E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren agrees with his "boss" Bruce Springsteen - radio is nowhere.
The lead track from the E Street Band's new album has hit a nerve with commercial radio for being too close to the bone. Programmers are doing their best to ignore it.However, Lofgren agrees the appeal of FM music radio has all but vanished.
In an exclusive interview with Undercover, Lofgen said "In general, in 1967, a good buddy of mine opened up one of the first FM stations on the planet. Fortunately in the 60s, the Top 20 was like The Beatles, The Stones, The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Kinks, Herman's Hermits, all these great bands with great records. Then there was Stax and Motown. The Top 20 was full of great stuff. But even back then, Buddy Miles Express, Electric Flag, Blues Project ... all of those great bands that weren't in the Top 20 you heard on FM radio. Also, the old blues guys, you heard their catalogue. I fell in love with that concept. Now, in the name of money, radio is about playing twenty songs and making millions of dollars so why change?"
Commercial radio, both in the United States and Australia, gave up hiring music directors and presenters who have ears a long time ago. Radio is researched to death. There is no gut feel. "It is just silly. Even if there is one DJ who has two hours everyday and turns you onto good stuff"? Lofgren says.
In the USA, music fans have found a new outlet for hearing new music, but unfortunately Australian radio is stuck with the bland formats of the less than adventurous Triple M, Nova and Vega networks. "Satellite radio today is turning us onto that," Lofgren says. "A lot of Modern Pop stations are stations that aren't burdened with the Top 20. Radio today, the life has been choked out of it. That's just radio. It's just a business. Music fortunately is thriving. Friends, young and old, they hear about stuff that they would never hear on Top 20 radio. Fortunately, we are free to turn each other on to great new stuff. There are some formats popping up that do play a lot of stuff that is not on the Top 20 list. Thank God, because it is just not practical emotionally if you are a listener".
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band released their new album 'Magic' last week. The album featured 'Radio Nowhere'.
