History Mixtapes
History Mixtapes explores how music and history intertwine. We will explore how the past can come alive by using music as a primary source, but also think about how listening to music and musical exploration can help us see the past through different lenses and lead us into new ways of connecting. We all tell stories with music: in playlists or mix tapes or other myriad mechanisms. And no one puts their story -- or the past's story -- to the same soundtrack.
History Mixtapes
Extra Episode - Voices of WXPL: From New Kids to Metal Legends
In this episode, Katherine Jewell revisits her ongoing research into WXPL, the college radio station at Fitchburg State University. Despite being caught up with end-of-semester duties, she shares their her oral history project insights, including the station's journey since the 1980s, its musical influence, and some notorious events. The episode highlights the station's deep connection with metal music, mentioning notable DJs, iconic artists they collaborated with, and memorable promos from bands like Alice Cooper and Motorhead. A plea for college radio alumni to help preserve radio history by digitizing old recordings, and teases the next episode featuring Karen Cox on jazz history.
Hi, everyone. I don't have a new episode for you this month, because the end of this semester with my five preps and all of the things got the best of me. So instead, I'm going to take you into a little bit of a journey of what I've been doing regarding college radio research. So this summer, as I posted on my sub stack, I started an oral history project about w XPL at my home institution of Fitchburg state university. Now the station. Has a pretty recent history and the world of college radio, it got onto FM in the early 1980s. It had a tiny studio in the library, and then it moved down into the basement of Thompson Hall. The station became known by getting added to the liner notes of New Kids on the Block's first album Hanging Tough because one of the Knight brothers, there were a number of them was a student at Fitchburg state and a DJ on w XPL and Davie-D at WXPL was one of the first to play New Kids on the Block on the radio. And that is why w XPL gets a mention in the liner notes. Now as I was exploring this station's history and doing oral history interviews, one alumni mentioned a rather infamous event that took place. And I thought he was exaggerating when he told me that in the fall of 19 88, 27 members of the radio station were arrested. He was not exaggerating. I went to the Strobe, the Fitchburg State College student newspaper, and yes, there on the front page on November 23rd, 1988. There's a headline 27 w XPL members arrested. The party that they were having off-campus was called break a record, get a record. And apparently the landlord was not informed that there was going to be a party taking place at the basement of their off campus. Apartment. As it was reported, the owner of 33 Congress Street called the police to report a disturbance in the basement of that dwelling. When the Fitchburg Police Department arrived, the 27 students were arrested and charged with trespassing. The students were booked brought to the Fitchburg municipal lockup and required to play non-refundable bail fee of$20. The 27 or at least later that evening. Evening. This was not a school-related event. The record smashing party was a tradition of members in which they would basically gather up old records that the station no longer wanted or needed, and they would get together and have a good old literal smashing party. Now I don't know that this is a record in terms of college radio history or radio history in general of the number of students arrested, but it certainly stuck out in my mind. But w XPL was known for a lot more than just infamous shenanigans shall we say? It also was known for its musical influence, particularly in the realm of metal. So there was a show called the Big O Thrash Show later called just the Big O. It originated by two DJs named Mike and Mark, who I had the pleasure of talking to. They were deeply connected into the world of metal music in the Northeast. They were constantly going to shows whether in downtown Fitchburg or in Worcester or in Boston. And these two intrepid DJs would go up to band members and they would get them to record promos for their show. And when I tell you that they were enterprising, I am not joking. So I'm looking at my file that they sent me and I have more than 70 of these promos that they recorded in the late 1980s and early 1990s featuring many names that you would recognize.
Al Petrelli:How you doing? This is Al Petrelli helping Alice Cooper trash the world. You stay tuned to 91. 3 WXPL and we're gonna trash Fitchburg real soon.
Yeti Stereo Microphone:Yes. That was a member of Alice Cooper. They're members of Anthrax, Biohazard, Celtic, Frost, Coroner, Crucified, Dark Angel, devastation, Entombed. So many names from the world of metal and underground metal. And of course the one that stood out to me was this one.
Lemmy Kilmeister:Hello Fitchburg, wow, I wonder what the streets are called. This is Lemmy from Motorhead, serves you right again and you're listening to the Big O Thrash Show. I didn't know Royal Grissom did a thrash show. WXPL 91. 3, be creative with this one. What do you want me to do, knit a bloody pullover? Have a good time boys and girls.
Yeti Stereo Microphone:So WXPL's legacy lives on, and I hope to gather many more episodes in the history of the station, interview alumni and my winter wish is for everybody to go and delve into their basements and see what recordings you may have laying around. Let's get those digitized. Let's get the history of college radio preserved. You can always email me at kjewell1@fitchburgstate.edu to find out how you can do this. So I will back in January with our next episode, with the inimitable, Karen Cox delving into the history of jazz in Chicago and Mississippi, and have a lovely and happy new year.
Hi, this is Bob Mayo from Orgasm. And this is Mike and Mark's Big Ol Thrash Show. And he'll tell me what that means as soon as I'm done with this ID. On 91. 3 WXPL, Fitchburg State College Radio. See you soon.
