WFMU's Beware of the Blog

Shock & Awetober on WFMU!

Shock & Awetober is in effect on WFMU!

We've got tons of live guests and listener meet-ups, plus Singles Going Steady Week, our annual Record Fair, and WFMU's first-ever RadioVision Festival all happening in October (full event listing here).

It's 31 days of raucous fun on top of a month of stealth fundraising (online/mail-only): make a pledge and snag our new "Radio Es Amor" T-shirt (below) or our Sun Ra remix CD (left).

This Fall, we're experimenting with silent fundraising, with hopes that it will be successful enough to prevent us from needing to fundraise over the air more than once a year.

We encourage you to pledge to specific radio shows on WFMU to help your favorite DJs reach their individual goals by Oct 31st.

We hope to hear from you!

 

 

WFMU's Glow-in-the-Dark Map of NJ

 
Now that WFMU's 2011 Marathon is but a happy speck in our rearview mirror, it's time to start mailing out mountains of swag to everyone who supported us. If you've pledged, thanks so much for your patience... it usually takes us a few months to get all the swag out in the mail. We've already begun sending out T-shirts and stickers, while other items continue to roll in.

One item I was particularly excited about producing this year was a glow-in-the-dark map of New Jersey. And I just can't help but show off the "daytime" version of the glow map, which was designed by Wolfy of Kayrock Screenprinting (and the band Red Dawn II). Much more NJ lore lurks when the lights go out...

If you missed out on the Marathon, but MUST get your hands on this poster, do not fret, you can still make a pledge (of $180 or $15/mo) to receive the map along with other great WFMU goodies.

And if swag is a motivator for you, don't even get me started on how incredible the WFMU bottle opener keychain turned out... Our sample was already swiped! Pledge $365 (or $30.42/mo) to get one for yourself.

WFMU Marathon Thanks!

Thanks to everybody who pledged their support to the WFMU 2011 Marathon, making it our most successful fundraiser ever!

We ended a mere $45,000 short of our goal, which is so close that post-marathon pledging could eventually push us over the top. If you would like to make a pledge, you can still do so on our secure donation page here.

Marathon payment forms will be mailed later this week, and swag will start being mailed out in April. If you have questions or problems with a pledge that you made, please contact Listener Service Czar Joe McGasko via this page. And thank you again. WFMU loves you.

If you missed out on WFMU's Marathon Finale live band karaoke party with the Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia (or even if you want to re-live the magic), the entire set's archive and playlist have been posted here.

We've even archived the video stream of the performance: part 1 | part 2 | part 3. What a night!

The Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia Returns!

It's been a really great Marathon.  So much chaos, so much engaging DJ-patter, so much mayonnaise on trousers.  And best yet, so many listeners have been really stepping up to support God's Favorite Little Champion, WFMU.  Man, it's a lotta work.  So this Sunday night, we're all getting wasted.  On the air, and also while singing.  Only we dignify it with a name: The Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia

It used to be we'd ask some band to come down here and play during our Marathon Finale party - bands such as X-Girl, Planet Filly, and the Loser's Lounge Tribute to Queen spring to mind immediately. Then, for some reason, a kinda large group of us began frequenting a certain karaoke hotspot in Chinatown, and a previously submerged area of our egos was aroused.  The instant gratification!  The applause!  The lights, the glamour and the liquor!  Boy, it sure wasn't like radio.

Then (March 2001), someone (who was it anyway?) decided a live band karaoke thing would be the way to end the Marathon, and this idea has proven so durable that we ain't quit it yet.  Ten years and counting, and it's been my total thrill to be bandleader all that time. 

This Sunday night, March 13th, we shall once again unleash upwards of 40 WFMU DJs, all hopped up on courage, upon you the person with ears, and even eyes if you've got yourself a fast internet connection.  Indulge me: The Hoof & Mouth Will Be Televised (right here), and on the air, starting up at 7pm and running til we drop.  Hopefully that means about midnite.

