The soundtrack of the computer and video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which is set in 1992 in the fictional U.S. West Coast state of San Andreas, required that the game's radio stations reflect the music tastes of the time and area, in addition to covering current events in the state of San Andreas, and even weather forecasts. Together with several pieces of early-1990s music, the soundtrack also included songs from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Many of the songs interpolate or sample other songs which feature in this or other GTA titles, such as Ice Cube's "Check Yo Self", which samples "The Message", which was featured in Vice City or "Weekend" which appears in its original form on Paradise FM in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
Primarily, the player hears the radio when the protagonist acquires a vehicle. The player is also given the option of listening to the radio stations "out of game" by calling up the game's Audio Options. The station that will be playing when the player gets into a vehicle is determined by several factors, and players can change it or switch it off as desired (or set the game so the last station heard by the player will be playing when a new vehicle is obtained). The only vehicles in which the player cannot access the radio are the emergency and police vehicles (which use the police scanner), tractors, bicycles, forklifts, the Bandito sandrail, and certain boats. Radio stations, or some of the songs featured on them, can also be heard in the background in certain locations, such as bars, clothing stores, clubs, casinos, and safehouse wardrobes. The Xbox and PC versions of the game allow the player to create their own custom radio stations with user imported tracks. However, unlike previous GTA titles, which also offered this feature, San Andreas can place commercials between tracks.[1]
The game offers a few firsts for its soundtrack. One change made it necessary for why the game can place commercials in between the tracks: the player now hears news breaks at certain points during game progress. The news break that plays depends on where the player is in the story. This is later used for Grand Theft Auto IV's Weasel News. Similarly (and more frequently) some DJs can also be heard announcing the arrival of weather systems such as fog and thunderstorms which occur randomly in San Andreas. Another change was that the stations were now uncensored, and unlike previous entries in the series, words like "fuck" and "shit" were used on the stations without consequence, whereas in the past, DJ's scolded callers for using such language. Finally, at certain points in the game, the game changes the scripts for all of the stations, making them dynamic. This usually occurs when a player unlocks a new major island in the game. This last change has yet to be reimplemented in later GTA games, thus making it an exclusive feature to San Andreas.
The official soundtrack, available on Interscope Records, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Official Soundtrack and the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Official Soundtrack Box Set collection were released internationally on November 23, 2004 and December 7, 2004 respectively. Michael Hunter is the composer of the theme song and incidental music.
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The following is a list of radio stations and songs that are featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[2]
DJ: The Funktipus
Genre: Funk, R&B
Tracklist:
Summary: Bounce FM is a funk radio station hosted by The Funktipus (voiced by George Clinton[4]) Surprisingly, WCTR's Area 53's host, Marvin Trill, calls into Bounce FM foolishly thinking that 'The Party Ship' (Bounce's sub-heading/nickname) is a genuine space ship, asking how to get on it.
DJ: Phillip "PM" Michaels
Genre: New Jack Swing, contemporary R&B
Tracklist:
Summary: Contemporary Soul Radio (CSR 103.9) is a new jack swing radio station hosted by Phillip "PM" Michaels (voiced by Michael Bivins[4]). Michaels is an extremely self-obsessed character who believes that he is the next big star, despite his entertainment career having very limited success. The game's "Audio" screen and instruction manual refer to this station as CSR 103:2.
DJ: Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith
Genre: Classic rock
Tracklist:
Summary: K-DST "The Dust" is a classic rock station originating in San Fierro and hosted by Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith (voiced by Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose[4]), former frontman for the fictional 70s progressive rock band, Crystal Ship, which is also the title of a song by The Doors. Smith is surprisingly calm and constantly reminds the listeners about the 1970s and the classic "rock n roll" lifestyle. He dislikes Sage, the Radio X DJ, telling her to "get over it!" during the intro to Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream". In one broadcast, Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith says that, "all we need is patience, I said it before and I'll say it again," probably referring to the Guns N' Roses song "Patience."
