[atlantaprog] Re: Where was everybody???

In a message dated 5/13/2003 11:16:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
upkat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

> I'll throw my 2 cents in here I guess. All the things you mentioned
> (alternative entertainment, etc.) are possible explanations that contribute
> to the apathy towards seeing live rock bands, but I also think it's a
> regional attitude fed by local radio programming.  In Atlanta there are 4
> rock stations.  In the rustbelt of the North, there are 5 to 10 or more
> rock radio stations in every major city area (Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago,
> etc.) and even in Ontario Canada. 

I don't think the quantity of radio stations has much to do with it.  I think 
rock radio in Atlanta was actually much better back when 96 Rock was the only 
commercial rock station in town.  They played old stuff, new stuff and had a 
specialty show for local music and a show called Psychedelic Saturday that 
played lots of strange sixities singles, Syd Barrett era Floyd and also quite 
a bit of prog.  As long as you have corporate owned radio stations where the 
playlists are determined centrally, you're going to end with with, 
essentially, the exact same radio stations in every market.  You could record 
the best album since Revolver, hand deliver it to the radio station booth and 
the DJ wouldn't be allowed to play a track from it because it isn't on the 
playlist, which is generated in some office in Manhattan. 

 I rarely even hear obscure tracks by well known bands anymore.  I used to 
hear Led Zep's "Hey Hey What Can I Do?", for example, quite regularly, but 
not anymore.  Radio stations don't really play requests anymore either.  If 
somebody calls in and requests a song that they were going to play anyway 
then the DJ announces it as "by request" to generate the illusion that they 
have made some sort of deviation from their standard playlist to accomodate 
an individual listener.  I chalk it all up to the homogenization and strip 
mallification of our culture as a whole.

I do kind of dig Little Steven's Underground Garage, which comes on Z-93 on 
Sunday night.  He plays lots of "Nuggets" style psychedelic and garage rock 
and also early punk.  That's really the only time I can listen to a 
commercial music station for any significant length, though.

CH


CH

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