A wonderfully nostalgic look back at WLIR 92.7, the Long Island-based radio station on the cutting edge of music throughout the 1980s. Going rogue, the station defied the record industry and played global imports before their release by literally picking up the singles at the airport,rushing back to the studio and spinning them live. Dare to Be Different features candid interviews and rare archival footage of U2, Blondie, Thompson Twins, Duran Duran, Joan Jett, The Cure, Billy Idol, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Depeche Mode, among others. WLIR helped introduce most of these bands to a US audience while creating a community centered around the punk and new wave scene. Now, 30 years after it went off the air, director Ellen Goldfarb tells the story of the unique rise and fall of this independent cultural institution.

—Dan Hunt

After the Premiere Screening: A live music tribute to WLIR from A Flock of Seagulls, Dave Wakeling of The English Beat, and The Alarm.

Directed by

Ellen Goldfarb