Much more Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia may be found on this blog:

• Here's a post featuring 2006's entire show in video form.
• Here's a post featuring 2005's entire show in video form.
• Here's a post featuring 2008's entire show in video form.

And here's hoping to see you there, it's really quite a party.

WFMU's 2011 Marathon -- Final Stretch!

WFMU's 2011 fundraising Marathon is coming to a close, and we are within reach of our goal! Please make a pledge if you haven't already, and help us keep this freeform radio ship afloat.

We've got tons of on-air excitement in store for you over the next few days and lots of webcam action, so don't miss out!

 

Friday 3/11

Noon - 3pm:  Bryce gradually morphs into an giant mass of food (watch it live on our video stream at wfmu.org).
6 - 7pm:  Andy and Frangry take it all off on Shut Up, Weirdo! and you can watch it go down via webcam.
8 - 9pm: "Flammable"? "Inflammable"? Chris T. clears it up for you on Aerial View and asks "Will it Burn?" as he tries to set fire to various pieces of WFMU swag.
9pm - mid: Pseu Braun will be joined by co-host Tom Scharpling and musical guest Doug Gillard of Guided By Voices.

 

Sunday 3/13

7pm - mid: Live band karaoke with WFMU's Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia! You can watch our live video stream of your favorite WFMU DJs belting out our version of the hits live from the stage at Maxwell's in Hoboken. At midnight, we'll draw one lucky winner for a trip for two to Barcelona to check out the Primavera Sound Festival -- pledge $1000 or more to be eligible!

 

John Hodgman, Kurt Vile and MORE live on the Best Show tonight!

Don't miss out on the Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling tonight (9pm-midnight EST): special guests include comedian John Hodgman, and musicians Kurt Vile, Carl Newman (of the New Pornographers), and Ted Leo! Amazing giveaways and more surprises are in store for Tom's second and final 2011 WFMU Marathon show!

We'll be hosting a live video stream at wfmu.org so you won't miss out on any of tonight's mirth or mayhem.

Here are just a few of the fabulous prizes that Tom will be giving away tonight:

A single and LP signed by CONAN O'BRIEN

A signed test pressing of the new KURT VILE LP

Signed CHRIS ELLIOTT BOOKS, including a VERY RARE COPY of Daddy's Boy also SIGNED BY BOB ELLIOTT!!

A super rare DEAD WEATHER TEST PRESSING worth hundreds of dollars!

A copy of I AM AMERICA that is SIGNED BY STEPHEN COLBERT

A rare GEORGE HARRISON POSTER

An LCD SOUNDSYSTEM SINGLES PACK

A signed copy of OUR BODIES, OUR JUNK

DVDs signed by director ADAM McKAY

And for the person who pledges the most over the two weeks DURING The Best Show, there's an amazing work of art created by STEVE LAMBERT. You can check it out here.

Right now the highest pledge is 1000 bucks, and this thing is worth a few thousand easy!

Tune in tonight and don't forget to pledge!

Chewbaccus Parade/Prosperity/Got arrested at the Mardi Gras for jumping on a float

Chewbacchus claims to be a "Carnival Krewe for the most revelrous of Star Wars Freaks, Trekkies, Whovianns, Mega-Geeks, Circuit Benders, Cryptozooligists, UFO Conspiracy Theorists, and all the rest of Super Nerdom."- About.com

Video provided by our friend Ali -

Yo La Tengo All Request Marathon: Setlist From Last Night

A big thanks to everyone who pledged during Yo La Tengo's live covers-for-pledges 'thon tradition last nite, and to NJ's finest for kickin' out the jams, and to our hosts, engineers, phone room volunteers, videographers, and everyone who helped make this annual WFMU Marathon tradition possible! Listeners were playing Name That Tune on twitter using the #wfmuthon hashtag, and below here's a full setlist compiled by listener Ken Katkin (Trash Flow Radio) -- thanks for sharing Ken!

