Nice Hair, Bird.

Hey....it's a hockey mullet !

Bird, You did us a great service with your moving testimonial to LIR. WOW those were some heady times over @92.7. To think I lived a stones throw away from Paris NY! What a unique place that was, Loved my times spent there 1983-87?. Dare I say your "Bird Cage" moniker came from that funky chain link fence booth you worked during your time there? I wonder, did you also frequent the Greek Diner across the way on Jericho Tpk? Many a light night nosh and post clubbing pit stop was made there. I probably unknowingly crossed paths with you more times than I care to remember. My wife and I were both Club Kids. We each have our 80's experiences.
Before meeting me in '86 she had been taking in the 80's scene down in Atlanta GA. Yep things were happening down there too! She saw many a gig at the Roxy: From Blondie & the Talking Heads to the Red Rockers. Man, did we hit it off when I turned her onto 'LIR! The rest, shall we say, is matrimonial history (1990-present). We have two little ones dd3yrs and ds8mos and you better believe I'll be Baptizing their auditory sensibilities with my cherished tunes from that bygone era. Who knows? maybe they'll love it, perhaps they'll hate it!
How about your two kids?
BTW were you the one responsible for breaking in the Pet Shop Boys in '84? Man did that Bobcat label import of (West End Girls / One More Chance) Kick Ass, way ahead of its' time and still my fave over that lame rereleased version years later.

Anyway Dude, I wish you and family the best and sincerely hope some of your pent up bitterness and angst has been purged through your writings and posts.
Someone should do a book about all this y'know?
Rgds,
Rich P.

I'm too polite to say "mullet". It brings up images of Barry Melrose and the Bud Light guys. And, Mullet or Not, you are still pretty hot dude.

Sorry I can't relate to WLIR. I grew up in the City and listened to AOR. As a teen I listened WABC and WMCA AM. My daughter dj's at St John the Baptist HS on Thursdays at 4pm. She plays all kinds of music from Sinatra (she loves her Frank) to Creedance. Lately ahe has been playing her "Best of Cream" and Dire Straits I got her for Christmas. I'm soooo proud. A Classic Rock Child.

I still can"t figure out how you went from dj in 80's with that "music", to knowing so much about Skynyrd and all the great southern rock bands. I myself am a claasic guy, CSN, Cream etc etc. Great article none the less, horrible hair.

I was a listener of WLIR before i got involved in the biz and I love a wide variety of music, that includes what people call 'Southern Rock".

As to the hair....be assured that i will not be posting picture of the mohawk I had going :-)

The following is something I posted on a messageboard when a discussion on WLIR led to the question why the station would be called legendary....

I can't speak for WLIR as a whole, just my opinion on what went down while I was a listener and then later as one of the announcers and as someone who was part of the music selection process.

As a kid growing up, WLIR played songs and bands well before the larger stations. I was aware of bands like XTC, The Clash and the Talking Heads before the format change. The interviews....the live concerts so many things that were just not available on the dial.

I'm still a huge Skynyrd fan (I take a lot of heat for that) and some may remember that way before these big concerts took place, Charlie Daniels held his Volunteer Jam. WLIR broadcast live 'Volunteer Jam 5' which featured the first live performance from the surviving members of Lynyrd Skynyrd since the plane crash. (for more on that, check out an interview I did with Artimus Pyle on Hockeybird.com) These were the kind of things that "LIR did.

Flash forward to the format change....Denis took the thought process behind what LIR was doing and applied it to what was fast becoming an underground revolt....a fresh new scene here in NY, London, LA.....a few other places. What happened at CBGB's was no accident. WLIR gave the artists in this scene a commercial outlet. It also gave listeners a chance to be a part of it. As the scene mushroomed, people began to notice WLIR and made money where they could. MTV listened to us to find out what was "cool". Record companies listened to find bands to sign, most notably Sire Records (Seymour Stein) who grabbed the Smiths, the Cult, Ministry....on and on.

So the word legend has little to do with arbitron ratings or individual DJs. It has to do with WLIR being a part of and helping jump start a whole new music scene that has had a lasting impact on all aspects of the music buiz. Those who grew up with that cherish it for what it was.....it was their Woodstock. Their chance to say they were part of music history. Those who say they were at the 1981 Malibu U2 show number in the thousands.....there were less than 400 there.

Yes....what happened at the studios at 175 Fulton Avenue in beautiful downtown Hempstead NY was indeed the stuff that legends are made of.

As to WDRE or what happened after that....I can't really say. I wasn't there and it wouldn't be fair for me to comment.

----}- Bird

I grew up in Rockaway and LIR was the best, the most different radio station. We basically had WNEW, WBAB (I couldn't get that station in most times) and WLIR. I loved LIR cause they would play groups that you never heard on other stations like the Outlaws, New Riders, Marshall Tucker and Hot FN Tuna! And they'd play songs that you hadn't heard a thousand times before...they'd play the Dead and it wouldn't be Casey Jones!
When I moved to Brooklyn I couldn't get the station anymore but I always missed it. Anyway, thanks...it's nice to know other people enjoyed and grew up on LIR's music.

Im from newark and hung out in a place called the
pipeline and 92.7 was the station everyone listened to. It brought back some good memories,
is WLIR a spainish station now? For good?

DJ BIRD
I ALSO FEEL SAD THE DAY LIR DIED.
I GREW UP WITH LIR AND HANGIN OUT AT SPIT,PARIS.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO DENIS MCNAMARRA,BEN MANNILLA.
NY RADIO WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.

It was a sad day when WLIR went off the air. But then WLIR hasn't been close to the same station it was back in the 80's. It was the only station in NY that dared to play imports, that dared to play the music that no one else would touch. Echo and the Bunnymen, Sioxsie and the Banshees, Interferon (GetOutOfLondon); I heard them all for the first time on WLIR.

I remember Paris, NY well although I usually hung out at Reds (I still have my Reds card). But truthfully those days are all long gone and WLIR hasn't been close to the station it once was. It all died in 1987. A station that was truly progressive and daring even before the format change in 1982 was destroyed by the Morey family.

By the way, someone asked about Ben Manilla... he is president of a production company in San Francisco. ( http://www.bmpaudio.com )

DJ Bird,

reading your article brought back some great memories. LIR is the reason why I am such a huge Cure fan. All the talk of the club scene is what truly put a smile on my face. I remember getting into Malibu underage(knew one of the doormen). Going to Spit on Friday nights. Spize in Amityville was another "hole-in-the-wall" that had such a great atmosphere. One of my all-time favorite clubs was 007 in Franklin Square. We used to drive down from college, in Westchester, on Thursday nights to help celebrate the screamer/shriek of the week. They also hosted the song of the year party. On a college budget, nothing was better than $1 drinks 'till midnight.

Thanks for the memories

DJ Bird,

Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

What a ride it was. Hanging out at Spit, Spize, Malibu, 007 and Paris were the best. Everyday of the week was covered!!

It was on WLIR that I heard so many firsts!! The Cure, The Smiths, The Cult, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Alarm. I could go on and on..

WLIR was a huge part of my 80's memories.

Thanks!!

Truely the greatest thing about the early 80's WLIR was the fact that any time you listened to the it, you never knew what you were going to hear. There was so much variety and it was fun. I remember watching an interview with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. He said that listening to music in the 60's was so great because you heard so many new things. That is exactly what WLIR was. It truely dared to be different. I have been missing it for along time. My kids listen to all my obscure stuff and they love it. My husband was a WBAB boy and thinks "Gang of Four" is a new band. I guess we are the people that have to keep the legacy alive, which is fine by me. I am just glad I am not the only one who still loves the old WLIR music!

