Take a Run at the Sun
3am-5am on KUCI 88.9fm (kuci.org)
"Surf and Other Syrupy Sweet Summer Songs"
The growing idealization of summer.
The legend of surf, sand and sun.
Endless and overflowing optimism surrounding California:
as the "farthest West" that America could reach,
as the 50s ideal of good clean fun,
as the 60s ideal of freedom -- how much freer could one be with the sea underneath you and the sky above you?
Is there any other kind of paradise that transcends age, socioeconomic status, race, gender, etc?
Even the tackiness of the 70s and 80s reached the beach, canonized it in their own way...like neon pink sunglasses (to match neon pink lips) being lowered by a blonde girl wearing an obscene one-piece, her hair piled high on her head.
People all over the world have come to idealize California -- not just the image of beautiful young people with so little to do and so much time, but also the sounds of California.
The cry of a surf guitar has come to exemplify California, just as the ukulele does for Hawaii, or a steel lap guitar calls to mind a wide expanse of midwest country clubs. Add some stacked harmonies via the Beach Boys, maybe some jaunty piano or skitterish tambourine, and smooth it all out with walking bass lines (so similar to blues bass, but in major keys). Every one of these songs radiates earnestness and optimism -- sometimes overbearing, sometimes even pathetic, but always with a dreamy smile.
This show will feature actual (often obscure) songs from the height of California Dreamin; as well as the many modern acts that are nostalgic for a California that may have only existed in dreams.
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