
AC DC-You Shook Me All Night Long
Big Star-In the Street
Flamin' Groovies-Tallahassee Lassie
Led Zeppelin-Communication Breakdown
The Wedding Present-Kennedy
The Misfits-Bullet
Human League-Seconds
Human Sexual Response-Jackie Onassis
Buzzcocks-I Don't Mind (Live)
Tobin Sprout-And then the Crowd Showed Up
Imperial Teen-Year of the Tan
Pet Shop Boys w/ Dusty Springfield-What Have I Done to Deserve This
The Real Kids-Bad to Worse
The Neighborhoods-No Place Like Home
Unnatural Axe-They Saved Hitler's Brain

11 PM
Mission of Burma-Max Ernst (The DaDa song) (Live at the Bradford Hotel)
Mission of Burma-That's How I Escaped My Uncertain Fate
Galaxie 500-Hearing Voices
The Spinanes-Dangle
Liz Phair-Polyester Bride
Shop Assistants-Fixed Grin
Sundays-24 Hours
X Ray Spex-Germfree Adolescents
Minor Threat-Cashing In
Ben Lee-Ship My Body Home
Magnetic Fields-All the Umbrellas in London

The Nevermind Aesthetic Show #3: Nobody Asks Questions

10 PM
Kasey Kasem Outtakes (NAQ) Date of Airing: TBA
Sex Pistols-EMI
Consolidated-College Radio
Public Enemy-Bring the Noise
Circle Jerks-Bad Words
Swingin' Utters-Expletive Deleted
Victim's Family-Sinatra Mantra
Wire-Dot Dash
Wire-Field Day for Sundays (NAQ)
Wire-Outdoor Miner
Wire-Culture Vultures
Wire-12XU (Fragment) (live) (NAQ)
Albini produced Bizarro (Import) Giveaway "Name another band from Leeds and no the Who don't count!"
Wedding Present-I'm Not Always So Stupid (live)
Ukranians-Batyar
Cinerama-Au Pair
Gang of Four-Damaged Goods
Mekons-Hey! Susan
The Three Johns-English White Boy Engineer/Brainbox (optional)
Soft Cell-Sex Dwarf
Scritti Politti-Perfect Way
Bob Pollard-Subspace Biographies
Guided By Voices-Non Absorbing + On the Tundra (optional)
John Brocato-Tractor Rape Train (unplugged on Home Grown)

Some gameday substitutions might include:

The Wimps & The Pussies's Pavement Cover ("Here")
Pavement-something off Westing
Local music: Lack/Kaiser Peas/Simple Machine/Molly Gish
David Bowie-Ziggy Stardust
Commodores-Slippery When Wet
Fugazi-Greed/Styrofoam
Molly Hatchett
The dBs-Everytime Anytime

11PM
Avengers-The Amerikan in Me
Misfits-Bullet (NAQ)
Steinski & The Mass Media-The Motorcade Sped On
White Trash Debutantes-Bad in Bed
Great Society-Somebody to Love
The Descendents-My Age
Jesus and Mary Chain-Never Understand
Hüsker Dü-Makes No Sense At All
My Bloody Valentine-Honey Power
Neil Young-Hey Hey My My (Into the Black)
Henry's Dress-Disc 2 Track 8
John Black Attack-Solid Gold
Young Agent Jones-All American
Warsaw-Track 1
Kiss-Rock and Roll All Nite
N.W.A. (sample)/Screaming Trees-Flashes (NAQ)
Mr. T Experience-A Song about a Girl who Went Shopping
Grumpies-No One Knows Why
Bikini Kill-This is not a Test
White Trash Superman-I Couldn't Even if I Tried (NAQ)
Revision A-Message Well Sent
Emma Peale-Window Seat
Psychedelic Furs-We Love You
Lynyrd Skynyrd-Workin' for MCA
firhose-For the Singer of REM
The Minutemen-God Bows to Math
Black Flag-Six Pack
Camper Van Beethoven-Club Med Sucks
The Three Degrees-When Will I See You Again?

The actual show

Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 08:46:04 -0600 (CST)
From: bulb@Ra.MsState.Edu
To: msu-music@MsState.edu

Subject: The Nevermind Aesthetic Version 3.0

First broadcast 3/25/99 (Yup I was almost as suprised as you!)

TNA Version 3.0: Nobody Asks Questions

Playlist
10:15
TNA Intro

Public Enemy, Bring the Noise
Circle Jerks, Bad Words
$wingin' Utter$, Expletive Deleted
Victim's Family, Sinatra Mantra

Wire, Dot Dash
Wire, Field Day for Sundays
Wire, Outdoor Miner
Wire, 12XU (Fragment) live
Wire, Culture Vultures

Please "Take Me!" Import Only Bizarro (RCA UK) giveaway
The Wedding Present, I'm Not Always So Stupid (live)

The Ukranians, Batyar
Cinerama, Au Pair

Gang of Four, Damaged Goods
11pm Legal ID
Mekons, Hey! Susan

Bob Pollard, Subspace Biographies
John Brocato, Tractor Rape Chain (live unplugged on Home Grown)
Guided By Voices, Non Absorbing
Misfits, Bullet
White Trash Debutantes, Bad in Bed
Great Society, Somebody to Love

The Descendents, My Age
Jesus and Mary Chain, Never Understand
Hüsker Dü, Makes No Sense at All
My Bloody Valentine, Honey Power
Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Hey, Hey, My, My (Into the Black)

Henry's Dress, Sunshine Proves All Wrongness
John Black Attack, Solid Gold
Young Agent Jones, All American
Warsaw, The Drawback

Kiss, Rock and Roll All Nite
Screaming Trees, Flashes
Mr. T Experience, A Song about a Girl who went Shopping

White Trash Superman, I Couldn't Even if I Tried
Bikini Kill, This is not a Test
The Grumpies, No One Knows Why

This show was dedicated to the memory of Julie Ann Switzer.