I'm sorry to see WLIR go also. I didn't believe it when my husband said, "Did you hear WLIR went Spanish". We live in Northern NJ so I thought I was just having trouble getting the signal. Nope, he was right. My husband "Uncle Floyd" was a guest on the show when Vin Scelsa was a DJ. I have great memories of Larry the Duck whom I talked to at the Malibu a couple of times with some little guy,I think his name was Ladka? Malibu Sue, Donna Donna, Steve the Pistol, etc...All the commericals made me laugh also. I'm really going to miss LIR!! Jane Vivino

Really enjoyed your article...WLIR ending, reminded me of the end of Malibu and even the OBI with its little second alternative dance floor...I found the station and the music energizing and fun. My son and husband were so shocked the day the station changed, it was so abrupt.It was fitting that they played my favorite song as their last.

That blows bigtime man...What about 98.5 on the East End of LI? (Hamptons) The WLIR Rock station? Don't tell me that is all gone too! Dang...No other station in the Country will ever do what 92.7 did!

Later,

Fan 1983-2004

I want to comment that back in the 80's I was an avid listener to both the station and to you. Most of my friends asked me why I listened to that "WIERD" music, and that weird station.
Those were the same people that would hear the same songs on Z100 6 months to a year later and tell me how they LOVE this song.
WLIR did introduce a lot of bands and music to NY and to the states and a lot of that music went mainstream and it is you and the others at WLIR that are responsible for that.
As you said in your article, WLIR was not a station, it was a way of life. People who were not part of it just didn't get it.
So anyhow, I guess I just have to rely on tapes and cd's to get those memories back, and I guess I no longer need my car radio!

I am very upset that "LIR" was sold. I discovered the station about 6 years ago and thought it great to hear that alternative music from the 80's because no other station plays those songs anymore. I'm kind of wondering why it was sold. Was it ratings? Because everyone I knew, listened to that station. I will be missed. Jeannette McNally, Throgs Neck (bronx), NY

I HATE SPANISH MUSIC!!! WHY IN THE WORLD DON'T THESE PEOPLE LEAVE US ALONE! THERE ARE ALREADY TOO MANY SPANISH STATIONS. BRING BACK LIR....IT WASN'T A RADIO STATION IT WAS A WAY OF LIFE DAMNIT BRING IT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never realized how much I listened to LIR until it was gone. I spent Christmas in LA, then came back and all I got was Spanish music. I thought that it was a fluke for about a week or so, but then I realized that it was really gone!! Music on the radio has totally sucked this year, even KROCK. I didn't always like everything that LIR played, but most of it was really good. I still turn the dial to 92.7 in a vacant effort to hear something good - all that I can say is that it will be a long year. I should probably cough up a couple hundred bucks to install a new CD player, since there isn't anything worthwhile to listen to anymore.

Wow. If only I had known you back then. In the late 80's my band, Shadows of Dreams, was just starting out. Though we were from New Jersey, we knew all about WLIR and we were often able to listen to the station because of its strong signal.

We had a number of friends/fans that did some cool things for us - chief among them was my favorite musician from my favorite band - Peter Hook from New Order. He invited us to open shows for them on their "Brotherhood Tour." That included a show at Madison Square Garden's Theatre. Seymour Stein played our first single "Turn to Me" regularly on his radio show in San Francisco. Matt Pinfield was a big supporter as was the LIR of Jersey, WHTG 106.3. Like LIR, it was and still is commercial alternative. We had a video played on MTV and Much Music and lots of clubs across North America played it in their regular rotation.

LIR, on the other hand, wouldn't give us the time of day no matter what the press kit said. Our sound was and remains most often compared to early New Order, the Cure, Modern English, the Railway Children. Not the most commercial of alternative bands, but not without some commercial promise. Who knows, maybe your buddies at LIR or even you just plain thought we sucked!

After a few years off, we reunited and found some cool interest on the net. There are lots of great bands out there now - like Interpol, Farrah, the Postal Service, The Liars, Radio 4, Hot Hot Heat, Rosenbergs, Taking Back Sunday, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc. It is really too bad LIR is not around to help discover the hidden gems.

Oh, and I never had a mullet!

Tony

I was writing a post about Squeeze on my site and was Googling around for an LIR reference when I came across your ode to that station.

I worked there back when they first opened up the phones, around 1980 or so - they called it the Airline, later the Dareline. 175 Fulton Avenue was my home away from home. I work in Hempstead now and pass by that building once in a while.

This is such sad news. Another piece of my youth, gone.

I just want to say that no station has ever made me happier to listen to than WLIR. I especially LOVED afterhours. That was my absolute favorite time to listen to the station. Then one night i turned it on hoping to hear the remix of Simply Red, Sunrise, but instead got the surprise of my life. I heard some Hispanic station. I was so sad!!!! The radio will never be the same.

Ruben!!! Don't be angry at Spanish people; WLIR was sold for one reason only, and that was money. Unfortunately, like everything else in the world, radio has become a commodity, something with a price tag. Really, programming is insignificant to radio execs - it's all about the bottom line. Supposedly, Univision paid sixty million for the station - an UNBELIEVABLE amount for such an underpowered station. My friend Jeff told me that Univision had bought WLIR a few months ago, so I should have seen the writing on the wall.
So depressing that it's gone for good after all these years - I've listened to them evolve since they went all rock in 1970 or so. Oh, and I'll also never change my preset on my radio from 92.7, just out of respect of what once was. Will miss After Dark, Andre and the former Saturday night dance party broadcasts. Who cares about "The Box" out at the East End; who can get it in Nassau? I still want my 'LIR.

-Tracee in Sea Cliff

Bummer about LIR. Good story about it here:

http://2walls.com/Music/WLIR.asp

I grew up on LIR music. 92.7 was always my number 1 preset... and through my college days at New York Tech, it was WDRE that was set on my clock radio, the first preset in my car, that I listened to everywhere. Malibu, Spit, The Angle. I even moved out of state for a while...luckily there was a simulcast over the internet which allowed me never to miss a beat.
I can't believe I cried on Jan 9 because LIR went off the air, but I did- it was like I had lost a close friend. I had grown to be a fan of the DJ's and staff of WLIR who never knew me in person. I was one of the many "loyal listeners" who, even during the more recent crappy commercialized times, stuck it out to the very end. Jan 9 reminded me of the April fools joke when they said that Moby had bought the station, fired all of the DJ's and renamed it WMBY... except this time there was no punchline. I would not be waking up to the Malibu Sue show every morning again.
Thanks DJ Bird, for the great story and I don't care what they say- that was an aweseome haircut- but God I hope you've changed it since...
-Tommy

I am heart broken about our loss of WLIR. This station played the best music over the many years that I was an avid listener. Does anyone know what happened to some of my favorite LIR DJs including Darren (who played lots of the Smiths) and The Green Team- Howie and Mena with their news about saving the environment in the "environminute". WLIR always had a conscience and was always in touch with the majority of the listeners who hadn't been bought out by the corporate, McWorld. We will never be the same. Long live The Ramones!

I don't know what I was thinking, but when I tuned into WLIR and heard a spanish guy talking I thought my car radio was broken. I have been listening to WLIR/wdre since high school which has probably been the last 18 years. I can't beleive it's gone. Some mornings I still turn to 92.7 hoping it will magicly reappear. This station, the music, the djs have been the most original thing on the waves. Why must every station be a bullshit music carbon copy. Most of the music on these mainstream stations is as original as a reproduction of the wheel. Why can't we be free to choose to listen to real artists and the people who appreciate them. It's bad enough most of these awesome bands don't ever get appreciated.Thank God for WLIR introducing me to Depeche Mode, THe Cure, Ramones,The Smiths, and so many other true artists.The radio will never be the same for me or listened to with such enthusiasm.

