Girls Against Boys "The Diamond Life"

I've said it many times before, we're not here to play what we want to hear, we're here to play what you want to hear.

This was kind of a bummer, way back in the day.

When I started at mvyradio, you had your airshift, and that was pretty much it.  And during your airshift, you played the kind of music that people would expect to hear from mvyradio.

And you did not play songs that weren't a part of the playlist, just because you liked them.  At least not without repercussions.

Sure, you could go off the playlist, but that was the kind of infraction that was likely to get you in trouble with the boss.  If you did it, it was a clear act of rebellion.

That was a bummer, because, while all the DJs at mvyradio like the kind of music mvyradio plays, we all like lots of music that mvyradio would never play.

So there was never an opportunity to share your love of punk rock or hip hop or classic rock or roller disco or whatever.

Today, it's different.

Today, we have altered how we do business a bit.  Now, every DJ on the station has the chance to host The Hot Seat, during which you can play pretty much any style of music you want.  And we have shows like The Lunch Hour and Uncharted Waters for an opportunity to stretch.

Off air, there are even more opportunities.  We have the specialty show stream, where we can play 4 hours worth of Grateful Dead every week, or Barnes Newberry can dig into obscure folk songs of the 60s.

DJs can share things that they are excited about on Facebook or on a blog.

There is nothing stopping you from featuring a song you are excited about, somewhere, even if it doesn't fit into mvyradio's mainstream programming.

Which is why, now that I'm the boss, it is infuriating when one of the DJs goes off the playlist.

Back in the day, I understood why it would be upsetting for the boss to have a DJ go off the page---its the Program Director's job to protect the integrity of the station's sound---but I also sympathized with the DJ who was looking for a place for personal expression.

Now, if a DJ goes off the page, it's not an act of rebellion, or an act of expression.  To me, it's simply an act of total laziness and lack of imagination.  With all the opportunities available to share your music and your opinions, what other explanation is there?

Which brings me to this Girls Against Boys song.  I totally dug this band back in the 90s and was super-psyched to hear they are making new music.  But one listen tells me that this is not a song that we'd play in regular rotation.  It's even a pretty big stretch for a show like Uncharted Waters.

Now, I could put this tune in the What's New For Lunch slot today.  But I won't, because it doesn't serve the station.  That's why it's here on my blog.

So that's where I started.  By saying "I should do a post about Girls Against Boys!  What should I say?"

And it has turned into a post about all the reasons not to play Girls Against Boys . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.