Rodney Bingenheimer Presents: Rodney On The Rock
Geza X Records
By David Wills
I was aware of the Rodney on the ROQ compilation albums from the 1980s before I had figured out that they were an extension of DJ Rodney Bingenheimer’s groundbreaking radio program on KROQ out of Los Angeles (Forgive me, I’m from the East Coast). The compilation albums themselves featured curios from up-and-coming rock bands, then-current punk, throwback garage acts and the odd celebrity cameo (Brooke Shields??). Looking back at the track listings today is like studying a who’s who of ’80s alternative: Circle Jerks, The Bangles, Black Flag, The Little Girls, Nina Hagen, etc.
Rodney is no longer on KROQ. His remarkable run, which began in 1976, ended unceremoniously in 2017 when station management let him go. The fact that the #1 question about KROQ on Google is “Does it still exist?” probably says a lot about Rodney’s influence and cultural cache. These days he’s a fixture on SiriusXM’s Underground Garage channel 21 where he hosts what is essentially the same program, he’s always hosted only now it’s just called The Rodney Bingenheimer Show.
Reflecting the change of venue, this album, Vol 4 (courtesy of Geza X Records) of an album series that kicked off in 1981 drops the ROQ for ROCK and the first cut, a bouncy Banana Splits-like theme song by Rob Bonfiglio references Rodney’s unofficial title as the Mayor of Sunset Strip. The highlights for me are the girl group homage “Don’t Talk About My Boyfriend” by Heatwaves, the kitschy name-dropping salute to the ’80s “New Wave Days, New Wave Nights” by The Barbarellatones and “Cold War Spy” by genuine new waver Josie Cotton. It’s the usual mixed bag you’d expect from listening to previous volumes, which is not to suggest that that’s a bad thing at all. In Rodney’s case, more of the same means his playlist is just as adventurous as ever.
Re-elect Rodney!