I WILL MISS WLIR! In Connecticut we had nothing new to listen to and one night in 1982 I came across a station that sounded so new, so different and so original that it literally changed my life....It was wonderful to hear all the fresh new bands and to feel a part of something so big......Goodbye dear friend....I guess all I have are my tapes and CD's now as now there is nothing worth listening to anymore....

I remember night flight or some obscure local station on cable tv in the 80's playing the "forever young" slower version video ONLY ONCE with subtitles!!!. & the "dominatrix video" - just once!!! Never seen them again. NEVER!!!! & remember when MTV was good - playing the ultravox "vienna" video - A LOT!! Odd I never saw a video for "the voice". Has anyone here? I think I saw even some Visage videos (maybe on MTV!!)- but only once!!!! Dang what MTV became & showed later over & over & over. Like the "stuff" Robert Palmer did AFTER his outstanding "looking for clues." Can you see visage videos on any of the mtv offshoot stations today? I remember clubs in Northern NJ - hitsville (passaic), the meadowbrook (in wayne) , the 3rd set(cresskill) & the best club in NJ - ONE STEP BEYOND in west paterson. 1st time I walked in One Step, I heard "Nervous Breakdown" by Brian Briggs. Went nuts. All gone. Anyone know if meadowbrook was knocked down? I drive by & can't even find it!!
But I'm not sure where its supposed to be/was.
Was club malibu knocked down? If not, what did it become? Hope not another gated community! oh no. Or even worse - a RESTAURANT!!!! arrgh When did it close? Why? Ironically, the top floor dance floor at malibu in late 80s I think exposed me to top 40 back then & therefore I also went to the brand new building top 40 club in Lodi NJ called Trendsetters. Just a few years later they knocked down the building & now its just a park!! Odd to say the least. They even had a cable tv program!!
I do remember WBAU & the Randall newave Remixes.
I believe you can still hear wave at Aldo's in Lyndhurst & Loop Lounge in Passaic. Why do they survive & the long island clubs do not? hmmh I think. But Loop Lounge is pretty small. Aldo's is not too big either. Is Spys still a club by republic airport?
Don;t even want to think about what "music"? has become today. arrrgh Feel sorry for kids today - especially at seaside height. Those jerks at the door say "get your $20 ready". What turds!! Maybe it'll be $25 this summmer & the usual 50 degree air conditioning in them. & "music" so loud u can't even talk to someone without screaming.

Yeah, WLIR will be missed. I was certainly a big fan in its heyday (when my radio succeeded in pulling in the signal all along I-95 and the Merritt in CT), and I followed it dutifully through all the changes in format and call letters up to the very late '90s. Then again, the world ain't like what it was back then... Clear Channel's 'monolithic' approach to local radio has sapped the life out of it, and the real pop music innovators have moved off the airwaves to take up residence in the world of streaming net feeds and MP3 downloads. Who knows, if the phrase 'what goes around comes around is true,' maybe another fresh breeze of pop music sensibilities will come along, and though the call letters and frequency are no more, some new radio station with keen ears and little to lose will come along and shake us out of our cultural slumber once again. Keep your ears open, people!

For the past few weeks I've heard the spanish broadcast on 92.7 so I finally had to find out what happened. Today I found this web page and learned that WLIR is gone forever. I'm 43 now and have been a big listener of the station since I was 18. I grew up in Stamford CT and accidentally found LIR on the dial in 1978. they were playing "The Ocean" by Zeppelin. The station at that time played an awesome mix of music: classic rock, punk, southern rock, reggae etc. Great DJs personalities like John DeBella, Ben Manilla, Ray White, Larry the Duck, Dennis MacNamara, Donna Donna. Live concerts and interviews. The station got even better in the 80s when it went to the modern rock format. This station was the first to play U2. There really hasn't been another radio station in this area that can replicate what LIR did. End of story.

It's amazing.....the amount of people who have found this article and who share the love for those great days.

Thanks to all of you for visiting Hockeybird.

You may wish to read this article on some of the great WLIR bands that I was lucky enough to have worked with.

http://mt.hockeybird.com/archives/002152.html

What a great honor for me to look back and realize that I worked with some of the best in the biz in Radio and got to meet all the great bands.....I'm living proof that dumb luck exists.

----}- DJ Bird

I never knew I was listening to the last morning show that morning during my ride to work. To my amazment, I was listening to a spanish station as I turned the radio on after work. I went so nuts I pulled over to make sure I was indeed on the right station 92.7. LIR was the only station I listened to for the music that no other station played. I was not listening during the 80's being I was too young. Anyway, I wanted to know if there was a way to get LIR back to the airways. Understanding it may never get back 92.7, but maybe another frequency. Since 1/9/04, I really have not turned my radio on and relied on my cds. Radio is now dead for me. If there is a way to get LIR back, I would be more then happy to help.

When I heard the news I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach as though I lost a dear friend. Although I am not living on the Island anymore I am back often and will always be an Islander (in more ways than one). Each time I returned to visit my family, I would tape hours of the station and bring it back with me to Montreal and just enjoy it in my car or at home. I have so many excellent memories and connections that I wouldn't be able to do it justice without writing a book. WLIR was simply the best there ever was and I am proud to have been a follower and listener.

Wow, it almost brings tears to my eyes to read these postings about WLIR. I was lucky enough to get a chance to work there as an intern. I first answered the phones and later did a little post production on the Tuesday Night Radio Concerts, remember those?? LIR literally changed my life, I am currently an Emmy Award winning Producer with 17 other awards to boot. It all started with LIR and that fact that they DARED TO BE DIFFERENT. I was there (and have photos somewhere, maybe I should post them) of the last hours of the original LIR going off the air.
It always bothered me how WDRE (who were not connected to LIR in any way) started broadcasting the next day as if nothing happened. To this day, people still think the DRE and the new LIR were the original owners, they were not. I could go on for days, the clubs ( I think I went to all of them) and the bands (think I went to all of those too) I know it may sound silly, but LIR is a very sacred part of my life. And I think it's the same for most of you judging from these postings. When I have time, I will post again. I have so many stories about LIR I'm not sure were to begin!
God Bless all those who shared the experience.
Thanks Bird!

I moved to South Florida on August 1st saying goodbye to "REAL" Radio. The station that was on my stereo all the time was 92.7. If it wasn't the station, it was a tape of the station that I taped on my stereo when I wasn't home. ie: Flashback lunch almost everyday. Even recently, I went to the website to listen, check the news, and see the playlist for new music to find. 2 days ago, friends came from NY to visit and told me the news that WLIR was gone. I was speechless. The only good music station that was on the radio was gone. I am still in disbelief. I feel as if a part of me and my past was wiped out and never coming back. I am coming back to NY for a couple of weeks in June and one thing I couldn't wait for was to hit the Outerbridge crossing and start getting in 92.7. Now that will be impossible. I remember going to the Malibu and the dance parties that were played live on the radio on saturdays. An old friend, Dan Binder, worked at the station and would do it overnights sometimes as well as fill in on other shifts. He made me a tape of a saturday night that I still have. The best mix of music I could have ever imagined put onto one tape.

92.7 WLIR will be missed and I for one hope that they appear somewhere once again. Hopefully south Florida because ALL the stations suck down here. RIP 'LIR, you were truly a big part of my life as you were to many across the island!

thanks for the article!

