KCRW presents Bent by Nature: The Archives (1982-1991)
November 19, 2022 3:56 PM Subscribe
Bent by Nature, a podcast from LA's KCRW about the legendary DJ Deirdre O'Donoghue and her influential radio show SNAP, has made available live music archives from the show, with dozens of in-studio live music performances from the 80s and early 90s from the likes of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, R.E.M., Tom Waits, and Robyn Hitchcock, as well as interviews. Don't know where to get started? Here's a guide. If you still can't decide what to listen to, you're in luck--there's a 24-hour streaming channel featuring a shuffling playlist of SNAP episodes restored from Deirdre's original board tapes.
Aw. How lovely to see this shared here. Thanks!
All I will say, as a further addendum/reinforcement, is that BENT24 is by far my favorite part of this project. Deirdre's cassette archive of her original broadcasts is the greatest sonic playground I've ever been gifted. Imagine being able to turn on the radio to hear an entire generation of underground, off-center, and fiercely exploratory music in the context of its original release.
Example: I'm doing some post-production/cleanup on another episode right now from April Fools Day 1985. She opens with one of my favorite Holger Czukay tracks and concludes the first mini-set with the Temple City Kazoo Orchestra's cover of "Whole Lotta Love." She picks up again with a John Adams piece ("Grand Pianola Music III: On the Dominant Divide") and eventually drifts into "Slow Marimba" by Peter Gabriel. Also in the show: Echo and The Bunnymen with the Burundi Drummers; Tuxedomoon's Blaine L. Reininger; Alison Moyet's "All Cried Out"; a live tape by the new music ensemble Quartet Music (an early project of Nels Cline); South Africa's Abafana Baseqhudeni; and the Bill Laswell supergroup Mandingo (with Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso). Plus a whole lot more. This is all in one episode. And you have Deirdre as your guide, with a knowledge and humor and enthusiasm that ties it all together.
So, yes. If you enjoy having your mind casually blown all day long, check out BENT24 in your idle hours. I'm adding more shows to the rotation as fast as my fingers can process 'em. And thanks for listening!
posted by mykescipark at 4:54 PM on November 19, 2022 [21 favorites]
All I will say, as a further addendum/reinforcement, is that BENT24 is by far my favorite part of this project. Deirdre's cassette archive of her original broadcasts is the greatest sonic playground I've ever been gifted. Imagine being able to turn on the radio to hear an entire generation of underground, off-center, and fiercely exploratory music in the context of its original release.
Example: I'm doing some post-production/cleanup on another episode right now from April Fools Day 1985. She opens with one of my favorite Holger Czukay tracks and concludes the first mini-set with the Temple City Kazoo Orchestra's cover of "Whole Lotta Love." She picks up again with a John Adams piece ("Grand Pianola Music III: On the Dominant Divide") and eventually drifts into "Slow Marimba" by Peter Gabriel. Also in the show: Echo and The Bunnymen with the Burundi Drummers; Tuxedomoon's Blaine L. Reininger; Alison Moyet's "All Cried Out"; a live tape by the new music ensemble Quartet Music (an early project of Nels Cline); South Africa's Abafana Baseqhudeni; and the Bill Laswell supergroup Mandingo (with Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso). Plus a whole lot more. This is all in one episode. And you have Deirdre as your guide, with a knowledge and humor and enthusiasm that ties it all together.
So, yes. If you enjoy having your mind casually blown all day long, check out BENT24 in your idle hours. I'm adding more shows to the rotation as fast as my fingers can process 'em. And thanks for listening!
posted by mykescipark at 4:54 PM on November 19, 2022 [21 favorites]
Thank you for this! Listening to a bangin' Glass Eye set and I can't wait to dig into more!
posted by swift at 5:02 PM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by swift at 5:02 PM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
Bent By Nature is also the name of Glass Eye’s peak album. It’s pretty phenomenal.
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:17 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:17 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Wow thank you for this project mykescipark! I absolutely loved the podcast. I had never heard of Deidre but listening to these songs and stories were extremely evocative of certain life-times in a very moving way. I just love Lost Notes, and this series in particular was so lovely - It was notable that this was not an attempt to 'unpack' Deidre as a person as most podcasts do, although there were hints at her motivations and preoccupations. Real people remain somewhat mysterious to us no matter how well we know them. That was much more true in the pre-internet days of SNAP. I loved how the podcast captured that. I'll check out the BENT24! Didn't know about that!
posted by latkes at 5:18 PM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by latkes at 5:18 PM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
Hasn’t heard of this, sounds amazing!
posted by Going To Maine at 6:59 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 6:59 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh love the John Wesley Harding set from 1991.
posted by zenon at 8:54 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by zenon at 8:54 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
KCRW is awesome.
posted by Chuffy at 9:50 PM on November 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Chuffy at 9:50 PM on November 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
Loved this podcast and am so glad I get to listen to some of the actual shows now!
posted by vespabelle at 5:58 PM on November 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by vespabelle at 5:58 PM on November 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've been a KCRW subscriber for 15+ years and I live nowhere near CA. They are keeping that college radio vibe alive for me. Thanks for the link the archives. Can't wait to listen.
posted by ShakeyJake at 9:37 PM on November 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by ShakeyJake at 9:37 PM on November 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Now if I could just get the KITS/LIVE 105 archives from 1985-1997 my nostalgia trip will be complete.
posted by xtian at 6:17 AM on November 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by xtian at 6:17 AM on November 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
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