Tonight's Menu: Crow with New Wave sauce.
The Killers' guest appearance on Loveline last night got me thinking...
Several years ago KROQ FM 106.7 in Los Angeles made the shortsighted decision to jettison most of their playlist. They replaced Elvis Costello with Korn and dropped Duran Duran in favor of Limp Bizkit. KROQ stopped playing most of the early 80's bands that originally made the station "World Famous".
The only nod "The Rock" now begrudgingly gives to it's progenitors is 1 hour per day and a few hours during the weekend. Even then, these Flashback Shows play only the tamest of the 80's.
KROQ's tight focus on "flavor of the moment", testosterone fueled, thrash groups and Blink 182 sound alike bands, leaves little room for acknowledging the great artists of station's past. Everyone's got to clean house at some point but do you throw out those treasured pics of Mom and Dad along with your old can of hair mousse?
KROQ did. And by doing so it also disposed with it's sense of humor, musical adventurousness and much of it's soul.
95.5 KLOS FM once tried a similar approach, "updating" their format. It was a disaster. They soon repented and changed their playlist back to feature more of the the legendary artists that put them and much of contemporary Rock Music, on the map.
KROQ's programming decision may now finally be biting them in the ass as well. Witness the prolific rise of new groups that are heavily influenced by 80's New Wave. Modest Mouse, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and and others' meteoric popularity cannot be ignored. Not even by KROQ.
So now KROQ has no choice but to play virtually the very same music they turned their back on not so long ago.
Hey KROQ, would you like some salt with your crow or are you gonna eat it plain?
The true spirit of musical adventure now resides at Indie 103.1 FM. They are not afraid to play the best of the late 70's, early 80's (you know, the stuff KROQ used to play) and the latest cutting edge alternative rock.
Yes, I'm a Pimp for Indie. But only because they have made radio fun to listen to again.
- DJ Craig
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