I was so upset to hear about LIR. My husband came home one day and told me to put on the radio. I was so disappointed, I loved that station. They played the best music. When I met my husband he worked at Spize and that's how I got hooked on the music.Radio will never be the same,other stations will try to copy it but it'll never compare to LIR. What ever happened to Andre? He was my favorite DJ,he always played the best songs. I know that Malibu Sue and John Daniels moved to 94.3. It's pretty good but not as edgy.For the first time in a long time,92.7 is no longer my first preset in my car,but LIR will be immortalized with the bumper sticker that I have on my car :-) Yvonne

To say that I am heartbroken, is an understatement. I have loved WLIR since I first heard "Hungry Like The Wolf" by Duran Duran and "New Year's Day" by U2 in 1981. I have always been an alternative girl and have so many great memories of WLIR. When I moved out east six years ago, I was devastated that I could not pick up the WLIR signal. I was thrilled when 107.1 broadcast LIR on the east end of Long Island. Now, the Box is okay, but it's not LIR.
I love the 80's and will always remember LIR.
LONG LIVE 92.7 FM WLIR, GARDEN CITY, NY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just felt this note should be added...with all due respect to Bird and those other LIR jox...although WHTG and WLIR got the most play on my radio (along with college stations WSIA, WSOU, WRSU and the WNYU new afternoon show) let's always remember it was WVHC that was First to break things within most of the Long Island new music scene during the early 80's, not LIR ...those late night jocks worked the stores for new stuff first, some eventually worked LIR later on!!...WLIR by nature of being a larger broadcast venue got noticed more.

While it is belated at this point, I must pay tribute to the radio station that has been more important to me than any other in my life.

Most of the musical artists that are now my favorites I heard or became familiar with through WLIR. I first started listening to the station in 1975 when it was a standard album rock station. I remember the news blimps and the Phoenix turtle ads for Phoenix Brokerage, I remember them playing Blue Oyster Cult, Billy Joel, and the Good Rats when they were up and coming local Long Island artists.

When WNEW-FM did an A to Z of their record library in 1993 I won a thousand dollars in a contest they held, but I wished that WLIR would do an A to Z of their music, and I vowed if they ever did I would take time off from work to listen to it. They did just that a few years later. It was perhaps the most awesome radio experience I ever had.

I haven't been in the WLIR listening area for some time now, and I only heard the news about them going off the air last week. I always looked forward to listening to them when I went to Southwest Connecticut to visit my father, and it will be difficult knowing they are no longer there.

Whenever WLIR did a countdown of their all-time top songs I would get a copy of the list and I still have them. I would be willing to scan them and make them available to others who are interested. I also have a list of screamers and shrieks of the week that they made available at one time, but I see someone has posted a list of these songs, although I don't know if it's complete.

I would like to ask you a question hockeybird: I remember one time WLIR did a countdown of their all-time top 500, or maybe it was just 300, but either way there were some songs that appeared twice on the list. I called the station for an explanation but just got a runaround. This was sort of a joke the next time they asked listeners to send in their choices for their favorite songs of all-time, although if you weren't familiar with the situation you wouldn't get the reference. Do you know what went wrong with that particular song list? If you could tell me you would satisfy one of my long-standing curiosities.

The end of WLIR was truly the end of an era. It was the ONLY station I ever listened to faithfully. The first song I heard on it was South Central Rain by REM. After that I was hooked. I thought I'd never hear the music of my generation again, so I'm truly grateful for Flashback Alternatives. I've been listening to songs I forgotten existed(hope I'm not showing my age here). LIR was truly MY Woodstock.

Long live the WLIR Airline!

THIS IS THE WORST NEWS I'VE NERVER GOT. I LEFT NY IN 2001 AND ONE OF THE THING THAT I MISSED THE MOST WAS LIR. AND AS I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING INTERRESTING AND OF COURSE DIFFERENT TO LISTEN TO ON THE NET THIS IS WHAT IT CAME DOWN TO. I WILL MISSED YOU FOREVER.
PEACE

I live in Rockland Cnty on the outskirts of the WLIR recieving area. I made sure that my Bose radio had room upstairs with the antenna aligned just right to get the best music in the wolrd on 92.7. I've been listening since I got out of the Navy in 1982, and my sister turned me onto WLIR on a trip out to get some "10 cent wings man." The passing of an era, the demise of a lifestyle.
Not only a change of format, but a change of language!!! I gave my wife my Number One car radio button.... i'll make my own radio station with an MP3 player and teach my kids the good music. Most of us in the burbs avoided heading to LI or the city. I cherished every opprtunity that brought my radio into better receivng range. I'll miss that on the drive forever. Nice job. Why don't you guys buy the inventory and start up something of your own ???
Best of luck and thanks for all the great years of music, memories, and some really hot dates!!
I'll be hanging out on Flashback.....

While Google'ing some flashback terms, I happened across this article and the 2 Walls Webzine one. Though I haven't been able to listen to 92.7 in a few years (moved to Brooklyn and then NJ), I'll miss it more knowing it's not there.

Like others, I have my DRE/LIR-related memories, like...

* Going to Paris New York in 1988/1989. Anyone else remember the underage girl that was always there in a prom dress and sway dancing with her hands crossed by her read end? I obviously do!

* Going to Malibu in 1990-1991 and sitting on those carpeted steps/seats behind the DJ/VJ area catching one of the music video sets while resting from dancing.

* What about the "Malibu" that opened somewhere further out on the island after Lido Beach closed? (Because the roof fell in or something?)

* LOVING the mixes by The Mighty Maxximizer. I may have some on tape - should dig those out!

* Being a fixure at Luxe on Fridays in the late 90s - though the LIR Dance Party was on Sat, I thought the sets and crowd were better on Fridays. Bartender Hahn even did Fridays at Luxe. (Found another page saying that her and Andre are working at a club in Rockville Centre!)

* Let's see... Spit's 10th Anniversary Party where I gave Malibu Sue a stuffed animal stolen from the crane machine in the basement after sticking my arm up though the chute. Good thing I was drunk since I was all bruised the next day!

* Going to an appearance where Larry the Duck ?and? Donna Donna (did they do the morning show together for a time?) signed a vinyl album I won on the air. Maybe I had it signed at multiple appearances. [Boy, did I really do that?!?!]

* Even working for 800-FLOWERS at 1600 Stewart Avenue and hoping to catch a star coming in or out of the building when the station was there. ever did! :-(

* Oh that reminds me, Depeche Mode 101! Filming MalSue in the studio, picking the gang at Malibu. Word is the DVD has a "where are they now" segment!

Well, thanks 92.7 for fueling a great chunk of my late teens and 20s. The station may be gone, but me and many more like me will always have a space for it in our heart, minds and CD/MP3 collection!

Denis McNamara & Ray White ... Tuesday Night Concert Series @ My Father's Place in Roslyn, Sound Workshoppe (in Douglaston) Audio by Zimet, Party in the Park (Belmont) all of the local colleges, concerts ... I could go on & on. Those were some great times (1975-1981) great people, and some cool memories to cherish. My High School thru College years were rockin'!!!!

I'm a bit older than you are Birdman (never heard you or sported a mullet dude), because I am a classic rock fan. I'm NOT a "new music" fan - and NOT an "80's guy" in any sense of the word.

In my opinion, there was a preponderance of crappy (admittedly catchy) pop fluff and techno wizardry from that time ... there wasn't really that much out there that was very meaningful in the lyrics dept. either. I am not talking about the Talking Heads, The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, etc - I'm talking about Europop crap that left it's mark on nothing.

What doomed WLIR in my mind were 2 things:

1) selling out their loyal audience(s) by switching formats. It's quite common in the radio world. It usually works in the short run because people like new things.

