Sunday, December 4, 2011

Name That Tune: Song recognition software for radio listeners and DXers


"Girls have got balls.
They're just a little higher up that's all."

--Joan Jett






Musings by Pheme Ossa

Among the great joys of free, pirate and indie radio is hearing non-mainstream music. And among the frustrations is being unable to identify a song or artist to find more of their music. It's particularly difficult with instrumental music or vocals for which you can't hear the lyrics clearly enough to Google, or the lyrics are in another language.

Even some licensed radio stations are too damned hip to identify songs and artists. Despite complaints from listeners, some stations have adhered to the "no back announcing" policy that is just as stupid now as it was decades ago when some boneheaded consultants decided that somehow identifying songs already played would slow down the momentum, or would cut into advertising time, or would spoil the station's carefully cultivated hipper-than-thou mystique, or would require actual live human beings to identify songs.

There's probably a way to automate song IDs as well, using ID3 metadata to provide info for a computer voice to read. That'd be a great way to make Jack FM even less interesting.


Every few years the same story is recycled in some major news outlet.
"It just makes sense to do it (identify songs played)," said Dan Mason, the president and chief executive of CBS Radio. "(We) probably underestimated at the time how much people really wanted that information," he said of the no-clutter trend of the 1980s that eliminated most DJ breaks to identify songs.
--(The New York Times,
CBS Radio Reminds D.J.'s to Identify Songs: 'When You Play It, Say It', May 29, 2011)


"When you work in a record store and someone comes in and starts humming something and you're supposed to guess what it is, that's frustrating," said Carl Rosenbaum, president of Flip Side Records, which operates 17 retail outlets in the Chicago area.
--(From the Los Angeles Times,
'What Was That Last Song?' : Record Industry, Radio Deejays at Odds Over Song IDs, April 11, 1989)

Opinions vary, natch:
"Don't know about you, but I get irritated when you hear presenters tell you what an obvious song was, for example "That was Meatloaf and I'll do Anything for Love" ... I remember John Myers once say if he ever heard a presenter say 'and that was The Beatles with Hey Jude" he'd fire them!"
--Some bloke on some other naff site.


With record stores mostly part of ancient history, to whom does one hum to name that tune?

How 'bout Tunatic, Midomi or Shazam?

(Update 12/10/11: Forgot to include the smart phone app SoundHound, about which Gizmodo sez "Unlike Shazam, it will hazard a guess at just about any tune thrown at it, whether it human or speaker-created, and it'll succeed most of the time.")

A couple of years ago Evil Elvis tipped us to Tunatic, a music recognition program that users reported worked surprisingly well, even for identifying songs off scratchy shortwave reception. Since then, Midomi, a comparable web-based music recognition utility, has appeared. We finally gave it a go recently.

Another recommended music recognition tool is Shazam, which appears to be available only as an app for mobile devices. Those of you who are less paranoid than we are may wish to try the Shazam or Midomi mobile versions for your personal entertainment/tracking devices.

The web-based version of Midomi uses a familiar Flash interface. It seems to assume users will hum or sing into their computer's microphone. If you record music off-air using a mic this would work, but not as well as a direct connection (see our experiences in the off-air recordings notes below). However you can easily set it to recognize music played from your own collection, or from YouTube or any other web source by setting your audio controls appropriately. For example, with a typical Windows PC, pull up the Recording Control and choose Mixer Balance (rather than the Line In option you'd use to record directly from your shortwave receiver). After Midomi suggests matches, many of the suggested songs are available in 30 second streams for immediate comparison and confirmation.

After a trial run with a few YouTube videos and mp3's off my computer, I began to be skeptical that Midomi was cheating and peeking at my mp3 metadata so I tried a few songs with no ID3 data, but it worked anyway. It appears to rely heavily on comparisons with an existing database of songs. That database already includes a large collection of familiar and eclectic music and it was surprisingly easy to identify music I'd never heard before.

First, the easy stuff:
  • Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma" = Score! But that's an easy one.
  • Liz Phair "Fuck and Run" = Score!
  • Black Eyed Peas "Pump It" = Fail on the first try. I'd have scored the original "Misirlou" as a winner, but "Chain Reaction" by Young Divas? Drop and gimme 20, Midomi.
  • Second try for "Pump It" = Score! But I had to play it from 30 seconds into the song for Midomi to recognize it.
  • Geto Boys "Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta" = Score!
  • Dead Kennedys "Too Drunk To Fuck" = Score!
  • Nouvelle Vague version of "Too Drunk To Fuck" = Score!
  • NON "Total War" = Fail. Close, but Midomi picked the somewhat similar "Phoenix" by NON. To be fair, the versions of those songs in Midomi's database aren't very good, mushy without much bass so the rat-a-tat drums in "Total War" were buried in a fog of white noise.
  • "Do You Want Total Queer" = Fail. A little surprising it didn't default to the NON original for this obscure but brilliant spoof of "Total War".
  • "Dirge" Death in Vegas = Score!
  • "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" Dr. John = Score!
  • "Dus Bahane (Karke Legaye Dil)" = Score! We dig the Hindi-pop and so does Midomi.
  • "Do You Fear Sleep?" The Moscow Coup Attempt = Fail. Tried twice at different points in the song. Great song but probably too obscure so there's no copy in the Midomi database.
  • "Radio Junk" Yellow Magic Orchestra, from Radio Junk programme #1 = Score!
  • "Once In A Lifetime" cover by P.M. Dawn, also from Radio Junk #1 = Score!
  • "Streets of Calcutta" Ananda Shankar, from Radio Junk programme #2 = Score!


