Generic Radio Playlist

This is the complete-ish playlist of the Generic Radio show that was broadcast on WRPS 88.3 FM on 12.23.87. As I wrote in the original post, I took down some notes as I listened thru the tape, so I have added those here as well.

I marked each song with who chose it or owned it so I can try to distance myself from some stuff I just didn’t dig — not all — and I will do so with an “S” for me, a “J” for Johnny B and a “B” for both of us.

  1. On the Run :: Pink Floyd :. S
    Best I can tell, this was the theme music we were using at the time
  2. Holiday Story :: X :. J
  3. Mad Jack :: Chameleons UK :. S
  4. Queen of Las Vegas :: B52’s :. J
  5. Mediate :: INXS :. S
  6. I Will Follow :: U2 :. B
    I introduce U2 as the Group of the Week and nothing happens… lots of DEAD AIR before I give up and play…
  7. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) :: U2 :. S
  8. I Will Follow :: U2 :. B
    Turns out I put the tape in on the wrong side, so I explain that and actually play it here
  9. Should I See :: Frozen Ghost :. J
    As I introduce this song, there’s what sounds like vacuuming in the background, so chances are the fine RHS janitorial staff was cleaning up outside the studio as I was on-air and the studios weren’t that soundproof
  10. Rock the House :: Run DMC :. J
    I make a comment about saying the station call-letters “cuz you are supposed to”
  11. To the Shock of Miss Louisa :: Lost Boys Soundtrack :. J
    I wrote in my notes, “WTF John!” which is pretty accurate since this is some kind of clown slash circus music theme. The song ends abruptly, or at least to me it does, and there’s a good amount of DEAD AIR as I scramble to change the tape. My notes say “Not my song – I am alone – I suck!” and that was true enough. We only had one tape deck for use over the air at that time — we eventually got a second one — and the one’s and two’s, but we didn’t play much wax. We would cue the tapes ahead of time or use a Walkman to do it in studio when necessary
  12. Creeping to Cross :: That Petrol Emotion :. S
    or at least that is what I introduced in my scramble to get something on, but I in fact grabbed the wrong tape and played…
  13. Duel :: Propaganda :. S
    My notes say “Thx Chris” as this was one of the albums I had recorded from his collection. I am also taking a guess at the song being “Duel” because I didn’t say the name, but if memory serves, that’s the one. I’m sure I still have the original tape I recorded, so I could always dig it out someday, but not today!
  14. Suffragette City :: David Bowie :. J
  15. My Name is Ernest :: Howie Mandel :. S
    Yes, that Howie Mandel. We would play comedy skits from time-to-time, usually Howie or Steven Wright because George Carlin was too dirty, and Ernest does the 12 Days of Christmas in this bit
  16. Creeping to Cross :: That Petrol Emotion :. S
    I actually play this here and make a bad joke about perpetual motion
  17. Spanish Eyes :: U2 :. S

Thus ends the first hour of the show because at this point I read off a bunch of sponsors. We’d do these announcements on the hour, so once in the middle of the show and once at the end. We also had public service announcements and other ads we could choose to read during the show, so sometimes we actually did, but mostly to make fun, without making fun, cuz then we’d get in trouble, just like big-boy radio.

Anyway, my notes say “Sponsors Bitch!” and I read off the following:

  • Rockland Sons of Italy (site of all our proms and razed a couple years ago and now a Walgreens)
  • Rockland VFW
  • Every bank in Rockland, so at that time Rockland Savings Bank, Rockland Credit Union and Rockland Trust Company (I think Rockland Trust is the only one left)
  • Dairy Mart
  • Jumpin Jacks (I think this was a restaurant and we usually had fun reading this one)
  • Rockland Florist and Garden Center (for all your annual and perrenial needs)
  • Sullivan Tire (back when they had like 5 stores and definitely weren’t on TV)
  • Abbey Travel

With the ads out of the way, I go into some kind of commentary about Winter depression and how the suicide rate goes up. Not really sure how I got on that except that maybe I suggested a trip from Abbey Travel to get out of town and get those spirits up. Good advice.

On to the second half:

  1. Where the Streets Have No Name :: U2 :. B
    This was a request from John’s sister Becky. Yes, someone was listening and called in… doesn’t matter that she was related to someone on the show. I was probably crushing on her at the time (as that came and went a couple times, and yes, I may have a thing for my friend’s sisters, but not yours Joe, no… never Jen, but her friend Elizabeth, that was another story). She is actually the reason I know Ed. You see, my neighbor Tom was crushing on Becky a couple years previous and he knew that Ed and Becky were in the same homeroom or something, so he was trying to get the dirt from Ed one day where they picked up their papers — I inherited my route from Tom — and Ed and I eventually became friends from that. In fact, this was how I really met John too, because I sort of already knew Becky from a play we were both in back in Junior High (I think at the time of this stuff I was a frosh and they were one year younger, except John was one year older) and with Tom’s unsuccessful pursuit, I became friends with three people and eventually not with him! Long story long, I also make a shout-out to Leigh as she had requested I play U2 earlier in the day at school. Leigh was also a friend of Ed’s as she lived at the end of his street. Last I heard, John ended up marrying Leigh’s friend Dawn. Lot’s of synergy going on here…
  2. Life in a Northern Town :: Dream Academy :. J
    I mention the Salvation Army Band after the song, since it is mentioned in the song. Something about Christmas spirit and dropping some cash in the bucket would be a nice thing to do. My notes say “I like to help people?!?” which is probably surprising that a junior in HS would say such a thing — I surprised myself — instead of being a punk ass.
  3. Seattle :: Public Image Limited (PIL) :. S
  4. Deck the Halls
    My notes say I probably played this off an album found in the studio as I don’t own it. When I was doing up the playlist on iTunes, I checked out some stuff there and found it sounded a lot like a version by Mannheim Steamroller. My notes also say “think 1 step up from a MIDI” so that tells you what it really sounded like. The iMix on iTunes has the MS version.
  5. Bad :: U2 :. B
    This was the live version from Wide Awake in America and was actually another request “from Lonnie to Al” and I have something else written in my notes I actually can’t read… I have no idea who those people are, but I doubt they just happened to listen. Maybe I just don’t remember them? Al could be Leigh’s friend Alex or Alexandra and Lonnie was some dude she was dating. No clue…
  6. Holidayhead :: Screaming Blue Messiahs :. S
    The phone rings — we are talking old school rotary phone ring too people — and I complain about calling me while I am on the air (it was probably John)
  7. Organic Anti Beat Box Band :: Red Hot Chili Peppers :. S
    Right here I am under the mistaken impression the Chili’s are a local band. Must not have had the tape for too long, or since we didn’t have the Internet back then, had no f-ing clue! I did correctly note that they were opening for Faith No More when they were coming to Boston. Must have heard that shiznit on FNX. As Ed will note, you can’t mistake they are from Cali since that’s all they sing about these days.
  8. Don’t Talk :: 10,000 Maniacs :. J
    I talk about how Natalie Merchant (before I was a hater) recently went nuts on Johnny Carson. Must have been a performance to remember, and yes, that’s Johnny freakin Carson! I’m old…

And that’s it. I’m sure I am missing about five or six more songs from the playlist, but the tape either ran out or Chris just stopped recording it because the show sucked so hard. Being a nephew only gets you 3/4 of a show.

I put John down for the Bowie tune, but I’m a fan now and really wasn’t back then, although that tune is excellent and I’m sure I did think so back then.

Don’t worry, I doubt I would enjoy listening to this today either. It’s just the nostalgia factor that gets me. As I already mentioned, if you’d like to comment on this page, do so on the More Generic Radio post.