Morrissey is going to be on KCRW this morning. Yes, you read correctly, the Moz father will be on Morning Becomes Eclectic with Nic Harcourt discussing his favorite music, his new album, “Years of Refusal” and his disdain for traveling. In true Morrissey style, it has taken him 10 years to finally appear on the program. Morrissey’s stint as a guest DJ will air at 11:05 a.m. You can either listen at 89.9 on your radio, or tune into the live stream online.

“Sitting down with Morrissey was both daunting and exciting. He is such an interesting person, with strong opinions and immense musical talent. He does not mince words when he dislikes something, but when he talks about music he respects, he is an outspoken fan,” said KCRW Music Director Nic Harcourtin a press release.

Though Morrissey describes modern music as “all hype and no substance,” his first song choice as Guest DJ was “What Took You So Long” by the Manchester-based band, The Courteeners. Cockney Rejects, one hit wonder Mr. Bloe, Jobriath and Noel Coward classic take on the State of England, “There are Bad Times Just Around the Corner,” which he called “lyrically mesmerizing” – round out the list.

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Sometimes it’s really hard to fall asleep. With this heat wave going on, who can blame you? To help with the insomnia, I’ve chosen some great tunes to help you fall asleep. Here is your Perfect Playlist for the week:

1. The Beatles - Hey Jude | Preview
2. Enya - Only Time | Preview
3. Bob Marley - No Woman, No Cry | Preview and Buy
4. Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You Into the Dark | Preview and Buy
5. Augustana - Boston | Preview and Buy
6. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Love Burns | Preview and Buy
7. Brand New - Limousine | Preview and Buy
8. Elliot Smith - Miss Misery | Preview and Buy
9. Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time | Preview and Buy
10. Coldplay - The Scientist | Preview and Buy

Picture By Mayr

Sometimes it’s really hard to fall asleep. With this heat wave going on, who can blame you? To help with the insomnia, I’ve chosen some great tunes to help you fall asleep. Here is your Perfect Playlist for the week:

1. The Beatles - Hey Jude | Preview
2. Enya - Only Time | Preview
3. Bob Marley - No Woman, No Cry | Preview and Buy
4. Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You Into the Dark | Preview and Buy
5. Augustana - Boston | Preview and Buy
6. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Love Burns | Preview and Buy
7. Brand New - Limousine | Preview and Buy
8. Elliot Smith - Miss Misery | Preview and Buy
9. Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time | Preview and Buy
10. Coldplay - The Scientist | Preview and Buy

Picture By Mayr

It was October 30, 1938 and families across the U.S. kept their radios tuned as they cooked dinner, read the newspaper, or cleaned the floors. Suddenly, a terrifying announcement struck the radio waves: an alien attack on Planet Earth was imminent!

While the event was, of course, Orson Wells’s fictional concoction, “The War of the Worlds,” radio’s impact upon the American population was undeniable. Visceral imagery, enchanting voices, and, of course, an amalgam of shocking sound effects absorbed listeners in the fictional other-worldly happening.

Radio today may not have the same kind of immediate impact upon a large portion of the American population as it did in the 1930’s, but that does not mean that the radio play is extinct. Just look to L.A. Theatre Works, a theatre company founded in 1974 by producing director Susan Lowenberg, that produces a new radio play each week for broadcast on NPR stations across the nation.

Initially a small theatre group founded by Lowenberg and other LA actors, including Richard Dreyfus and Edward Asner, the goal of L.A. Theatre Works simple: to share classic and contemporary theater over radio airwaves and archive audio collections of their productions.

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KCRW (89.9FM) kicks off their new Guest DJ Project today for LA listeners! The program is basically a bunch of well-known people, from all walks of life, coming onto the show and DJ-ing for 10 minutes. They get to pick the songs, explain their choices, and ramble on about whatever else they may feel is important.

Guests include late night host Conan O’Brien, actor John Cusack, world champion surfer Kelly Slater, “Juno” Director Jason Reitman, award-winning playwright Neil Labute, “Top Chef” host and author Padma Lakshmi, Director and skate legend Stacy Peralta, DIGG Founder Kevin Rose, Danny Devito, Comic artist Tim Sale, actor Jason Schwartzman, actress Famke Janssen, and many more.

