Welcome to the 30th birthday party for my extremely non-lucrative radio career. I pointed out a few weeks ago that it had occurred to me that this anniversary must be approaching, and that I had sussed out when it had to be (more on this in a minute). But I had not anticipated, at that brainwave's first appearance, that I would actually have a chance to observe the anniversary on air, seeing as how it fell on a Monday night instead of "our regular weekly time together." I was more or less prepared to just post that old show tape and be done with it, but then fate decided to send Roger somewhere other than the Kenny Ritter Memorial Studio on this particular evening, so--as it often happens--I "stepped in." Aside from being a special night, numerically, this is also a rare confluence of circumstances: (a) having access to Surprise Airtime and Knowing What To Do With It--I notice that on the last TWO iterations of April 23, I have filled in for someone without managing to do anything for David Gedge's birthday (or William Shakespeare's, for that matter); and (b) having the aforementioned Surprise Airtime at a suitable hour for me to drag my old-ass body down to the station and actually conduct whatever needed to be conducted (still feeling guilty about flaking on Andrew Eldritch).
I started to write this post, and then abandoned it for nearly a month. This probably deserves unpacking, but the time will never come. Odds are, I wanted to discuss circumstances and atmosphere, since, aside from a handful of actual records that I used to play, that's what I carry with me from Spring Quarter 1987. You might think this constituted "traveling light." You would be wrong.
As I mention during the program, the first dozen or so broadcasts I did at KDVS were from 3 to 6 in the morning, that being the standard "debut" slot for a new DJ. Even this undesirable shift resulted from a six-month process of dues-paying, attrition, "extreme vetting," and a bit of training and soundchecking here and there. I have no recollection of how I stayed awake until 3am, and would have to guess that it was 99% "being 18 years old" that did the trick. I do recall the oddity of having a key to Freeborn Hall (the student union, effectively) but not to the station itself (I guess we took security more seriously than the University for some reason). If I'm not mistaken I still have that Freeborn key. Wonder if it still works.
A persistent memory: leaving the building after my program and being greeted by sunlight, which was super-weird. Going back to my dorm room and crashing for several hours (perhaps I didn't have class on Fridays? It probably wouldn't have mattered). Already I was becoming isolated from people--maybe on account of my radio activities, or trying to do music of my own. I don't remember, other than that fights and silences that I didn't understand were piling up quickly, and that this three hours a week of panicked improvisation was really the closest thing to "fun" that I was having. Sometimes I think it was ever thus!
Since I didn't plan this anniversary program either, other than picking the records I brought down to the station, there were some oversights, which I would address in the next regular Wednesday broadcast. There are probably many stories to tell about individual songs and the people of whom they remind me, but it's all gossip. I'll make a general observation sandwiched in between two specific ones. First, it really upsets me that I botched the beginning of the LKJ tracks. That's a thing that never used to happen when I was 18 and competent, and I commit these errors all the time now. Representationally--this broadcast isn't nearly as Wax Trax-y as the first KDVS programs were, which is sort of a beautiful lie; it's also devoid of 4AD content, which is also nice--that would soon be an obsession of mine, but not yet. Finally, Cabaret Voltaire--I can't tell you how much time I spent in the listening rooms, during my "probationary" period, spinning Cabs records. Particularly Voice of America, though for my programs I tended to prefer the ones with heavier drums. I have a very clear memory of listening to VOA while weaving a "friendship bracelet"--but for whom? Did I ever even give it away? Seems like a pretty loaded image.
Thanks for being my friend.
BOMBAST playlist, 2017 April 10, 1900-2100:
sweat and dirt and sloping shoulders
https://www.facebook.com/radiobombast?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/KidCatharsis
Live Flagrant, Make People Nervous: Transmission 473, 2019 June 26
U_D_M Detour 35, 2019 June 22
I Feel Something I Want To Be, Lesson One: Look at Me: Transmission 472, 2019 June 19
We Are Running Out of Love in the Time of Lexapro: Transmission 471, 2019 June 12
Flying Aboard the Seduction 747: Transmission 470, 2019 June 7
You Know How To Sing, You're a Diplomat: Transmission 469, 2019 June 5
Kiss All Your Posters, Hold All My Letters: Transmission 468, 2019 May 29
Do You Ever Want To Turn Around And Go? Transmission 467, 2019 May 22
All About the Screaming: Transmission 466, 2019 May 18
Saying Nothing So You Don't Have To Lie: Transmission 465, 2019 May 15
That Little Problem Our Boys in Engineering Find So Entertaining: Transmission 464, 2019 May 8
Cruising Altitude Departure 32, 2019 May 4
Let Me Take You Down the Corridors of My Life: Transmission 463, 2019 May 1
But What Does It Matter? Transmission 462, 2019 April 24
Validate What You Create: Transmission 461, 2019 April 23
Of Course You'll Scoff: Transmission 460, 2019 April 17
I'll Have To Stay By Your Side: Transmission 459, 2019 April 10
M Is For The Mean Things That This Mean Man Does: Transmission 458, 2019 April 3
Everything Is One, You Have Nothing To Do with It: Transmission 457, 2019 March 27
He's Scandinavian, That's Why I'm Confused: Transmission 456, 2019 March 26
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