London's most excellent arts radio station, Resonance FM, has announced a day of special programming for Saturday, June 19th, from midnight to midnight local time. From the station's website:
Most radio stations rely on playlists. Most rely upon the repetition of familiar tunes. Resonance104.4fm, the award-winning radio station which famously does not have playlists, presents an entire day devoted to a single song.
Radio Yesterday presents 24 solid hours of radio in the company of The Beatles’ “Yesterday,” reputedly the most covered song in history – in as many cover versions as it’s possible to secure. Midnight to midnight, the day after Sir Paul McCartney’s 68th birthday.
Radio Yesterday works on many levels. It’s a forensic examination of “variations on a theme.” It’s an homage to an enduring masterpiece. It’s an investigation into what turns a pop song into currency. It’s a satirical take on “golden oldie” playlists. It’s a exercise in casual listening taken to a crazy extreme.
As comfort zone turns into endurance test and back, Radio Yesterday is presented as a conceptual radiophonic artwork, conceived and produced by Ed Baxter. It is curated by Dan Scott who will be live-blogging throughout the day. It features the voice of our favourite continuity announcer Piers Gibbon.
I had the good fortune to visit Resonance FM on my last voyage to the UK in 2003. (One of the very few occasions in which I exercised my WFMU cred in order to receive special treatment... Though in all honesty, my good pal and London resident Vicki Bennett was really the one who earned my access through the green door, as it were.) I immediately recognized the people running the show at Resonance as kindered spirits in broadcasting. They operate with an acute adoration of radio, but are just as eager to embrace web-based technologies in order to best adapt to the rapidly changing face of the medium. They are great people running a great organization, and their efforts—thematic or otherwise—are well worth our attention. You can listen online with this link. Viva Resonance!
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