Monday, November 17, 2008
the first and last thing i will say
for the past two months, not a day has gone by on BYU campus that "prop 8" hasn't been mentioned. for the past two months, i have not said a word. nor do i plan to. even in the most relaxed environment, people talk about the subject as if they are being personally attacked. it baffles me. the issue has brought out the absolute worst in everyone i know.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
top 5
three days a week i work at a bakery here on BYU campus. i wish i could say i worked more, but i don't. i say this is because my class load is too heavy, but really, it is mostly because i am lazy and can barely squeeze in homework time between knitting and watching dr. dog videos on youtube.
every saturday i can count on making eclairs. every tuesday i can count on filling those eclairs. fridays are a toss-up but i can generally count on scooping cookie dough or frosting brownies. my boss, lately, seems worried that i'm getting bored and frustrated with my routine. i tell him, no problem. my work station is typically set up in some remote corner of the kitchen, and the work i do is monotonous enough that i can daydream and look dumb without messing anything up too terribly.
this tuesday i found myself pining for the WPSR station, douchebag station manager and all. i miss my weekly hour of honing my DJ skills (which never became honed too well) and daily hours of perfecting the next show's playlist. even though the sounds of WPSR barely made it off campus--probably a good thing--it was nice to know that commercial-free, student-run college radio was still thriving. the fact that i got to participate in it is even better.
so imagine my disappointment when i come to ye olde utah valley to find that the local station is no longer volunteer-run and if there is a BYU radio station, it is way too exclusive for me to know about it.
(cat and girl)
i can't say that my motives for being on radio were exactly selfless. it's doubtful that any DJ can. however, there are simple considerations for the everyday folk that every DJ must take into account. whatever supershuffle supercomputer is running KODJ 94.1 is not doing this. there are songs i hear every day that should never be in any setlist on any station. the following list is not a matter of opinion or taste. it is a matter of decency.
TOP 5 SONGS THAT SHOULD NEVER BE HEARD ON KODJ 94.1, OR ANY CLASSIC ROCK RADIO STATION
(in descending order) :
5. fly like an eagle - the steve miller band
why put this song in your setlist when you have "the joker" on hand? personally, i would like to hear "the joker" three times a day. but since i am speaking for the public, i will simply say that it is common knowledge that "the joker" is a far better song, and playing "fly like an eagle" instead is criminal.
4. any song from grease
if KODJ plays "you're the one that i want," i should also be hearing a selection from west side story. the excuse that grease is a "rock and roll musical" is not valid here. if it were, i would also be doing the time warp.
3. uncle albert/admiral halsey - paul mccartney
i'm a beatles fan like everyone else, but i have some personal bias against macca. as mentioned previously, though, this is not a matter of personal taste. if it was, i would have listed "silly love songs." "uncle albert/admiral halsey" is placed here because of (a) the "hands across the water" chorus, (b) the "butter pie" verse, and (c) the awful trumpet part, which is perhaps the cheesiest thing paul mccartney has ever done. and that is really saying something because this is the same man who wrote "monkberry moon delight."
2. the beach boys medley
it starts with "good vibrations." not what i would choose to play, but okay. then--suddenly--it's "surfin' USA." before you can register the transition you're hearing "california girls." medleys are for middle school band concerts and kindergarten christmas programs. there may not be much left to brian wilson, but at least do the man some justice by playing "wouldn't it be nice" in full.
1. nights in white satin - the moody blues
who decided this was radio-friendly? this absolutely boggles my mind. besides its sheer length, there is the narrative part at the end that, however commonly used, is just not heard in any other song played on commercial radio (not that it should start). i can't imagine "nights in white satin" making any sense outside of the context of its album. i can respect the epic grandeur of the moody blues. but "nights in white satin" is always a downer--even if it is followed by "brick house."
every saturday i can count on making eclairs. every tuesday i can count on filling those eclairs. fridays are a toss-up but i can generally count on scooping cookie dough or frosting brownies. my boss, lately, seems worried that i'm getting bored and frustrated with my routine. i tell him, no problem. my work station is typically set up in some remote corner of the kitchen, and the work i do is monotonous enough that i can daydream and look dumb without messing anything up too terribly.
this tuesday i found myself pining for the WPSR station, douchebag station manager and all. i miss my weekly hour of honing my DJ skills (which never became honed too well) and daily hours of perfecting the next show's playlist. even though the sounds of WPSR barely made it off campus--probably a good thing--it was nice to know that commercial-free, student-run college radio was still thriving. the fact that i got to participate in it is even better.
so imagine my disappointment when i come to ye olde utah valley to find that the local station is no longer volunteer-run and if there is a BYU radio station, it is way too exclusive for me to know about it.
(cat and girl)
i can't say that my motives for being on radio were exactly selfless. it's doubtful that any DJ can. however, there are simple considerations for the everyday folk that every DJ must take into account. whatever supershuffle supercomputer is running KODJ 94.1 is not doing this. there are songs i hear every day that should never be in any setlist on any station. the following list is not a matter of opinion or taste. it is a matter of decency.
TOP 5 SONGS THAT SHOULD NEVER BE HEARD ON KODJ 94.1, OR ANY CLASSIC ROCK RADIO STATION
(in descending order) :
5. fly like an eagle - the steve miller band
why put this song in your setlist when you have "the joker" on hand? personally, i would like to hear "the joker" three times a day. but since i am speaking for the public, i will simply say that it is common knowledge that "the joker" is a far better song, and playing "fly like an eagle" instead is criminal.
4. any song from grease
if KODJ plays "you're the one that i want," i should also be hearing a selection from west side story. the excuse that grease is a "rock and roll musical" is not valid here. if it were, i would also be doing the time warp.
3. uncle albert/admiral halsey - paul mccartney
i'm a beatles fan like everyone else, but i have some personal bias against macca. as mentioned previously, though, this is not a matter of personal taste. if it was, i would have listed "silly love songs." "uncle albert/admiral halsey" is placed here because of (a) the "hands across the water" chorus, (b) the "butter pie" verse, and (c) the awful trumpet part, which is perhaps the cheesiest thing paul mccartney has ever done. and that is really saying something because this is the same man who wrote "monkberry moon delight."
2. the beach boys medley
it starts with "good vibrations." not what i would choose to play, but okay. then--suddenly--it's "surfin' USA." before you can register the transition you're hearing "california girls." medleys are for middle school band concerts and kindergarten christmas programs. there may not be much left to brian wilson, but at least do the man some justice by playing "wouldn't it be nice" in full.
1. nights in white satin - the moody blues
who decided this was radio-friendly? this absolutely boggles my mind. besides its sheer length, there is the narrative part at the end that, however commonly used, is just not heard in any other song played on commercial radio (not that it should start). i can't imagine "nights in white satin" making any sense outside of the context of its album. i can respect the epic grandeur of the moody blues. but "nights in white satin" is always a downer--even if it is followed by "brick house."
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