Normal College Radio and a Visit to LA

[ebm@ernie.Berkeley.EDU (Grady Toss)]

[The posting of this article has been greatly delayed for inexcusable
reasons because |>oug is a twit.  -- |>oug]

Bill sez...

>Yeah! Yeah! Call up some typical Rockpool-type college radio station and
>ask them for these guys:
>
>Diamanda Galas (hey, she's on the cover of Rockpool, so she must be trendy)
>Swans (on the cover of a trendy British music rag)
>Happy Flowers (well.... they were interviewed in Shredded Slime...)
>Psychodrama (reviewed in Option! must be good)
>
>(maniacal snickering)

Am I missing 73 levels of entendre here?  All four of these are (and have
been) college mainstays, sxpecially Swans.  Maybe KALX (and KFJC) are further
into left field than I thought.

While I'm here... I spent this past weekend driving around Boss Angeles, and
the city is a fucking radio WASTELAND.  On the rent-a-car-radio, the only FM
station of note was KXLU, and even that had its ups and downs.  It goes jazz
and classical in the evenings, and weekends is all Spanish programming.  The
Friday night (11pm-2am?) radio star, Stella (and her show "Stray Pop") is
really Obnoxious.  Probably why she's popular--the Howard Stern effect.  They
also have an AM carrier current station, so the FM jocks are better trained,
and more rabid about their broadcast opportunities.  The record library was
a bit on the small side, and the music is just about all rock (except for the
big blocks in the evening).  Other FMwize, KSPC at Claremont is AOK--but not
findable while in West LA.  KCRW also had some interesting programming, but
as an NPR affiliate (as are so many of the non-commercial stations around LA
it seems), it duplicates a lot of what is available a spin away.

AM radio is mostly a wasteland as well.  KABC is much like the ABC affiliate in
San Francisco (KGO)--an all talk-radio format.  I like talk radio, but I wasn't
there long enough to really get a handle on KABC's hosts.  (I wonder if their
overnight talking head is as good as KGO's Ray Taliaferro).  Both the AM and FM
dials have an oldie station planted in the center... probably a fixture in
most markets these big chillin' daze.

Other LA wize... found the CHEAPEST record store I've ever been in.  Most
everything was either 47-cents, 94-cents or $1.88 (it all makes the tax work
out to even dollar amounts).  Tons and tons of really great novelty and
schlock.  It's called Record Surplus, on Pico in West LA.  A Rons records
on Melrose has gone way downhill since I first visited there about 10 years
ago.  Melrose itself is a great place to watch trendily dressed people walk
around.  Rhino Records (the store) on Westwood Blvd.  turns out to be a
slightly above average used record store...

I also found a couple of good comic stores: Golden Apple, with three
locations--the one on Pico being best, the one on Melrose second, and the
Valley location dead last, Hi De Ho in Santa Monica (snotty employees),
Graphitti in Westwood, and another one in the Valley (on Devonshire?) that I
can't remember name of.

Lots of good (burp!) food, including the original Tommy's on Beverly, Ship's
on La Cienega (no match for the Ship's that used to be in Westwood), Canter's
in Fairfax, and a good neo-50's diner called Edies.  The atmosphere at Edie's
is Chaos Among the Museum pieces.  Good 50s/60s juke box, and chicken fried
steak that will keep your arteries clogged for a year.

Good place to visit...

... gt
-- 

	``A police car and a screaming siren
	  Pneumatic drill and ripped up concrete
	  A baby wailin', stray dog howlin'
	  The screech of brakes and lamp light blinking
	  That's Entertainment, That's Entertainment''

	  --Paul Weller (pre-Elevator)