2) getting into the local "club scene" instead of focusing on music (new or classic) instead of keeping music first.

The 80's were a wild time, there were thousands of young people drinking and driving to clubs like Spit, Paris NY, Malibu Beach Club ... the whole thing was poison. I know because I'm the oldest of 5, and they even admitted that the 80's was a booze-fueled and sexcapade w/ shitty tunes at best. WLIR was the flagship of that time. Hey, Michael Ross even tried to screw my friend's 16 year old sister. What a loser.

It still bothers me that the new format played '80's trash like "Flock of Seagulls" when there was still great music being played on every other radio station in the USA. (Bob Dylan, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones) What balls! They should have had their heads examined, but it worked for them - financially. They also lost an entire listening audience and replaced them with another listening audience. How loyal of them.

There were however quite a few groups that made their marks in the '80's ... they were "discovered" by Denis & Co. at WLIR, (like U2, The Police, The Clash etc.) so I'll tip my hat but they should have remained the R&R bastion of NY instead of being such a sell-out to the bucks that followed.

I would never say anything bad about Denis McNamara though. He was truly an innovator and an all-around good guy. He was probably the best DJ around. The guy was smart. He got out of radio!

ESS III

I had the pleasure of living in Garden City Park NY from '82 to '88. My car radio's first pre-tuned station was always on LIR.
Made lots of tapes (thank god)and still play them regularly.
Have been in Phoenix AZ since '88. Will-o-bee was here on a wanna-be LIR station (KEDJ) for a few years. Had his AZ version of mid-day flashbacks called "vinyl-vault" which I taped frequently.
Got his farewell (AZ) show on tape also.
There will never be another WLIR.
How about a website with LIR airchecks?
There's a great one for the old 77WABC called muscradio77.com. Could be a model for an LIR site?

Rixfxd

My name is Derek, This is a quick note with so many memories .. To say Thank you to all that made me who I am today. Yes, I could write all night and day ... I worked at WLIR from 1983-88. I love to dance at Spit with my long jackets and pins.I was on putt'n on the Hits the lip sync show and used to host the spit shows once in a while. I did ( I stop the world and melt with you) and danced on Club MTV with spiked hair or Robert Smith hair... I won every dance contest at Spit, Malibu, Spize (The place that deviates from the norm.) 007.
but now my time has come and gone, I miss you all and those I never knew. We lived in the greatest place and time and era that I could have ever asked for. Please write to me and add comments to this great site. We can't have the time back, but the music will always live in our hearts.
APB,Eurogliders, Ho Jo, The Smiths and we'll be all forever young. Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you want to know more I could go on forever. Nick of Spit the owner your still one of the nicest persons I have met.
I found my video of my audition from Spit,
New Life Crisis you guys will always Rock and the Dublin Pub and Heckle and Jeckles.
Forever 80's Derek

Bird, you need to set up an internet radio station. Check out Live365.com. I'm sure we'd all tune in.

If anyone else who found this page through the search engines like I did, I'm trying to track down old Paris New York regulars for a reunion. Details are at: http://www.mondochicago.com/paris_new_york.html

Who should we have DJ the party?????? :)

-Alana

I was Googling for a WLIR Top 500 of all time list when I came upon DJ Bird's articles. I'd been away from NY for a few years and have just found out that LIR is off the air - so sad! It's bringing tears to my eyes. I'm almost glad I didn't hear it go off the air, I'm sure I would've been bawling. :(

Remember those long weekends of Top 500's of all time? I think they were Memorial Day weekends - I literally planned my weekend schedule around them and religiously taped as much as I could. (Hey, I had a lot of time, I was in high school.) I've been looking for the list to put together a playlist on my PC since it's so much easier now that I don't have to sit by the tape deck trying to record the whole weekend so that I can listen to my favorite songs when I want! (I was a poor high school kid. ;))

LIR saved me from a stereotypical suburban NJ high school life, surrounded by kids with big hair and IROCs. It was always on my radio...from LIR to DRE back to LIR...although there are great "alternative" Internet radio stations now, it will never be the same as finding 92.7 on the radio. :(

Thanks DJ Bird and all LIR/DRE DJs for the great memories! The same bands you introduced me to are the same bands that I enjoy the most even now!

Hi ! Great web site. I am looking for weekly lists of the most often played songs that played on WDRE from 1988 through 1992. Can't seem to find anything so far on my exhaustive web searches. Can anyone help ? Thanks !

WLIR was a lifeline for me. It saved me from all the crappy, stoner Led Zepplin rock retardation & people like Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney singing 'the dog gone girl is mine!'

I shall never forget when I discovered the station, some Thursday night, in mid 1983, when I tuned into my very first Screamer of the week competition. I can no longer remember the song that made me stay on the dial - I think it was Berlin's 'Metro' - but I do remember my very first Screamer of the week - Huamn League's 'Keep Feeling Fascination.' After that I was hooked. I even slept with the radio on fearing I'd miss something. I listened to LIR every waking moment. My second Screamer of the week was Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams,' one of my all time favourite bands. After that it was B52s 'Future Generation.' The B's on the radio 6 full years before the whole shack shimmied & with Ricky Wilson before he was taken from us. LIR was a total winner. The begining of a 20 year love affair (Apart from that Underground Network crap.)

In recent years it was a shadow of its former glorious self. A friend of mine said LIR had become like this weird museum for old songs. It did but it was still the most interesting thing on the dial & it was heartbreaking to listen to it die & be replaced by skanky coocaracha music. Like the world REALLY needed another half-assed Spanish station playing J-Ho songs. May the Moreys choke on their $60 million. They know the value of nothing.

Island 94.3 pretty much took LIR's place. Not the same but better than nothing. How great to still hear Malibu Sue on the radio.

Anyway. LIR gone but not forgotten. Fade away & radiate!

BH

I for one am still miserable. I cried for days when WLIR went off the air. Regardless of who you are or where you are, it's definatly the end of an era.
I started listening to 'LIR back in 1985 when I was 12yrs old. First song I heard was "People are People" from Depeche Mode. Needless to say, I was hooked. From that moment on, I became a different person. It's funny how something that seems so minute can shape your life forever.
WLIR always "dared to different" and I have found through the years that people I meet that listened to them back in the day, are different. Thankfully different in a progressive, positive way(not creepy). Anyway, I miss it all. My youth, my music and my feelings towards 'LIR, feeling of being home. I really cannot articulate how empty I feel, now that they're gone. I still remember how excited I was when I first sent in a SASE to get a WLIR bumper sticker. I felt like the coolest kid ever. I'm not that old now, 31, but I listened to 'LIR for 19 years. How crazy is that. I listened to the radio more than my parents so in some sick way, 'LIR raised me.
I really miss the screamers and later the shrieks of the week. What I really miss more than anything is the weekly show that played an archived concert live on tape.I think they stopped that back in like '89 or something. I can't tell you how many audio tapes I have from the mid-late 80's. I refuse to part with them. I'm so happy to have captured a part of my life on tape. I haven't listened to them in a while, but I'm gonna pull out a few tomorrow.
I have lists inside the cases with the songs and have some lists of the coundowns. I was so anal, even at 14, lol. I would look forward to those holiday weekends, because it always meant a countdown and I was always prepared with my tapes. Tons of TDK's and Sony's.
I remember when I was old enough to drive, one of my first missions was to find the 'LIR studio. No small feat considering I was coming from Canarsie, Bklyn. I even bought that damn antenna that Denis was always advertising and it did increase reception. Too bad I don't remember the name of it.
Then it was on to going to the Malibu and 007. Boy was I disappointed that it was only 007's on thursdays.I found out the horror that was Metro 700. Ew, still getting chills. When I hit college back in '91, I only went to clubs thats played the music I liked. I loved Limelite, The Tunnel and Danceteria.
The first concert I went to that was sponsered by WLIR was Duran Duran and Erasure in 1987 at MSG. What a blast. I remember feeling really young compared to all the other people. I've been to tons of shows over the years and remember them all. Music has shaped my life and made me the person I am today. And I like me, lol.
So, now I'm all grown up and miss that part of my life terribly. I'm sure I really need to get over it, but nobody will ever replace WLIR in my heart and in my mind. Besides the fact that I live in Queens and work only at the base of LI on the north shore, I don't get 94.3 or 107.1. So I'm kinda up the creek without a paddle.
WLIR was always the #1 station on all my car radios and my presets at home. I am lost. My only hope is that I can pass my love of music on to my 6yr old son. A few of his favorites are "Surrender' by Cheap Trick, "Man Overboard" from Blink 182 and "Do you wanna Dance" by the Ramones. Thank god he's such a music lover. We're already fighting over the radio.
I really miss hearing Malibu Sue in the mornings. My day is not the same. I remember how bad I felt when Donna Donna left and then she turned up on like 106.3 or 105.5. NJ stations. I haven't heard them in years, since I moved out of Bklyn. 106.3 was always better. More progressive, like'LIR. Strange how I can still hear them all in my head, til this day. The Mighty Maximizer, Larry the Duck, Malibu Sue, Donna Donna and Denis McNamara. I really liked the Cat too, but she wasn't on for long.
Sigh, I'm really gonna miss them. Maybe one day I'll move to the the island and at least get to hear Malibu Sue again. Oh the memories!

