The man wearing flannel
Looks older than he is
Grey whiskers like buckshot
In his thin beard
He's been in the weather
But looks better for it
His lips are dry and cracked
With apathy
His hands and eyes are brown
First hard, the latter soft
What brings him happiness
If anything?
Is he an outdoorsman?
Does he smoke tobacco?
Does he enjoy music?
Is he well-read?
Is he a communist?
Was he at church Sunday?
Does he love a woman?
Is she still there?
What wars has he fought in?
What mistakes has he made?
Is he a good father?
I'll never know
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Radio Ga Ga
I updated my Blogger profile a few weeks ago, and as I was filling out the various fields of information now familiar to most of us in the age of social media, I was struck by an oversight. It would seem that Blogger, Facebook, and the like subscribe to the popular view that individuality is largely determined by the media one consumes. According to this view, our personalities can be broken down into basically six categories: favorite music, favorite movies, favorite books, activities, interests, and the ambiguous "about me". Half of these are media-specific, and, depending on how entertainment-oriented one is, the other half can be as well.
At this point, you might think I'm going to begin a "people are more than mindless, media-dependent favorites lists" tirade, but I'm not. I'm not really sure how I feel about this trend, but I do know that I like talking about what I like. So for now, let's just accept the premise.
What I do have a problem with is the universal exclusion of what I feel is a very important category. While some online profiles do include things like sports, video games, and TV shows, the glaring absence of "Favorite Radio Programs" is common to all. Some people may think radio prehistoric, but those of us who drive for a living love it.
Thanks to the internet, radio's accessibility has become virtually unlimited. Golden Age programs have fled their dusty archives. Current programs are no longer restrained by time, space, commercials, news, or bourgeois "Top 40" thinking (look at me sounding all post-modern).
Anyway, my point is that radio is awesome, and it easily makes up a quarter of my media-consumption. So until these social networking sites get their acts together and include radio in their profile categories, I'll list my ten favorite programs here (with links provided for you to stream / download episodes or find a station that airs them):
#10 Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin
I don't listen to conservative talk radio as much as I used to, but when there's an election or something interesting going on in the political sphere, I get my news from these guys. I love Levin's unwavering devotion to the Constitution, and Rush's powerful personality and unapologetic arrogance make him just plain fun to listen to.
#9 Unbelievable?
I just discovered this UK-based program. Each episode features host Justin Brierly facilitating a theological debate between two opposing scholars. Although most broadcasts tend to focus on apologetics, I've been more interested in the polemic topics like predestination / free will, the emerging movement, and women in ministry. If, like me, you've been curious about the controversy surrounding Rob Bell's latest book Love Wins, be sure to check out the Bell / Adrian Warnock debate, which you can actually watch.
#8 The Tolkien Professor
This is for serious Tolkien fanboys only, and it's technically a podcast, but I don't care. Titular Washington College professor Corey Olsen has uploaded a variety of interesting audio files to his website over the last few years, and continues to do so fairly regularly. If you don't like Tolkien, you won't want to listen to this. If you think he's a good storyteller, but hardly the literary genius people like me make him out to be, Corey Olsen will change your mind. Highlights include a chapter-by-chapter analysis of The Hobbit and recorded lectures from Olsen's class on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
#7 A Prairie Home Companion
Garrison Keillor's variety show is the only thing on NPR worth our tax dollars. I love the old-timey music, I love the sketches, I love the phony sponsors, I love the News from Lake Wobegon - it's simply great radio.
#6 Focus on the Family and Family Life Today
As a kid, I used to get bored when my parents would listen to Christian radio (except of course for Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey, which really should have been included in this list somewhere), but now that I have a family of my own, I really appreciate and enjoy their broadcasts. Guests and topics vary from week to week, but the quality level of Biblical insight and practical application is always consistent.
#5 Insight for Living
Chuck Swindoll is the only radio preacher I listen to. His exposition of Scripture is interesting, applicable, and very thorough. I love listening to him preach through a book of the Bible verse by verse, inspired word by inspired word. His broadcasts never fail to encourage my love of the Book.
#4 Rocky Fortune
This early 50's series stars Frank Sinatra as Rocky, a jack-of-all-trades who, one way or another, always seems to be finding himself in the middle of a crime scene. The plot lines might not be all that original, but I can't get enough of the snarky dialogue and... did I mention Frank Sinatra?
#3 Suspense
Suspense did for radio what Edgar Allen Poe did for literature and Alfred Hitchcock did for film - in fact, the series sometimes featured radio adaptations of stories by these gentlemen. Although it isn't the only horror-themed radio show I enjoy listening to (especially around Halloween), it is definitely the best. It retains the classic horror nostalgia of organ music, high-pitched screams, and spooky sound effects, while the excellent writing really does keep you in... SUSPENSE!!!