Okay, enough easy stuff. Let's try some off-air recordings, including some songs I didn't recognize. Starting with the best signals and working downward toward the weaker, noisier signals and those for which my receiver wasn't tuned quite on frequency for sideband broadcasts.

  • "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)" Santana = Score! From Radio Waves International Nov 13, 2011 show on 7415 with an excellent AM signal.

Wolverine Radio's Nov 13, 2011, train theme show, with strong signal peaks but fadey:
  • "Midnight Train to Georgia" Gladys Knight & the Pips = Score! Pretty impressive for single sideband audio with static, fades and some distortion due to my noise reduction software, applied after recording to cut down the heavy fog of white noise.
  • "Love Train" O'Jays = Score! Again, same Wolverine show, even worse static and fading.

From XFM off-air recordings:
  • Tesla "Call It What You Want" = Score! From XFM July 4, 2011 show, fair to good conditions.
  • Alice in Chains "Would" = Score! Same XFM show.
  • "Valley Girl" Moon Unit = Score! XFM July 5, 2011, again, fair to good conditions.
  • Right after "Valley Girl", Professional Murder Music "Slow" = Score! I'd never heard of this one before, couldn't even copy it well enough to Google the lyrics.
  • "Too Drunk To Fuck" Dead Kennedys = Score! Not the most familiar version but Midomi nailed it.
Various other off-air recordings:
  • "The Red Weed" = Score! From unid relay of Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds" musical, Feb 2011. This was an excellent AM signal and audio.
  • "I Love It When You Call Me Names" Joan Armatrading, from High Plains Relay Service, Dec 2011 = Score!
  • "Cotton Eye Joe" Rednex = Score! From Feb 2011 Bust-a-Nut Radio show, with very muddy copy on my end.
  • "You Keep Me Hanging On" Vanilla Fudge = Score! From Dec 2010 relay of Radio First Termer. Impressive because my recording was so weak I can't even ID the station broadcasting this relay.
  • "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" = Fail. From unid station, Dec 2010, this was as near impossible as it gets, what I'd call an overall signal (on SIO or SINPO scale) of 2, just barely audible occasionally and able to copy only familiar songs. Only the "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!" chorus was audible through static, and the pitch was off because the receiver was mistuned on a USB signal. This appears to be the practical limit for Midomi.
  • "Antenna" Sonic Youth = Fail. From my own poor recording of our very own KBOX Radio Paranoia relay by WEAK, late 2010 or early 2011. Another overall 2 signal.
  • Primitive Radio Gods "Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand" and "Fading Out" = Fail. Very poor recording with mic up to speaker, barely audible.
From my own recent recording of our very own Gumby Radio relay by High Plains Relay Service, Nov 26, 2011. This programme had some fairly obscure music:
  • "Cruisin'" Mike Nesmith = Score, on second try! My recording, good signal strength but a lot of RFI. From Nov 26, 2011, High Plains Relay Service show just before relay of Gumby Radio. I didn't recognize this song myself. All I was able to copy was something about Lucy and Ramona, so Midomi helped.
  • Gumby theme song = Fail. From my own recording of Gumby Radio, good copy but possibly not in Midomi database. No luck with my studio quality recording either.
  • "Bend Me Shape Me" Hello = Score! From my Nov 26, 2011 recording of Gumby Radio.
  • "Gumby Is Dead" Jeff Capo = Fail/Score? Failed on off-air recording. But scored, sort of, on studio recording. Midomi suggested The Sunbeat Revival - "When I Think Of You(I Smile Neon Light)". Sure enough, the intro is virtually identical. Jeff Capo's version came out first, so perhaps Sunbeat Revival sampled the intro. To be fair, this is a fairly obscure song.
  • "Blockhead" Devo = Score!
  • Fiona Apple live with audience sing-along of Gumby (Gunji) theme = Fail. No surprise, too obscure.
  • "Bend Me Shape Me" by The Models = Score on second try! Failed on instrumental intro, but scored on opening lyrics. Very impressive. An obscure version, in nearly atonal singing style with mistuned audio from my receiver. (See: Girls in the Garage, Vol. 1)
  • "Twist and Shout" Beatles = Score! Easy peasy.
  • "Bend Me Shape Me" by the Rubinoos = Fail. Very similar to familiar and popular American Breed version, but no joy, including with studio recording.
Now the really tough test - humming. Would Midomi be able to make sense of my tuneless efforts and not confuse my version of Supertramp's "Breakfast in America" with "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"?
  • First up, I tried scatting a Muppet's style version of "Mahna Mahna". Midomi came close. Among the seven suggestions was a salsa styled "Mana Mana" by Ismael Rivera, which was pretty close. "Made In Japan" by Pato Fu? Not bad, it does indeed incorporate the "Mahna Mahna" bit. Gloria Estefan's "Conga"? Nah. And Phil Collins "You Can't Hurry Love?" Gimme a break. But let's blame my horrible humming. Let's call it score.
  • Next, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" = Score! I wonder if it can do that alphabet song?
  • First try at "Daisy, Daisy" = I'm sorry, Dave, it's going to go 100% failure. Midomi suggested "Iris" by Biagio Antonacci, "Yo Quisiera" by Reik, and "With You" by Chris Brown. Midomi doesnt' seem to like tuneless lower register voices.
  • Second try at "Daisy, Daisy" = Score! Midomi seems to prefer the upper register.
  • "Guantanamera" = Score! I actually sang "One ton tomato, oh he's a one ton tomato".
  • Lady Gaga "Paparazzi" = Score! And I'm pretty sure Gaga would get a restraining order against my singing voice.
  • "Blue Christmas" = Score! But Midomi suggested the Celine Dion version rather than the Elvis via Andy Kaufman version I thought I was singing.
  • "Feliz Navidada" by Jose Feliciano = Score! It even recognized the ever popular "Fleas on my dog" variant.
Judging from most of the user submitted voice samples, Midomi likes upper register voices - women and kids. Some of those voice samples weren't horrible. No way in hell was I gonna submit my own voice samples.

