I don’t love listening to the radio. I hate commercials, and I like to be in control of what songs are coming on. But still, sometimes I get sick of my iPod (or as I like to say “KuhnPod”) shuffling off its own selections. So sometimes I suck it up and go all FM style in hopes of curing the boredom of listening to the same stale music on repeat (I hate updating my iPod; months of music awaits transfer from MacBook to iPhone, and maybe someday I’ll have the chance to tend to this task).
The radio stations in DC and Maryland are the worst. Seriously. New York, you win here.
I have a particular issue with DC101, which sadly is the best station around. And they play Nickleback (I know… sorry, not trying to make you puke all over your keyboard/iPad/whatever you’re plugging into the Kuhniverse with).
Let me talk about a morning talk show on DC101 called “Elliot in the Morning”. Elliot himself sounds like a complete joke who seems like some kind of trashy back-woods Virginian republican with an associate’s degree and bad breath/hair. I mean, this is just the impression I get by listening to him sometimes in the car if I’m forced to drive into work (as I was this morning thanks to some downed trees on the train tracks: boring); he actually has at least a bachelor’s degree, according to Wikipedia.
Maybe in real life Mr. E in the M has a good head on his shoulders and doesn’t believe the bile he spews all over D.C., because I have to wonder if anyone can truly be as stupid as this man seems to be on the airwaves. Is it all just an act for the sake of ratings? If it is, I don’t see how it’s working, because I tend to change the dial the moment he says something dumb. Is Elliot actually smarter than he seems to be, but acting dumb to incite a radio-wave riot? Does he really think Courtney Stodden is hot? Are his opinions really so vulgar? Why does he get to interview Mindy Kaling, and what does she really think of him? Are there people who actually value his opinions? Rednecks in Virginia maybe? There are a lot of questions here, a whole lot of questions.
If I ever listen to the show, it’s usually only for a couple of minutes, and then Elliot says something so degrading and/or stupid and/or uneducated and/or boring that I start to feel bad for Diane, and the other (hot-sounding, but possibly very very unhot) morning personality (Tyler) who are the voices of reason on this otherwise unredeemable show. And then I switch back to the KuhnPod and listen to a little Joanna Newsom or Sleigh Bells or Regina Spektor or something else, something better, instead.
“Elliot in the Morning” should just go away. Make it “Diane and Hot-Sounding Guy in the Morning” instead.
I feel the same way about The Kayne Show on 99.5. It’s one of the most juvenile programs out there, particularly their “War of the Roses” segment. I usually listen to 94.7 Fresh FM in the morning. It’s mostly “The Tommy Show.” It’s a decent morning group and they play a lot of “adult alternative” music, like Mumford and Sons along with some Top 40. Sometimes I listen to to Mix 107.3, but the Jack Diamond show is too much talking, not enough music. It’s a pleasant show, but it sometimes veers into corny territory.
I want to start writing down the stupid things Elliot says and possibly blogging my rebuttals to his stupidity. Unfortunately I’m always driving when he comes on, and he’s not worth the risk of veering off the road and crashing my Convertibeetle.
I would definitely listen to the bitterness that you spew toward bad radio hosts. I will do just about anything (listening to a podcast about birdwatching) than listen to the morning music douches. Spew your venom.