DJ: Marshall Peters and Johnny Lawton
Genre: Dub, Reggae, Dancehall
Tracklist:
Summary: K-Jah West is a reggae radio station hosted by Marshall Peters & Johnny Lawton (voiced by Lowell Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare respectively[4]). It is also K-JAH's West Coast affiliate.
DJ: Mary-Beth Maybell
Genre: Country
Tracklist:
Summary: K Rose is a Classic country station hosted by Mary-Beth Maybell (voiced by Riette Burdick[4]), and based in Bone County (Fort Carson). Mary-Beth has been married numerous times, many of her husbands having died under suspicious circumstances. Oddly, the track New York City was not listed in the included booklet guide for the first PS2 version. It was however included in later versions.
DJ: Johnny "The Love Giant" Parkinson
Genre: Funk, Soul, Rare Groove
Tracklist:
Summary: Master Sounds 98.3 is a San Fierro based rare groove radio station hosted by Johnny "The Love Giant" Parkinson (voiced by Ricky Harris[4]). Despite his nickname, it is implied that he is quite short in stature and is possibly a dwarf.
DJ: Forth Right MC
Genre: Hip hop, Old school hip hop, alternative hip hop
Tracklist:
Summary: Hosted by self-righteous conspiracy theorist Forth Right MC (voiced by Chuck D[4]), Playback FM plays classic old school style rap from the Golden age hip hop. The Host is disliked by its listeners, as evident from the station callers and from Julio G (the DJ of Radio Los Santos), stating that "the station plays great music but the DJ is whack". This station was released on a joint album with Radio Los Santos.
DJ: Julio G
Genre: West Coast hip hop, Gangsta rap
Tracklist:
Summary: Radio Los Santos is a Gangsta rap, modern golden era West Coast hip hop radio station hosted by Julio G, (who is a real life DJ[4]) located in Los Santos (hence the name). Julio G is a very calm and collected person, who is simply a rap/hip-hop aficionado. He comments on many bad things going on in Los Santos, and persuades people to take a non-violent approach to all things. RLS hosts a number of shout-outs from the public of San Andreas and in-game characters. This station was released in a joint album with Playback FM as part of the 8-Disc soundtrack. The station also includes references to "carjacking on the rise", that activity being a key element of the gameplay. Sometimes after a mission, Julio gives out weather reports and news regarding Los Santos events, and encourages Carl "CJ" Johnson to phone his girlfriend, Denise.
DJ: Sage
Genre: Alternative rock/metal, Grunge, Heavy metal, Hard rock
Tracklist:
Summary: Radio X is an Alternative and period modern rock radio station hosted by Sage (voiced by Jodie Shawback[4]). Sage is a very self-obsessed woman and self-confessed rebel who seems to always be worked up about something, making her a stereotypical Gen X-er. Sage has a "bleak outlook on life" and her most apparent obsessions are the sound of her own voice, along with sex as she admits to have slept with the entire Danzig line-up, along with a man she "did behind the Cluckin' Bell", and pleads "could somebody please sleep with me!" during the outro to Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage", amongst at least two other references. She comes from an upper class suburban family that gave her a trust fund, which she takes shame in, stating that she is "poor in spirit". Sage has strong dislike towards people over the age of 29, believes in reincarnation and admits to having huffed paint and ether. Sage reacts negatively to the in-game events barring the Los Santos riots, and gets excited when the forecast predicts rain.
Radio X picks up a couple of callers, however these "two" callers are both voiced by Jeff Berlin who voices and produces the Radio X imaging. The name itself is a possible reference on Generation X, who came of age and were the main listeners of the genre in the early 90s, and/or Detroit's alt-rock radio station 89X Radio, which was founded in the very early '90s.