Also, with almost every hummed, scatted and tortured sprechgesang version I tried, Midomi suggested around half a dozen possibilities. The one exception was "Feliz Navidad", which Midomi nailed without alternative suggestions. So if you go that route for an unknown song, plan on sorting through a few possibilities before finding your song.

Overall, definitely the hot tip for identifying those songs we hear on the funny bands, or even for you better-behaved SWLs who prefer to avoid the oh-so-melodramatic pirate frequencies and may want to send a detailed reception report to snag a QSL from Radio Havana Cuba, Radio Australia or other shortwave broadcasters featuring music programmes.

76 comments:

  1. what, no Megadeth, Slayer, or Rammstein??

    ReplyDelete
  2. KEWL!

    I didn't realize there was any such thing easily available. Ought to be quite useful for DXers.

    But, not very funny. I don't know how to score this. There's no option for "Very informative, but no LOL".

    And the word verification for this comment is "warcake"! MMmmmmmm, tasty! And relevent, too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had no idea either that such programs existed . Will have to look them up and give them a try.

    Personally I like the obscure music and always enjoy pirate radio when it's not all the same old 60's and 70's stuff that I listened to over and over when they were top 10 back in the day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wonder if somehow your latest blog will be twisted around? Will CB claim that Midomi is a conspiracy from the same alien astronauts that brought Poet and Corq to earth? Is Midomi taking the fun out of pirate radio? Does Midomi encourage monkey-human listeners to write for e-mail QSLs which aren't "real"?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous quoth...
    "what, no Megadeth, Slayer, or Rammstein??"


    Pheme is a damned hipster. It was all I could do to persuade her to review anything that wasn't available only on newly released vinyl or cassette tape. The song selection for her first draft of this article made Pitchfork seem mainstream.

    @Poet: Turns out Blogger doesn't actually use those reaction block checkmarks as polling data. So they're mostly for fun. Readers should feel free to LOL, meh or fail as the whim leads.

    Also... LOL, Captcha. Our new blarg-battle cry is now officially WARCAKE!!!

    @Anonymous pondered...
    "I wonder if somehow your latest blog will be twisted around?"

    We suggest around the neck, Charles Nelson Reilly style. Fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ah, but can it tell the Count Basie version of One O'Clock Jump from the Woody Herman one? Or the Lionel Hampton version of Hey Bop-a-ree-Bop from the Tex Beneke one? Elderly DXers want to know...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks like Bunnyman just threw in the towel.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Again.

    Let's see-- how many times is that since April, when he's said he was "now going to ignore the nasty hateful bloggers"?

    Four?

    Five?

    Odds are 5:1 that it still isn't true this time!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anne O'Nymous mused...
    "Ah, but can it tell the Count Basie version of One O'Clock Jump from the Woody Herman one? Or the Lionel Hampton version of Hey Bop-a-ree-Bop from the Tex Beneke one?"


    Since Pheme was interested only in testing Midomi with her insufferably obscure hipster fare, I ran only a few tests of older songs. Midomi seems remarkably capable of distinguishing even very similar versions or covers of popular music. As long as the song is in the database *and* the copy is of good quality, Midomi can differentiate between versions of the same song.

    I emphasize good quality, because some of the songs in the Midomi database were of mediocre quality - over-compressed, lacking highs and lows. So certain tunes may be difficult to match until someone uploads a better quality reference version to the database.

    Like most online stuff that targets the active social networking demographic, Midomi seems to rely heavily on user generated content. So it should get better with time... unless someone deliberately screws with it and mislabels song titles and artist names. (GF scowls in the general direction of Anonymous pranksters who delight in skewing polls and fake but funny Wikipedia edits.)

    "Elderly DXers want to know..."

    Is there any other kind? Other than the odd teenaged savant with techie inclinations and a love of older tech, most of us are over age 50.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I notice in this hour's "Time To End It" blog from CB that there's mention of the "piss ass-poorly produced" KBOX program. Coindicentally, Winston the Dentist posted a logging of KBOX on the FRN with the same program description.

    ReplyDelete
  11. eat my keester eggs and chocolate M&Ms, asshats. corq it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. An ornery moose snurfled...
    "I notice in this hour's "Time To End It" blog from CB that there's mention of the "piss ass-poorly produced" KBOX program. Coindicentally, Winston the Dentist posted a logging of KBOX on the FRN with the same program description."


    And we LOL'd appreciatively.

    Actually, we're not sure which KBOX programme he's referring to. We're satisfied with some, but in retrospect others were just meh. Especially Family Friendly Radio from 2010. (Note to self: Never mix audio when suffering from sinus/ear infection.)

    After experimenting with various audio editing tools, a retrospective blog article might be interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anne O'Nymous trolled...
    "eat my keester eggs and chocolate M&Ms, asshats. corq it!"


    It's spelled keister. Interesting etymology for that word. It sounds like another Yiddish slang loanword, but apparently derives from British or German underworld slang.

    ReplyDelete
  14. allow me to correct myself:

    "eat my keister eggs and chocolate M&Ms, asshats. corq it!"

    thank you for the spelling correction. much appreciated. now i feel much better. i must crap out some more M&Ms and send some to you for the holidays. you've been so kind.

    ReplyDelete
  15. "allow me to correct myself..."

    Attention, world of comedy: prepare to be set aflame by the witfully-hilarious insight of a comparison between M&Ms and faecal matter. Coming soon to a 6925U near you!

