Out of Town Sometimes I Feel Like I Don’t Have a Partner, Sometimes I Feel Like I Don’t Have a Friend, In the City I (Used to) Live in, the City of Angels
posted by on December 30 at 15:17 PM
People who love to bitch about KEXP should spend a week in Southern California, stuck in traffic. Jesus Christ, the radio stations in Los Angeles are dismal. You can hit the SEEK button on your rental car’s radio until your fingers fall off and you will not encounter anything that comes remotely close to an independent radio station like KEXP. Does KEXP play Blues Traveler? Or Barenaked Ladies? Or Smashmouth? Or Green Day’s Dookie? Or Red Hot Chili Peppers? I kid you not, these are the things they’re listening to in Southern California these days, across the channels. The same shit they were listening to in 1998, the year I left.
I started laughing when, for the third time in two days, “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers came on. Three times! In two days! It came on when I was listening to 106.7 (KROQ), it came on when I was listening to the “alternative” 98.7 (STAR), it came on on another station I forget. At one point traffic was bumper-to-bumper, and there was no way to plug in my iPod, and I called a friend in Seattle and she said, “Oh, LA has a good radio station, here I’ll find it on the internet.” And she found one, but when I dialed to it, it was all fuzz. And I was in downtown LA.
The next day I was in Irvine or somewhere, facing a sea of brake lights and, to my left, a sherbet sunset. Truly gorgeous. It was so orangey and LA-y and happy-making, I tried to take a picture of it with my cell phone as I drove (above), but just then traffic sped up and in the blur all the bright colors in the middle just went yellow-white. It was really impressive in person. Then I clicked on the radio and guess what was playing? For the FOURTH time in three days? On a separate radio station from the others? UNDER THE MOTHERFUCKING BRIDGE BY THE RED HOT MOTHERFUCKING CHILI PEPPERS! Did I give in? Did I turn it up and sing along? Did I find myself knowing every word, every “no, no, no” and “yeah-ee-yeah”? Yes, yes, yes I did! I sang it so good. I sang it better than the radio. You shoulda been there, Megan.
It’s nice to be home.
Santa Monica has KCRW, and their 'Morning Becomes Eclectic' show is great, but they don't play music all day like KEXP, and I'm not sure if they cover the whole LA area. It's something, at least.
KCRW is SoCal's KEXP--middlebrow alternative radio, but w/o the self-congratulatory slogans 8x/hour. Its best shows happen late at night (SHOCKA).
Irvine-based KUCI (88.9FM) blows KEXP away, most of the time, but it might be too weird for you if KEXP is your yardstick for adventurous radio.
"Modern rock" radio stations are just the new version of classic rock, didn'tcha know?
kcrw is the best. hands down. i agree about the rest of the dial though. used to live there and back in the early 90's they had some great stations. those have all become spanish stations.
Typical passive-aggressive Seattle that there are complaints about everything. Little action and plenty of whining. I love and support KEXP, and the malcontents can kiss my ass.
Listening to The End this morning, I have some hope that it's name will soon be quite appropriate. Obviously fraudulent ads for miracle debt relief cures and vitamins that will cure all. They're obviously airing anything they'll get paid for. I guess people just aren't that nostalgic for 1995. Hopefully, the end is near.
Had the same experience when I headed home to visit the familia, and turned on the radio and - pow! - I was back in 1996. I guess that commercial radio everywhere is just staffed by guys my age who stopped listening to music the second they left college.
Another great station in the LA area is KSPC, 88.7 fm. It's based at the Claremont Colleges which are east towards San Bernadino, so it can be spotty in the western parts of LA. Lots of variety, tons of small label bands and guaranteed no RHCP...
But in general, I agree with you. KROQ is probably less than or equal to The End. KCRW has some really great shows, but it's about 2/3 news, 1/3 music.
loyola marymount's kxlu is great--like kcmu in the 1980s... The commercial station 103.1 has shows with djs Steve Jones and Henry Rollins and play the same adult alternative stuff that kexp plays. kcrw is about as edgy as kexp--you know, lily allen, et al.
it's the same shit in San Fransisco ... which is more than disappointing.
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