Current Not Jack

Public radio is starting to get into the anti-format format known in the commercial world as Jack or iPod format because it supposedly mixes in a greater variety of tunes. Minneapolis public radio has The Current which sounds like a less annoying version of WFMU and has surprisingly made the DJ's music choices once again the focus of radio - here's a discussion between some music lovers about the station in the Star-Trib. So when is DC gonna get hip to all this? Public radio here is mostly talk and jazz these days - they've even stopped playing classical music :

CR: Ultimately, I don't care what their personalities are; I care about what they play. Bill DeVille definitely gets my vote in that department. I did a road trip on July 4th and didn't once put in a CD thanks to him. He played sets such as Boomtown Rats with Betty Serveert with Gram Parsons with one of those especially weird new White Stripes songs.

My favorite Current moment so far, though, was driving home one night at about 2 a.m. and hearing a new Nick Cave song, "There She Goes, My Beautiful World." It was religious. That's now my favorite song of the year, and I doubt I'd have heard it without 89.3.

JB: That's the bottom line about the Current -- it is introducing serious music lovers to good new music and throwing in the occasional golden oldie nugget without burdening us with blocks of commercials. I find myself pushing the buttons in my car less than ever.