    ReplyDelete
  16. i'll crap chocolate M&Ms to that. kewl!

    ReplyDelete
  17. WAKE UP!!!

    Now that you are awake, Corq it!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I woke up, and listened to the TCS Shortwave Relay Network with a big AM signal this morning!

    Sounded like WBCQ-- only with better audio.

    Was a great show! Even Commander Bunny seemed to like it... He kept pimping the Free Radio Cafe, but he seemed disappointed when he noted that I don't stalk the members...

    ReplyDelete
  19. go eat the rabbit's chocolate and peanut M&Ms, pppp-punk poet.

    also please change your jiffy-poop diaper before it pops again and get a real job, you lazy bum.

    hehehehehehehehehehehe!

    ReplyDelete
  20. When you-- excuse me, if you graduate from sixth grade, or manage to remove your mouth from the snitch's tit, I'll be sure to take your advice... you little anonymous coward!

    Maybe some day you'll grow a set; but I won't be holding my breath in the meantime.

    ReplyDelete
  21. i can be there anytime you're ready, punk poet. than we'll see who has a set. now corq it already diaper boy!

    gimmie a break, moron!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I've already told you, I don't wish to be your "dance partner".

    You're confusing me with someone you "met" in jail (and if you're not careful, you could wind up back there)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I didn't listen to Crystal Shit this morning, because I already knew what I was going to hear... "WAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

    Pathetic is The self proclaimed Pirate Radio extraordinaire. No Poet, I don't hate you because of your idea of sucking influential tit. No, I actually hate you because you are for a fact, PIRATE RADIO'S BIGGEST DOUCHEBAG.

    On a side subject, I'm curious. How do you masturbate living with your daddy? How do you muffle your own sounds when you orgasm, to keep daddy from hearing? Or does he join in on the self pleasuring fun, by jerking you off?

    ReplyDelete
  24. he secretly loves you poet
    he is looking for some man lovin

    ReplyDelete
  25. @A Ninny Mouse, December 11, 2011 8:13 PM: Wait, wat? Did a grown man just pull an "I hate you Ihateyou Ihaychew meeses to pieces" ... while fantasizing about another grown man fapping?

    Oh, lawlz.

    Extra! Extra! Bonehead League now available in Extra Fail size. Soon to be available on t-shirts, bumper stickers and fridge magnets!

    Internets, it is to laff.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Pitiful. Well, now we know where Kracker's fantasies run...

    ReplyDelete
  27. If one was to look for man lovin', then they should not seek it in Poet's direction, since he is obviously not a man.

    Oh gee, look, Guise Faux decided to give their two cents. Uh.. hmm... Yeah... Nothing added like usual. I think Guise likes to post somthing, just because typing something makes them feel smart.

    So now the count is at, two self absorbed pathetic souls, who feel they have an actual cause for fight for.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Look who's talking.

    Oh, sorry, we can't-- because you're not even man enough to post under your more well-known alias!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I will not post my identity Poet, because your snitch ass will send feds to my door. I will not cater for your satisfaction.

    Unlike you I do have something to actually lose, like my dick, and my station. In comparison those two things you have already lost due to your own moronic actions.

    Just because your dim wit led you to a fucked up path, doesn't mean you have to take the rest of us with you.

    ReplyDelete
  30. That nor are any other posts mine douche bag..

    ReplyDelete
  31. Confused anonymous (December 11, 2011 10:19 PM) spluttered: "...because your snitch ass will send feds to my door."

    U mad bro?

    You do seem confused about certain facts... okay, about *all* facts.

    The snitches are Kracker and Commander Bunny. Those are facts, well documented here and elsewhere. Pleeze lrn2read.

    There's a reason why the following are the most widely read posts on this blog... by visitors who actually know how to read and understand pesky little things called facts:
    MYXOMATOSIS MADNESS ALERT: Bunny Frames DXer

    House of Games: "Bob Smith" con's piracy

    The Irony of Anonymity

    Ha-Ha Only Kracker, Ha-Ha Only Snitching

    "...I do have something to actually lose, like my dick..."

    Sorry to hear about your dick, bro, but Y U NO see doctor? Or a psychiatrist, if you think Señor Peñor goes in your radio.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Sorry Guise... You no fly. However I have been the fly on the wall the whole time that has witnessed what has gone on. Never noticed, never making a sound, it was pretty easy to figure out that the "proof" you present, is what you were left with by another party to find.

    ReplyDelete
  33. 1. The evil heart grows from an obsession with self.
    a. Truly evil people in Pirate Radio were obsessed with self importance and self love, to the extent that they lifted themselves up above all others.
    b. Some felt that they were God’s gift to Pirate Radio & Blogging, considered almost “god-like,” they were going to save Pirate Radio and build great kingdoms!
    2. Arrogance is evident in the evil heart … evil feeds on arrogance and unhealthy pride.
    3. It always starts at a lower level, and from lack of challenge or correction grows until it is out of control and often beyond repair in the latter stages!
    a. Failure to correct things before they pile up can make the job so much more difficult later, or even impossible!

    that desribes the rabbit and kracker
    doesn't it yes it does

    ReplyDelete
  34. @A Nonsensical Moose snurfled (December 11, 2011 10:52 PM): "...the "proof" you present, is what you were left with by another party to find."

    LOL WUT

    Lemme get this straight... the master plan all along was for Kracker and the Lagomurph to self-pwn?

    Dunno what kinda "party" yer talkin' 'bout, but it seems to involve inserting Señor Peñor into a radio and brain damaging substances.

    Trolololo on bro.

