99.5 RT played the widest array of music. They played the Kinks, The Smiths side by side with Kenny Loggins and James Taylor. Even the old 89.9 played mainstream jazz 1 hour before midnight long before 105.1 Crossover took over the airwaves.
This morning on my way to work I was listening to the new 99.5 Hit FM which took over the RT station since it signed off on December of 2006. 2 lady DJs and a guy DJ talking about the Grammys. Amy Winehouse snagged 5 grammys, and the 2 DJs had to mention she did not deserve the win. Why? “Oh she looks like a drug addict. And for what song? Rehab?”. Oh honey this isn’t the Kid’s Choice Awards. It’s freaking Grammys.
Then the lady DJ goes on to say, “At least she (Amy Winehouse) didn’t win Album of the Year. It was won by some Herbie Hancock”. What do you mean “some”? This girl shouldn’t be working in a radio station. (The guy DJ though was quick to defend the legend… maybe not out of respect but out of embarrassment to the listeners who know what music is all about.) The “some” is Herbie Hancock. He reinvented jazz music. He is an innovator, jazz pianist extraordinaire. He played electronic music way before the Chemical Brothers or Moby.
But this isn’t about who deserves the Grammy. This is about respect for music. The DJs from the old RT would never say, “Dude, Nirvana did not deserve a grammy because they’re all sick on crack”. Amy Winehouse created a new genre of music, it was an artistic cross-section of Billie Holiday, The Pretenders, Soul, and Punk Rock. Sure she has issues and she’s all messed up. But her music came in first and music listeners are intelligent enough to know that.
Radio DJs should learn variety, and an appreciation for all kinds of music. Look beyond the superficial and the commercial appeal. Not just... to the left, to the left…
Eve
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