DJ: Hans Oberlander
Genre: Chicago house, acid house, Deep house
Tracklist:
Summary: San Fierro Underground Radio, abbreviated as SF-UR, is a San Fierro-based (hence the SF abbreviation) house music station hosted by Hans Oberlander (voiced by Lloyd Floyd[4]). Oberlander is a very insecure and hyperactive man with a comical German accent. On a number of occasions he begs the public to hug him and even cries on a song intro. One of two callers is Hans' father who orders him to play some "Wagner", and Oberlander possibly does drugs as his father continues to say "your mother found these pills in your room". Oberlander also inquires if his dealer has shown up yet in another song break. This is the only station not to be released as a San Andreas soundtrack. The song Weekend is Todd Terry's remixed version. The original is present on the Vice City Stories soundtrack.
Unlike some of the other games in the Grand Theft Auto series, San Andreas features only one radio station dedicated to talk and news. West Coast Talk Radio, abbreviated as WCTR, is a talk radio station. Depending on a player's progress through the game's storyline, the segments played on WCTR will change. Thus, during one segment of the game, the player may only hear specific portions of programs not to be heard again as new segments are aired. This is prominent in the 'WCTR News', 'Entertaining America', and 'The Wild Traveler' programs. Various intros, outros and comments are delivered by Barbara Fox. Several characters from the main game make cameos in the radio programs and advertising. Headquartered in Los Santos, WCTR consists of several programs:
WCTR News — Hosted by Lianne Forget (English pronunciation: /fɔrˈʒeɪ/ "for-zhay") (Sharon Washington[4]) with Richard Burns (Wil Wheaton[4]), which features up-to-date news in the San Andreas state. Overall there are 11 separate installments of the WCTR News throughout the game. The program hints at Forget and Burns having an affair. As the installments progress, the tone gets more and more agitated. Richard Burns is frequently under influence of something whilst on the air. At the end of each segment, Lianne usually advises people to "stay inside", and tells them, "it's safer there." In one installment, Richard Burns is punched in the groin by "Jimmy", once an extremely popular child actor on a 1980s sitcom in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, who was drunk in Las Venturas at the time. In the part when the news are being introduced, there is a part where Big Smoke makes a speech about his program for children in Los Santos (he is also OG Loc's current manager at that time).
The Tight End Zone — Sports program hosted by Derrick Thackery (Peter Appel[4]). Thackery does not actually care as much about the sports as the passions aroused from it. He was molested by his uncle when he was younger and appears to be afraid of making definite comments on sports, women and other things.
The Wild Traveler — Travel program hosted by James Pedeaston (Sam Tsoutsouvas[4]) Pedeaston is a child molester wanted in Malaysia and is being investigated by the FBI. He enjoys traveling the world and logging some of his most 'exotic' encounters in his travelogue, some of which he accidentally reads on-air to the disgust of the listener. His show appears to be so reviled by his listeners that at one point, he receives few calls which are not supportive. For example, a caller tells him to stop droning on about other countries and focus on talking about where he lives. He also got a phone call from a suicidal man that wanted to go to hell and he told him "Me too! Buy (me a) refrigerator magnet when you get there". On October 23, 2003, James was tried and convicted. Sometime in between his trial and the setting of Grand Theft Auto IV, a site was set up (freejames.org) asking people to donate to his legal fund. The website only received $23.
Entertaining America — Entertainment program hosted by Billy Dexter (Peter Marx[4]) and later Lazlow (Lazlow Jones[4]), featuring various guests. Dexter is accidentally fatally shot by a gun-wielding Jack Howitzer (star of the Exploder movie from Vice City) and after a rather lengthy hiatus (which includes Howitzer's subsequent conviction on WCTR news) is replaced by Lazlow. When Lazlow took over the show, his guests included OG Loc (throughout the interview, he and Loc have several misundestandings, such as when Loc tells Lazlow that he is a 'busta' to which Lazlow cannot understand what it means), Chris Formage (Fred Melamed), leader of a cult called the Epsilon Program, and Darius Fontaine (a new age, radical preacher who urges his fans to 'face their fears'). Opie and Anthony made a cameo as callers on the show. Opie talked about hunter-gatherers while Anthony said that he'd "really like to make out with hot chicks in church", which is a reference to Sex for Sam 3. According to Dexter, Entertaining America is headquartered in Vinewood.