    ReplyDelete
  35. ...and this here pirate just loves laughing at you not knowing who i am. you are a disgrace to pirate radio after what i have observed of your actions this past year, punk poet. a real pirate would have stood up to the fcc and simply changed broadcast locations. but no, you sobbed and pointed your finger the wrong direction you ignorant buffoon. the rabbit only defended himself and your address was public even if it was not on that fcc warning letter. anybody could have found it, you moron. you also blamed kracker for things i personally know he has not done. then you asshats throw the bowling league into it, rant about them with your hasty generalizations and insults, and so forth i might add. i could go on for quite some time about your pathetic self-serving actions, however i would rather not waste my time.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Maybe you should just start up a "FAP" beacon instead.

    ReplyDelete
  37. @Anon-ironic-mous (December 11, 2011 11:02 PM): The Lagomurph citing scripture was all kinds of ironic. False piety is the prime example of failing to comprehend Exodus 20:7.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Let us all be thankful in this holiday season; we have witnessed a blessed event: the rodent turned tail and ran. His cowardice will never be forgotten.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anothermouse (Dec 11, 2011 11:16 PM) squeaked: "...and this here pirate just loves laughing at you not knowing who i am."

    C'mon, bro, this is a tiny niche hobby. Almost all the diehard participants know who almost all the others are.

    "...(Poet's) address was public even if it was not on that fcc warning letter. anybody could have found it, you moron."

    So is yours. Would that justify publishing it here repeatedly, on the RP blog or Poet's or anyone else's?

    There's a huge difference, as you well understand - or will, after the weed buzz wears off - between the FCC's letter posting Poet's real name and city, and the Lagomurph repeatedly publishing Poet's name, city and street address on his blog. And after several weeks of publishing street address with the number only 10 digits off the actual address, Commander Buttmunch finally posted the actual address repeatedly.

    But, hey, if you see no problem with that, then you won't object to seeing your address published here.**


    "...however i would rather not waste my time."

    Thanks for taking the time to do so anyway.

    **(Just fucking with you. We know you weren't directly involved in the shit Kracker and CB pulled. But your trying to justify what they've done in exposing other ops, including people they mistakenly thought were only listeners. .. weak, dude, very weak. Kracker and Murphy fucked up. Let them deal with their own messes.)

    ReplyDelete
  40. kracker said...
    Really.
    (December 12, 2011 12:15 AM)


    See, there ya go. That's one thing kracker has over ComBun and your typical bonehead... no sockpuppets. No hiding behind anonymous posts. Unrepentant. No apologies, no excuses.

    Gotta give him credit for that.

    ReplyDelete
  41. kracker is a wifebeater; i don't see any reason to give him any praise at all

    ReplyDelete
  42. 1. The evil heart grows from an obsession with self.
    a. Truly evil people in Pirate Radio were obsessed with self importance and self love, to the extent that they lifted themselves up above all others.
    b. Some felt that they were God’s gift to Pirate Radio & Blogging, considered almost “god-like,” they were going to save Pirate Radio and build great kingdoms!
    2. Arrogance is evident in the evil heart … evil feeds on arrogance and unhealthy pride.
    3. It always starts at a lower level, and from lack of challenge or correction grows until it is out of control and often beyond repair in the latter stages!
    a. Failure to correct things before they pile up can make the job so much more difficult later, or even impossible!

    that desribes the John Poet
    doesn't it yes it does

    FIXED!!! You're welcome!

    ReplyDelete
  43. BTW, Guise, it's perfectly okay that you believe nothing that I have clued you on. I find it quite commical that you chose to continue being a fool. BUT, of course we're both anonymous anyway, (The whole point of your blog anyway, right?), therefore none has any credibility.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Still feeling the sting eh?

    ReplyDelete
  45. @A Nancy Morph (Dec 12, 2011 6:18AM):
    "Silly trolls, Trix are for wabbits."
    Ezekiel 25:17

    @Another Moose (Dec 12, 2011 6:23AM): "BTW, Guise, it's perfectly okay that you ... choose to continue being a troll."

    Fix'd that fer ya.

    "BUT, of course we're both anonymous anyway, (The whole point of your blog anyway, right?), therefore none has any credibility."

    At last, someone understands our blarg!

    Group hug?

    ReplyDelete
  46. "Anonymous said...
    kracker is a wifebeater"

    Not anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Oh Faux... why should I tell you who I really am when you won't do it yourself, you hyprocrite. You hide behind proxies and a made up name so screw you.

    I on the otherhand do not hide behind a proxy and if anybody traced it and showed up at my QTH, they best be a friend or they will live to regret it. Not a threat... just a fact, and I am plenty big enough to back it up. That goes for the wimp-ass FCC you're all scared of too.

    ReplyDelete
  48. "Anonymous said...
    kracker is a wifebeater"

    Not anymore.

    December 12, 2011 8:31 AM

    not anymore she kicked his ass out


    1. The evil heart grows from an obsession with self.
    a. Truly evil rodents in Pirate Radio were obsessed with self importance and self love, to the extent that he lifted himself and Kracker up above all others.
    b. Commander Bunny thinks that he is God’s gift to Pirate Radio & Blogging, considered almost “god-like,” he was going to save Pirate Radio and build great kingdoms!
    2. Arrogance is evident in the evil heart … evil feeds on arrogance and unhealthy pride.
    3. It always starts at a lower level, and from lack of challenge or correction grows until it is out of control and often beyond repair in the latter stages!
    a. Failure to correct things before they pile up can make the job so much more difficult later, or even impossible!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Anon at December 11, 2011 11:16 PM said,
    "the rabbit only defended himself and your address was public even if it was not on that fcc warning letter. anybody could have found it, you moron."


