Call this number and give them some money right now! 310-338-5958. Or do it online!

Come on, who doesn't want a KXLU toothbrush? It could be yours for a measly 5-dollar donation. When have you ever even seen a black toothbrush before? How much cooler could a toothbrush get?

Not good enough for you? You need a reason? Alright, fine. Then you force my hand. I'm going to make you listen to a scary, scary, story about a time when you could only listen to the music that big corporations wanted you to hear. There weren't downloads and podcasts and these Videotube youhoob things.

Come on, now, kids, and gather by the fire... (imagine an old goldminer's voice here) Back in my day, alternative music meant alternative music. You didn't hear it in the mall and you almost never heard it on the radio. Rodney on the Roq was one of the few DJs playing any kind of punk rock, and few people realize how heavily censored that show was. The Rotter's Sit on my Face Stevie Nicks was taken out of rotation after threats from Mick Fleetwood himself, and the Angry Samoan's Get Off the Air actually caused Rodney to get them blacklisted from local clubs.

The only real radio free Los Angeles has always been KXLU, broadcasting steadily from Loyola Marymount University. Today marks the beginning of their week-long fund drive. The station is celebrating 50 years on the air, thanks to listeners like you (OK. I stole that line from KCET. It's not like they can copyright that sentence. Can they?) Stella's "freeform" show, Stray Pop, has been running on KXLU for over 25 of those 50 years.

One of the drop-in guests on Stella's show during the upcoming pledge drive is probably going to be Adam Bomb, host of Final Countdown, L.A.'s premier hardcore show from 1984-1989. Some of his guests over the years have included Suicidal Tendencies, Slayer, Circle Jerks, Corrosion of Conformity and Public Enemy. You can check out some of the classic interviews and live performances from Final Countdown here

Adam Bomb reminisced with LAist last night, "Probably the best live show on Final Countdown was [Greg Ginn's] Gone. Another great show I remember was when Rage Against the Machine played on Justin Thyme's live Monday night show, Neuz Pollution. One time on Splat Winger's Brain Cookies, we had so many people come jam, we had to put them in two rooms. We couldn't even see each other." Besides Adam Bomb on bass, some of the other musicians jamming that night were D. Boon of the Minutemen, Jack Brewer from Saccharine Trust, and Janet Housden (original drummer for Redd Kross and now the bass player for the Shakes).

Some of the hottest current shows are She Comes in Colours which won an award for best radio show in LA a couple years back from LA Weekly; She Rocks which plays feminist inspired punk rock, We Came from Beyond a hip hop show with Mike Nardone, The Kids Are Alright, Demolisten, Music for Nimrods and The Molotov Cocktail Hour with Senor Amor.

Besides its long history of alternative rock, KXLU's opera and classical programming has always had a serious following, especially the popular Eva Gampel.

Another KXLU mainstay of 20 plus years is Alma del Barrio, which fills the air with tropical breezes on weekends. The show features a variety of music, leaning towards salsa, merengue, and a little norteno. In addition, it has been an inspiration for the local AfroCuban musical community.

Come on, you know you want that toothbrush.

Give KXLU money.

Or you can just be friends.