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I arrived in Chicago early so I could visit friends and walk around this fine city. For the uninitiated, Chicago is one of the finest cities in the world, and I’m from San Francisco, so I know of what I speak. Last year during the conference I had a habit of taking off by myself and exploring, but I figure with my new duties as Transom reporter I should stick around a bit more.
During the late afternoon I went to WBEZ and helped Julie, Johanna and Cally stuff folders for the conference. The folders come in green and rust, and there was much discussion as to which was the better color. Of the 300 folders prepared there are also five silver ones. If you happen to receive the limited edition silver, you get a tour of Mr. Wonka’s factory.
I just got back from hanging out with my first new 2004 TCIAF conference friends. Matt Hulse and Lucy arrived on Monday from Scotland. Matt curates The Audible Picture Show and will be presenting it live at the Gene Siskel Center tomorrow (Wednesday) night. He’s also leading one of the TCIAF breakout sessions and is the DJ after the award ceremony on Saturday. Multitalented! Be sure to seek them out and say hi. You can tell them I sent you.
I had multiple conversations about the death of John Peel today. At dinner we were trying to think of the closest American equivalent. We got nothing. Can you think of someone, anyone?
Tomorrow: Carrying boxes to the conference hotel. Visiting my peops at Punk Planet. Audible Picture Show at Siskel Center.
I think, maybe collective, the djs at kcrw are in the neighborhood, no, more like the same state as John Peel. Not for their social impact, but they do greatly influence the music we all hear in movies, on the teevee and, to a much lesser degree, on other radio stations. Plus, the archives on Morning Becomes Eclectic are really amazing. Tons of awesome bands in there — well and lesser known. John would have liked it.
I think KCRW did come up in that conversation. The major criteria that Matt Hulse insisted upon that KCRW didn’t meet was Peel’s impact on both our parent’s music as well as ours (well, maybe not quite our parents but a young uncle– half generation). So, time will tell if they will continue to have that sort of sustained influence. It’s pretty interesting that public radio, whose percentage of music programming is miniscule compared to commercial radio, is the thing that jumped to both of our minds. Maybe we’re biased.