#2 The Jack Benny Show
Jack Benny was the king of radio comedy throughout most of the Golden Age, and his show provides an indispensable link in the evolution of comedy itself. While most of his contemporaries were busy recycling their joke-driven vaudeville routines, Jack and the rest of the cast found success in the kind of character-driven comedy we know from sitcoms today. "Pig-man, baby!" is funny because Kramer said it, “If I had a gun with two bullets, and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden, and Toby, I would shoot Toby twice,” is funny because Michael Scott said it, and "[I sing] anything but soprano," is funny because Rochester said it. On Benny's show, characters made the jokes funny, instead of the other way around. Listen to a few episodes, and you'll quickly pick up on the fact that Jack is cheap, Dennis is dumb, and Don is fat, but, like with any good comedy, it's the interaction between the exaggerated personalities that really endears an audience. You know you're a fan when you can anticipate each person's reaction to a given circumstance, and I am indeed a fan of this great show.
#1 Theme Time Radio Hour
In the heyday of rock and roll, radio was all about personality. Not obnoxious morning-show personality - I mean guys like Wolfman Jack who were so cool they made music cool just by playing it. In recent years, rock stations have resurrected this concept to some degree with shows like Nights with Alice Cooper, Dee Snider's House of Hair, and Nikki Sixx's Sixx Sense. Even in the be-your-own-DJ era of wallet-sized music libraries, people pay attention to someone who lived the music, who loves the music, who knows the artists, and who plays stuff you'll never find on a "Greatest Hits" CD at Wal-Mart.
These shows are great if you're a fan on 70's and 80's rock like I am, and Delilah's nice if you're in the mood for a good cry or a long nap (OK, I have to admit I preset her station at Christmastime), but Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour is #1, because it defies not only the "Greatest Hits" paradigm, but all limitations of time and genre. Dylan himself has been a musical legend for the past fifty years. He knew The Byrds, The Beatles, The Stones, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and Jimi Hendrix, and his intimate knowledge of the history of music almost makes you believe he knew Elvis, Hank Williams, and Leadbelly too. Entertaining and educational from the noir-like opening ("It's nighttime in the big city...") to the campy closing credits, each episode sifts through the waters of history, science, literature, film, and a vast library of twentieth-century music for treasure related to its devoted theme. If you like being exposed to new music, if you've ever wondered what Fred Astaire and The Ramones have in common, if you're interested in coffee, trains, Texas, the Bible, war, Christmas, and people named Joe, or if you just want to hear Bob Dylan talk about stuff, then check this show out on XM radio or follow the link I've provided before the site gets shut down :).
At this point, you might think I'm going to begin a "people are more than mindless, media-dependent favorites lists" tirade, but I'm not. I'm not really sure how I feel about this trend, but I do know that I like talking about what I like. So for now, let's just accept the premise.
What I do have a problem with is the universal exclusion of what I feel is a very important category. While some online profiles do include things like sports, video games, and TV shows, the glaring absence of "Favorite Radio Programs" is common to all. Some people may think radio prehistoric, but those of us who drive for a living love it.
Thanks to the internet, radio's accessibility has become virtually unlimited. Golden Age programs have fled their dusty archives. Current programs are no longer restrained by time, space, commercials, news, or bourgeois "Top 40" thinking (look at me sounding all post-modern).
Anyway, my point is that radio is awesome, and it easily makes up a quarter of my media-consumption. So until these social networking sites get their acts together and include radio in their profile categories, I'll list my ten favorite programs here (with links provided for you to stream / download episodes or find a station that airs them):
#10 Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin
I don't listen to conservative talk radio as much as I used to, but when there's an election or something interesting going on in the political sphere, I get my news from these guys. I love Levin's unwavering devotion to the Constitution, and Rush's powerful personality and unapologetic arrogance make him just plain fun to listen to.
#9 Unbelievable?
I just discovered this UK-based program. Each episode features host Justin Brierly facilitating a theological debate between two opposing scholars. Although most broadcasts tend to focus on apologetics, I've been more interested in the polemic topics like predestination / free will, the emerging movement, and women in ministry. If, like me, you've been curious about the controversy surrounding Rob Bell's latest book Love Wins, be sure to check out the Bell / Adrian Warnock debate, which you can actually watch.
