Slamdance Film Festival Documentary Review: ’40 Watts From Nowhere’

by | Feb 25, 2025 | Featured Post, Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments


Greetings again from the darkness. Music lovers know very well how radio changed in the 1990’s. Consolidations, mergers, and mandated playlists became the norm. Traveling from city to city and town to town made this abundantly clear. Where once independent stations were keyed in to local culture, corporate radio commanded the airwaves. The exceptions were ‘pirate radio stations’ and Sue Carpenter not only founded one of the best (KBLT), she put together this documentary on how she did it.

By definition, pirate radio is breaking the rules set by the FCC … taking over an open frequency in a market while being unlicensed. Of course, this only works at low power levels, and the film does a nice job of explaining the technical aspects, stopping short of the dizzying specifications required to broadcast. It’s those FCC rules that forced Ms. Carpenter to use Paige Jarrett as her business name – no need to make it easy for someone to track you down. She provides a brief history of her move from San Francisco to the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles, including input from Stephen Dunifer of Free Radio Berkeley. We see archival clips of Mr. Dunifer, as well as a more recent interview.

Most famously, the history of pirate radio must include a tip of the cap to Radio Caroline, the UK pirate radio station that broadcast from ships (plural) as early as 1964. Richard Curtis (loosely) based his 2009 film, THE BOAT THAT ROCKED, on Radio Caroline. Still, it makes sense for Sue Carpenter to focus on her accomplishments with KBLT, as she broadcast from a closet in her small house. It’s fascinating to hear her recall the assistance she received in bringing on DJ’s for the station … musicians and music lovers who thrived on the independent nature and freedom to play the tunes and bands and artists they appreciated. Many of the original DJ’s appear for interviews here and there are enough home movies for us to get the feel for the times.

KBLT broadcast from 1995 through 1998, and not only was it a much needed outlet for the thriving underground and alt-rock music scene, it also carried with it a bit of civil disobedience for those involved. It’s described as going ‘viral in the 1990’s’ (prior to social media). A live, on air, in-studio acoustic performance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was a highlight, and KBLT has been described as a real life version of PUMP UP THE VOLUME (1990). While those involved muse about what a great time it was, the impact on music remains undeniable.

David Ferguson
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