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"My 3 Songs" for New Year's Eve

Posted at 1:57 PM on December 31, 2007 by Steve Seel (1 Comments)

Chris Silker of Mpls writes today, "As the year draws to a close, I find myself looking back ... and looking ahead."

1) Mark Mallman, "Remember the 20th Century"
2) The Mountain Goats, "This Year"
3) Semisonic, "This Will Be My Year"

Excellent set, Chris. Man, what a year it's been. I want to thank everyone who's requested a M3S set this year -- it's been a lot of fun handing over the controls during the noon hour, and so many of your sets have been great, great radio.

Here's what blows my mind, every day: in age when we all get our music from so many sources: iTunes, mp3 players, satellite, TV shows like "Grey's Anatomy," musty old broadcast radio can still draw so much passion and involvement from people. Every day, I take requests, and I think, "That person didn't have to request that song from me; they could have paid 99 cents and heard it immediately, and then owned it." But no; they call and request a song, as if this were still 1965 or something. They get into the whole process of connecting to the outside world via a radio station -- in a fashion that was supposed to be long dead -- and fostering a communal experience of listening/discovering/enjoying together. Incredible.

Things change. They change more rapidly all the time, now; who knows how long this will all last. Think of what life was like just in 1998, for Pete's sake: look at how much things have changed since then! So, change is a given and a constant. I always get a bit sad and sentimental bidding another year farewell, knowing it will never be back. But, as the floor moves beneath our feet, here's one thing I know will stay constant: the meaning of music, and the value it will always have in the life of those of us for whom it means a little more. May it bring us together in the coming year, and help us rise up against all cynicism and against those who believe it is merely a product for us to buy. To those of us who understand that music is not just "something pleasant," like an air freshener, but a life-sustaining force: salut.

Happy New Year.

Comments (1)

Thanks, Steve - it was fun to be sitting on my couch and hear my name on the radio.

I think that downloading a song and requesting a song are really different experiences. Trying to come up with a good analogy for it. Downloading and listening to a song is sort of like an email conversation - more private. Requesting a song is sort of like blogging - a shared conversation.

Posted by Chris | December 31, 2007 10:34 PM

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