More than a fascinating piece of Smithsology, the '80s radio takeover is a story of redemption - Denver westword.com Untold Stories blog
By Dave Herrera Wed., Feb. 27 2013 at 9:00 AM
Excerpt -
The first and probably most obvious question for [James] Kiss some 25 years later is why he had hatched a plan to take over the radio station in the first place, and perhaps equally as plaguing, why the Smiths? "My intention was to throw my life away," Kiss recalls. "If you're going to throw your life away, you might as well do it in a way that makes the most sense to you, I guess.
"I guess you would have to understand the Smiths and know the Smiths, which I'm sure you do," he adds, "to understand that there's something poetic about a Top 40 radio station playing all Smiths songs." It certainly would have made for a startling contrast to listeners, as the station's playlist at the time consisted of songs like "Don't Need Nothing but a Good Time," by Poison, and a host of other tunes with similarly superficial sentiments, such as "Don't Worry, Be Happy," by Bobby McFerrin. "Oh, my God," says Kiss. "To somebody who's depressed, when that song comes on...oh, God."
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By Dave Herrera Wed., Feb. 27 2013 at 9:00 AM
Excerpt -
The first and probably most obvious question for [James] Kiss some 25 years later is why he had hatched a plan to take over the radio station in the first place, and perhaps equally as plaguing, why the Smiths? "My intention was to throw my life away," Kiss recalls. "If you're going to throw your life away, you might as well do it in a way that makes the most sense to you, I guess.
"I guess you would have to understand the Smiths and know the Smiths, which I'm sure you do," he adds, "to understand that there's something poetic about a Top 40 radio station playing all Smiths songs." It certainly would have made for a startling contrast to listeners, as the station's playlist at the time consisted of songs like "Don't Need Nothing but a Good Time," by Poison, and a host of other tunes with similarly superficial sentiments, such as "Don't Worry, Be Happy," by Bobby McFerrin. "Oh, my God," says Kiss. "To somebody who's depressed, when that song comes on...oh, God."
Related items:
- Did a Smiths fan really hold a Denver radio station hostage in 1987? - westword.com - Feb. 19, 2013
- So that story of the Smiths fan who held a station here hostage in the '80s? It's true...well, sort of - westword.com - Feb. 22, 2013
- The Smiths '80s radio-station takeover: What really happened according to the police report - westword.com - Feb. 26, 2013
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