    Well, they may have been able to get an address with a NAME-- and no one (well, no one but JTA because of the maildrop, and Commander Bunny due to my stupid, STUPID, eBay purchase), no one else knew what name to look for, before the FCC's NOUO was published. What you are conveniently ignoring is the FACT that CB knew EXACTLY where I was BEFORE the FCC released my name:
    Bunny Threatens Poet

    Now that it's public information, I can make it more clear for everyone:
    Map Schlee St in Lansing, MI, which everyone now knows as my address (thank you, CB/Pat Murphy/Jerry Micahel Graves/Michael J Graves/Mike Graves!) and you'll see South Washington (which the Bunny later referred to as "Washington Avenue", which is ALSO correct!) a mere three blocks away to the northwest. (Bunny likes to threaten people with nearby geographical points, rather than the actual street names-- he thinks he maintains "plausible deniability" that way; seems like he did the same with 'Spore' through his sockpuppets)

    But, "Anon #2" (I'm going to call you "#2" just so I can keep you guys straight. You don't mind, do you? Good!), I'm glad that you have made your standards on this clear:
    "...your address was public even if it was not on that fcc warning letter..."

    So, it is OK to publish addresses, just as long as it's already 'public' information?

    GOOD! Excellent! That's a great load off my conscience-
    because something that I need to publish just a short ways down the road (after some set-up stories), necessitates the publishing of certain addresses to prove a point-- and I will do that by linking to publicly accessible information! Fact is, I've been sitting on a HUGE story for months, agonizing over that one detail--- even after CB has been publishing my address--- but now that I know that I have the blessing of the anonymous pirate radio gentry to republish anything that's already 'public', it'll be "All systems GO"/"Houston, we have NO PROBLEM!"

    Of course, I'll also have the moral justification that he's already done the same to me, so he definately has it coming--- which I expect won't be a small thing in the 'court of public opinion'...

    "WARCAKE"!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Eponymous snarled...
    (December 12, 2011 10:45 AM)
    "Oh Faux... why should I tell you who I really am when you won't do it yourself, you hyprocrite. You hide behind proxies and a made up name so screw you."


    LOL WUT

    Nobody asked you to use your real name or even your radio handle or web nym here. That's why this blarg accommodates anonymous comments. And use proxies if you prefer - we can suggest a few good ones. Unlike somebunny we know, most of us still respect online privacy.

    "I on the otherhand do not hide behind a proxy and if anybody traced it and showed up at my QTH, they best be a friend or they will live to regret it. Not a threat... just a fact, and I am plenty big enough to back it up. That goes for the wimp-ass FCC you're all scared of too."

    Engrossing epiphany, brocephus.

    You might wanna ease up off the crap frop and quit buying your recreational supplies from the hardware store rope aisle. It's making you paranoid.

    Believe it or nuts, you're among friends here - well, allies, anyway... at least not enemies, per se - even if we do indulge in a little smacktalk. If you don't like playing the dozens, don't be number 13.

    We're all fans of pirate radio here. This blarg is just trollery with a massage that some find amusing, bemusing or confusing and others find rubs 'em the wrong way. But we wouldn't tell you how to run your mouth or your rig on air any more than we'll worry about whether you or anyone else dislikes what we publish here.

    Have a slice of WARCAKE!!! It's not just for munchies anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  51. I disagree, Guise.

    I insist that he refer to himself as "Anon #2", if only for the sake of clarity-- so that I don't mistakenly attribute the obfuscations of one anon to another anon--

    That is, if "Anon #2" wishes to continue the 'conversation'...

    ReplyDelete
  52. actually my real name and pirate name are associated as never gave a care about the FCC, but i do respect others who share different feelings on that. i do feel that you had a bum deal with the FCC situation, poet, but even with all the stupid bickering between you and commander bunny, it was not the rabbit and kracker who turned you in. you really should have transmitted away from your own location beforehand to prevent a bust, but that's only my take on that matter. i only know what i managed to read about online.

    i and several others i knew were dragged into a pirate war in the mid to late 90s by the late kirk trummel for the crime of being a studio pirate and he didn't like a close friend of mine. i did come close to traveling to take care of it in person but was talked out of it. glad i listened as eventually that war faded away and he suffered a terrible death from pancreatic cancer. i would not wish that on anybody, not even an enemy. although i did not personally like the guy obviously, kirk trummel was an asset to pirate radio nonetheless.

    look, this is merely internet crap and to a lesser extent it reaches onto the radio. but i realize you are being affected much more than it, and yes, i feel that it's definitely gone too far. the rabbit did go overboard with his actions but so did the other bloggers and posters online. it's a two way street on that one.

    now as for my trolling here, most of it is satire of what i have seen your enemies post much like the RP blog is here and i get a chuckle out of it here. it is mostly in fun to see reactions which half the time are funny trolling too. sorry if my fun upsets some here that take it seriously.

    now i feel i must warn you that if anybody were to show up here angry to attempt to cause me harm for mere trolling or having certain friends, they would be making a serious mistake.

    ReplyDelete
  53. hey poet,
    open the gates of hell and give us those addresses!!! especially Krackwhores!!

    ReplyDelete
  54. "now i feel i must warn you that if anybody were to show up here angry to attempt to cause me harm for mere trolling or having certain friends, they would be making a serious mistake."

    You seem really worried about that. Allow me to remind you, that all the real stalkers and threateners have been involved on the other side of the equation-- what would seem to be your side of it-- and you yourself keep making your own threats... So it would seem that your concern is pointed in the wrong direction. No one is interested in hurting you.

    If what you've written was meant satirically, well, it does not read that way.

    " it was not the rabbit and kracker who turned you in."

