Radio Coverfolk, Redux:
On The Radio, and other thoughts in verse
Two weeks ago, I stayed overnight in the home of Bob Weiser, an old folkfest friend, community organizer, and long-time community radio mainstay with regular shows in two Massachusetts communities. As both a music publisher / distributer of sorts and an old radiohand myself - see below for more on that - it was inevitable that the conversation turn to radio, and we stayed up late chatting about the changes which digitalization has brought to both radio signal distribution and playlist management, not to mention the potential transformation of form, function, and fandom which the streamable show and, increasingly, the clickable track has brought to the form in its newest incarnations.
Since then, the radio’s been on my mind more and more. It continued this week, when my students started to study the subject, as part of our exploration of the evolution of electronic media and their impact on US society. And it will kick in in earnest tomorrow, when, thanks to the wonders of random selection, I start a one-week stint as a diary-keeper for the Arbitron Ratings System, keeping a daily log of my listenership - which will primarily mean tracking car rides, as I tend not to listen to other people’s playlists in the home, despite my respect for Internet radio as a true and viable phenomenon for social participation in what was once thought to be a truly dying medium.
Looking back in the archives, I find that a week’s guestblog over at Breakthrough Radio prompted a short musing ramble on the subject way back in December of 2008. As I said back then, elseblog,
Over a decade ago, before I was a music blogger, I had a regular late-night radio show at the boarding school where I lived and worked. My audience was primarily a captive one: the broadcast range was small and, other than our own student population, consisted mostly of New England hills and a few sparsely populated towns. The playlist was broad, and mostly geared towards my own tastes, and if anyone didn’t like it, it wasn’t like they had any other choices in the area.
Since then, of course, the music media spectrum has shifted significantly, and so has my employment — the inner-city public high school where I teach these days isn’t open at night, and even if it were, it has no radio station for me to commandeer. But then, it hardly needs one. Technology evolution and industry changes have brought about new media possibilities which tend towards a global reach rather than a local one; I suspect few folks still listen to that old prep school radio station over the airwaves, now that it and every other radio station in the universe is online, but I also suspect that significantly fewer people listen to that tiny school station at all, given that our primary listenership was once comprised of folks who had little choice of what to listen to at all.
The joys of joining Breakthrough Radio that week went beyond the wonderful confluence of blog and radio station 2.0, of course. But there’s something to be said for the continued collaborative coexistence that is blogging and radio, and it’s worth saying it out loud: stations like Breakthrough Radio, with its internet presence and “DJ’s choice” format, not to mention the streaming and increasingly webbed presence of more traditional forms, remain “where it’s at” in radio these days.
And conveniently, as I noted here at the time, radio is a popular theme in song: once upon a time, musicians penned songs in tribute to the DJ voices which spun out their adolescences one heartbeat at a time; long after The Buggles raised the specter of video, the radio holds a place in our memories both cultural and individual.
But though many songs about the radio play off of the Top 40 subject, with both covers and originals coming across as sonic reflections of the mainstream, there’s still a few folk and folk-y covers out there which fit the theme. Here’s the lot, an unusually broad-sounding set even for us, with hope that those who have been with us since 2008 don’t mind the few repeats from that long-ago feature.
- Dar Williams: Midnight Radio (orig. Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
- Marc Cohn: Turn On Your Radio (orig. Harry Nilsson)
- The Matthew Show: Mohammed’s Radio (orig. Warren Zevon)
- The Wrong Trousers: Video Killed The Radio Star (orig. The Buggles)
- Handsome Hank and his Lonesome Boys: Video Killed The Radio Star (ibid.)
- Little Miss Higgins: You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio (orig. Joni Mitchell)
- The Cantrells: You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio (ibid.)
- Chris Hillman: Turn Your Radio On (orig. Al Brumley, Jr.)
- Bruce Lash: Mexican Radio (orig. Wall of Voodoo)
- Kate Rusby: Radio Sweethearts (orig. Radio Sweethearts)
Category: Uncategorized
November 18th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Great post. Have you heard Cadillac Sky’s rendition of ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’? It’s hands down my favorite version! It’s a fun banjo and fiddle-laden piece of excellence. And it’s incredible when witnessed live!
November 18th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
It’s not a cover, but Cloud Cult’s song “Transistor Radio” is my all-time favorite song that mentions radio.
November 19th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Fabulous, as always–can’t thank you enough.
Now, three thoughts, all prolly _way_ too obvious:
1) “Rock and Roll” by Lou Reed/Velvet Underground saved her life, my life, and god(dess) knows how many more
2) Thanks to Jonathan Richman, we know why driving by the Stop’n'Shop is _much_ better than walking by the Stop’n'Shop–’cause he’s got the radio on.
3) somebody, somewhere, somewhen musta covered Van’s “Caravan,” huh? Turn it up, indeed…
If there aren’t folks covers of these, there oughta be
November 19th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
This made me long to hear a cover version of Donna Summer’s “On the Radio,” so I googled it, and lo and behold, Emmylou Harris did a a lovely cover (though hers sounds more like pop balladry!) Yay!
Now if I could just hear a great bluegrass version of it instead, as I am certain that would be made of 100% awesomeness. If anyone could point me in the right direction to find one, I’d appreciate it.
November 20th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
@Katie: I actually did the same search you did - and I, too, found Emmylou’s cover to be poppy, but nice. The bluegrass wishlist sounds delish - let’s keep our ears open, eh?
@Eric: Van Morrison’s “people” are notoriously strict about songsharing and permissions, which means few folks cover him, sadly. The other choices are solid, of course…nice calls, all ’round!
@Sarah: Wow! Nice intro to the band - thanks much!
November 26th, 2010 at 2:05 am
I miss Amanda Palmer playing “On the radio” by Regina Spektor.