# OK, I'm going to be a radio DJ now... - your music suggestions count! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229 "2003-07-31T22:15:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/1 "2003-07-31T22:15:35Z")
I’ve been offered the chance to fill some slots on a local community radio station; looks like I’ll have five sessions of two or three hours to fill, all the royalties and licensing are taken care of, I just have to choose the music I want to play. It is run by a church, so although I get a reasonably free hand (and I’m not planning to play any ‘christian’ music just for the sake of it), things like Iggy Pop and Frank Zappa are probably out of the picture. It has to be something that ‘most’ people can enjoy listening to, so although I’ll introduce a little bit of obscure stuff, most of it has to be fairly mainstream, but can span 80s to present day. Maybe this is too corny, but I plan to have a theme for each session - for which I will think up snappy titles later, but essentially: **Predominantly female voices** Annie Lennox, The Corrs, Kosheen, etc… **Predominantly male voices** Some Britpop, Some Boy Band stuff, some solo etc **Mellow** Ballads and pensive stuff. **Harmony** Specifically songs where good use of vocal harmony is made (Extreme - More than Words, for example) **Power** Things like (but not necessarily specifically) Dire Straits’ _Money for Nothing_, Van Halen, anything with some ‘power chords’ So… I have quite a lot of ideas already, but three hours is a long time to fill and I don’t plan on a lot of lengthy links - your suggestions will be warmly welcomed. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/2 "2003-07-31T23:21:24Z")
You never get to hear enough of The Jayhawks on the radio. You can also do a Blues themed show, with the first half acoustic and the second half electric. Good places for BB King and Stevie Ray. Sounds like fun. Wish I could do something like that. I’m sure the public is glad I can’t. 🙂 * * * _“Lets get them meek bastards **NOW!** ”_ ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/3 "2003-07-31T23:30:29Z")
The Coral, Coldplay thats my contribution, they are excellent Prog rock and Indie bands ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/4 "2003-08-01T00:18:03Z")
Showtunes! There are never enough showtunes on the radio. Plus, you can play whichever ones you want because when you say “It’s from a musical” people just nod and assume it’s clean. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/5 "2003-08-01T05:00:58Z")
🆒 ! The late Eva Cassidy has a beautiful voice: [http://evacassidy.org/eva/](http://evacassidy.org/eva/) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/6 "2003-08-01T05:08:55Z")
Moving this to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/7 "2003-08-01T05:27:56Z")
Singer-Songwriters. I do fill-in for a two hour show weekly show a friend has been hosting for a couple of years. This Sunday I’m sitting in again with a theme “Chicks with Picks.” Playlist includes cuts from Joan Baez Joni Mitchell Janis Ian Suzanne Vega Bonnie Raitt Jude Johnstone Laura Love Indigo Girls Melissa Etheridge Eliza Gilkyson Tish Hinojosa Iris Dement Tracy Chapman Hope that’s helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/8 "2003-08-01T05:55:07Z")
It’s bordering on the obscure, but on Predominantly Female Voices Day how about some **Jane Siberry** (beautiful voice, I like her early stuff best) and/or **Shonen Knife** (kind of a cross between Hello Kitty and the Ramones, I also heard them once described as “bubblegrunge”, and I’d love to know the church’s opinion of a song like _Catnip Dream_). ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/9 "2003-08-01T06:32:53Z")
“Bela Lugosi Is Dead” by Bauhaus – a nearly 10-minute opus for when ya gotta take a big dump. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/10 "2003-08-01T06:41:40Z")
Back in the day — and I’m dating myself severely, here — the long-stay-in-the-can music of choice was the blissful 17 minutes and 5 seconds of Inna-gadda-da-vita, courtesy of Iron Butterfly. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/11 "2003-08-01T09:58:27Z")
Gee, you are really restricted there. Here are a few suggestions to push a very small envelope… **Male voices** Stone roses Crowded house Split enz - Message to my girl Travis - WDIAROM The Church - Under the milky way Lloyd Cole - rattlesnakes Can you slip in ‘dear god’ by XTC. Nice mellow lyrical song …ok maybe not **Female** Kirsty MacColl Frente - Kelly Steet The Sundays Avalanches - since I left you Carpenters - just to make sure they dont tune out Dido - thank you Clanead - when its time to go to sleep Catrina and the waves - Walking on ss - when its time to wake up There’s half-an-hour. Hope that is of some help. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/12 "2003-08-01T10:03:57Z")
Play some Leo Kottke. Not many people have heard of him, but once they have, many of them go bananas about him. I want to spread the word. I second Joni Mitchell (early album stuff), the Sundays, Indigo Girls (“Chicks with picks” hurr hurr hurr.) Lemon Jelly And as a nod to the old Christianity thang: Halleluja - Jeff Buckley (not the original Cohen version, which bites, IMO) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-im-going-to-be-a-radio-dj-now-your-music-suggestions-count/192229/13 "2003-08-01T15:10:10Z")
Why play pop? Try entertaining your listeners with: Mozart’s _Concerto in D Major for Piano and Orchestra_ Handel’s _Messiah_ Ellington’s _Black, Brown and Tan_. I especially recommend the version where Mahalia Jackson sings “Come Sunday.” Gershwin’s _Rhapsody in Blue_ and _Symphony in F Major for Piano and Orchestra_ J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos Maurice Ravel’s _Pavanne for a Dead Princess_ There are many other classical and jazz pieces.