COOL QUARANTINE BROADCAST #001
04-07–20
Fanatic! I hope you're reading this. If so, thank you. This is a format Engineer X and I have wanted to do for a long time. I think the concept is best summed up by paraphrasing a press release I wrote for KCRW several days ago.
For many years, Engineer X and I have had this idea for a long form show. I mean really long form. Like hours. To do it terrestrially would be difficult because we would be crowding other shows out. But if it was online, hey.
Recently, I got an email from Tyler at KCRW and we got to writing back and forth about programming ideas. I pitched him on this online only show called The Cool Quarantine. It's as many songs as I want, language issues are not a factor and if anyone gets bored, they can just turn it off or mark the time they checked out and resume later.
The idea is that you're in your room, Engineer X and I come over. We play songs, I tell you stories and we do time together. Now that many of us are under some kind of confinement, we might as well get some good listening happening. Let's go long!
We'll put one up and see what you think. It's kind of like the show we do on Sundays but without time constraints or worrying about FCC compliance.
It's an extra slice of pizza. It will be completely indulgent, Fanatic of course, and hopefully, as Iggy Pop, the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Of Rock And Roll says, "a real cool time."
You can access the show here:
https://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/music-special/henry-rollins-radio-longform-joy-division-ian-mackaye
Here's another thing I wrote up for The Cool Quarantine that gives you some details for this, our first but hopefully not last CQ broadcast.
Hello, wonderful KCRW listener. Here is a brief description of what we’ll be checking out on this, our first broadcast of the Cool Quarantine!
This is a show free of the constraints you might be accustomed to on regular terrestrial radio.
One of my favorite things about music is that often, there’s a good story about any one album or song. I specifically put tracks into this show so I could tell you the story before we play the song. A couple of examples from this show would include a live Cramps track from 1979 that was recorded by Ian MacKaye and also, the first cassette I ever copied. Another would be a live Led Zeppelin track from the time Ian and I saw them play.
We will be playing different songs from different bands of course but we’ll also be listening to entire albums, EPs and singles. At four hours, this is lonnnnnnnnng form programming!
So, why did we start the Cool Quarantine? Two reasons. The first is that I wanted to make a show that felt like those great hang outs you might have done where you and some friends descend on someone’s house, everyone brings some records and the jam session goes and goes. Also, I know that you might be spending some long spells in your dwelling, so I wanted to make a show that conformed to that.
That’s it, basically. The wheel has not been reinvented, no great breakthrough in broadcasting has been established. It is hopefully, a good time. I’m so glad and thankful that KCRW has allowed Engineer X and myself to do this.
If you like the show, please let someone at KCRW know and if the interest is there, we’ll make another one. Engineer X and I are here to serve!
That's it, pretty much. For now, we're not going to post the track list. I just want you to listen and not necessarily know what's coming next. In a week or so, Lisa will re-post these notes with all the songs. For now, please hit play and STAY FANATIC!!!
–– Henry