On April 8th 1994, the news went out that Kurt Cobain was dead. It was a Friday. The first I’d heard about it was from a Sacramento radio station (now, also dead) called KWOD 106.5, as I was sitting alone in my bedroom working on my math homework. I don’t want to diminish the significance of Cobain’s passing, but I kind of don’t really want to talk about it either.

I would like to talk about the end of the KWOD format as it existed at the time of his death, though. It was the local “alternative” station, meaning that it played the very popular and successful youth-music of the time: grunge. Some people didn’t like this new development, because KWOD was one of the few stations whose format allowed it to play New Wave, postpunk, and indie rock, and all those genres seemed to be swept aside so that we could listen to “Evenflow” twelve times a day.

Older listeners would sometimes call in to complain (I was in high school at the time, but I foolishly considered myself one of them—for no other reason that wanting to feel superior). What happened to bands like Concrete Blonde, or the Smiths, or early REM? They were all shoved aside in favor of these scruffy kids with their rock ‘n retro aesthetic.

Well, of course a lot of those complaints were an exaggeration. KWOD still played those other bands, they were just mixed with the new stuff. I mean, KWOD still played the Smiths. In fact, I can think of one very specific instance when they played the Smiths.

It was on that one Friday, April 8th 1994. After the DJ had just announced Cobain’s death, he played the Smiths—immediately, seamlessly, just played it.

And it was this song:

Even though I’m a few months behind on this, I’d like to note the passing of a once great radio station. Rest in peace, KWOD. Your replacement isn’t a patch on you.