 The 2011 Fundraising Marathon runs through March 13th and we still have a week's worth of prizes, premiums, and special events, so stay tuned!

Yo La Tengo - WFMU All Request Marathon
March 4, 2011

Beatles - Here Comes The Sun (George Harrison) (dedicated to people in Wisconsin)
Al Green - Love & Happiness (inaudible vocals by Georgia)
Friend and Lover - Reach Out In The Darkness
Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - A Plea For Tenderness (my request)
Ten Years After - I'm Going Home

The Band - The Weight
Alex Chilton - Hey, Little Child
Yo La Tengo - Decora
Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen - Because The Night
MC5 - Kick Out The Jams

Bob Dylan - Love Minus Zero/Like A Rolling Stone (medley)
Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - Astral Plane
The Twinkeyz - Aliens In Our Midst
The Clean - Drawing to a Whole
Hot Chocolate - Brother Louie
Velvet Underground - I'm Sticking With You

Bee Gees - To Love Somebody
Unholy Modal Rounders (Michael Hurley) - The Slurf Song
Rolling Stones - The Spider and the Fly
Rolling Stones - Monkey Man
The Fall - Totally Wired

The Crew Cuts - Sh-Boom (Life Could Be A Dream)
Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You (Gaylord Fields on vocals)
Lou Reed - Vicious
Steve Miller Band - Rock'n Me
Beatles - We Can Work It Out
Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl
MSFB (William DeVaughn) / Arthur Lee & Love - Be Thankful For What You Got

Cheap Trick - He's A Whore
Jim Croce - Bad Bad Leroy Brown
Dictators - Stay With Me
The Who - Happy Jack

The Association - Never My Love
Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talking At Me (Midnight Cowboy)
Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - Government Center

Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows (medley)
Vibrolux?
Lou Christie - Lightning Strikes
Neil Young - Cowgirl In The Sand
Roberta Flack (Charles Fox & Norman Gimbel) - Killing Me Softly With His Song
Neil Young - Powderfinger
Rolling Stones - She's A Rainbow
????
Foreigner - Feels Like the First Time
Hall & Oates - Rich Girl
Yo La Tengo - Magnet
Heart - Magic Man
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love
Television - Venus de Milo
Fugs (Tuli Kupferberg) - Nothing (WFMU Version)
Velvet Underground - The Gift
Kinks - When I Turn Off The Living Room Light

Highlights IMHO: Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You (Gaylord Fields on vocals), Cheap Trick - He's A Whore, The Twinkeyz - Aliens In Our Midst, Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen - Because The Night, The Fall - Totally Wired, Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen - Because The Night.

Posted by: Ken Katkin | March 05, 2011 at 12:57 AM

WFMU and Terre T profiled on KDAR TV!

A new web TV show called KDAR TV just posted a profile of WFMU, featuring interviews with Station Manager Ken and DJ Terre T of the Cherry Blossom Clinic. Check it out!

KDAR - Episode 1 from KDAR on Vimeo.

Reverend Billy Hawks WFMU Miracle Soap

You thought you couldn't get any cleaner, BUT THINK AGAIN! Reverend Billy, of The Church of Life After Shopping, works himself into a FREEFORM FAITH LATHER. And for a minimum pledge of $15, YOU CAN TOO! Call 1-800-989-9368, or pledge online and contribute to WFMU's 2011 Marathon. Scrub yourself on us!

WFMU On Network Awesome!

Thanks to Network Awesome for spotlighting WFMU and our Marathon!!  Be sure to check them out every day for all your TV viewing needs!  It's were all your favorite TV shows are available anytime.

Link

Tonight on The Best Show: Carl Newman and Ted Leo

Don't miss The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling tonight (9pm-mid) -- special guests include Carl Newman of the New Pornographers and Ted Leo!

The show is a WFMU Marathon special, and we'll be taking pledges online or over the phone at 800-989-9368.