WLIR may be gone, but I have found a source of music that is keeping that genre alive and well. I subscribe to DISH. They have entered into partnership with Sirius Satellite Radio. In their programming, they have a channel they call "The First Wave". Man O Man!! I think all the WLIR DJ's ought to contact Sirius! It feels like WLIR all over again!

The music line up is consistently excellent! I haven't gotten satellite radio in the car yet, so I pop a tape in the stereo and let it run. Then I listen to it in the car. I am planning to get Sirius in the car soon.

This is nostalgic because, I have been living in California for several years now, and I have been missing WLIR for a long time. It's nice to have a music source the come close again.

A couple of things I like better. They have no commercials, and I can drive anywhere, coast to coast and won't lose the station.

I came about this site in a roundabout way and, having discovered WLIR in '82 was shocked to hear of its passing. I now live in the Seattle area but the station set my musical tastes. First two songs I heard on the station were "The Devil Lives in My Husband's Body" by Pulsallama and "Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant. My reaction was "What the HELL Was THAT?" I kept listening to find out.

It was interesting to see how the station molded local tastes. The import 12" bin at Record World stores pretty much reflected the WLIR playlist. They cost $5.99 each but it was the only way to find Lene Lovich's remix of "It's You (Only You)," English Evenings' "I Will Return," Kirsty MacColl's "A New England"... I still remember being thrilled at finding the 7" of "Doot-Doot" by Freur. A well-deserved Screamer of the Week. There's a full list of Screamers at http://www.advancedspecialties.net/wlir.htm

Anyone else remember a late night host circa 1983 called The Space Commando? He was frigging awesome. If anyone has info about what happened to the guy -- or, better yet, tapes of the show (He claimed to be broadcasting from a space statoin in orbit above the Earth), please drop me a line or post it here!

I read these posts and could not help but write to tell you all about VH1 classics. Its a cable station available through basic digital cable on long island...let me put it this way. Remember what MTV was like during its first few years? Well that's what VH1 classics is all about. Its all videos, all the time. They do a show called we are the 80's, on twice a day...its all 80's new wave music. i found it 3 months ago, and i am obsessed. they also do another show called alternative which is nothing but ministry/skinny puppy/242/nitzer videos. Think of we are the 80's as videos from malibu on sat nights, and The Alternative as Malbiu on Tuesday nights. By the way, I miss winning the dance contest on tuesday nights. I think this is why I have such a horrible knee these days..

Ok..one other thing.. check out 24 hour party people. It's a movie about Factory records, which gave Joy Division the push that it needed. One of the best movies I have seen in a while.

Who am I? Like the rest of you, I found solace in LIR, and the music they played. I went to the bars.. spit, spyz, paris, malbiu, 007, to get away from my insane family and drift off into music where people sang about stuff you only understood. Yes, people that listened to the music tended to be morbid and sad all the time, but then again who ever said that getting hit by a double decker bus and killing the both of us, would not be such a heavenly way to die...

The post before me mentioned Kristy MacColl's "New England" I just saw the video two weeks ago on VH1 Classics. Check it out. Its the best thing since Larry The Ducks's "Off The Boat" show on sunday nights. God. I used to go to school half 8th grade half asleep just so I can stay up and listen to the whole show...

Later people. Keep the dream alive. Bring back LIR...

It's great that people are still coming here and reading this article and the other. http://mt.hockeybird.com/archives/002152.html

It was my hope to write more and I think I will when I get some time. For the record, Bob Waugh was Off The Boat, Larry took it over later on.

BTW: I hear both Larry and Denis are back with shows on http://www.sirius.com/ I'm looking into it now.

----}- Bird

Hey all, yet another update to share with Bird and the rest... Sirius satellite radio keeps making the right moves for old wlir fans!!!

Turns out Dennis McNamera is either sitting in for Larry the Duck on Sirius now or working on a show of his own. As I write this I am enjoying the show and saving it to hear again and again.

Maybe bird, our online webboard host, could pool efforts to dedicate a small page for all us Wlir/wdre people.

Meanwhile, anyone wishing to set up a tape trading site drop me a line.

Shammy
wlirfan@yahoo.com

I'm listening to Denis now.

Cool.

----}- Bird

Came across your article while looking for old 'LIR stuff on the web. Man, what memories. What GREAT memories. I had SUCH a crush on Donna Donna's voice...

It's sad the 'LIR is gone for good. It's the final nail in the coffin, the first one being driven in during the format change, then the WDRE change, then...other changes. I still listened during the WDRE days, and I have tapes made back in 87-90, when Larry the Duck was playing Saturday nights @ the Malibu. Ahhhh, life was so much simpler then.

I haven't lived in NY for years. I haven't programmed 92.7 into my car radio in nearly a decade. But it's still a loss knowing that 'LIR will fade soundlessly into history.

Thanks for the memories.

Yes I was an LIRer!!!! I started in 82 and also for me it died in the late 80's like 87 or so, it was sooooooooo cool in the beginning.

I went to all those clubs in the 80's, 007, Spit, Spize, Monkeys, Reds, Malibu, Thrush, I went to them all, (wasnt a paris person, I lived closer to the others) and the old timers used to talk about Legz.

I remember the commercials you said you did, Jeff carlson(beck) and Ray White, Willobee, Steve Jones, Bob Waugh, Nancy, Denis,rememeber space commando?????? Malibu Sue IF i remember correctly did the beach reports LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG ago.....

There will be no other WLIR, nothing will ever beat it. Everything is too commercial now, 94.3 Sucks, 107.1 is good sometimes when I can get in in from white plains, it has a nice mix of new (well 80's) and old.
Hey! I always wanted to work on the airline & I was at the studio in hempstead a bunch of times,to pick up records my brother in law won, Ben Manilla even invited us in & we were on air(by mistake we came on a saturday)
Thanks for the memories!!!!!!!

I was so upset that they got rid of WLIR. Who needs a latino radio station anyway!!! I grew up with WLIR. There is no good radio staions in NYC!!

