The Impression that I Get

It's the end of an era: one of my favorite radio stations has gone dark. WFNX out of Boston has ceased to exist on the radio waves as of today. I'm feeling a little verklempt over it, because they were such a big part of my music experience.
I went to college in New Hampshire., about an hour north of Boston. My friends & I would go there on a regular basis to catch shows, and I had a chance to see the Del Fuegos, the Blake Babies & the Pixies way back when. WFNX was integral in making alternative mainstream. They were playing the music from MTV's 120 Minutes long before MTV ever heard of the bands.
I was there for the legendary Nirvana show at the Axis. I was also one of the 50,000 that showed up at the Hatch 3 years later for Green Day.
It was because of WFNX I discovered bands as wide ranging as the Dropkick Murphys, Mighty Mighty Bosstones MGMT, XX, and Mumford & Sons.
Even post college, I'd go up to both the Cape & Vineyard regularly as well as spending many a St Patrick's Day in Boston. WFNX was the 1st station I'd try to tune in as I passed over the border from Connecticut onto the Mass Pike, knowing the stronger the signal the closer I'd be getting to my destination.
I was, as the Dropkick Murphys put it succinctly, shipping off to Boston.
As technology improved, I was able to listen online, even though I was in South Dakota. I will miss Julie Kramer, who was a great role model for me when I was in radio. I will miss Adam 12 in the afternoon and I will miss both Boston Accents & London Calling. It'd like part of my young adult years has vanished, but I will always have the music.
It was more than just a radio station, it provided the soundtrack to my late teens and twenties, taking me into middle age. It bridged the gap between my youth & motherhood; sassy teen and middle aged.
Thanks WFNX for being part of my life for the last 22 years.
RIP.

Oh L'Amour

I spent much of my teenage years living in Salt Lake City. That era was documented quite well by the movie SLC Punk, which was made by a classmate's older brother. One of the bright shining stars of that time was KCGL, which was one of the best radio stations, ever.
I still listen to that music, with an iPhone playlist devoted to "KCGL Back in the Day". It features Gene Loves Jezebel, lots of ska, the Dead Milkmen, Duran Duran, and Depeche Mode/Yaz/Erasure/Alison Moyet, Echo & the Bunnymen and others. The fact that I am still listening to this music almost 30 years later says something. I can still name my favorite DJ's-Paul Santini and Biff Raff-even though the station has been defunct since 1986.
By the time I got to college, I knew I wanted to DJ, and actually derived my playlists much the same way they did. Basically, there wasn't a formula and if it sounded good back to back, it was an added bonus.
Back in the day, I was known for my mix tapes. If you got a tape from me, that was super special. I had a bit of social awkwardness around guys when I was younger, so it was a way to tell a dude I liked them. I put a lot of effort into them, with the right balance of sass and sweet; angelic and anarchy; sexy and innocent.
As I got older, I discovered WXPN, public radio from Philadelphia. In terms of the type of music played, it's close to my heart with eclectic playlists (Lucinda Williams to Husker Du? Yes please!). It helped foster a fierce musical independence for me, and set the bar high. Thanks to modern technology, despite being 1300 miles away, with my WXPN app I can listen all day if I want.
In between, I've accumulated a vast music collection. It continues to today; still downloading after all these years. I still make mixes, although for the most part they are for the little man and myself (the big man likes radio; he doesn't listen to music on his iPhone nor does he listen to CDs. Over the air cheesy radio). My son is skewing more to my taste in music, which my makes my heart sing.
I am not impressed with local radio in Sioux Falls. For one thing, I am a musical snob. I won't deny that. Pop music and rap are for workouts mainly. The rock station really isn't my cup of tea, and let's face it I still skew to the left of the dial.
People say your musical taste is set in your teenage years, and that's true. KCGL ruined radio for me. For that, a great big thank you.


I've loved this song for nearly 30 years, thank you KCGL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ySdAsoMILk&feature=youtube_gdata_player