By Jack Stephen
I take the day off to enjoy spring skiing at the Loveland Ski Area.
What do I listen to?
Hopping on the I-25, I tune into 93.5 Pirate Radio in Fort Collins. It is a classic “Boomer” station playing oldies, 1940s through the 1980s, as well as jazz, doo wop, and big band. I like how this station is super mellow and chill. It has an attitude of “hey, here’s a song to make you smile.” The concept of Pirate Radio was the idea that radio stations could operate outside of government boundaries and be free to play what they want, without government oversight. The same was true of “Border Blasters” in the United States (also see Mexico radio station XERF); these stations would broadcast at 250,000 watts bypassing the FCC regulations of 50,000 watts at the time. These stations supposedly led the way of exploring underground sounds—not sure it was a bit before my time. I do remember the famous DJ Wolfman Jack, who had a great look and a great story. Anyhow, 93.5 Pirate Radio Fort Collins plays songs you “want to hear but never hear.” I guess Pirate Radio has come full circle.
They play “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo” by Lobo. I don’t know much about Lobo, but he probably had a strong presence on the Adult Contemporary charts back in the day. Pretty cool song and message. It has a vibe of easy days—just rolling around the country. “How I love being a free man.” I get that.
Driving down the road, I tune into 97.3 KBCO, the seminal Boulder station, billed as world class rock. Overall, this is a pretty pitiful station, as the playlists always seem contrived and pompous. I’m not sure that I ever needed to hear Sugar Ray or Evanescence. But seeing how, ironically, 93.5 Pirate Radio is no longer accessible, I tune in for a few songs.
They play: “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2. This is the opening track off the seminal Joshua Tree album, produced by Brian Eno. This is a pretty good album, but “Where the Streets Have No Name” is not really a great song. Nonetheless, this record was the album of the year in 1987. U2 was pretty big with my generation (Gen X), but I always thought they were a bit overrated. They are the perfect band for KBCO. The early albums were cool, especially Boy and October, but it just felt like they got pretty cheesy as they became more mainstream. Maybe they get a lot more credibility in Colorado because they recorded their live album Under a Blood Red Sky at Red Rocks—I don’t know. I do really appreciate the Joshua Tree title. I agree with U2, Joshua trees are magical. Just go to Joshua Tree National Park; you’ll feel it. Not sure what they think about the song “With or Without You” however.
I finally make it to Loveland Ski Area after a two-hour drive. Skiing these days is expensive; an all-day lift ticket here is $120! Sadly, skiing has become a sport for the well-to-do. This is unfortunate because skiing is a pretty amazing experience.
Taking a lift to one of the warming huts to stash my lunch, I happen to overhear a couple of the staff setting up the concession bar.
They are listening to “Friday I’m in Love” by the Cure. I’m a pretty big Cure fan, even though I was a “little late to the party.” I got pretty deep into the catalog and was a huge fan of their albums The Top and The Head on the Door. They first arrived on my radar with their hit “Killing an Arab.” This was pretty poignant because I was also reading The Stranger by Albert Camus around the same time. It was a real sweet connection—a great book with a great song to match!
The staff only play about a minute of “Friday I’m in Love,” which I understand. It’s not a great song, sappy and melodramatic. It is not a top one in the Cure Catalog for me or one to hear while setting up the short order grill for the day.
What do they quickly skip to? “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie. This was my entry track to David Bowie. I think I saw the video first, as it sometimes happened in the 1980s. Cool video, cool song, and what a cool guy. I think this album/song was a bit of a comeback album for Bowie as he was in a bit of a commercial lull at time. This track introduced me to the Bowie world. I’m a pretty big fan, especially of the Station to Station album, which is stacked with one great song after another.
A vignette: I ski down the Premier Bowl, a double black that drops down from the #9 lift at 12,700 feet above sea level. I quickly realize I need to watch myself, because my skills feel wonky, and a wipeout seems imminent. I go slow and make big giant slalom turns. I feel the edge of my ski get caught, and I go down in a massive crash, smack my helmet and loss a ski. As I lay there in a huge pile of snow, I laugh at myself. What an idiot, “You are not an expert skier anymore!” I struggle to get up and get myself together. I get my ski on and head down slowly and deliberately. I move on to an easier part of the mountain.
I ski down a run, a green (easiest) run, called “Forrest Meadow.” It is nice and easy. I get into the moment and just focus on the beauty of being on this mountain and making some solid turns.
What song is in my head? “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” by the Allman Brothers. I’m a big fan of the Allman brothers. I once saw them at Red Rocks. I was shrooming my ass off. Right when they came out, a full moon rose above the stage. It was incredible. This track is pretty sweet, a southern rock instrumental jam. You can hear some jazz influence in the writing, that classic AABA form. I love the Dickey Betts and Duane Allman guitar interplay, and Gregg Allman throws down some pretty good organ as well. I discovered this song was tribute of sorts to this girl Dickey Betts was having an affair with at the time, Carmela Scaggs wife of Boz Scaggs. You don’t hear rock instrumentals very much, and this song did it right.
What song should have been in my head? “Lowdown” by Boz Scaggs.
A vignette, part 2: I’m on my skis looking around. It reminds me of being in the ocean. Some of this water on this mountain might make it to the ocean. To ski down on a huge frozen body of water on 12,000-foot mountain is an absolutely surreal scene if you think about it.
I wrap up my day and hear some faint music, as I pop out of my skis at the base near the lift named “Chets Dream.” I wander up the stairs and stumble into a performance by three white guys playing in a reggae band! Wow, that’s pretty sweet. They didn’t sound great—the same beat and guitar part seemed to resurface in every song. It didn’t sound like they did much of a sound check either. I haven’t seen much live music recently, but it is always noticeable if the sound is off. I looked them up later and learned they are band out of Denver called Kedron Asphalt Palace (https://kedronasphaltpalace.com/). I’m not sure if I’ve ever been to a reggae show, but these guys weren’t really selling it. I’m not sure white dudes should be really playing reggae.
As I walk back to my car, doing the heel to toe walk you do in ski boots, I faintly heard them playing “Straight to Hell” by the Clash. I guess I take back what I just said about Kendron Asphalt Palace, well some of it, anyway.
What is my theme song for the way home? “Watching the Wheels” by John Lennon.