Cheers to Larry the Duck!!

Love, Rachal

Living on LI in the 80's was excellent! During and after college (class of '84) I was at the perfect age to dance at all great clubs to the greatest dance music ever and then listen to it on WLIR every other minute of the day! I even dated a DJ there for a short time (Jeff somebody but not sure of his last name). Malibu was one of the hottest spots to dance, and we went out east to some clubs quite a bit and because I then lived in Queens to work in NYC, hit great known and unknown/underground music/dance clubs in New York as well.

Unfortunately, since living CT for the past 10 years, I had not been able to listen to WLIR unless I was down at my brother's house in Stamford. We are both very sad about the demise of 'LIR, as is a collegue of mine (who drives in from Plainview everyday). We were just a couple of weeks ago discussing how FM radio has become absolutely horrific.

Anywho, I was at a wedding in Philly this past weekend, when the DJ put on a great 80's song and a few more after and everyone on the dancefloor being about the same age, we were all dancing up a storm.

My best friend, who still lives on LI, has a daughter who plays all the old "records" and she and her husband go to the Stephen Talkhouse to see some of the old and well-loved bands. I'm so jealous!

Ah, how I miss 'LIR! It's just not the same....

From a Queens fan........

I miss LIR more and more everyday! I spent the Mid 80's living in San Diego,CA listening to 91.X "on the cutting edge of rock" or so their slogan said. They were pretty good but had nothing on LIR. After I moved back in '89, I renewed my membership as a loyal fan of LIR. I can recall going to Spits, Malibu and all the great Bars on Bell blvd in queens. It was a great time, its now been 10 months since Black Friday and it still pains me.....I too haven't listened to the radio since, looks like I will have to invest on Sirius so that I may listen to the "Duck".
For now I'm getting by on my cd's, old tapes and AOL radio's, 80's alternative format. Well, I guess in short,I just wanted to convey some of my sadness on this subject, Thanks to to all that have posted comments on here and especially to Bird.....thanks Dude!

JohnnyA

Oh, man! That stinks! My brother and I used to listen to WLIR when we were living in Uniondale back in the 80's. Sad to see that it's no more. Just goes to show you that you can never go home again.

BTW, will hockey ever make a comeback?

Like many of the people responding here. I had that sick angry knot in the pit of my stomach when I read that WLIR went the way of all flesh. I used to receive tapes of WLIR broadcast while I was on a ship off the coast of Beirutin 1982 and 1983. Hearing it had the effect of a hitting mental reset button; an instant – to the best on my knowledge no station anywhere else in the world was doing what LIR was doing in terms of format. Wish I had those tapes now. I think you were may have on one of the tapes Bird.

I remember going to Malibu and La Cage (anyone remember Leggz) while I was on leave and later when I came home, going to 007 and Thrush in Rockville Center (anyone remember that one?) and a short lived place call The Angle. I regret never getting to Reds or Paris NY.

I guess like most my generation I left Long Island for work - and affordable living – in other parts of country, but I was fortunate that my work brought we to the Island a lot and was able listen to screamer and party our-of-bounds. And I remember you Bird as well as Willlobee, Bob Waugh, donna donna, Manilla, Denis McNamera (an avid NY Met fan as I recall) and someone named Mark the Shark.

LIR was probably the only non college radio station to play Blancmange – and get it elected Screamer of the week. Say Blancmange to any DJ anywhere else and you get a disturbed and confused look. Such was the magic that was LIR.

In remembering LIR, I guess, we remember that we were young and if we didn’t know it then we know that it was great to be young.

At least I have one consolation; WLIR alumnus Bob Waugh has been down here in the Balt/DC area for quite sometime and recently (recently as far as I know) took over running WRNR. I mention this because when he’s on air I am find myself listening to Echo and the Bunnymen, Love and Rockets, Big Audio Dynamite, Human League, Joy Division as well as current day stuff. Its good having Waugh on air and in town.

Thanks for your article, HockeyBird. I really enjoyed reading the LIR story form your perspective. Sorry I have nothing to say about hockey.

"Ballistic Kisses"...anyone ? or "Bush Tetras"....2 of the Ramones are dead....as should this idea that change is bad, this was technology driven music....Danceteria ? an over priced cavern, I don't have one fond memory of the 80's except for "Grace Jones" but she wouldn't count would she...she was "black"

As a former "airliner", my fondest memories from college were my years as an "intern" at LIR. Where else could I hang out and meet celebs like Joan Jett, Marion Gold, Joey & DeeDee Ramone? Hanging out at the Ritz on the weekends with bands like Human League, Thrashing Doves, General Public, Fuzzbox, all those guys...looking back now it's all a huge blur that I can escape to once in a while (to get away from my screaming kids!!!) If any of you airliners read this I wanna say HI!!! to Michelle (Yac. & Coyle), Roni, Lee, Bobby, Rev. Jim, Susan, Peter, FloyJoy, all you guys that answered phones and took requests with me. And, if you die hards are watching ABC (TV) or any recent Disney movie, and you're thinking the announcer guy might sound a touch familiar... you're right! It's none other than Andy Geller, also known as "Long Tall Andy" who was at LIR from about '86 till the end of '87-(DRE). Thank you Bird for this, I was wondering about what ever happened to all the people from that very special place and googled Elton Spitzer, which is how I found you!! Cool, thanks for making my day.
Shani Blenden

Dennis Winters here of The Winters Brothers Band. I would just like to say that WLIR
was one of the Best Radio Stations Ever. Dennis McNamara & crew had a the best in
programing in the late 70s & 80s. Dennis introduced us on the Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam VI PL on Epic records and is stated on the inside cover along with WLIR call letters.
Dennis & the Station also featured us at My Fathers Place for two concerts. They also supported the shows we did with Charlie Daniels, The Outlaws, & Allman Bros. on L.I.
Dose anyone remember the Silver Dollar in Bay Shore??
Any way if anyone knows how I can get in touch with Dennis McNamara please send me an email. I would like to say howdy after all these years. And for those who may remember
The Winters Brothers Band we are alive and well and still on the road. Come check us out
at www.WintersBrothersBand.com

WLIR....man those were the days. I was living in Queens, and had a hard time getting WLIR sometimes. Thanks God I started to date a gal on the Island. I use to get much better reception on my car and her stereo. Even when I saw the bond between us was slipping, I kept holding on as long as possible just so I could hang there at her place to listen to Donna Donna, Bob Waugh, Larry the Duck, Malibu Sue, etc.. The Scream of the week was always the best. I use to get major hell from my dad for calling the station all the time. But is was WORTH IT.

All time favorite was "being called a sicko" by your staff when I asked for them to play "Fish Heads". The DJ said "it was dinner time, and folks were still eating". I said "WHO CARES"?? I NEED TO HEAR IT PLEASE!!! They made me sing the first to lines, and then they yelled in the background YUM! Then the song came on. That is the best for sure.

I heard Donna Donna a few years back on some FM rock station (forget who). I was going to call and ask her for her fondest memories of LIR, but who knows how she is these days.

You know the saying....all good things come to an end. Maybe someone will hit the lottery, buy the station back and play the songs on WLIR from the 80's. Nice dream, wasn't it??

~L~

I've just spent the last hour reading the notes from all the people that I've probably passed on the L.I.E. & clubs of Long Island in the 80's. Thanks for bringing back some great memories even if it's due to the sad passing of WLIR.

The station was responsible for dramatically expanding my taste in music. Believe I first heard the station during a live concert broadcast of Twisted Sister (when they were good) from Speaks in Island Park. I was hooked from there, taking the ride to 87 & the switch to WDRE.

