It's official, XM and Sirius are going to merge. As an XM listener and fan of stations from 40-53 and (okay, okay) channels 7 and 8, I worry that some of the more obscure playlists will be jettisoned in favor of the most popular formats. Where else can I hear both Government Issue AND Looking Glass??
On the other hand, there are a few bands that are seriously (Siriusly? uuugggh) overplayed on XM, and I wouldn't mind a little more variety. Like, say, 90% of the time I turn to channel 49, I hear Bryan Adams. I never liked Bryan Adams even when I was supposed to, so, please. Please.
I wouldn't mind a little more Bon Jovi. Just a little. Too much can be, y'know, too much.
And, on channel 53, I want more irony-filled covers, because they're fun, like the hardcore version of Seasons in the Sun (I'm sorry I don't remember who it was...).
And Stop STOP playing Master and Servant on channel 44. I like Depeche Mode, but it has to be the right moment, and it has to be Enjoy the Silence. Or Personal Jesus.
And, how about more Pennywise on channel 54 and less Death Cab for Cutie? Market-watchers say that in a down stock market situation, hard rock does better. There are actual statistics that show this. And statistics don't lie as long as they're saying what I want to hear. So, uh, let's not forget that.
It shouldn't even be necessary to point out that Queen did a lot of other songs besides Killer Queen (even though that's a killer song) and (spare me) Another One Bites the Dust. And I never ever want to hear We Will Rock You, ever again. Only once did I hear Fat-Bottomed Girls on XM. Only once! And what about Bicycle?
Clearly this merger raises a number of issues, but I hope it will be an opportunity to address the gaps in the current programming. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have more to say on this (like, I can't believe I didn't mention David Soul-- You know, Don't give up on us, baby, it's only one black eye...)
So, I'll call this Part 1.
And, for the record, forget Saturday Night; the best Bay City Rollers song is I Only Wanna Be With You.