so i'm really tired of "DJ's" on lite rock radio stations trying to tell me what to do with my life. you know, they put on that fake, i'm-so-soothing-and-sexy voice, and then say something like "it's been a long day at work and you're tired. so just sit back, relax, listen to some great lite rock, and just let the cares of your day melt away."
first of all, how do they know i've had a long day at work and i'm tired? maybe i had a short day at school, took a nap, and don't even feel tired. and what if i don't want to sit back and relax? what if i don't want you trying to melt my cares away -- what if my cares are legitimate, and i need to attend to them, instead of just drowning them in a sea of celine dion?
of course, it only gets worse when the love song shows are on. tonight i was in the pharmacy, and there was an evening love song show on one of the lite rock stations (i think the spelling of lite in "lite rock" also adds to my irritation). sure enough, this woman comes on the air in her trying-desperately-to-be-sexy voice and says: "this one goes out to all the couples out there. i hope that you stay together always. so to all the couples out there, stay together, and this one's for you."
ok, so what if there are couples out there with very unhealthy, abusive relationships? they don't need to be staying together. and this weird lady doesn't need to be telling them to -- especially when she has no idea who they are.
and, of course, to top it all off, the song she played was "one sweet day" by mariah carey and boyz II men. i'm pretty sure that song is about someone dying. they all sing about how someone they love died, and they didn't tell that person how much they loved them before s/he died, but it's ok because one day they'll be together in heaven. so yeah, not exactly a happy relationship song. especially if you're trying to tell people to stay together -- best not to play a song about dying, huh?
Posted by naseem at February 21, 2006 08:21 PMI think you should keep in mind that nearly every phrase uttered by a radio personality has been researched by a cold, detached New England think tank, and cross-examined by Clear Channel higher-ups. Trust them, Nas.
Trust them.
Posted by: Andrew at February 22, 2006 12:19 AMbefore you criticize, try to think about what you might be able to say on the air for hours at a time that could possibly please everybody. there isn't much that falls under that category.
Posted by: meisa at February 22, 2006 09:33 AMWhenever they say stuff like that, I'm tempted to gaze lovingly into the nearest person's eyes (especially if they're a stranger). hahaha. Unfortunately, I've never had the opportunity to do so. Someday, someday...
Posted by: Sholeh at February 22, 2006 04:00 PMMy favorites are Delilah (www.radiodelilah.com) and Glen Hollis (who does the afterhours show on WASH-FM in DC). Total soothing voice, but the dude has this really strange child-molesteresque persona.
He also always reads poems and reads quotes over the air. Everytime I hear him I want to commit suicide.
someone buy this woman an ipod, for the love of pete...
hey there "steve,"
i have an ipod, actually, but i appreciate the sentiment. i don't roam the streets with it on, however, since i like to be able to interact with people around me if need be (and to hear potentially fatal traffic on the streets of NYC).
and meis,
were you a DJ once? or did you have a radio show? i understand your sympathy -- i know it's really difficult to please an audience. but that's partly the reason why i would love for music radio to have no commercials and very little talk or commentary (NPR is the exception, as that is worthwhile talk/news radio, in my view).
alas, drugstores, don't pay for satellite radio, so i end up hearing the DJ's and the commercials. and i make my half-joking complaints on my blog. really, though, i don't mind all that much -- lite rock DJ's are good for comic relief, at the very least. :)
Posted by: nas at February 25, 2006 03:44 PMnope, never a dj. it's kind of funny to imagine myself as one actually. i just had a pang of sympathy for the people who probably can't say anything that would please people. i used to think that i would prefer a station with no dj (and definately no commercials), until i came across one. jack fm - a new one around this area, and a company that is sweeping the nation i hear. it's just a computer that randomly plays songs from a playlist and inserts commercials here and there. but it feels sooo lifeless. i guess because it is. even if they can be annoying, i say keep the djs around.
now the morning talk show hosts are a different story...