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spr II

monkeywrench radio
january 31, 1998

Monkeywrench Playlist

Monkeywrench Radio Stations & Cybercast Sites

latest news

january 30, 1998: Appearances by Mr. Christopher James Cornell and Tuatara confirmed (which explains the "members of R.E.M." rumor). Buy your blank tapes NOW!

january 29, 1998: Scheduled guests for Saturday's show include Mudhoney, "members of R.E.M.", and a rumored appearance by Chris Cornell. Can't wait!

january 23, 1998: Here are the satellite coordinates, courtesy of the Rumor Pit:

Do not ask us what these mean or how they work! :) Also, you can use these to pick up the broadcast on a shortwave radio as well.

january 16, 1998: Rocktropolis, the online music site, has announced that they (along with other sites) will be cybercasting Monkeywrench live on 1/31. This is great news for many fans who don't have stations in their area carrying the broadcast, as well as for international fans. Follow the link for more info and we'll continue to post details here and on our News page.

january 12, 1998: The Ten Club Hotline was updated today (transcription to come later tonight), and on the hotline they mentioned this broadcast, referring to it as "Monkeywrench Radio".

If any radio stations are reading this and can supply us with the transponder frequencies when they become available, we'd really appreciate it for the international fans, who should be able to pick up the broadcast on a shortwave radio (as could anyone in the states or Canada).

Also, a fan may be hosting a live RealAudio feed of the broadcast on their web site; we'll post more information about that including a direct link when and if it happens.

what is monkeywrench radio?

There are two pieces to the puzzle...

As you may remember, Monkeywrench Radio was the name of the pirate radio station PJ took along to broadcast shows on the 1995 tour ('monkeywrenching' being a civil disobediance term, deriving from putting a 'wrench' into the system; Earth First! is considered a monkeywrench group, hence the name, and yes, hence Eddie's tattoo!).

However, from the interview Eddie gave to Adam Yauch, the format of this broadcast will be along the lines of what was known as "Self-Pollution Radio", when Pearl Jam rented satellite time and took over the airwaves on a cold Sunday night in January of 1995 (1/8/95). At the time, no one knew what to expect, and what we actually got was far beyond anyone's wildest dreams: four and a half hours of the band dj'ing, spinning cool records, playing live, and inviting their friends, from Krist Novoselic to Soundgarden, Mudhoney to Mad Season, to perform live. It got crazier and crazier as the night went on - some radio stations only carried the first two hours, others abandoned their entire programming schedules to let PJ rule the airwaves for the full four and a half hours. Eddie even gave out his home phone number towards the end of the broadcast (and actually did take calls late the next day - our guess was that it was about time for him to change it anyway, so he figured why not give it out. =) )

The broadcast was also highly political; here's an excerpt from Eddie's talk that opened the broadcast:

"We've noticed that our society here in America is opening up their homes to some folks who are overflowing with input. And we've seen potentially dangerous attitudes embraced, and we've seen blatant mistruths treated like the gospel. And we're just doing our little bit here -- FAR from equal time -- maybe to remind a few of you out there that you are NOT alone in your opposition, and that you are not a minority when you vote for change."
If you have a minute, read through Eddie's very emotional and heart-felt speech at the end of the broadcast, linked below; it explains why PJ are proud members of Rock For Choice, and why they played the Voters For Choice concerts in DC later that month.

spr I setlist | transcript of ed's closing speech | rolling stone article

we want the airwaves

Most importantly, any radio station could carry it, free of charge (much like the Atlanta and Berlin broadcasts). According to what Eddie said, the same thing will be going for this next broadcast.

If you want to make sure that your local station carries it, NOW is the time to act. Write them, call them, bug them any way you can. Don't assume that they will, don't assume that they'll carry it in real-time. They might not care, they might not think there are enough Pearl Jam fans insane enough to sit at home on a Saturday night and listen -- you need to let them know. And despite the fact that the broadcast has been reported in the radio trade publications and that Epic will probably send out a fax in a week or so, they may not know, and all they'd have to do is call. So bug 'em! Here's an example of an email I sent one of the local radio stations:

Pearl Jam are going to be doing another live satellite broadcast, Monkeywrench Radio
like the one they did in January 1995 (Self-Pollution Radio), on January
31.  Will [name of radio station] be carrying this broadcast live?
See, easy! =) So do it now - every radio station has a web page these days, and if they don't, call their request line. We will be posting the transponder frequencies and other exact information when we get it, and you can send that on as well.

radio stations

If you find out your local radio station is going to be carrying the broadcast, please email us. (Please do not write us asking, check the list and if it's not there, contact your radio station and ask *them*!) We will compile a list of stations that are carrying the broadcast, and hopefully, if you're finding your station to be a bit recalcitrant, refer them to the list - maybe it'll change their mind. We did this for the Berlin broadcast and it seemed to help a lot of people.


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