Gardening with Maurice — Gardening show hosted by Maurice (Andy Dick[4]). Maurice is a rather gay and horny personality that not only loves his gardens, but his own body as well. For example, he likes to take pictures of both when they are "blossoming." He also offers unorthodox advice and unusual plant suggestions to callers. The name of the show originated on the Grand Theft Auto III rendition of Chatterbox FM, where it was said to be 'taken off the air'. He does occasionally express less than loving comments on flowers, plants and living things in general, "A flower is nothing but an educated weed and like all weeds all living things need to be extinguished!". Maurice expresses much anger towards the Proposition 421 (anti-smoking campaign), "Tobacco is a plant, people, and if it comes out of the ground, you should be able to smoke it!".
I Say/You Say — Political debate show hosted by husband-and-wife liberal-and-conservative team of Peyton Phillips (Paul Ames[4]) and Mary Phillips (Jackie Hoffman[4]), likely inspired by James Carville and Mary Matalin, two real-life political advisers who began dating while working for the 1992 Presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush, respectively. Peyton and Mary are caricatures of their ideologies: Peyton is extremely liberal, and Mary is a hardcore conservative. For example, when dealing with a caller that had recently buried the corpses of numerous illegal immigrants in his backyard, Mary advises the caller on how to use the corpses to legally get a tax break while Peyton mentions recycling and organ donation. Early shows feature a desperate Lazlow looking for a radio job, asking if he can take Peyton's.
Lonely Hearts Show — Relationship advice program hosted by Christy MacIntyre (Sara Moon[4]), featuring Fernando Martinez (Frank Chavez[4]) of Vice City fame who deviously takes over one show by setting Christy's car on fire and calling in to tell her to look out the window. Christy panics and runs out, only to be locked out of the station by Fernando who takes over and starts giving advice to callers. When Christy finally gets back into the studio her anger quickly melts into arousal after smelling Fernando's cologne. Fernando sees his chance and makes a move on Christy, and the two proceed to have sex while still live on the air. The station cuts the broadcast shortly after this point and the announcer acts like nothing has happened. Fernando also makes references to his time in Vice City, namely the reasons for why he was chased out of the city. Zero calls in early on, desperate to rid himself from celibacy, as does Jizzy B, hoping to promote his club.
Area 53 — A Coast to Coast AM spoof hosted by Marvin Trill (Bob Sevra[4]). Broadcasting from 'his trailer in the desert', Trill's main subjects are alien abductions and government conspiracies. Kevin Mitnick guests as a caller who says that he can launch nuclear missiles by whistling into a payphone. This is a reference to an allegation used by prosecutors to keep Mitnick in solitary confinement. He also says that he now only uses his powers for good (as the real Kevin Mitnick now runs a security consulting company). Adam First (Jamie Canfield[4]), the DJ from Vice City's Wave 103 also calls the show to tell him that he saw a man dressed in a space suit mating with Domestobots, to which Trill replies,"Uhh...He probably wants you to leave him alone," implying that it was Trill himself. Later in the same show, an actual Domestobot calls in to tell him that he knows what Trill is doing to his Domestobot brothers and sisters. The Truth also calls in, but is ridiculed by Trill. The first segment of Area 53, Trill ends his show by saying "Be careful out there, wherever you are". In the second Area 53 segment (while CJ is in San Fierro) the four callers in the middle of the show (Mike, Vyvyan, Neil and Rick) share the names of the four main characters of BBC sitcom The Young Ones. At the end of the segment, the announcer says " You are now leaving Area 53. Check your rectum." On December 26, 1999, Marvin made a website (viewable in Grand Theft Auto IV - area53site.com) announcing that he is shutting down the show to "protect his research". He also states that Y2K is very real. He then goes on to say that 10 years from December 26, 1999, he will re-emerge and start a new radio show.
Commercials that reference events in game:
Other Commercials:
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