Rodney’s SXM’s Show Goes Monthly
• For half a century, Rodney Bingenheimer has been one of Rock radio’s most influential tastemakers, introducing listeners to artists and records that would go on to shape generations of music.
On October 4, after a 10-year run on SiriusXM, The Rodney Bingenheimer Show wrapped its weekly run on Little Steven’s Underground Garage (Channel 21). Now, as Bingenheimer marks 50 years on the air, the Underground Garage is preparing new monthly programming featuring the legendary DJ.
A fixture of the Los Angeles music scene since the 1960s, and famously dubbed “The Mayor of the Sunset Strip” — and the subject of the 2003 documentary of the same name — Bingenheimer’s radio career began with “Rodney on the ROQ” on KROQ/Los Angeles in 1976 and helped reshape what American audiences heard on the radio. Over more than four decades Bingenheimer became known for giving crucial early support to artists including the Sex Pistols, Ramones, Tom Petty, Blondie, Elvis Costello, Van Halen, The Clash, The Smiths, The Go-Go’s, The Bangles, The Runaways and Oasis, earning a reputation as one of Rock’s great musical tastemakers.
When “Rodney on the ROQ” ended its more than 40-year run in KROQ in 2017, Steven Van Zandt, creator and Executive Producer of Little Steven’s Underground Garage, immediately swung into action, saying, “I hired him about an hour after he left KROQ. There was no way Rodney was not going to be on the radio.” The Rodney Bingenheimer Show debuted on Channel 21 that July.
“As listeners to Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM Channel 21 know, it has been our honor to host the Rodney Bingenheimer Show these past 10 years,” said Van Zandt. “As the visionary, history-making DJ celebrates his 50 years on the air, he has decided he wants to slow down a bit. So, we will be transforming his weekly show into monthly specials.”
Van Zandt added, “Rodney is one of the most important DJs in the history of Rock and Roll. He heard things before everybody else heard them. He gave artists a chance before anybody knew who they were, and in doing that, he helped change music. We are proud to have him as part of the Underground Garage family, and very happy that he will continue sharing his extraordinary musical instincts with our listeners. Stay tuned…”
The new monthly programming feature will mark the next chapter of Bingenheimer’s longtime relationship with the channel. Additional details TBA.
