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Once in a while when the Listmaster wakes up in the morning, he wants to turn on the radio and listen to the popular music of the day (and of days passed). Unfortunately, as most of you know, radio sucks: one station is bland boy pop, the next is misogynist rock-rap, the next "More than a Feeling" by Boston. Ah, you say, what about Napster? Well, the technologically challenged Listmaster can't even use Microsoft Word.* Hence a good radio station is still the dream, so for this week's list, the Listmaster plays programmer and presents to you:The Top Ten Songs on the Playlist for the Listmaster's Fantasy Morning Radio Hour
1. "Till the End of the Day", The Kinks. This will most definitely wake me up (and when I crank it up loud enough, the neighbors as well). This is also on the list since it would be refreshing to hear a Kinks song other than "Lola" and "You Really Got Me" on the radio.
2. "Party Girl", Elvis Costello and the Attractions. I will need something mellow after the Kinks' heavy riffing, particularly if I'm waking up from a hangover. "I could give you anything but time."
3. "Alone Again Or", Love-"I think that people are the greatest fun." This is poetry, people.
4. "Cynthia Mask", Robyn Hitchcock. In my liminal state, a little Hitchcockian surrealism will properly orient me into my waking life.
5. "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone", Sleater-Kinney. At this point I probably have pressed snooze about three times, and a Corin Tucker wail is a scientifically tested and proven anti-snooze method.
6. An advertisement for LARGEREGO, the station's only sponsor.
7. "Dayton, Ohio, 1903",Harry Nilsson. A Randy Newman-penned reverie for my post-Corin trauma.
8. "Children, Run Away with the Man with the Candy", The Frogs. I'll need something to offend my delicate sensibilities and spur me on to the tooth-brushing and beard-shaving portion of the morning.
9. "The Ballad of Only You and the Can Prevent Forest Fires", The Young Fresh Fellows. At this point, I will be singing along in the shower and fantasizing that I actually wrote this orch-pop masterpiece.
10. "Tell Rico I'm Fine", Monikker. The morning wouldn't be complete without a little vanity programming. It's my second best song.
Charles Sterne
041701