2016 has been a remarkable year.
As I write this Blog, over 80 well known and loved celebrities have died in 2016, including many music artists. I always find the death of a well-known celebrity upsetting, I don't know why It makes me feel like it does, often these are people I have never met and don't know personally, but somehow because I've grown up listening to them, watching them and enjoying what they do, it feels like they've been a part of my life, and it makes me sad. This year especially has been horrible, with so many high profile names leaving us, including, amongst many others....
“Where words fail, music speaks" - Hans Christian Andersen
Music has been a large part of my life, I've been on the radio since I was 16 years old (at the time I was the youngest presenter ever on British radio with my own show). I started my record collection at the age of 9 and I am still adding to that collection to this day, I love music, all types. I didn't want to become a radio presenter to become famous or rich, my sole reason for wanting to be on the radio was to play music to as many people as I could. As any music radio presenter will tell you, there is a very special feeling you get playing great music on the radio, either finding a wonderful new song to play to your audience for the very first time, or playing a classic song that everyone loves.
Music has always been a passion, a great melody or a great voice can still make me cry, and often does. I sometimes find music can be better than photographs for instant recollection of special moments in your life, school years, first girlfriend or boyfriend, meeting your life partner, Marriage, birth of your children, holidays. Listening to a song can instantly transport you back to a special moment in your life, that's the power of music from all the amazing artists who write and perform it everyday.
A new radio format borne out of death...
When David Bowie died on January 10th this year (2016) closely followed by Glenn Frey from the Eagles (January 18th) and Maurice White from Earth, Wind & Fire (February 4th) It gave me an idea. The idea was to create a unique radio station that only plays and celebrates the music of artists who are Dead. As with any simple idea, at first I thought somebody else must have already done it, my knowledge of UK radio is pretty good, so I knew nobody in the UK had done it. However, I was sure somebody must have already done it in America (biggest radio market in the world) but no, nobody had done it anywhere in the world, so this idea of mine, the concept/format would be totally unique and a radio first.
Next, what should I call it?
I dislike anything that is bland and so much radio now is mind numbingly bland, including so many lazy spin offs of existing radio brands, no creativity, no variety for listeners, just dull radio. I love the name Radio Dead, it's interesting, it's different, it creates conversation, it's unique.
Radio Dead is now up and running as an on-line/app based radio station.
What is now interesting and macabre, is listeners are now actually contacting me and predicting who they think will be next to make an appearance on the Radio Dead playlist. Slightly morbid, yet truly fascinating. In a year like this year, when so many famous celebrities have died, I'm sure many people have had similar conversations at work or at home, who will be next? It doesn't make you a bad person or insensitive, it's just life, it's the type of stuff people talk about.
So who will be next?
Radio Dead is absolutely creating debate in offices, pubs and households across the UK, it appears to be catching the attention of the public. Artists are also contacting me direct to check if they're on the playlist. The latest to get in touch on Twitter is Dennis Locorriere, lead singer from the band Dr. Hook (When you're in love with a beautiful woman/A Little bit more/Sexy eyes).
Here is the tweet that Dennis sent me......
What I'm finding absolutely fascinating is when an artist dies, Radio Dead is fast becoming the very first radio station listeners think of, this was the case when Prince died and more recently when Pete Burns died, I suddenly had 100's of messages on my phone from people telling me these artists had died and that I now had additions to the Radio Dead Playlist, that is pretty powerful stuff. Radio Dead is the only radio station in the world that only plays artists who are.....Dead, and I don't just feature solo artists and lead singers, it also celebrates and remembers guitarists/drummers/keyboard players and backing singers from famous bands.
In a world where we now listen to the radio in so many different ways, the Internet now gives listeners access to Radio Dead everywhere in the world via live streaming www.stevepenk.co.uk and the Radio Dead app.
Apparently we're all living longer these days, but so many wonderful celebrities have died in 2016 including Gene Wilder, Robert Vaughn, Kenny Baker (man behind R2-D2) Muhammad Ali, Victoria Wood, Sir Terry Wogan, Alan Rickman and Caroline Aherne, to name only a few. I'm hoping one man can make it beyond December 9th this year, because it's a very special birthday for an iconic Hollywood star.
December 9th 2016 will be the 100th birthday of Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas. Come on Kirk, you can do it.
Listen anywhere. Download the Radio Dead App here:
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