cover image The Best of LCD: The Art and Writing of WFMU

The Best of LCD: The Art and Writing of WFMU

, , foreword by Jim Jarmusch. . Princeton Architectural, $29.95 (238pp) ISBN 978-1-56898-715-6

The aesthetic of 91.1 WFMU, New York's legendary free-form radio station, is defiant eclecticism born of the cultural and musical ideals of the 1960s. This musical philosophy translates into a careening, relentlessly aggressive collection of cartoons, illustrations, essays, charts and various other media in LCD, a compilation of material from the meticulously arranged program guides the station released between 1986 and 1998. LCD stands for “Lowest Common Denominator,” but one glance at the book's contents confirms the sarcasm that such a title suggests. In truth, the collection is a celebration of everything but popular appeal: an appreciation of old rock and roll songs translated into French resides comfortably with a series of cartoons documenting bizarre moments in history, such as the opening of the first Santa Claus school. Connoisseurs of the bizarre have a bountiful flea market of vaguely dated junk to explore, including a distinctly creepy interview with Gumby creator Art Clokey, an in-depth feature on obscure Hawaiian exotica records and enough wholly inexplicable and vulgar cartoons that one can imagine R. Crumb being a big fan. For those who delight in failed show-business tales, the sporadic contributions of Andy Breckman, a former SNL staff writer and Don Mclean tourmate, are laugh out loud highlights each time they appear. (Nov.)