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November 12, 2006
The Rock
WRNO has always been the rock of New Orleans, but where you found it on the dial has been a matter of some dispute.
For years it was 99 FM. In fact when I was a kid I heard some DJ claim that Toto's song "99" was written about them.
Somewhere around 1980 or so, some wingnut in marketing decided that if you rounded 99.5 off to a whole number, you got 100, so it became "FM100 WRNO", but it was still The Rock of New Orleans.
And during my long exile, digital tuners were invented so finally the fully-qualified 99.5 could become the official moniker.
And it's been playing the same four songs all this time. When I was in junior high, it was always Boston, Foreigner, Zeppelin, AC/DC. In high school, I discovered WTUL, where I got a big education in the Ramones, the Cramps, Echo & the Bunnymen, and Joy Division, while 'RNO was still playing Boston, Foreigner, Zeppelin, AC/DC. Interspersed with a little Zebra.
I'd come home from college during the 80's, my mind all full of Sonic Youth and Pere Ubu and Mission of Burma, and I'd tune in 'RNO and I'd be irate. "It's still goddamn Boston, Foreigner, Zeppelin, AC/DC! What the fuck is with these people?"
And as I got older, I learned to accept that some things don't change. That New Orleans is a backwater in a lot of ways, it's got a strong mullet heritage, and that every mullet town needs a mullet radio station to keep the memory alive. Teenage parties at the levee, drinking Miller ponies while the stereo in somebody's Mustang blasted Boston, Foreigner, Zeppelin, AC/DC, until the police would chase us away.
I even started to like Boston a little bit. I always loathed that band so much back then, that nowadays whenever I hear Boston, it makes me nostalgic for those happy days when I was really fucking hating Boston.
WRNO finally goes over to an all-talk format tomorrow, and 40 years of The Rock comes to an end. I was gutting houses with some Tulane students all day today, and they had RNO cranked real loud, they knew all the songs, all the words, and I thought how weird it is that I'm out here with a bunch of kids half my age, who think the music of my youth, music made before they were born, music that is as old to them as Elvis is to me, is worth listening to.
And it was all mother fucking Boston, Foreigner, Zeppelin, AC/DC.
Tonight in the car, I got a little snippet of Little Steven's Underground Garage. Not typical 'RNO, but to my ears a more fitting way to go out.
I spent half my life hating it, but I'm going to miss it.
Posted by ray at November 12, 2006 10:12 PM | Permalink
Categories: [music | new orleans ]
Comments
They might be back. They went to complete 70s pop crap and were called The River for a stretch in the 90s, and by the time I got back here they were normal WRNO again.
Posted by: candice at November 13, 2006 12:22 AM
Oh, The River format. He even had that in Fargo. My wife loved it because they switched to all Xmas music all the time after Thanksgiving. I don't think I could handle another 10 years of Frosty the Snowman every time I ride in her car.
Posted by: Mark Folse at November 13, 2006 6:30 AM
San Antonio has, or used to have, two stations like that. It's a magnet for hard rock/hair band reunion tours. I don't think Austin is like that...I wonder if there is some sort of non-contiguous Mullet Belt in the U.S.
Posted by: Hiromi at November 13, 2006 8:43 AM
It never ceases to amaze me how intensely connected my children are to the music of my youth. I think it says something about the music.
Posted by: Sophmom at November 13, 2006 8:57 AM
I had heard it before that the "kids" aka college age generation insert-letter-here'ers were listing to actual music, but I was still stunned to witness a bunch of them pull out Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, etc. and be totally into it.
They may be hope for the world, yet.
I still remember WRNO's temporary all Led Zeppelin format. I though it could be interesting to hear all that Zeppelin that gets little to no airplay, but all they did was play the same seven or so songs they always played over and over...
Posted by: celcus at November 13, 2006 2:25 PM
When I was up in MS visiting my family I was surprised to find my 13 yr old neice listening to Tom Petty. Great taste - must take after her Auntie Mermaid!
Posted by: TravelingMermaid at November 13, 2006 3:19 PM
Hey Bra!
MAN do I feel OLD now ~ first I turn 39 . . . now THIS?! EEEK! It's worse than the concerts on the President coming to an end! sigh
I share your sentiments, then and now.
Posted by: Gina in N'Awlins at November 13, 2006 7:47 PM
Here, we have two classic rock stations one is the Van Halen station (at least one song per hour) and the other is the Boston, Foreigner, Zeppelin, AC/DC station. The latter hasn't changed format since I moved here in '85, except some Metallica tossed in to appear hip.
They do play Alice Cooper's Night Show which is a fresh approach to the format. Actually, I wish Alice would become their program director.
Posted by: Whirly at November 14, 2006 6:06 AM
Oh, and Tucson had a "River," too.
Funny name for a town where the river only runs once or twice a year.
Posted by: Whirly at November 14, 2006 6:08 AM
Aw, man, I wish the President still had live music.
I remember when U2 played there while I was in high school and wishing I had the money to go. Next time I got a chance to see them it was in a huge arena and I still kick myself.
Posted by: Ray at November 14, 2006 11:40 AM
Also, part of why the Tulane students know the music is that we no longer -have- a rock station for the kids around here.
Posted by: candice at November 14, 2006 6:48 PM
That's true.
Even WTUL seems a lot more fuddy-duddy-ish than I remember it, and definitely more staid than the other college stations I've either worked at or listed to a lot. KVRX in Austin is definitely alterna-hipster driven, but that's 'cause they boot you out once you're not a student any more. Which has its plusses.
Posted by: Ray at November 14, 2006 8:01 PM
WTUL has a lot of non-students as DJ's.
Posted by: mominem at November 14, 2006 11:38 PM
tul had the bimbo show. oz used to be above tip's with a mike thru the floor for the live broadcasts, and clear channel and entercom shared the only functioning radio tower right after katrina with some of the greatest oppisites attract radio hosts in all memory.
the old wrno capt. humble shows , vance degennieris old mr bill radio show before it was a snl skit and katy caraways comedy skits on tul before she became a traffic reporter.
good times all.
there will allways be good radio folks. dont get to hung up on what's out there right now. like ray said it will be tomowrows nostalgia. more than a feeling!!!!!!!!!!!!
for some good radio that we will all be waxing nostalgic about in the future check out the swamp pop station around 103 on the fm dial they are still small enough to have cool local commercials and local d.j.'s its to good to last for ever.
Posted by: rickngentilly at November 15, 2006 2:50 AM
p.s.
i used to wish i had heard all the great radio shows of my elders time.
after katrina i realized i too had heard some good radio as well.
it's a great liquid medium and there are some gems out there in the rough that we havent heard yet.
at least to our knowledge.
at least we know what we dont like which makes it easier to hit the scan button.
Posted by: rickngentilly at November 15, 2006 3:00 AM
I'm feelin' pretty good about 104.1. Don't know who owns it - corporate or whatever - and don't really care as long as they play good music.
I tried 'TUL but found it pretty boring. But that's just me. :)
Posted by: TravelingMermaid at November 15, 2006 8:41 PM
Mermaid - I caught 104.1 this afternoon, and I feel pretty danged good about it too . . . any station that plays The Cults, "Fire" is good by me! Programmed on my stereo immediately ;~)
Posted by: Gina in N'Awlins at November 15, 2006 10:28 PM
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