    So, how can you present that as a fact, if all you know about this is what you read online? Kracker spent a lot of time hinting about it before it was made public-- what with sinking Crystal Ships, and "you're gonna need more tubes, Poet"-- so he clearly knew something-- and CB hinted darkly about it in some private email exchanges. Moreover, he had the means to deliver very specific information about me to whomever he chose.

    "yes, i feel that it's definitely gone too far. the rabbit did go overboard with his actions but so did the other bloggers and posters online. it's a two way street on that one."

    Seems to me-- unless you count a bunch of anonymous blog comments for which I am not responsible-- most of the traffic has been going one way, with just a few posts making that return trip. A lotta "key-board pounding"-- a lot of address posting, all coming from one direction. I can never hope to equal that number of posts, but we'll even things up a bit before it's done.

    "you really should have transmitted away from your own location beforehand to prevent a bust"

    I couldn't agree more. I was stupid there-- I was particularly stupid to be transmitting while engaged in a feud with Bunny and Kracker, and I was even more stupid to have believed that they would never go that far... Of course, for six long years of frequent broadcasts, there was never any problem, until my feud with those two came along...

    But now, we know what he tried to do to Doc John at Radio Yellowknife/NRS, several months before. What you'll do to one, you'll do to another. If I had known about that at the time, I think I might have been more cautious.

    You seem to be talking straight now. I appreciate that.

    ReplyDelete
  55. A naughty moose suggested...
    (December 12, 2011 2:04 PM)
    "hey poet,
    open the gates of hell and give us those addresses!!! especially Krackwhores!!"


    Ugh. Not here, puh-leeze.

    Other than Kracker and Murphy, nobody currently involved in any aspect of piratical shenanigans has done anything to warrant dropping dox. Granted, those two pretty well stunk up the neighborhood, but let's not burn down the whole town.

    Some of y'all already have boundary issues. The cyberstalking and encroaching into real-life stalking by tagging traffic signs around people's homes was already pushing the envelope. If it doesn't include a friendly offer to buy us a beer, you prolly shouldn't be lurking where we can actually smell you. And some of you neckbeards really need to shower.

    And for the record none of the smacktalk by anyone on this blog's articles or on the comments section should be taken seriously enough to provoke a dox dump here. It just ain't that big a deal. We're mostly blowing off steam. Maybe some constructive dialog will accidentally occur as well, who knows.

    I really don't wanna start pre-screening comments or requiring Google accounts or OpenIDs, or having to babysit the comments 24/7 just to make sure this space isn't abused for retaliatory dumps of private info about people who aren't public figures. If you must, please do so elsewhere.

    kthxbai

    ReplyDelete
  56. Six years of fueding, doesn't mean the opposing went in for the kill.

    "...Cold hearted orb that rules the night... Removes the colours from our sight. Red is grey, and yellow, white. But we decide which is right... AND WHICH IS AN ILLUSION?"

    ReplyDelete
  57. I'd just like to put in a pre-emptive request to be known as The Anon Who Is Not A Number But Rather A Free Man, if I may. Never been keen on being pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered, you see.

    That aside...

    Having been both alternately and simultaneously an SWL, pirate, and sideline follower of this entire saga over quite some span of time, I have to say that yes, mistakes have been made on both sides. However, on the basis of the evidence presented, Krackwhore and the Lagomurph are way, Way, WAY into the red on this particular balance sheet. They have, to use the common parlance, fucked up.

    Let me make it very clear: snitching is both a) wrong and b) a bead idea. It doesn't matter how much that one pirate may have pissed you off over some ultimately-inconsequential online bullshit: you never drop dox.

    You also don't QRM other pirates because doing so is wrong, but I'm sure that nobody in the Krackomurph camp would know anything about that. No, not a thing. Neither one has ever engaged in that kind of activity, to be sure. Of that I am... Fooling myself, but not others.

    And now, if you'll pardon me, I need to be trolololling my way along to some WARCAKE. Delicious, delicious WARCAKE!

    ReplyDelete
  58. NRS spewed: "However, on the basis of the evidence presented, Krackwhore and the Lagomurph are way, Way, WAY into the red on this particular balance sheet."

    Evidence? Haha. Innuendo and speculation would be better words.

    You neglect to mention that Poet is disgracing himself and pirate radio by actively engaging in "dropping dox."

    Your friend,

    Winston


    p.s. Jump Alex jump!

    ReplyDelete
  59. "The Anon Who Is Not A Number But Rather A Free Man" is stating - for the record - that he is not NRS, nor is he affiliated with them. Nice try, though. Sorry, but you'll have to point your paws elsewhere.

    I note no counter to the statements regarding QRM, however. Should the silence regarding those activities be taken as a tacit statement of complicity in them?

    Wait a moment... Of course! If it were a snake, it would have bit me. WBNY QRMed NRS, and my separate QRM incidents with WBNY led one of the Krackomurphs to believe that my post was made by NRS - hence the reply referencing NRS, Alex, and nothing at all to do with the QRM allegations.

    Good job, guys: your failed attempt at filling in the blanks led you down completely the wrong path as to the author of that post. Do you even know how many other pirates you've shit on anymore?

    ReplyDelete
  60. Anonymous not NRS spewed: "I note no counter to the statements regarding QRM, however. Should the silence regarding those activities be taken as a tacit statement of complicity in them?"

    For the record, I will state my opinion that anyone who intentionally jams another free radio transmission is in almost all cases a scumbag who deserves universal condemnation.

    All this "bunny QRMed NRS QRMed kracker QRMed bummy" discussion is utter nonsense and funny as hell. More assumptions based on conjecture with no evidence and biased because of your belief that bunny is Evil and Poet is Good and "that's all there is to it."

