College Radio Is Diverse, Not Elitist

I did not attend the UC Irvine Offspring show on Aug. 20 reviewed by Mike Boehm (“What Price Glory for Offspring?,” Calendar, Aug. 22) but I have been, as he has, thinking quite a bit lately about the status of so-called “punk” and whether it hasn’t completely been turned into a commodity. But what really set me off was Mr. Boehm’s remarks about “narrow-minded, contemptibly clubby college rock tastemakers, who will repudiate good music for the sole reason that it can be appreciated by more than a small coterie of the superior elite.”

The purpose of college rock programming is not to “repudiate good music.” Nor is college rock out to “out-punk” or “out-alternative” anybody. It strives to give exposure to artists not represented by the mainstream stations. With “alternative” and “punk” rock such a commodity these days, college radio is forced by its very nature to look even further underground. I think the Offspring are good at what they do, and since what they do is (finally) being recognized now, it simply is no longer college radio’s place to give them exposure when it could be giving it to someone who is unheard of because of lack of advertising or label support (or even a label). We played the Offspring when no one else would; now they get played everywhere. We need to keep moving.

As for the comment that the deejays are “narrow-minded,” I challenge Mr. Boehm to listen to a day of college radio and tell us that it isn’t more diverse, more accepting of different musical styles and genres than any commercial station on the dial. College and public radio are incredible resources and assets to any community, ones more people should take advantage of and support, not slag on.

DAVID MOSSO

Irvine

Mosso is program director for radio station KUCI-FM 88.9.

After reading Mike Boehm’s dissertation on the Offspring’s performance at UCI, I thought “here we go again, let’s pick on a band that makes a hit record.” The Offspring isn’t the first and won’t be the last band to embrace punk ideals, kick out a driving sound and subsequently become successful. Artists make music for creative purposes, then along comes MTV, continuous airplay and critics screaming “sellout!”

Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain hardly looked like a scary punk front man. Even with his tattered sweaters and nappy blond hair, he had the same boyish, blue-eyed all-American good looks as the Offspring’s Bryan Holland. However, both understood/understand the Angst, disillusionment and anger of their generation.

Although parts of Orange County are “the epitome of suburbia,” there definitely is a thriving music scene here. Like Nirvana and Seattle, the Offspring is just the first to really break out and make The Industry take notice. And when the feeding frenzy really begins, some will praise the Offspring for bringing attention to a long-neglected home of musical talent while others will blame them for exploiting and commercializing it.

Let’s be hopeful that if Bryan Holland gets fed up, he’ll return to USC, finish his Ph.D. research in microbiology and live happily ever after, while Kurt rests in peace.

NOEL CHRISTINE ALZUA

Huntington Beach