Life in general

On the Air (Sort of)

January 16, 2008

So…

I told you about my fill in gig at a public radio station in San Francisco a while back.  At first they were all eager to get me to be on the show for two days in a row.  That schedule was pretty much set until Monday — when it all kind of fell apart.  I’m still going to be hosting the show, but only on Thursday. It’s difficult to know how things went from “What kind of topics are you interested in covering” to “Um, we’re going with a regular fill in host because we’re kind of stressed here and we don’t have time to produce the kind of shows you’re interested in.”

Exactly what made me high maintenance?  I wanted to do a show that examined something many of us can relate to:  feeling trapped by musical tastes.  I’ll pitch it to  you and you can let me know if this is something you would like to hear a dissussion on.  Okay here goes: As we age, our connection to new musical styles wane. For reasons that scientific research can demonstrate, our brains actually become less receptive to new musical forms the older we get.  However, for music fans finding new music that’s out of our comfort zone is complicated by the fact that as digital downloading becomes the norm, we can often be paralyzed by the choices we face.  Enter the role of the critic in shaping musical tastes.  When powerhouse magazines like Rolling Stone and Spin  — who had the power to push musical artists as “something you should hear” – started to get serious competition from online publications, the landscape of the music industry started to become more fragmented (even though there was more choice available).  With all things “Internet” (i.e., blogs, My Space, iTunes, bit torrent, Pandora, Last FM and the like) displacing brick and mortar music stores, how do we find new music and what’s the role of professional music critics in shaping those tastes when, it seems, anyone with an Internet connection and blog can be one. 

My guests were going to be Dan Levitin from McGill University who wrote a book that looks at the scientific reasons of musical tastes, Taylor (T-Sides, Bullz-Eye, and Pop Dose) was going to be on to talk about the role of the critic in shaping tastes, and we were  going to get the guy who founded Pandora as an example of personal Internet radio stations that reflect your music tastes — with some surprises thrown in.

The first half hour was going to be an interview with my  guests, and then the second half hour was answering questions from callers. 

So, what do you think?

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  1. J

    January 16, 2008 at 8:15 am

    I think it would have been great. Save it, because maybe they’ll ask you back again someday when Krasney goes on vacation again. Once they know you and trust you better, they can get more comfortable. Or, you could do a variation for your current show, without the callers.

    I just keep thinking of my dad, saying that most of the music on the radio is just ‘noise” to him…and how many people our age are stuck in the 80s, regarding music. So I guess that science is pretty smart, huh? 😉

  2. jefito

    January 16, 2008 at 8:33 am

    I think it sounds like a terrific subject for the first couple Popcasts. How do we get this started?

  3. Py Korry

    January 16, 2008 at 8:38 am

    J: I think I will save it. Maybe they’ll ask me back, and if they do, I hope they’ll have the time to produce it.

    But in the meantime…

    Jefito: I can make some calls…get some folks to talk….record the interview….and then upload it. 🙂

  4. Gina

    January 16, 2008 at 12:50 pm

    I think it sounds like a fabulous subject! They were fools, fools I tell you, not to produce that!

    I’m so sorry Py, it seems like you just cannot catch a break lately on the professional front. Hey, the Chinese New Year is coming up, maybe that will be the change you need! Forget the Year of the Pig, on with the Rat!

  5. Lalunas

    January 16, 2008 at 10:20 pm

    Sounds good, but maybe they had another agenda and that was not what they wanted. We are all in the hands of employers, even though they may say, we give you free reign, it really means some times we will consider your inputs.

  6. John B

    January 17, 2008 at 1:51 am

    I can just imagine the look on their faces.

    Sort of like they thought you were explaining quantum mechanics by yodelling.

    But you have to admit – we are pretty fringe….
    (And I can’t wait to hear it on Popdose!)

  7. ML

    January 17, 2008 at 8:53 am

    I think it’s a great idea. I hope they decide to do the show after all.

  8. Dot

    January 17, 2008 at 10:26 am

    Sounds like they need some head from ass removal. Sorry PY! Better luck next time 🙂

  9. J

    January 17, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    At least you were still on the air today, and you KICKED ASS! 🙂

Comments are closed.