Greg at Lefty Limbo wrote the go-to post about these stickers years ago. KLOS is a radio station in Los Angeles that was, in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the premiere rock station and a youth culture landmark. The distinctive “rainbow” design still hits me hard in the fond memory zone—they even smelled beautiful.
As Greg notes, virtually every kid at the time sent multiple SASEs to KLOS requesting as many stickers as he/she could get. If I’m remembering correctly, the station kept a log of requester addresses, so after the first request you had to use the address of otherwise uninterested family/friends. A few days later, there they were in the mail. (The giddy anticipation of waiting for an envelope or a package filled with free prizes is yet another feeling my kids won’t have in a technological age that abhors delays of any kind.) The stickers with the band names were sold exclusively at concerts, and often had coupons on the paper backing (“Save $1.00 on any Rush album/tape at any Licorice Pizza including their newest `Moving Pictures’ with this coupon“).
The stickers were known collectively as “Too Hip” stickers, a phrase that came from KLOS DJ Frazer Smith, who would close out his show by saying, “Too hip. Gotta go.” The stickers achieved their iconic popularity during his first stint at KLOS, from 1979 to 1984. There was also a Too Hip Fan Club, and I signed up for it. The only thing I remember about it is the ID card below.
When we moved out of our condo in the early ’80s, I stuck this card—signed by me, of course—in the inside molding of my bedroom closet door. I’m not sure why. Maybe I wanted the place to remember me, or maybe I wanted to make sure I remembered the place. For many years I’ve wondered if the card is still there.
(Images via eBay and the San Diego Reader)
2 Warps to Neptune 