Monday, August 02, 2021

Whither Kids?

(image from here.)

A show about kids?  Yes!  A kids' show?  No!  It's late, there'll be some naughty words.  Don't let your kids stay up so late!  Although I myself stayed up quite late as a kid, especially during summer vacation.  & I might have been hoping to listen to naughty words on the radio!

The journey to this show was a bit circuitous & it began with me compiling covers of 1980s songs for my own amusement.  I discovered that the Pretenders song "Kid" (which I know is from 1979 but I think of it as an 80s song) has been covered several times - most recently by Tanya Donelly & The Parkington Sisters.  I thought about a show featuring different songs about different kids - from Billy The Kid to the Cars' "Misfit Kid."  But what I discovered in my initial research was that musicians liked to write songs about different types of kids - weird kids, indie kids, bridge & tunnel kids - & of course the word "kids" doesn't have to mean "children" - much like Bogey saying, "Here's lookin' at you, kid," the word could be used as a term of endearment, or as something condescending, or in the same way we use "guys" to mean a group of people including boys & girls.

It seemed I had a way to narrow down the theme a little.  Then last week on the show someone requested "The Kids Are Alright" by the Who & I suddenly had to expand the show to include songs about "kids."  & that's what I did.  Maybe it made it a more diverse show?  I have hours & hours of songs to choose from!

Also of course there'll be interviews.  Four of them!  It was a busy week.

The results will be available for you to hear tonight from midnight to 3am on 90.7 KBOO in Portland & online at kboo.fm.  Please don't let your kids listen to it.  Especially if they're the young kind of kids.  The older kind might just think it's too dorky.

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