Plus, we'll host a live video stream at wfmu.org so you can watch the phone room bedlam and on-air throwdown from home. Don't miss out!

WFMU's 2011 Marathon kicks off 2/28!

Bring the noise: WFMU's annual fundraising Marathon approaches!

Unlike many other bo-ring public radio beg-a-thons, your pals here at Freeform Headquarters make sure our Marathon is spastic, exciting, and a little bit dangerous. Be sure to tune in to WFMU February 28th - March 13th for some very special programming including DJ tag teams, on-air stunts, live webcam video streams, prize giveaways, and on March 4th (9pm-mid) Yo La Tengo will play cover song requests for your pledges.

We've got a new line of swag to offer, including a T-shirt designed by Tim Biskup, a Glow-in-the-Dark Map of NJ, a Bottle Opener Keychain, a USB Flash Drive loaded with hits from the Free Music Archive, and tons of great DJ Premiums for the taking! Check out the mountains of goodies and make your pledge right here.

WFMU's 2011 Marathon
February 28th - March 13th

Donate Now
Swag
Co-Host Schedule
Marathon Info
Marathon Map
Spread the word: code for banners, badges, etc.
One Donation of $1 Million campaign

 

Special Marathon Broadcasts - stunts, celebrities, prank calls, and more! Take a peek...

Yo La Tengo Plays Requests 3/4

Each year during WFMU's fundraising Marathon, NJ legends Yo La Tengo set up shop in our tiny studio and play cover song requests in exchange for pledges. The event is always highly anticipated and full of surprises, and it just keeps getting better year after year.

This year, YLT cover request madness hits the WFMU airwaves on Friday March 4th, 9pm-midnight EST, during Pseu Braun's show (Gaylord Fields will be co-hosting). Synchronize your watch, get your requests ready to fire, and be sure to tune in. We'll be hosting a live video stream of YLT's set at wfmu.org, but it won't archive the set, so don't miss out!

WFMU Marathon Approaches: Feb 28 - Mar 13

WFMU's annual fundraising Marathon is just around the bend, and as usual, we're offering some killer swag and freeform radio love in exchange for your generous donations.

The fabulously talented Tim Biskup designed our new t-shirt (left), which you can snag for a pledge of $50 or more.

We're also offering some incentives for folks to pledge early: anyone who donates $180 or more before March 6th will receive a special, limited-edition re-print of Marco Almera's "Dead Air" tee (right). Plus, if you pledge early, you can claim virtual naming rights for your favorite WFMU fixture or DJ. Check out our 2011 Adoption Gallery to peruse the items and DJs up for grabs.

The Marathon runs Mon Feb 28th - Sun Mar 13th, with tons of surprises in store! We hope you'll join in on the fun and help us with a donation so we can keep on keeping on.

The American People's Favorites Of 2010

Dear music nerds,

While you were thinking about the recent resurgence of tape culture, most of the American public was listening to musicians you've never heard of.  In the event that you are among squares this new years, you'll need to be prepared with a completely different set of references.  Here's a primer: a reverse chronological chartsweep of the #1 hits on the Billboard adult contemporary charts in 2010, starting with Mariah Carey's "Oh Santa!".  But don't stop there!  Listen to the current top 15 to really feel hip to the moment.

The Best Music For Adults In 2010

I made this chartsweep myself and I will be offering this entire chartsweep back to 1961 as part of my marathon premium for my radio show early next year.  Oh yes, all your dreams are coming to you soon.

Here.  Watch this Shania Twain music video until you figure out mass culture.  (seriously though, this is a great song) 

Pledge to WFMU now to send Ken up with helium!

WFMU is taking pledges RIGHT NOW to send Station Manager Ken aloft with helium balloons! Pledge now to help us reach our goal by noon! For every $1000 we raise, we'll fill up a balloon and tie it to Ken, who is in the WFMU parking lot in his favorite lawn chair. If we're successful, Ken will lift off!

