The Coolest Show in the World.
By Herb.It’s not The Sorpranos, though that was a pretty cool show, and sad to see it end, if it ended or whatever happened. But, it does star one of its’ cast. And it’s not even a TV show. It’s a radio show.
Many Sunday nights, I revert to my childhood, jump into bed and ditch the lights (radio sounds better that way ) and tune into Little Steven’s Underground Garage. Little Steven, best known from Bruce’s band and as (dead or alive?) Silvio on the Sorpranos, is the master of ceremonies behind a weekly rock and roll circus where you’re likely to hear everything from original garage band Count Five to contemporary garage ( Steven’s term) like The Charms (my fave) and a sprinkling of the Stones (the London Record years), Iggy and, of course, the Ramones. And each week, Steven keeps contemporary garage alive and kicking featuring a different “Coolest Song in the World” and introducing bands heard little on commercial radio.
Little Steven has created a soundtrack of my life (not to be confused with the Swedish band Soundtrack of Our Lives that he plays regularly and who are very cool). And if you’re not into appointment radio, you can check out the Underground Garage website, hear past radio shows, see playlists, station listings and all things garage whenever you want.
And there’s a method to his madness. A friend of mine told me that there’s only one rule that guides the choices Steven makes. The rule: it’s got to have inspired the Ramones or been inspired by the Ramones. For me that defines good music: from The Wall of Sound to The British Invasion to 70’s punk, Nirvana and it’s present day descendents.
But the brillance of the show doesn’t lie in just the music—it’s what surrounds the sounds. Soundbites from classic b-movies (are there any other kind?) like Hell’s Angels, or non-sequitors from tough guy James Cagney, The Marx Brothers, or Batman (the TV series, of course). Add tributes to true iconoclasts like Roger Corman, Alan Freed, Brian Wilson, and culture markers like Shindig, CBGB’s and odes to everything from go-go girls to songs of Summer, narrated in Steven’s very cool way and you’ve got radio that’s audio and visual.
And that’s cool. Thanks Steven.
June 12th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Little Steven’s got a vision of when all was cool with the world. It’s great he shares it with us.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I HEART satellite radio. Terrestrail radio sounds absolutely dead — commercials, repeated songs, lack of smart talk, restricted langauge — by comparison. It looks like Stern was remarkably prescient.