    How the hell do you know that The Bunny Itself was involved in any of this? Just because you heard a WBNY broadcast on top of NRS? Were you personally in his rabbit hole watching him turn on his transmitter when NRS was on? Isn't it possible that there a number of people out there who have downloaded the rodent's shows, and that maybe a couple of them are shitheads who thinks it would be funny to jam someone else's transmission?

    It could all be an elaborate troll just to get you all foamed up, y'know.

    Your friend,

    Winston


    ps. Jump Alex Jump!

    ReplyDelete
  61. "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)"

    ReplyDelete
  62. Winston said: "For the record, I will state my opinion that anyone who intentionally jams another free radio transmission is in almost all cases a scumbag who deserves universal condemnation."

    Glad to see that we're both on the same page regarding deliberate QRM. However:

    Winston subsequently stated: "All this "bunny QRMed NRS QRMed kracker QRMed bummy" discussion is utter nonsense and funny as hell. More assumptions based on conjecture with no evidence..."

    What I would like to know is how you can say that WBNY/Kracker QRMing someone is "utter nonsense". Unless you have firsthand knowledge of what happened in those instances, this is not an assertion you are in a position to make with any authority.

    Winston then continued with, "and biased because of your belief that bunny is Evil and Poet is Good and "that's all there is to it."

    Jeez, are you off the mark here. The QRM that I had to put up with has nothing to do with the issues between TCS and WBNY. Don't try to confuse the two; that tactic won't work.

    Winston then said: "How the hell do you know that The Bunny Itself was involved in any of this? Just because you heard a WBNY broadcast on top of NRS? Were you personally in his rabbit hole watching him turn on his transmitter when NRS was on?"

    No, I wasn't. Were you? I'd like a direct answer to that one, please.

    Winston then pontificated: "Isn't it possible that there a number of people out there who have downloaded the rodent's shows, and that maybe a couple of them are shitheads who thinks it would be funny to jam someone else's transmission?"

    Here's the thing: if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and acts like a duck, it's probably a duck. Or a rabbit, but you get the idea. It just seems odd to me that given WBNY and (particularly) Kracker's history of QRMing other stations that the jamming of NRS would be the sole instance where someone relayed their programme specifically for the purposes of jamming other stations. And, frankly, in the specific instance of the QRM that I experienced, I don't believe that was the case.

    Furthermore, you should stop fixsating on NRS here. Go back and read my original post on the subject: this is about the QRM that I experienced, not them.

    Winston then brought up the following: "It could all be an elaborate troll just to get you all foamed up, y'know."

    If it is (and I doubt it), it's really not working.

    Winston then tacked on the following almost-sentence to his post: "ps. Jump Alex Jump!"

    Dude, whatever your problem with Vranes (also note: I'm not him, either) is doesn't justify shit like this. Hell, even Kracker's escaping the low-hanging fruit of the wifebeating references for the most part.

    So out of curiosity, Winston, are you the Krackomurph under a new alias? It would certainly fit the pattern of behaviour we've come to expect from the sockpuppet mafia. Failing that, are you just failing at trolling?

    ReplyDelete
  63. Chasing farytales,
    chasing ghosts,
    chasing dreams,
    I'm chased the most.

    Every gnome,
    every fairy,
    even
    every little mushroom,
    wants to be something more
    than it already is.

    Knives and pens,
    axes and nets,
    torches and webs.

    Every where you look,
    there is always
    someone or something
    watching and observing you.

    Beware of the
    mushroom bear.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Does the Bosnian girl you're stealing poetry from know that you're doing that? Or anyone else, for that matter?

    ReplyDelete
  65. Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Does the Bosnian girl you're stealing poetry from know that you're doing that? Or anyone else, for that matter?

    December 14, 2011 4:45 PM

    whats it matter
    it is just like "stealing" music and audio clips for pirate radio broadcasts
    so whats it matter
    oh it doesn't

    ReplyDelete
  66. Recursively Anonymous said:

    "whats it matter
    "it is just like "stealing" music and "audio clips for pirate radio broadcasts
    "so whats it matter
    "oh it doesn't"


    You, sir, madam, or otherwise (as the case may be), missed the sarcasm inherent in the post you are referencing.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Winston the sock-puppet wrote:
    "You neglect to mention that Poet is disgracing himself and pirate radio by actively engaging in "dropping dox."


    They neglected to mention it because it hasn't happened. Yet. Patience, Liar-Murphy! When I do, it'll be because it's necessary to help prove just how big of a LIAR you have been to the pirate radio community, having lied to almost everyone in it...

    I hardly think anyone (but you, Pat, and your Murphy sychophants) will consider it a disgrace for me to do to you, what you've already done to me repeatedly.... They may wish it would 'all go away', but they tend to be a fair-minded lot.

    John Poet

    ReplyDelete
  68. anonomoose:

    what you waiting for poet
    can't you see the suspense is about to smother some of these trolls

    ReplyDelete
  69. Poet kookfarted: "When I do, it'll be because it's necessary to help prove just how big of a LIAR you have been to the pirate radio community, having lied to almost everyone in it... "

    Intention to further disgrace yourself and pirate radio noted.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Faux-Mosby mewed...
    "Intention to further disgrace yourself and pirate radio noted."



    >Implying pirate radio isn't inherently disgraceful.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Guise Faux said...

    >Implying pirate radio isn't inherently disgraceful.

    lol guise lol

    the only disgraceful part about pirate radio is the rabbit his socks and the cockwads who helped him do the dirty deeds


    skrewloos

    ReplyDelete

Anonymous comments are welcomed to encourage frank participation. No need for your e-mail, OpenID, or Google accounts. Use a freebie proxy if you prefer when visiting ToRP, there are many.

Comments may be deleted if they:
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