Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Radio Entry

Radio Entry

Two days ago I mentioned something about London’s FM96 radio station asking the listeners to put song lists together for a new segment in their programming. I went to their website - - and checked it out.

I thought the winners might go to the radio station and sit through the one hour spots to talk live between songs, but I was wrong. Simply, they want you to send in a list of ten songs and a few words about your selections. If they liked the tunes you chose then they will call you and you’ll talk on the phone with the DJ and then bits and peaces of that conversation will find their ways onto the show. Sounded pretty cool to me – so I entered. I could have spent hours going through my collection but I decided to make this a quick and spontaneous exercise and six minutes later I had my choices.

Here is my selection of ten songs:

Born In The Water – The Tragically Hip
But, Anyway (Live) – Blues Traveler
Starseed – Our Lady Peace
Malignant Narcissism – Rush
Silver and Gold (Suncity) – Bono and Keith Richards
Upside Down – Barstool Prophets
The First – Tegan and Sara
Radio Fly – Joel Plaskett
You Don’t Know What Love Is
(You Just Do As You’re Told) – The White Stripes
Can’t Stop – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Here is my blurp about the choices:

Since this is my first time on FM96 I have to start my show “Jimbo’s Jams” with a tune ‘bout being born by one of Canada’s greatest rock bands. This is a Saturday night rock ‘n roll party so let’s pretend we’re at a great live rock ‘n roll show. Continuing to celebrate the thundering rock of Canada is a band that came from humble beginnings. Jeremy Taggart grew up in potato farmland north of Toronto… about two doors down from me. I hung out with his older brother – who was my age. I just had to play this really amazing instrumental from Rush’s last album. I couldn’t decide if I should choose a song by the Rolling Stones or a song by U2. I wanted to share some other cool tunes that people may not have heard before. I remember when I told my wife about a great Canadian musical discovery I made and she told me that I had heard of Tegan and Sara before – “You know – the song you hate about someone walking with a ghost!” Sure… they may have written a boring song but The First just blew me away!!! The Joel Plaskett tune has a line in it about listening to the radio with “…this music sucks…” and I thought I would play that to make all the listeners who hate my selections happy! Most of my selections are not on the recent top 40 so I thought I’d chose a tune that is only a year old. The last selection simply shares my need to want to play more tunes for you all.

I’ll let you know if the radio station contacts me about my music selections.

If anyone is interested in learning more – this is the link to FM96:
http://www.fm96.com/home/default.aspx


One of the bands that is in my list of ten is the Barstool Prophets. I first heard of them many years ago while I was rummaging thro’ the “5 CDs For $5” bin at a local music shop. I spend most of my music shopping searching thro’ bins like this cuz they are usually filled with not-hugely-known bands and it gives me an opportunity to discover new music. Out of a selection of five cd's I will like three or four of the bands and the ones I don’t particularly enjoy I donate to the local Goodwill Industries so that someone else can discover them. Since each of us has different tastes in music I figure that someone is bound to enjoy the music that I don’t like.

Here are the lyrics for the Barstool Prophets ‘Upside Down’:

Upside Down

Your search for truth was all in vain,
a rude cerebral hurricane.
All you know is all you knew
has been turned around
upside down.

Experimenting with your mind
will only leave you flacid; fragmented inside
And the things you think are so profound
are upside down.
Upside down.

Youth is squandered climbing trees
and scrapping skin off of our knees.
But the one thing we learn
from falling down
is that it’s no disgrace
so won’t you turn that frown
upside down.

If you’d like to know more about this band then check out their website:
http://www.barstoolprophets.com/index.html


Enjoy the rest of your day!

Jim

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