The joys of college radio. I remember when I first started, holding down a 3-6 AM shift, how alarming I found it to get requests from anguished young men for "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" or the like. Then there were the freakin' Violent Femmes. Every time, the Violent Femmes. I told a friend about this annoyance one day, and later that night got a call: "Hey, man, could you play some Violent Femmes?" I laughed into the phone, said "Fuck you," thinking it was the same guy. It wasn't.

When I moved up the ladder and got a 9 PM - 12 AM slot, I frequently found that the djs after me did not show up. More than once I found myself doing a 9 PM - 6 AM stint. The station could not go down! The jazz guys would be a little alarmed when they found me in the morning.

It was during one such all-nighter that I finally really got inside Sly Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On. Played the whole thing at around 4 AM, throwing myself against the walls of the studio as the music came out of the giant speakers. Liked it before, loved it madly ever since. Good times.

Anyway, from the department of more than you wanted to know.

I see that I've played one thing released on the label Camera Obscura and one thing by the band Camera Obscura (whom I didn't recognize; apparently there's a Scottish band by that name, but that's not whom I played); you have a funny definition of "heavy rotation".

Uh, thanks for the links anyway.

(Actually played in heavy rotation, not counting one show where I played five artists four-five times each, were King Crimson (13); Hans Reichel (8, this was a surprise to me); Richard Thompson (7), and then lots more at 6 each, including Walker.)

King Crimson (13)

Health food faggot.

Incidently, if you ever come across a copy of Starless and Bible Black on vinyl and feel the natural, uncontrollable impulse to smash it, be careful. Very unusual pressing, in my experience - shatters and sends sharp shards flying. But you have to do it.

Why would I want to smash it? I like that album.

With sleeve art by Tom Phillips!