Stuff You Gotta Watch: New Wave: Dare to Be Different
The year is 1982. Long Island suburban radio station WLIR chooses to rebrand by refusing to comply with increasingly suffocating corporate mergers, instead embracing the New Wave arriving from across the Atlantic. That’s no small thing. Forever remembered as the station that broke U2 in the United States, WLIR's programming helped bridge the gap between the two sides of the pond, presenting the fresh sounds of bands like The Cure, Spandau Ballet, The Clash, The Pretenders, and Adam & The Ants to the American public. Moreover, it proved to be the perfect companion to a music-oriented TV channel that had just begun operations. As publicist Michael Pagnotta argues, "I don't think MTV would've been possible in the way that it was if WLIR hadn't pre-existed it."
New Wave: Dare to Be Different tells the story of those dizzying days through loads of video footage and extensive interviews with broadcasters, fans, producers, DJs, and many others who, one way or another, played a crucial part in turning WLIR into a cherished radio station for millions. There's also valuable testimonies from the artists themselves, with the likes of Joan Jett, Midge Ure, Billy Idol, Thompson Twins, and many more explaining the importance WLIR had in their careers.
Review by Ana Leorne. Check out the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column.