The Radio Station That Only Plays Songs by Dead People

Dammit. Here’s another idea I wish I’d thought of first.

Steve Penk, a former DJ for a couple of stations in London, has set up Radio Dead which has one overriding rule for its playlist: someone has to be dead. No song makes the station unless the singer or a member of a band has shuffled off this mortal coil.

“Wow, that’s bad taste,” you might say. But think about it: this is just another spin on the oldies format except that in this case, the programmer acknowledges that the music played comes from people who are no longer with us. From Sky News:

“[T]he reality is a joyous radio station celebrating the music of so many brilliant artists who are sadly no longer with us,” he told Sky News.

“I want listeners to enjoy and remember the incredible music these artists have left behind, it’s a great, positive listen.”

The idea came to Penk after so many rock stars–Scott Weiland, Lemmy, Bowie, Glenn Frey, Keith Emerson–died in quick succession. And given the age of some of our most beloved rock stars, the playlist will only get bigger and bigger.

Listen to Radio Dead here. (Thanks to Alan, Kevin and everyone else who found the link for me.)

Read more at Sky News. (Thanks to Roger for the link.)