Farewell, WFNX

Ever since I got to the age when most of my friends were driving, radio stations became important to me. In the car with your parents you’re either stuck listening to oldies or you planned ahead and brought your own portable device. But when you’re driving with friends it’s the radio all the way.

There are 10 distinct genres you can choose from: Top 40, Hip-Hop, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Alternative, Oldies, Country, Classical, Talk and Sports. These can feature anything from Britney Spears to Eminem to Metallica to Led Zeppelin to Radiohead to The Mamas and the Papas to Garth Brooks to Vivaldi to NPR to Felger & Mazz. Each one says something different about you and most people will have evolving presets throughout their life.

As a kid, I grew up with the oldies thanks to the ‘rents. As a violin player, I always enjoyed Sunday mornings after church listening to a little classical or jazz. As a young sports fan who couldn’t watch West Coast Sox games on TV because they started too late, I was able to listen to the game on the radio in my room. But none of these are acceptable choices on the way to the mall with my friends.

What was cool in high school was Jam’n 94.5 – a primarily hip-hop and R&B station. Second was probably Kiss 108 and their “nothing but the Billboard 100” playlist. But I wasn’t into either of those in high school. I was big into nu metal (Korn, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Linkin Park) and my go-to station was WAAF. I remember listening to Mistress Carrie do the Top 9 at 9pm every weeknight and actually keeping track of who was climbing or dropping.

Eventually, as I moved away to college, I started to learn more about the roots of rock and especially the ‘60s. This new classic rock affection turned me on to Rock 101. They played some of the same music as AAF but paid much more respect to the originators of the genre. It was an ideal combination for me.

But starting the summer between sophomore and junior years I was introduced to indie rock by a friend of mine: the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Elliott Smith and The Shins. It was a change in my life unlike anything else. This music spoke to me in a way that my teenage-angst anthems no longer did. It was a musical revolution that I am still, 7 years later, in the midst of. And with this change came a new radio station, WFNX.

What was amazing to me was that FNX had a Boston and Manchester signal. 101.7 down here, 92.1 up there. It was with me whether I was studying for an exam or enjoying my break. It played songs I loved and broke new ones that I would soon fall in love with. It was the perfect companion for me.

I subscribed to the FNX newsletter and went to their events. Thanks to them I saw Passion Pit, Metric, The Airborne Toxic Event, The Gaslight Anthem, The Bravery, Spoon, Phoenix and Owl City (Hey, they can’t all be winners). I would create playlists of songs in their rotation and listen to them on my iPod when I couldn’t listen on air. In my life, FNX was all-encompassing.

So when I heard the news yesterday that FNX was being sold, you could imagine my abject sorrow. It was like a family member had been diagnosed with a deadly illness and only had a month or so left to live. I didn’t know how to react. I thought tuning in in the middle of the day would help somehow but it was just a reminder of what I was losing. It was all too much bear.

I’m still not sure what this means for me and my presets moving forward but I knew I had to say something about my favorite radio station. Hopefully, long after the last of the FM waves have passed through the antennas, to our speakers, and into our ears, I can look back at this and remember the good times.

"We Real Cool"

My college graduation was 5 years ago on Saturday and my allergies have me feeling like death. So, this seemed relevant.

by: Gwendolyn Brooks

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk Late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.

The Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands

If you haven’t heard, I’ll Have Another won this year’s Kentucky Derby. The perfect name for a horse in a race known for being decadent and depraved. (And apparently someone was killed.)

The Derby first ran in 1875 and today is the most famous horse race in the world. It only makes sense then that after 130 years of building the prestige of Churchill Downs they would call up the owners of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC for some extra ad dollars. If they had said, “Sure, let’s put some posters up on the infield or fill some of the commercial breaks.” Fine, I have no problem with that. But why in the world would they give away the naming rights? Is there anything more ridiculous than “The 2012 Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands?” If Thompson thought it was bad back in 1970 I wonder what he would be saying today.

Just how bad is it? Yum! Brands repeats the same commercial during each break proclaiming that, “You may not know our name but you know our restaurants.” So why in the world would they get naming rights? No one even knows theirs! Besides, what does Yum! Brands even have to do with Kentucky or horse racing? At least get Lids or someone you can tie in with the crazy hats people wear every year.

I know what you’re thinking; KFC would fit if A) they still went by Kentucky Fried Chicken and B) they weren’t lumped in with the rest of Yum! Brands. It makes no sense and it’s an embarrassment. What’s next, “The Preakness Stakes presented by Unilever?” End this already.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for The Scream

To commemorate today's sale of The Scream for $119.9 million, here is Edvard Munch's accompanying poem:

"I was walking along a path with two friends—the sun was setting—suddenly the sky turned blood red—I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence—there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city—my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety—and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature."

Raging Rajon Rondo

Let’s be honest, the Celtics are fortunate Rajon Rondo was only suspended one game for bumping into referee Marc Davis. First, it was definitely done on purpose. Watch the tape again. Second, he now has a “history” of disrespecting the refs. Back in February, Rondo was suspended 2 games for throwing the ball at an official. So, yes, a 1 game suspension is a lucky break. As much as losing your best player in the middle of the playoffs can be considered a break. And, lest you be confused, Rondo is the Celtics best player.

For argument’s sake, let’s ignore the fact that the Celtics went into the playoffs already missing Jeff Green, Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Wilcox. What we can’t ignore is that Ray Allen is hurt much worse than anyone is saying. His scoring threat and ability to stretch the defense affects the rest of the team and their play on the offensive end. Without that they become stagnant and obvious: Isolate Pierce; hit Garnett underneath; let Rondo drive to the basket. That’s all they’ve got. Now we’re losing the Rondo element and relying on two guys in their mid-30’s. Not quite the blueprint for success.

We also can’t forget that Mickael Pietrus has been hurt much of the season and is still working back from a concussion. Greg Stiemsma’s played on aching feet all year long. If either of those guys go down, does Doc Rivers have the bench depth to replace them? I don’t think so. That’s why it’s so important that Rondo acts like a veteran. This is his sixth season as hard as that is to believe. We consider him the Kid because he’s playing with the illustrious Big 3 but he is a man in his own right and probably should have learned something from playing with these guys about keeping your emotions in check. He embarrassed himself and hurt his team in the process. This most likely will be their final run together. Let’s hope we’re not blaming Rondo for an unfortunate and premature ending.