Radio Play My Favorite Song

Something rather surreal happened to me late one night (or early one morning, depending on how you look at it).

On the way home from doing some serious after hours drinking at a suburban Chuck-E-Cheese, my friend's brother, who was taking my friend and I home, was changing the channels on the radio when I heard something familiar. It was dark, moody, dense, yet beautiful. It took a few seconds but when it clicked I shouted in excitement.

"HOLY FUCK THEY'RE PLAYING THE ARCADE FIRE!!@!"


Radio picking up on bands I love an album or two late is nothing new. In 2004 commercial radio and MTV had a field day with Modest Mouse and Interpol, if you'll recall. Bright Eyes' single "Road to Nowhere" was played to death in these parts, and he even scored a high profile (and much talked about) gig on Jay Leno. My Morning Jacket even got some airplay last year with "Off The Record". So the Arcade Fire getting picked up is really, no surprise.

I just wish KC was as cool as the other cities that, you know, were already playing them when Funeral came out! On a recent trip to Minneapolis, the company I was with and I were treated to "Power Out" one night while we were driving around. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments of spontaneity that only hearing it on the radio, not on CD or iPod, could provide.

So please, keep playing Arcade Fire. Play "Black Mirror" and "Keep the Car Running". Play some "Laika" and some "Tunnels" while you're at it. I honestly don't care. I know what playing my favorite "indie" bands can do to them, ticket prices, etc, and I honestly just don't fucking care. The Arcade Fire, like the Shins, Interpol, Modest Mouse, deserve to have their songs played. Other bands do too, I'm well aware of that. But we have to start somewhere, and if the Arcade Fire getting airplay brings us one step closer to hearing the latest Deerhoof single on the radio someday, I personally am all for it.