Click here to pledge or call 800-989-9368! Live video feed of the whole debacle below, and photos from the parking lot scene here (courtesy of Jeff Moore)...

 

Why WFMU's Helium Balloon Flight Will Be Different (video)

If WFMU reaches our Lift-Off campaign goal this Wednesday and sends Station Manager Ken into space with 25 tanks-worth of helium balloons affixed to his lawn chair, it will be a triumphant moment. Can you picture it? I'm not actually sure what it's going to look like (fortunately there'll be a live video feed) but I can already imagine the feeling of looking up at the sky to see Ken -- a tiny speck burried in a sea of multicolored balloons -- and all of us down in the parking lot here in Jersey City smiling with great pride, just knowing that the station will be able to stay afloat through the frigid dark winter months ahead. Why? Because everybody chipped in -- either by pledging to the station and/or by putting their lives at risk -- to keep freeform radio afloat!

But did you know that our visionary leader would not be the first person to take flight through the power of helium? In fact, there's an entire website devoted to "Cluster Ballooning," and I've been reading up on some of the most famous examples in an online science magazine called the Darwin Awards:

• Father Adelir Antonio de Carli (left) was a Brazilian priest who attempted to break the world record for helium-propelled flight back in April 2008. The stunt was meant as a fundraiser for his parish. He set flight from the port city of Paranagua on April 20th 2008, never to return.
• In 1982, "Lawn Chair Larry" (right) spent 16 hours on his favorite lawn chair eating sandwiches and drinking beer at 16,000 feet above Los Angeles. "The Federal Aviation Administration was not amused," but he did inspire a whole generation of cluster balloonists.

  Both of these stories end in tragedy, but WFMU's story will be different because we are taking some precautions. For example, they didn't think to use a safety harness, or to hire a sniper to take out a few balloons in case the wind picks up and Ken floats into air traffic control space (good idea Rich Hazelton!). Many of us have even gotten a jump start on pledging, since pledge-fuel is the only variable that is not yet fully accounted for. And earlier today, Ken was hovering right outside my window testing the strength of his harness. Hey wait a minute -- he's still out there! And his harness seems to be holding strong despite today's snow flurries and 10-degree wind chill... that is a good omen.

As we prepare for Wednesday morning's launch and figure out a safe place to store these 25 extremely volatile helium tanks, I'd recommend reading more about the history of helium-balloon powered flight and watching a rare video of Father Adelir Antonio de Carli after the jump.

Also, be sure to tune in to this Tuesday's Thunk Tank (7-8p ET). Station Manager Ken joins WFMU's Chief Science Office Bronwyn C. to discuss the aeronautic research behind Wednesday's lawn-chair-and-balloon fundraising launch.

Pledge for WFMU's Lift-Off campaign: December 8th!

One week from today (December 8th), WFMU will be taking pledges over the air to send Station Manager Ken aloft with helium balloons! Tune in or watch our live video feed to witness the madness firsthand! The pre-game show begins at 9am, and we'll be taking pledges 11am-noon.

The launchpad: WFMU's parking lot. The vessel: Ken's favorite lawn chair. The fuel: your pledges, realized as giant helium balloons; for every $1000 we raise, we'll attach another balloon to Ken.

If we're successful, we'll raise $180,000, and Ken will lift off! Pledge online or over the phone between 11am and noon on December 8th at (800) 989-9368. We've even got shiny new swag for the taking: a t-shirt designed by Tom Frost, and a WFMU baseball cap! Help us make radio history!

New Facebook app

The WFMU Marathon is into its second and final week, and you can help us meet our goal by making a pledge!

Be sure to add our new Facebook App to your profile to help us spread the word.

Attend our Marathon Event on Facebook, add #wfmuthon to any Twitter posts about the Marathon, or visit wfmu.org/2010 for a wealth of embeddable code available for you to post on your blog or website.

We can do it with your help! The Marathon ends on Sunday...