If you love the People's Dance Party, you'll love Discourse this Sunday. And if you missed the last one, shame on you. :)

We're doing a one-night-only 80's night, but we're leaving out the standards to make room for the cool stuff the you won't ever hear at everyone else's Flashback 80's!!! club. Scroll to the bottom of the page for more info, and we'll see you there!

Guess what? My computer crashed last night. So, I'm in the library trying to think of a quickie question for the final round of 80s trivia.
First person to answer gets on the list for Discourse this Sunday with a plus one.
This is about the easiest trivia question you will ever get from me, which means it's only easy if you like Depeche Mode.
Name the four members of Depeche Mode at the time of the filming of Depeche Mode 101.
First person to answer wins. If you don't hear back from me right away, it's because I haven't had the chance to get to another library to check this page.
Have fun.
See you Sunday.

I have an addictive personality. So, when I find a website that I enjoy reading, I have a tendency to go back and re-read it day after day.
Take this site for example. I found this compilation of KROQ Top 106.7 Year-End Countdowns when I was working on a project regarding The Tipping Point (please read this book if you have not already done so, it's fascinating), dance music and car commercials. The lists helped me track the decline of dance music on commercial radio playlists. More than that, though, it helped me track the decline of the station that was central to my development as a music geek.
I already wrote about my relationship with KROQ for Razorcake, so if you want something more in-depth, go pick up issue #25. This time around, I would like to point out some odd tidbits about the world famous station.
1. The fact that KROQ used to play the Rolling Stones (see charts from 1981 and 1982) and Phil Collins (1985) is just odd, particularly since the station was also playing stuff like Barbie and the Kens at that time. I'm too young to remember that, although, for some reason, I do remember hearing Prince.
2. In 1981, the station's number one song was "Mental Hopscotch" from Missing Persons. Who could have guessed that?
3. The Holy Trinity of Los Angeles (via the UK) is intact in 1987 where the top three songs are brought to us by The Cure, The Smiths and Depeche Mode.
4. The big "flashbacks" that you hear on KROQ during non-theme hours generally include Beastie Boys and "Anything Anything" from Dramarama. In 1987, Beastie Boys were #51 on the chart. Dramarama was #95. When was the last time you heard The Cure, The Smiths or Depeche Mode outside of the Flashback Lunch?
5. KROQ has championed Metallica for more than ten years now, but look at the playlists and you'll see that they didn't really play the band until the Black Album, which is when the band already sucked! I know you all probably realize that, but I have to point it out over and over again because I really hate Metallica.
If you decide that you want to follow the links, post anything interesting in the comments section.

For those who listened to my guest DJ set at KXLU today, thanks. If you wanted to know what was played, you came to the right place. Set started at 2:50 p.m. and ended at about 4:05 p.m.
Boomtown Rats-- She's So Modern
Housemartins-- Happy Hour
The Jam-- Beat Surrender
Joe Jackson-- Beat Crazy
Tones on Tail-- OK, This is the Pops
(Note to Ms. Estelle: I hope you were listening, 'cause that one was for you)
Bauhaus-- Stigmata Martyr
Kate Bush-- Hounds of Love
Bel Canto-- Shoulder to the Wheel
Ultravox-- Reap the Wild Wind
OMD-- Joan of Arc
The Cure-- M
James-- Johnny Yen
Felt w/Liz Frasier-- Primitive Painters
XTC-- No Thugs in Our House
Flash & the Pan-- Midnight Man
World Party-- Ship of Fools
Human Sexual Response-- Jackie Onassis
Grace Jones-- Warm Leatherette

Need to find one of these songs? Just ask and I can give you more info.

Tomorrow afternoon, at approximately 3:00 p.m. (PST), I will be playing records up at KXLU. If you are in LA, you can listen on your radio at 88.9 f.m. If you are in L.A. and get crappy reception (like me) or you live far away, you can listen to the live stream on the website (see above link). I'm warning you now that it is an entirely 1980s set. Since most of the stuff that is popular right now sounds like it was recorded in 1984, you might not notice that right off the bat. It will not be a dance set and it will not be all the hits from your favorite bands. Ultravox, XTC, James and Bel Canto are certainly possibilities, but you will just have to listen if you want to know what will be played.

Apparently, my friends are talking smack about my knack (ooh, internal rhyme) for picking obscure trivia. I will give in to their needs and make a quiz that is far less difficult. I think it's freakin' easy. I'm usually wrong about that though.
This time around, I've listed ten songs that were released between 1980 and 1989. List the artists in the comments section. Leave your name and email. First person to answer all of these correctly gets on the list for Discourse this Sunday.

1. "A Town Called Malice"
2. "The Final Countdown"
3. "Crush on You"
4. "Living on Video"
5. "How Soon is Now?"
6. "I Should Be So Lucky"
7. "Vienna"
8. "Obscurity Knocks"
9. "The Perfect Kiss"
10. "A Question of Time"

D. over at Soft Communication posted a nifty button, which I cannot figure out how to post on this entry. I am dumb like that. If you are reading this, though, forget about my computer illiteracy problem and go read Soft Communication because it's a fine music blog chock full of lists, guides to bands you wish you heard about before and Clinic references. Soft Communication is our buddy from the East Coast.

Once again, here are ten pieces of 80s trivia. Answer in the form of a question. Leave said answers in the comments section of this entry. Include your email if you want us to contact you. Winner +1 get in on the guest list at Discourse this Sunday night.

1. This drummer lost his arm in a 1984 car accident.
2. L.A. kids might know many songs from this British duo, but their only U.S. hit was a cover of Gloria Jones' 1964 Northern Soul classic.
3. This band featured Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins of Bauhaus, but not David J.
4. In 1989, she contributed to Queen Latifah's single "Ladies First." A year later, she released "It's a Shame (My Sister."
5. Discovered by David Gilmour in the 1970s, she broke in the U.S. with her 1985 album Hounds of Love.
6. This controversial Irish performer sang on The The's "Kingdom of Rain" in 1989.
7. She released Season of Glass a year or so after her husband's 1980 murder.
8. These two members of ABBA co-wrote "One Night in Bangkok" with Tim Rice.
9. Those of us who grew up in L.A. might remember this band as a favorite of The Nightstalker, a serial killer who struck the city in 1985.
10. The Cure's Robert Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshee's Steve Severin collaborated on this project in 1983.