Dane and Gene virtual shows heading your way.

U2 can listen to TNA and other fine WMSV programming on real audio:
http://www.wmsv.msstate.edu


The Nevermind Aesthetic will Rock (Your World) for Food--if U let it!


TNA Version 4.0 The Wide World of Muzak coming soon to a frequency near U

lots of stuff in languages other than English (including Superconductor in
Canadian), a ton of psychedelic nuggets (props to Lenny Kaye and the new
box set) and some really Stiff rekkids (like "One Chord Wonders," "So it
Goes," "Brilliant Mind," and "I Love My Label").

Out.


First broadcast 4/22/99

TNA Version 4.0: The Wide World of Muzak

Playlist
10:00
TNA Intro
Sleater-Kinney, The Hot Rock
Kasey Kasem outtakes via Negativland
Sex Pistols, EMI
Consolidated, College Radio

Wide World Of Muzak Feature
Shonen Knife, Explosion (Japanese)
Abba, Waterloo (Swedish original)
Abba, No Hay a Quien Culpar (Ibiza beat)
The Sugarcubes, Cat (Icelandic)
The Ex, Nem Úgy Van Most (Hungarian)

IE, Reasoning
Deep Blue Something-Breakfast at Tiffany's (request)
Unwound, Sonata for Loudspeakers
The Fugees-Killing me Softly
Fear, Let's Make a War
The Clash-Hate and War
Country Joe and the Fish-The F.I.S.H. Cheer/Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To Die Rag

11pm Legal ID
The Castaways, Liar Liar
The 13th Floor Elevators, You're Gonna Miss Me
Max Frost and the Troopers, Shape of Things to Come
The Torrez, Don't You Know

Pearl Jam, Do the Evolution (request)
The Beastie Boys, Sabotage
John Black Attack, Strange Eros
Translator, Everywhere That I'm Not

Nick Lowe, So It Goes
Richard Hell & the Voidoids, (I Belong to the) Blank Generation
The Adverts, One Chord Wonders
Devo, Jocko Homo

Frank Black and the Catholics, I Switched You
Eminem, My Name Is
Foo Fighters, For All the Cows
Neutral Milk Hotel,In The Aeroplane Over the Sea
The Mountain Goats, Cubs in Five
Heaven 17, (We Don't Need No) Fascist Groove Thang

Pavement-At&T
Lynyrd Skynyrd-Workin' for MCA

That concludes series 1 of TNA

As a bonus here's my Best of 1999 lists

Best Music

2000 preview

Jumping the gun a bit; I predict Primal Scream, XTRMNTR will be my favorite album of 2000. Yes, I bought an import copy off NME.Com (which by the way is over 10 bucks cheaper than buying it as an import from CDNow). The Kevin Shields' produced "Accelerator" is an amazing wall of guitar noise, and Bernard Sumner even lays down a nice groove on "Shoot Speed/Kill Light."

A few 1999 things I liked:

Moby, Play (simply brilliant) [remember this was before the big commercial sell-out!]
Goodspeed! You Black Emperor, Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada e.p.
Built to Spill (loved Plouff since he was in The Spinanes), Keep It Like a Secret
Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin
Unwound (a late 98 release), Challenge for a Civilized Society
Ricky Skaggs, Ancient Tones
Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, Vol. 1-Odyssey of Funk and Popular Music (a great trumpeter dead before his time)
Omar Sosa, Spirit of the Roots
Jim Cullum, Deep River, The Spirit of Gospel in Jazz (late 98 release), esp. the versions of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" and "Go Down, Moses"

and no Do the Collapse does not make the Grade. Sorry Bob.

Best Packaging

Hands down Vols. 1-3 of The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs, which suffers the same fate as Sandanista, 1.5 records worth of great songs do not a triple CD make. The booklet is really interesting.

Live Shows

Ken Vandermark live at the Empty Bottle in Chicago (Punk meets Ornette Coleman--a combustible mix) [this was part of his Chicago Improviser's Macarthur Grant-funded series while I was at MLA chairing and responding to Anston's great panel, “The Dutch Republic and English National Identity.”]
Subarachnoid Space, at Cafe du Nord, SF, CA
Omar Sosa, Album Release House Party at 7th Note Showclub. SF, CA (dig the dancing midget)
Guided by Voices at the Nick in Birmingham, AL during Winter Storm 2000 [they cancelled the next night's show in Asheville which would then become the last show of their tour that year see Greer, Guided by Voices: A Brief History, Apendix IV, pp. 308–9.]







Noonday organ concert at San Pietro in Vincoli, Roma, ITALIA (Michelangelo's Horned Moses is here)



White Chocolate at Dave's Dark Horse Tavern, Starkville, MS
Young Agent Jones at Rick's, Starkville, MS

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