Parents weekend at any college means that campuses are overrun with well-wishing elders, who can tour facilities, relieve offspring from cafeteria food for a night at a fancier restaurant and even attend lectures way over their head.
Kids who have their own college radio shows often bring the ‘rents to the studio to observe their broadcasting prowess; in my case, because I was missing the usual Friday Night Rock on Radio CPR 101.7 FM in Washington, I got to be guest DJ for one night only in an early evening slot at WOBC 91.5 FM, Oberlin College & Community Radio.
I couldn’t quite operate everything in the surprisingly up to date studio and the turntables were definitely off limits. I also learned, on the fly, that you can’t play more than two songs by the same artist in a row. Which meant an end to my planned Jonathan Richman retrospective.
So here’s what I played on the radio, based on things from the car and what I could find at the studio.
Friday Night Rock, Guest DJ, 11-6-2015, 8 – 9 p.m., WOBC Oberlin College, 91.5 FM, Oberlin, Ohio.
- “If You Want to Leave Our Party Just Go,” Jonathan Richman
- “These Bodies That Came to Cavort,” Jonathan Richman
- “Right Time,” Terri Lane
- “Fifty Years After the Fair,” Aimee Mann
- “Beyond Love,” Beach House
- “Friday I’m in Love,” Yo La Tengo
- “Little Wanderer,” Death Cab for Cutie
- “Time Forgot,” Conor Oberst
- “Should Have Known Better,” Sufjan Stevens
- “The Life You Choose,” Jason Isbell
- “Gimme Something Good,” Ryan Adams
- “Beatnik Walking,” Richard Thompson
- “Tell Me That It Isn’t True,” Bob Dylan
- “Victoria,” The Kinks
Friday Night Rock returns to Radio CPR, 101.7 FM, Washington D.C., Nov. 13 at 11 p.m. Listen online at www.tinyurl.com/radiocpr.