My XPN Musical Moment

Another 885 countdown? AAARRRRGGGG. The idea was cool 2 years ago but now it's wearing on me. I wasn't into this whole Musical Moment thing but then the other day something made me remember when I "rediscovered" XPN and I thought - that was a moment. So I submitted this. Probably not as cool as someone's Live Aid experience in 1985, but it'll have to do.

Coming Around Again

My art teacher used to play XPN all the time when I was in high school. Of course, I was 17, 18 years old and was more interested in Top 40 (I know, shame on me). I would complain and he'd constantly say, "They play everything, Chris!" I'd give the station a chance and hear a few good songs one day and then hear something I didn't like and be back to my Top 40. Well, sometime in 1996, my senior year, a co-worker saved my soul and reintroduced me to singer-songwriter music and some independent stations. He was my go-to guy for all awesome music. In early 2001 we had this falling out and I remember grieving the loss of the friendship - on so many levels - but one being what on earth was I going to do for good music now? That summer I heard Pete Yorn's Life on Chain for the first time while station surfing on North Broad coming home from work and landing on XPN. WHOA. Who's this?! That was the moment. I was instantly hooked. But because I didn't know the artist, I went to the web site and tooled around and found SO much more than I ever knew existed - playlists, programming, Funky Friday, concerts, arts events. And right then - hot sticky miserable mid-July and still sad - I knew that I'd be OK. I came into my own, discovered XPN on my own, in my own time and I wouldn't fall apart without this friend and his cool artsy knowledge because now XPN was my new friend.

I became a member and have since volunteered and remained actively engaged in the music that's so important to me. Thanks XPN for coming into my life when I was 23 and despairing, and giving me hope again - in great music and in myself :) The chorus is so appropriate:

"And I was waiting over here for life to begin,
I was looking for the new thing,
And you were the sunshine heading my front-line,
I was alone, you were just around the corner from me."
-Pete Yorn, Life On A Chain