"Less Talk, More Rock"
Listen to Benjy Mudie every Thursday night between 8 and 12pm on Radio 2000.
Radio 2000
(97.2 to 100.2FM)
Click here for the frequency in your area.
This website is part of the South African Rock Encyclopedia
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I constantly get asked where I source the music played on Rock of Ages and also how I put the show together. Well in the first instance most everything played comes from my personal collection which is constantly being added to all the time. In addition to this the record labels send me albums, I pick up some surprising stuff at street sales and of course CDW's Richard Filmer mails me every week with suggestions and rarities which I pop in and listen/buy. For instance he turned me on to Jake E Lee's new album as well as new albums by Tony Iommi, Glenn Hughes etc. I also scan the key rock magazines like Mojo, Classic Rock and Uncut. Plus I do shop at Amazon/Freak Emporium/CD Now and a host of small indie labels that specialise in rare classic rock albums. The point being that in order to bring you the widest variety of rock I am on a continual search for music to play ... How do I put the show together? .... how do I decide to play a particular record? Why is there a lot of Led Zep, Jimi, Tull, Sabbath, Free, Purple, etc? .... here's the inside track ...... Firstly there is no 'playlist' as such on Rock of Ages, I have 110% free choice and play exactly what I like with no 'interference' from third parties - the only opinion that I take into account is yours, the Rock of Ages fans who make suggestions to me on a regular basis.
I start work on each week's show on Sunday night as well as Tuesday/Wednesday after my day job (www.freshmusic.co.za) - spending several hours each night listening to albums, checking tracks and artists with the ROA database to see when last they were played and packaging tracks/genres into 'blocks' i.e. the recent Latin Rock, Brass Rock, 60's Rock, etc. Plus of course there are the regular sections like Blues, Comedy, Prog, Live in Concert and Long Songs that need planning .... at any one time I have a base of about 120-150 albums with me in the studio to choose from. So there is some method to my madness and musical schizophrenia but the funny thing is that although the opening music/stings and the closing 'laid back' set are almost set in stone the rest of the show flows by itself! It's almost like something takes over when the red light comes on and I often discard tracks and artists that I was going to play in order to spin something else that fits in with what I'm playing at that time ... that's the beauty of Rock of Ages - It's unpredictable, even to me! As for playing a lot of the artists that I mentioned earlier - well they are all 'core' bands that have large bodies of work to source and are constantly requested by the Rock of Ages fans.
The show tries to cover a huge rainbow of rock, all styles, genres and ages - hopefully that's why you listen in the first place.
Benjy, October 2005
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