Sirius radio.
We got a new car this summer and it came with Sirius (and a whole bunch of other stuff- a lot of technology has happened in the last 10 years in cars) radio.
It has been really fun exploring the channels. Something I like about it- the genres. Something I don't like about it- the genres.
Much like regular ol' radio stations, Sirius has rock, alternative, hip-hop, classic R&B, and a bunch of talk radio from Christian to sports and probably a Christian sports channel. I don't care for either kind of channels, so I can only guess. There are channels that play only a particular artist (and adjacent artists sometimes), which is kind of cool. I got sucked into a Beastie Boys channel for a little bit and the Prince one was pretty good too. I guess some of them are not forever channels because I can't find the Prince one anymore and now I hear a lot of commercials trying to convince me to listen to the U2 channel (hard pass).
I had difficulty finding channels that played classical music. They are with the jazz channels, why? Because there are often no vocals?
They don't go together. My musicologicalness did not appreciate it. I mean I know meta-genres, genres, and sub-genres are annoying- example- Country/Bluegrass/Reactionary Bluegrass- if you really want to go down a rabbit hole look up music genres. I mean some bigs ones (like Hip Hop, Rock, Classical, Country, Dance, just to name a few) have so many sub-genres and sub-sub genres (dance music probably winning with the most sub-sub genres) that you come back around and just called it one of the big genres. Often the sub or sub-sub genres have so many elements of different genres and sub-genres that it can fit in different genres. I have written the word genre too many times.
There are two channels on the Sirius that have struck a nostalgic chord with me the Grateful Dead channel and First Wave.
First Wave has a 6 hour show that Richard Blade hosts. I grew up listening to KROQ and watching Richard Blade on MV3, Video One, and Video Beat. MV3 being my favorite.
Below is a clip when the Psychedelic Furs played on MV3. LOVE IT!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoJltgK_Nrg&list=PLCF0096E26CF1B1F3&index=6
Anywho- Listening to First Wave many of these songs/bands hold up. I have rediscovered my love of Echo and the Bunnymen and Depeche Mode.
Kelley Stoltz did the entire "Crocodiles" record by Echo and the Bunnymen. It is amazing. I love every second of it.
First Wave plays Kim Wilde, New Order, Duran Duran (sing blue silver!), Aztec Camera, Siouxsie (who I never stopped loving), Heaven 17 (who I was supposed to see in May), Smiths, Soft Cell, Tears for Fears, Devo, INXS, Yaz, Bauhaus, Falco and really I could write a whole gang of other bands. My kid is into it too- just this afternoon she was humming, "This Town," by the Go-Gos.
The other channel is the Grateful Dead channel. For a spell, I went to Dead shows. I liked the music enough but enjoyed the parking lot culture, the road trips to and from the shows, and the um, uh, accompanying elixirs and remedies that were in abundance. I don't have many of their records because the live shows were always much more interesting. Why I get that nostalgic feeling listening to the channel is they play pieces of live shows. For those who don't know much about the Grateful Dead, there was a huge live show taping subculture within the subculture. On more than one occasion I have heard parts of a show I was actually in attendance.
Sirius XM has been a distraction for me for sure. With all the gosh darn craziness of pandemic, Zoom calls, police violence against people of color, Handmaid's Tale lady being nominated to the Supreme Court, the election, wildfires, and missing giving people I care about hugs I am glad to have music to lose myself in.
My kid doesn't care for the Grateful Dead Channel she prefers First Wave or the 50s channel. She is into do-wop.