Even though I moved out of the area in 88, I frequently travel back to Long Island & always looked forward to hitting 92.7 on the rental car radio. While those days are now history, at least I've got great web stations & satellite radio to bring back the great memories of the heyday of new music.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my thoughts.

The Good Rats, Twisted Sister, Frank Zappa, David Bromberg, Pat Metheeny, The Ramon’s, Meatloaf, Blondie are just a few of the names that LIR introduced me to as a young teen growing up in the Bronx in the mid 70s. Just a few. It was underground, it was longhairish. It opened an entire new world to me. I mean they played Cheech & Chong, George Carlin and Robert Klein. I even heard Fleetwood Mac first on WLIR. Arlo Guthrie doing Alice’s restaurant every single Thanksgiving Day and the Beatles Christmas Greetings Fan records every Christmas. With the exception of The Beatles and Alice, I had never HEARD of these people before. I had never heard of this music before.

Frank Zappa! Yellow snow? Those were unebeliable! They were new and exciting and LIR brought them to this young, impressionable kid living in the Bronx. LIR was a BIG DEAL to me. I even turned on all of my friends to it, when everyone was still listening to AM radio.

I bought my first Alice Cooper record, Killer, from an LIR advertiser “Looney Tunes” right in Hempstead. Today I am a huge Coop fan and still have the album. I used to go to Dentist (yes from the Bronx) right on Franklin Avenue. I decided to walk down to where I knew the LIR studio was, just to have a look. I walking into the lobby and HOLY SHIT, there’s Meatloaf heading my way. I got to talk with him a few minutes before he got into a waiting Blue stretch Towncar right in front of the building. I can’t begin to tell you what I did in the back seat of my 1963 Buick LeSabre with my then 15-year-old girlfriend with LIR tuned in. She lived in Throggs Neck and LIR came in clearest at her house. (We’re married today, 25 years!!) LIR was THE only station we ever listened to. Every $29 Craig, under car dash stereo I ever bought as a kid was judged on whether or not it pickup up LIR.

It’s a full year now. And had changed alot since I first tuned in in the early-mid 70s. But I just wanted to take some time to say:
If any one ever stumbles across this post, anyone who had anything to do with any of the production of WLIR, especially during the 70s, please accept a hearty and fond THANK YOU. LIR occupies more than a few fond memory cells in my brain, reminding me of good youth, good tunes, good personalities and definitely good broadcast radio. Thank You.

I just came across this thread today and I’m a dollar short and a year late. And I’m living up on Cape Cod these days. But I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated your story. I read it with great interest and even got a little misty eyed. I had no idea that other people felt the same way that I did about Long Island The Radio Station 92.7 WLIR Garden City New York.

Peace,
Danny Schwarzhoff

WOW WHAT A FLASHBACK THIS THREAD IS IT IS ALL TOO MUCH AND I GET GOOSEBUMPS THINKING OF MY DAYS BARTENDING AT SPIZE ON 110 OR GOIN TO SPIT OR MALIBU!!!ANYONE INTERESTED IN TRADING ANY MUSIC EMAIL ME

i remember lir when it went to stereo....then went 24 hours.......music is part of our lives....sirius satellite radio rock's....check it out.....don't mourn,move on...that is what lir did.....we all do that...

Yes, LIR was special because it was the greatest station in NYC at a time when music had its last hurrah as a way of life before alternatives (DVDs, electronic games, internet) diluted its hold on young people. All my friends listened to LIR all the time. When LIR sponsored Simply Red at the Ritz we were there to more meet the DJs than see the band...

Does anybody have tapes of the station from the mid 80s?

This really sucks! I, too, had hoped that maybe the station was just moved elsewhere. But I sort of got the feeling that when the name was changed to WDRE it would soon be on the way out. I'm a black chick, and my brother turned me and some of our friends on to that station "back in the day". I liked it so much I even called once and asked if the station was going to get a booster so that the signal would reach the Bronx more clearly at that time. From then I was hooked until I got married. Then I'd listen to it in my car. Whenever I felt nostalgic for my youth, I'd always listen to 'lir and have a good ole time. I can't say just how much I miss that station because I did dare to be different partially because of it.
Long live the screamer and shreik of the week!! Good bye to a part of my life.

..WOW!
92.7 is now espanol station?

wlir>wdre>wlir is kaputt?! finito?

These comments sure bring back a ton of memories. I was an avid 92.7 fan from 1983-1996. (then I moved north)

Don't forget Camoflague in Bayside, and the Malibu Night Club. They had some of the best Halloween Parties ever!!

Lest we forget Sunday Night Concerts - Live PLAYBACKS OF ANY AND ALL LOCAL VENUES Sponsered by 92.7.

WDRE parties at Industry in Island Park. 007, Spies, etc.

Happy Hour Friday Nights at J. Sprats in Westbury.

White Sandine - ski "Wiking" commercials...

$10 concerts at the old Ritz on 11th Street

It was the only radio staion you could ever call and get through to the DJ's late night and make requests...the only station that I've won tickets to concerts, won free cd's, shirts, goodies, etc...

Sad to see it go...

Guys - just stumbled over the site while thinking that it's been over a year.... Basically, I have nothing to listen to but my collection of at least 500 LIR type CD (yes, someone actually bought the Modern English album).....

Anyway - anybody out there remember those FREE live concerts at the Ultrasonic Recording Studio in Hempstead? Recall a great concert by Jackie Lomax's band and a few others. Dunno the year but we're probably talking early 70's or late 60's.

Keep the faith....

I listened to 'LIR from the 'freebird' logo right up to the end with 'forever young'. Aye chihuahua!! Only my best friends understood the music(everyone else didn't get it) and we all mourned the passing. What would we listen to now? We were all so spoiled by being able to turn on the radio and there was all the music you needed, right there on one station. You have to work to find good music now and weed out the crap the radio is dishing out. 'Tis a shame.

I was one of the younger listenrs of WLIR, but I have to say that, LIR was the only reason I listened to the radio. And when it was no more, I seriously wanted to cry. I think I shed a tear. Theres nothing good on the radio these days, and it was so original and opened my ears to a lot of new types of music. It's a shame. and I miss it. I thought I just share my thoughts.

As a teenager growing up in Brooklyn, i had to take a whole roll of reynolds wrap tin foil and wrap it around my boom box antenna in order to get WLIR reception. I loved that station. I think I may have moved to Long Island just so I could play it in the car. My heart broke when I tuned in last year and toda estaba en espanol. Que lastima, que lastima grande. muchos gracias por la musica.

Bird Man-
GREAT Tribute to 'LIR!!!! If you live out east on the Island you can hear them at 107.1FM- but it will never be the same. And the reason- as you so eloquently wrote- is the "listeners." The kids in their 20s back then actually went out to clubs to dance to alt-rock music. 20-somethings today do not(too many computer dating services, video games, etc). In addition, the 20-somethings back then "purchased" new music. I bought music by many bands without ever hearing them. I would read a review or hear a fellow 'LIR fan mention a band- and I would immediately buy it! The 20-somethings today are always looking for a way to get it free- or at least "Cheap."

I am 40 years old, and still listen to "new music." Just like the 80s, there are good, new alt-rock bands springing up every week. For those of you who loved 'LIR back then, check out 91x.com- a station like the old 92.7- out of San Diego. You can listen to it via 91x.com.

Thanks again, Bird. You brought back many memories- Oh, yeah and I was there at Paris New York when you Dj'd. If I remember correctly, you weren't as much of a jerk as you made yourself out to be in your article.

LONG LIVE WLIR!!!