Does anyone actually know someone who listens to Nickleback without it being fed to you with a corporate spoon?

I preach buying albums, for musical escapes of 50 minutes or so are an amazing outlet for inner thought, and personal satisfaction. Sometimes however, its nice to be musically guided by others, and for those times where a radio personality just needs to be introduced to your ears, I provide you with this spoonful of applesauce.

Independent radio is by far one of the greatest vehicular outlets known to modern travel. Living in London the last four years, whenever I would find the time to invest in radio I was a keener to radio Western 94.9 CHRW. Completely volunteer run, the programming would very from the local resident dj from the nottest club in town spinning hippidity hoppidity jams friday before the bar, to the old man with a white beard spouting jazz rarities on sunday afternoon, to the occasional guest broadcast with yours truly with Londons voice for talk radio Jim Chapman (link).

Needless to say, the novelty and access that non-corporate radio provided to the local citizen was something. It was engaging because you were a part of it, a classic sales pitch to any good venture. It was entertaining because it was irregular, it was out of the box, and it was a mish mash of creative direction, which for the new bohemian in me, catered greatly to the fruit bowl of tastes that make up my musical and literary pallette.

Moving back to the Toronto area, I was at a loss. Obviously the market is more saturated with options in the land of fast pace business in the face megapolis, and so the options to hear Nickleback, or Green Day every hour on the hour became much more available. I feel in to the trap of stations like the Edge 102.1, toronto's choice for youthful radio, and the occasional dip to the flow 93.7, i think it is, for an urban outlet.

Blessed be my brother Josh however, for just the other day he introduced me to CIUT 89.5, the University of Toronto's independent radio. Hawt damn we have a winner ladies and gentleman. You see the thing about college radio is that at night, the music is prime. Its unique, its hard to find, its a typical conversation with any academic music bravado that can enlighten you to a new band or two. During the day however, the time slots are filled while student volunteers are in class with locals, or professors, or who knows what. In London, CHRW midday programming is still pretty weak, however this morning I tune into 89.5 to hear one of the most critical lectures ever delivered about the state of the American Empire, and its inevitable fall.

I won't get into the lecture today, for I actually took down the 1-800 number and have ordered a transcript of what was said. It was good, trust....the lecturer was from Norway and sounded like a futuristic philosopher from a Tolkein book. It was nice though, for being out of school has rid me of the hour long mind soaks that lectures at Western otherwise provided. Not to mention is was content that was right up my academic alley. I think I will write an annotated bibligraphy to celebrate...eeek.

All in all the message here, is that corporate radio be damned, for I have found my invisible wave station. My ears have been guided, and Nickleback has subsidded which I think is the only cure to the American downfall, though the professor this morning never really mentioned that.


Do you think they call themselves Nickleback, because thats what you want after you buy their CD?

posted by mr. tomas ubik @ Thursday, October 20, 2005