I have to admit a weakness for WXPN-FM (88.5) during times like this - its 885 greatest all-time artists marathon - when I've been ripped from sleep by Pantera, tucked in by Kate Wolf (unfortunately, I was driving at the time), and generally boggled by sets that define eclectic, flowing from De La Soul into Loretta Lynn into Bobby Darin.
But even more entertaining has been the almost-live blogging at Teenage Kicks, the work of two music heads who met at the 'XPN bulletin boards, and thought the world needed to read their takes on the listeners' picks. They were right.
Picture Mystery Science Theatre - two wise guys sitting in the front row as the show plays, delivering a rat-a-tat-tat of one-liners, faint praise and foaming raves.
The blog is called Teenage Kicks (teenkicks.blogspot.com) after the 1979 song by the Irish punk-popsters called the Undertones. Blogger Trip McClatchy is 49, a circulation manager for TV Guide. Blogger Michael Atchison, 38, is a writer and stay-at-home dad in Kansas City who listens to the station over the Web. They've never met - haven't even spoken by phone - but have essentially the same record collection, McClatchy says.
"Why are we doing this?" Atchison asked the other day. "Who wouldn't do this?"
A sample of their commentary:
Song No. 401. Journey
T: Combining the worst of many genres, Journey still managed to sell more records than the Beatles. Ixnay on the OurneyJay.
M: They got one good song ("Don't Stop Believin' "), which makes them better than Styx, and no sense of humor, which makes them worse than Weird Al. Who's crying now? Me, for one.
Or:
No. 394. Donovan
T: Full of fairies, mystics and flower power, Donovan's template sounds like a recipe for disaster. But he amazingly pulled it off with a string of influential, massive late '60s singles.
M: As far as hippie folk goes, he's pretty entertaining, I suppose, but hippie folk only goes so far.
Or:
No. 681. Eminem
T: Great songs, voice of a generation (for better or worse), cretin.
M: Massive talent, major jackass.
Some artists are easier to write about. McClatchy says he prefers ones he really loves or really hates.
"Pantera I can come up with something for. It's more the Duncan Sheiks and Melissa Ferricks of the world that trouble me. They're just so bland there's nothing to say. Well, they played Duncan Sheik's 'I Am Barely Breathing.' And I was barely listening. Some are easy."
