6/17/2007 2:38:46 PM
* egomanIACS wanted *

6/13/2007 12:49:56 PM
Themed Stations, crass or class?

6/13/2007 12:49:56 PM

Themed Stations, crass or class?
I was just having fun here at IAC (I know, sad isn't it) so I thought I'd share my joy.

Creating themed Stations is very addictive if you enjoy research like I do. Unfortunately sometimes the most obscure (or frankly bad) songs get plays just because of their title, so I'm more discriminating lately.. Once I had a "toilet" theme - it only lasted a day, it was too bad but I found a song for every aspect from constipation through to diarrhoea. There are some great theme Stations at IAC - they can be as broad as the weather or as narrow as Paris Hilton.

Anyway my current project is Stations with ".....IAC" at the end. There is "insomnIAC" half to get you off and half to make it worthwhile staying up. Then the "egomanIAC" reserved for BIG egoed characters or songs about them. The "amnesIAC" ...er...can't remember what that's about now. A new one is "pyromanIAC" I was amazed at the choice of great songs relating to 'fire' 'flame' 'burn' and 'hot' eventually I'll have a technomanIAC, manIAC, melancholIAC etc and finally I have the challenge of finding 12 good songs for the "zodIAC" "Age of Aquarius" ? no maybe not.

I'd be interested in hearing about themes you've enjoyed or created in the past or have in mind for the future or if in fact you think this is a bad or silly idea and that Stations should just be about quality and balance of music generally. Jilly (as Kit)

6/13/2007 2:18:23 PM

I think themed stations are fantastic... when you speak of quality, I think there are many different ways to define it... for me music has always (and will always) be about fun, that's what makes it enjoyable ! and if it's enjoyable that's how I define quality. I wouldn't consider most of the songs they played on "Hee Haw" to be defined as quality by most, but they were to me. My grandfather was a fairly serious hard working man, but oh how he smiled and laughed to the music on that show! He also sang in the church choir and when he was around music he was a changed man. His eyes were full of sparkle and a hearing a good ol' knee slapper just seemed to work like medicine for any ailment or worry on his mind. I love the station managers for their creativity in assembling these stations. I have a few of my own which I truly enjoy. Dear Diary.. (Titles have to have certain dates), Internal Affairs (I try to find songs that I believe show what's inside the Artist), Lonesome Wolf Radio (Just a single guitar or piano with one howler) and my Bare Thread Stations (the early ones were just 10 strings or less to honor music that my father would enjoy), now I have broadened them out a bit, one in honor of a lifelong friend that passed away... Anyway I think you should keep up with your themed stations, they seem a lot less stuffy to me.. and stuffy isn't quality in my book.

6/13/2007 3:03:44 PM

Hey how about hypochondriac, You can do lots of songs about sickness and drugs.
But remember, drugs are bad mmmmkay.

6/13/2007 5:54:59 PM

I think your themed stations are really fun.

6/14/2007 9:01:00 PM

Niche stations yeah !

Love them!

Imagination is a gift, and many use theirs here, to identify both amusing and gritty subjects!
Also if the manager is up to changing material often, they can have longevity!

I am amazed at those fantastic stationmasters who are forever in the top 10

It is a tribute to their choices, and the support they give their fellow Artists!

6/14/2007 11:27:31 PM

I'm all for themes too. Jawz' stations are of course some of the best. Partly because she puts Bat Lenny on some of them. But they're not good because they have us on them, they have us on them because they're good!

Does that make sense?

How about anonymity of the station managers? Sometimes it's hard to tell who's making it, sometimes it's obvious. It's kind of fun trying to identify the culprit. Who's responsible for "!" ?

What I don't like are stations with dozens of songs that seem to have no relationship to each other. I'm all for variety, when it's good, but I like something you can chew on in one sitting, like 12 songs. Much more than that and the station loses it's identity as something cohesive.

Some stations are getting a bit long in the tooth. Does anyone ever delete a station?

-Stegor

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