Renegade Radio Superstars

When Offbeat stopped publishing, a section of my internal organs died alongside its interviews with Sigur Ros and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the reviews written by radio hosts I'd idolized throughout junior high school.

Renegade Radio, in its quarters-folded format, soon replaced Offbeat, although when I say replaced, I mean only as the official CFUV publication. I missed the feel of Offbeat, the way you could actually turn its pages. Renegade seemed so... wimpy? Flimsy? Unsubstantial? Truthfully, the writing hadn't changed much. Its quality may even have improved in some cases (probably not). There were still reviews (although much fewer), and an interview here and there. I don't know if it was because I simply grew up a little and became disenchanted, but reading Renegade just didn't inspire me as much as reading Offbeat did.

Holding this month's Renegade Radio in my hands, in all of its six-page glory exclusive of front and back covers, I feel like my love of CFUV's written work has been restored. The cover is simple yet effective. The charts appear on page 1, where they should be (well, I think they're important). The program guide is colour-coded again. There is even a "Fun and Games" section on the back cover, complete with Immaculate Machine tour comic by former show host Brooke Gallupe, mix tape by Ming (♥♥♥ we'll miss you), and an Indie Rock Crossword you can have fun filling out with your nerdy friends. You can even read what Ryan wrote about Old Life Records. Woohoo! Go pick up a copy on campus or at Ditch ASAP.