The following is a piece from the man who hired me at Inside Pulse Music, Matthew Michaels

“You know what 411 needs, Widro? A music site.”

This may or may not have been what I sent via IM to our fearless BOSS on a fateful night in the summer of 2002, but let the record show that there was SOME sort of conversation, and 411 WAS expanding beyond it’s original subject matter, and I DID eventually join the staff to write about music. It began with a recap of the 2002 VMAs that I stumbled through (I refuse to provide a link for fear of Bill Simmons gimmick infringement accusations)… and 3220 days later, I couldn’t be prouder when thinking about how it all ended up.

From 411 to the launch of Inside Pulse Music a couple of years later, to the spinoff of indie-focused Broken Dial, which is a far superior name for what we today know fondly as Radio Exile…it has all led to what’s been a bittersweet week on these pages. Sad to see it closing up shop, but admittedly enjoying the nostalgia – especially the triumphant return of Greg!

Read more from Matt “after the jump”

In fact, I remember my first encounter with SMS. He had emailed me a review of Who Will Survive… by Murder by Death, and was pretty much hired on the spot. We even met in (gasp!) real life, at a (now-closed) Virgin Records, and once the shock of his bright red hair wore off (from his emails, I would have sworn him to be a mulleted brunette), we chatted, listened to some tunes, and the rest is revisionist history. It was great to find someone who was equal parts prolific, patient (yes, SMS can do patient) and thoughtful; and it’s been fantastic to watch him evolve, along with Inside Pulse’s Music section, as he knocked it up, served as midwife, and then nurtured what is now, and always will be, known as Radio Exile…

Radio Free Exile, a place that’s always been much more this…

…than this:

Radio Friendly Exile, where review copies of CDs go to die, yet are always, somehow, given their due.

Radio F’N Exile… I hate to see you go. But – this week anyway – I’ve loved to watch you leave.

Until next time…

Last 5 posts by Shawn M. Smith

• The Parting of The Ways by Shawn M. Smith - June 24th, 2011
• A Final Goodbye from K. Sawyer Paul - June 24th, 2011
• Salty Makes His Final Appearance - June 24th, 2011
• Hope You've Had the Time... - June 21st, 2011
• Video Hook-Up: Collections of Colonies of Bees - "Lawn" - June 8th, 2011