Hi there,
It was December 1982 when Deirdre O'Donoghue debuted “SNAP!” on KCRW. The playlist reflected the forward-thinking music of the time: Soft Cell, Grace Jones, Lene Lovich, Pigbag, Depeche Mode, and others. Over the next decade, Deirdre's show went on to become a lodestar of the 1980s underground and independent music scene. That music eventually made its way to me, years later, as MTV and Middle America caught up with her. Little did I know, as a teenage suburban music nerd in Illinois, that the wellspring of my precocious musical education was coming from a basement in Santa Monica, CA.
It's been nearly 40 years since that first broadcast, and 20 years since O'Donoghue left this plane. The boy who was raised on Camper Van Beethoven and Laurie Anderson records is writing to you today as KCRW's senior producer in the Music department. And along with my co-producer, Bob Carlson, we've spent the last two years creating "Bent By Nature," a 10-part podcast series accompanied by a living online archive of O'Donoghue's work. For my part, it's been a way of repaying a spiritual debt to the woman who redrew my conceptual map of the musical world.
"Bent By Nature" is, among other things, a love letter. It’s also a celebration of possibility, a freewheeling spirit, an unwavering commitment to one’s ideals. These same qualities still represent KCRW and our community of listeners, supporters, and makers.
We know that you tune in to experience that same sense of awe and discovery and exhilaration that we feel. And in that way, we continue giving back to one another, as music has always done, from generation to generation. When you donate today, at any level, you give back to music discovery.
Sincerely,
Myke Dodge Weiskopf
Senior Producer, Music Department
P.S. Donate by midnight tonight to be automatically entered to win our New Year’s Eve Sweepstakes* — an unforgettable VIP NYE celebration at the Bungalow in Santa Monica, which includes dinner, dancing, pampering, and a night’s stay at the Fairmont Hotel for you and three friends. Good luck!
*No contribution necessary to enter. Rules can be found at KCRW.com/give
