By ALAN SCHERSTUHL
The last time the hippo left the city, the city begged him back.
In 1997, outraged that then-23-year-old rock station KY102 had, under new owners American Radio Systems, dumped Styx and the Nuge for an all-Alanis, all-the-time format, Max Floyd's Rock 'n Roll Army fought its last great battle. They protested, rival stations hosted eulogies, and Kansas City suffered its greatest radio-retirement controversy since KCUR had shitcanned Walt Bodine a year before.
As with Walt, the complaining worked. The hippo returned, shades and all, at his new address: 99.7 KYYS, somehow less badass than 102.1, where throughout the '70s and '80s the KY signal commanded a fat quarter inch of most receiver dials.
The hippo kept on keeping on. But he was old, now. He fretted at this angst-music the kids liked, played a lot of Joe Walsh, hosted an Elvis parade once in a while, and passed many hours reminiscing. ...
Used to be, back before the money boys took over, he'd take requests, or spin Pieces of Eight straight through some nights, or say “Hey, I got a visitor, so here's a side of Dark Side of the Moon.”
He'd let listeners program five songs together into a “Perfect Album Side” and then actually play it, uninterrupted. He held a poll to decide once and for all whether or not Aerosmith sucks. Biggest of all, from '74 until sometime in the eighties, he cobbled together an AOR canon of Zeppelin, Journey, Kiss and Foreigner and then, as the world changed, he hardly ever deviated from it, hewing to the same playlist with such dedication that you wondered why the hippo needed on-air personalities – it's not like anyone needed to be told what song had just been played or what was coming up.
Soon, the 18-to-30s who made him number one in '79 became 30-to-40s and 40-to-50s, regular folks who bought minivans, found sports talk, and stopped building up enough Led to need help letting it out on any regular basis.
This January, the hippo left again. There's no outrage, this time. The city knows the past is the past, and dwelling on it is like looking back at a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac. We can speculate about how the hippo finally knew knew the party was over: Was it more than a decade of being bested in the Arbitron ratings by upstart sunglassed-animal-rival the Fox? Could it be he, too, finally got sick of “Dust in the Wind?” Maybe it was that afternoon last year when the cast of Wild Hogs clowned around on Oprah, snuffing at last whatever life still flickered in the canon of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll?
Tune to 99.7 FM today, and you'll hear something called “Quality Rock.”
Listening to Quality Rock on The Boulevard is like plugging in to the hippo's sister's iPod. There's some KY in it, still: Creedence, a lot of Petty and Mellencamp, too damn much Genesis, some early Springsteen, lots of Alan Parsons, and “Rambling Man” and “Listen to the Music” at least once a day. But there's also Tracy Chapman, Edie Brickell, Barenaked Ladies, Dave Matthews – all stuff that makes that long-gone hippo happy he's still wearing shades, because he'd hate anyone to see him cry.
There's some pleasant surprises: “1985” by Wings, Elvis Costello's “Alison,” the fact that some of the Alan Parsons holds up really well, especially the synthy freakouts at the end. But then, at noon on January 31st, The Boulevard potholed-out with a back-to-back double dose of suck: Billy Joel's “Big Shot” leading into “Stand” by R.E.M.
Somewhere, Walt Bodine smiles. He outlasted rock. Next on his list: sky, water, and fire.
Showing 1-10 of 10
This topic was very informative and well written. I plan to do some more research on this. Thanks for sharing this timely information. We need more like this.
I am and will be forever and always be a true hardcore loyal and devoted fan and follower of KY so help me God. Max Tanna Moffit Skid Franky Marty Wall Doug Slacker Von Mack (sorry if I didn't spell any of your names right and sorry if I missed anybody.) You guys and gals are the greatest on the face of the Earth. If at all possible I personaly and I'm sure others too, would like to see you all back together again on the air. And be sure to bring KY, The Hippo and Doug and Slacker's Slug Van with you!
Why do people always take something good like KY and see how fast they can fuck it up?
ky was a way of life in my house, working on race cars with my dad when i was a kid, the first kiss, my first joint, my 101st joint, my virginity, ky was there. yes the city didnt get in a uproar this time about it, maybe becasue we are all to worried about our own jobs, morgages, mini van payments and so on and what nots. i did morn ky this time as i did last time, yet im one that dosent like change. but i am glad to say im a or was a ky listener. i have stories to tell, and someone will listen.
by the way i have a great web site you all should check it out. im trying to pay my bills to. www.knifesupplysource.com
The King has thought long and hard about losing his friens at KY. 99.7 never played my songs but they gave me a parade. Nothing lasts forever except our memories. 34 years is a long time but our friendship will go on even longer. Max and Tanna, thanks for the good times!
99.7 is off my dial forever. I've heard cats copulate with more rhythm than the corporate crap they play on the new train wreck of a station that they try to shove down the throats of the lemmings. Entercom is screwing the pooch in the KC market, no promotion for the old KY, their 61 sports station getting their asses handed to them by WHB, the "neutered Wolf getting banged regularly by Q104....I know, bring in some new brass to shake things up...and they are gone. Watch out 98.9, you could be next. Correction...you will be next.
I'm experiencing the stages of grief...and have moved on to the fox, since I just don't enjoy the crap that 'matters'- we miss you, Max, Tana, Slacker!
The hippo was a victim of top to bottom radio programming that sidelined DJ initiative, and instead counted on top brass marketing cats. KY had long lost touch, with personalities like Slacker, who hid behind his mic and only gave out the show call in number to certain select few. They thought they could get away with playing the same 3 dozen songs over and over again, thinking that they could impress us with "no repeat weekends." Lame.
They certainly lost their balls some time ago. And automoton stations like the boulevard will continue to take up the airspace untill there are no DJ's left.
By far the best DJ's in town are the Lazlo gang from 96.5, who, while being sophmoric in their negative "everything sucks" attitude, still retain some flavor of humanity.
I disagree that there is not any outrage. It is just that the outrage is not organized. I have not tuned my radio to 99.7 sincr the change, and it will be a long cold day in hell before I do. KY was the best thing on the air in KC and now I and many others are lost.
like
dislike
