It was on the great show Surfwave that Laika and the Cosmonauts were heard in Los Angeles. The year was about 1990. As the radio show ended the august sounds of Fade-A-Way were heard but there was no back announcement.
By next week host, Jim Dunfrund, had been besieged with requests about this mystery melody. After some checking he told us that it was "Laika and the Cosmonauts from Finland...". Laika, as you may recall, was the name of the dog sent into space by the Russians in the 1950s.
The Warehouse on Santa Monica had one man that favored rock instrumentals, it was he that sold me my first CD of the Cosmonauts. What I next needed was a CD player. Surfwave was THE show that got me buying them before I even had a player! I listened to the show from 1979-2003 and still lament its loss. But the host found greener pastures in San Francisco.
It took me years to see them since I worked evenings. Finally seeing them in Hollywood at the Knitting Factory then again during their farewell tour at the Bordello with Big Sandy. They signed my records and allowed me to take pictures. Sorry they were not played more. They like another European act, told me that the EU has not bettered radio coverage for European bands.
I hope what followed their demise is better for them. Musically it remains worse for us.
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