#8 The Tolkien Professor
This is for serious Tolkien fanboys only, and it's technically a podcast, but I don't care. Titular Washington College professor Corey Olsen has uploaded a variety of interesting audio files to his website over the last few years, and continues to do so fairly regularly. If you don't like Tolkien, you won't want to listen to this. If you think he's a good storyteller, but hardly the literary genius people like me make him out to be, Corey Olsen will change your mind. Highlights include a chapter-by-chapter analysis of The Hobbit and recorded lectures from Olsen's class on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
#7 A Prairie Home Companion
Garrison Keillor's variety show is the only thing on NPR worth our tax dollars. I love the old-timey music, I love the sketches, I love the phony sponsors, I love the News from Lake Wobegon - it's simply great radio.
#6 Focus on the Family and Family Life Today
As a kid, I used to get bored when my parents would listen to Christian radio (except of course for Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey, which really should have been included in this list somewhere), but now that I have a family of my own, I really appreciate and enjoy their broadcasts. Guests and topics vary from week to week, but the quality level of Biblical insight and practical application is always consistent.
#5 Insight for Living
Chuck Swindoll is the only radio preacher I listen to. His exposition of Scripture is interesting, applicable, and very thorough. I love listening to him preach through a book of the Bible verse by verse, inspired word by inspired word. His broadcasts never fail to encourage my love of the Book.
#4 Rocky Fortune
This early 50's series stars Frank Sinatra as Rocky, a jack-of-all-trades who, one way or another, always seems to be finding himself in the middle of a crime scene. The plot lines might not be all that original, but I can't get enough of the snarky dialogue and... did I mention Frank Sinatra?
#3 Suspense
Suspense did for radio what Edgar Allen Poe did for literature and Alfred Hitchcock did for film - in fact, the series sometimes featured radio adaptations of stories by these gentlemen. Although it isn't the only horror-themed radio show I enjoy listening to (especially around Halloween), it is definitely the best. It retains the classic horror nostalgia of organ music, high-pitched screams, and spooky sound effects, while the excellent writing really does keep you in... SUSPENSE!!!
#2 The Jack Benny Show
Jack Benny was the king of radio comedy throughout most of the Golden Age, and his show provides an indispensable link in the evolution of comedy itself. While most of his contemporaries were busy recycling their joke-driven vaudeville routines, Jack and the rest of the cast found success in the kind of character-driven comedy we know from sitcoms today. "Pig-man, baby!" is funny because Kramer said it, “If I had a gun with two bullets, and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden, and Toby, I would shoot Toby twice,” is funny because Michael Scott said it, and "[I sing] anything but soprano," is funny because Rochester said it. On Benny's show, characters made the jokes funny, instead of the other way around. Listen to a few episodes, and you'll quickly pick up on the fact that Jack is cheap, Dennis is dumb, and Don is fat, but, like with any good comedy, it's the interaction between the exaggerated personalities that really endears an audience. You know you're a fan when you can anticipate each person's reaction to a given circumstance, and I am indeed a fan of this great show.
#1 Theme Time Radio Hour
In the heyday of rock and roll, radio was all about personality. Not obnoxious morning-show personality - I mean guys like Wolfman Jack who were so cool they made music cool just by playing it. In recent years, rock stations have resurrected this concept to some degree with shows like Nights with Alice Cooper, Dee Snider's House of Hair, and Nikki Sixx's Sixx Sense. Even in the be-your-own-DJ era of wallet-sized music libraries, people pay attention to someone who lived the music, who loves the music, who knows the artists, and who plays stuff you'll never find on a "Greatest Hits" CD at Wal-Mart.
These shows are great if you're a fan on 70's and 80's rock like I am, and Delilah's nice if you're in the mood for a good cry or a long nap (OK, I have to admit I preset her station at Christmastime), but Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour is #1, because it defies not only the "Greatest Hits" paradigm, but all limitations of time and genre. Dylan himself has been a musical legend for the past fifty years. He knew The Byrds, The Beatles, The Stones, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and Jimi Hendrix, and his intimate knowledge of the history of music almost makes you believe he knew Elvis, Hank Williams, and Leadbelly too. Entertaining and educational from the noir-like opening ("It's nighttime in the big city...") to the campy closing credits, each episode sifts through the waters of history, science, literature, film, and a vast library of twentieth-century music for treasure related to its devoted theme. If you like being exposed to new music, if you've ever wondered what Fred Astaire and The Ramones have in common, if you're interested in coffee, trains, Texas, the Bible, war, Christmas, and people named Joe, or if you just want to hear Bob Dylan talk about stuff, then check this show out on XM radio or follow the link I've provided before the site gets shut down :).
You gave them all those old time stars
Through wars of worlds - invaded by Mars
You made 'em laugh, you made 'em cry
You made us feel like we could fly
So don't become some background noise
A backdrop for the girls and boys
Who just don't know or just don't care
And just complain when you're not there
You had your time, you had the power
You've yet to have your finest hour
Radio
- Queen, "Radio Ga Ga", The Works (1984)
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