1st Wave

Veteran journalist and former music critic Matt Sebastian launched SlicingUpEyeballs.com in 2009 to celebrate the legacy of ’80s college modern and indie rock—music that paved the way for the alt-rock revolution. Sebastian—who has a collection of thousands of records, CDs, and cassettes—publishes daily news items about new album releases, reissues, box sets, tours, reunions, and other ’80s college rock band-related activities.

Yes, Swedish Egil really is Swedish. He’s collected more than 50,000 recordings and is known for his incomparable music knowledge. In Sweden, he pumped gas, but moved to the US in the ’70s and started his radio career as a booking agent to major nightclubs. His favorite interview? Moby.

As a child, Darrin Smith was interviewing visitors to his house with a toy microphone. Now he’s behind the microphone introducing classic alternative tunes every weekend.

Dave Kendall created, produced, and hosted MTV’s 120 Minutes, helping to bring Midnight Oil, Sinead O’Connor, The Cure, and more to a mainstream audience. He’s hung with Depeche Mode and U2, but his favorite memory is of traipsing around Tijuana with Johnny Rotten, trying on dresses in the pouring rain. Ahh...

Sluggo, aka The SlugMonstrosity and/or Baron Von Slug, spent the early 80’s sitting in front of MTV (just like you); started playing music on the radio in 1984; lost his concert virginity to Adam AND the Ants; did the blue hair, Rocky Horror, and tacky buttons thing; and finally ended up at KROQ in Los Angeles. Yet he still can’t get enough! So, we’ve invited him to play classic alternative every day of the week.

Google Richard Blade, and you’ll find several sites about the best of the ’80s. He was instrumental in breaking many new wave bands, including Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, and Tears For Fears. More recently he co-produced VH1’s Bands Reunited; and he still holds out for the impossible: a Smiths reunion.

Larry The Duck has been a DJ since alternative rock’s first wave. He’s interviewed Duran Duran, Erasure, The Psychedelic Furs, John Lydon and Pil, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Johnny Marr, Siouxsie & The Banshees, and Robert Smith. Hear him play these acts and more every morning.