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If you’ve been paying close attention to the music scene lately, you might noticed quite an influx of talented British women that have finally made it to the forefront following years of their male counterparts achieving fame. First came Amy Winehouse, then Lily Allen, followed by X Factor winner Leona Lewis, Duffy, Kate Nash and then of course there was Adele. The 20-year-old from Tottenham who was hailed as the “new Amy Winehouse” by the British press.

To put it simply, her voice is amazing and one of the best I have heard in years. She sings her sincere and heartbreaking lyrics with such fluidity that you really feel she must be singing to you, and this is what really sets her apart from the crowd. With her tousled ginger hair, guitar and her strong presence, Adele is the one to look out for.

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I don’t know about you, but I like listening to the radio. It not only gives me a chance to break out of my normal music routine, it allows me the chance to discover new music. Unfortunately, most of what’s on L.A radio at the moment is absolute junk, in my humble opinion, and believe me I know, as I have to meticulously flip through about seven stations in the over 2 hours I unwillingly spend in my car to and from work. There’s a commercial between every 5 minutes of music (sometimes 15 if you get lucky) and the DJ’s never have anything particularly interesting to say. They’re probably the only ones who think they’re funny. It’s a bit obvious they’re losing listeners by the amount of ridiculous sweepstakes they have which requires you to have your ear glued to the radio if you want a chance at having them pay your bills, or send you to the Hanna Montana concert or give you a free tank of gas on Fridays.

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Are you stuck in L.A’s cement jungle during rush hour on week night, wishing you had teleportation powers and enough patience to make it home? Tune into Says You! on 89.9 KCRW at 7:30 p.m. It will not only make your drive more than almost bearable, you’ll get to learn useless (and useful!) information to impress your friends with when the weekend rolls around.

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So, you’re sick of all the music on your iTunes. There are only so many times you can bust out the old Pixies CD. And if you hear that “Music is My Boyfriend” song one more time you’ll spontaneously combust. So go check out www.pandora.com and free yourself from your music misery.

You tell this genius little site what your favorite bands are and it creates a radio station just for you. Pandora plays music it thinks you will like based on the feedback you give. (I find it very satisfying to click the ‘thumbs down’ when I don’t dig a song.) It will seriously play all day if you let it, providing you with non-stop music you probably won’t hate and letting you go one more day without making a decision about which album to buy on iTunes. You can take that $9.99 and buy yourself a latte with it. Hell, buy yourself two.

Need that something special to help get you in the New Years Mood? Try KCRW’s (89.9) special New Year’s programming.

New Year’s Eve – Monday, December 31

7 to 9pm Get your New Year’s Eve off to a flying start with Jason Eldredge’s mix of rhythms to get you dancing.

9 pm to 1am Ring in the New Year with Raul Campos as he welcomes Latin guest DJs, including Gil Cerezo from Kinky, Mexican Dubwiser, DJ Nino from the Pinkertones, DJ Afro from Los Amigos Invisibles, Louis Vega from Masters at Work and Elements of Life, DJ Santi, as well as drop in guests from around the globe and a little closer to home. It will truly be a Feliz Año Nuevo 2008!

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Need that something special to help get you in the New Years Mood? Try KCRW’s (89.9) special New Year’s programming.

New Year’s Eve – Monday, December 31

7 to 9pm Get your New Year’s Eve off to a flying start with Jason Eldredge’s mix of rhythms to get you dancing.

9 pm to 1am Ring in the New Year with Raul Campos as he welcomes Latin guest DJs, including Gil Cerezo from Kinky, Mexican Dubwiser, DJ Nino from the Pinkertones, DJ Afro from Los Amigos Invisibles, Louis Vega from Masters at Work and Elements of Life, DJ Santi, as well as drop in guests from around the globe and a little closer to home. It will truly be a Feliz Año Nuevo 2008!

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If you need something to help you get into that Holiday spirit, music is key. KCRW (89.9) will have special programming for your Holiday enjoyment no matter where you are.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Christmas Eve – Monday, December 24

7 to 7:30 pm A Christmas Carol, featuring Ronald Colman

Christmas Day – Tuesday, December 25

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