Party Ben's Monster Mash-Up

Party Ben's Monster Mash-Up

A DJ's 'mash-up' of sound-alike tunes by the likes of Green Day is getting mad airplay -- and no one's sued yet: Aidin Vaziri | The first time Ben Gill, a disc jockey and producer at Live 105, heard Green Day's single "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," he thought it sounded a little familiar. So he dug through the radio station's extensive CD library and came up with a match: Oasis' "Wonderwall." And then another one: Travis' "Writing to Reach You." With easy access to high-end production equipment and a broadcast microphone, he did what any sensible person in his position would do. He walked down the hall to the production room, spliced the three songs together -- throwing in a bit of Aerosmith and Eminem for good measure -- and put his creation on the air. That was six months ago. Since then, Gill's unauthorized mash-up, "Boulevard of Broken Songs," has gotten radio play in places as remote as Portugal, Singapore and Pago Pago (no, really), as well as just about every major alternative rock station in every major city in the United States. It was in regular rotation on Paris' Oui 102.3 FM. It has netted stacks of press, topped with the most recent clipping from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. And various people have tried to slap their names on it and call it their own. "The thanks I think I'm getting is the lack of cease-and-desist letters," says Gill.