Link to youtube
The greatest rock station in the history of the United States, the greatest there ever will be, signs off FM radio forever with Bradley Jay selecting Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond".
As Frank D said on a local music board said, "For four days, we got our station back".
What an amazing finale, what other station would have allowed it? To bring back 41 years of people, to hear the history, stories and good music again, back more like it used to be.
I recorded much of the last five hours and will be posting some of it to youtube. Hopefully they don't get removed for copyright or WBCN posts their own. This is history and we want to keep it alive.
Did you hear the sign off live? Where were you and who were you with? I thought about going to the party at the mideast. Me and my SO listened to the end at home.
The very best job, WBCN.
Bradley Jay, great pick on the last song!
Pink Floyd "Shine on You Crazy Diamond"
Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the cross fire of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger,
You legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Treatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision,
Rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter,
You piper, you prisoner, and shine!
Nobody knows where you are, how near or how far.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Pile on many more layers and i'll be joining you there.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
And we'll bask in the shadow of yesterday's triumph,
And sail on the steel breeze.
Come on you boy child, you winner and loser,
Come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine!
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Nancy Hinchliff
Writer to the Stars
Saturn Smith
Deven McKay
Con Chapman
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Comments
I was on the air there from '84 to '90, and we revered the listeners as partners in what we did. The station's purpose was to play the music listeners wanted to hear, not what the record companies wanted to promote, and we thoroughly enjoyed making artists as accessible as possible to listeners. We were often given extra backstage passes at the Centrum, Great Woods, etc., and we grabbed BCN listeners from the milling crowds and took them backstage to meet Van Halen, Boston, Aerosmith, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. etc. etc. .
The demise of the station has brought many of its jocks back together - people who haven't seen each other in 20 years, in some cases. The common thread is that we are all heartbroken. Thank you for your kind words. I know Bradley spent a long time considering his choice for last song, and that he gave everything he had to those last four days, especially the last five hours. We all appreciate the things you've written about the station, Mike.
Perhaps culture will come around to embracing unbridled creativity once again, probably via the internet. I can hardly wait. As Oedipus would say, "Into the Future!"
Best regards,
Lisa Traxler