Happy 50th birthday to NPR! Uh...Oh. I think I just got scrolling whiplash from my conservative friends. Fear not, brothers and sisters, I'm one of you. Oh no...whiplash to the left of me. Fear not comrades, I'm one of you, too. But....how can that be? We have met the enemy and it is....us. Who woulda thought? More on that later.
But Happy birthday NPR. I loved spending a chunk of my Fri afternoon with Ira Flaytow on Science Fri. Terry Gross does wonderful in depth interviews on Fresh Air and the Tiny Desk Concerts were like sparkling gems that would magically appear just when I needed them. Ok. NPR has an obvious left leaning bent to everything they do. But you know that going in and they do let the other guys in now and then, listening without demeaning, for the most part. Ahhh....Conversation. Remember conversation? That doesn't mean I'm not open to some clever sarcasm. I am. Sometimes...many times..... I learn something, even if I do keep a grain of salt in close proximity. NPR hosts....well...all hosts... usually get in the last parting shot, even if the guest is long gone. That's the perk of being the host and controlling the faders. Fifty years, man. I was never a U2 fan but there's something to be said for longevity, for maintaining an audience, for just showing up. I'm becoming a U2 fan. Fifty years of public radio with support only from underwriters and you and me. Yes, I've written the occasional check. I drove NPR midday newscaster Lakshmi Singh once. The conversation went, Me: "Good morning Ms Singh. Your flight's on time." Lakshmi: "Thank you. Put on NPR please." She seemed slightly impressed when I said, "Philly or New York?" End of conversation.
The AM side of radio, decidedly conservative, unless there's two hosts, is more frantic... hurried. "We're up against a hard break." We're comin' to the top of the hour! Hurry! Hurry. Must sell the next weight loss plan. They have to. And sometimes frantic is good, too. I was getting a little weary of the "K- A - R - S, Cars for Kids" theme song but I always liked singing harmony and desecrating the words. I enjoy a lot of the AM hosts. I enjoy a lot of the FM hosts. If you're going for more in depth, Sirius is the way to go. But it'll cost ya. Sometimes Gross will really get my Irish up. (Is that offensive? Get over it!) Sometimes Sean will make me want to reach through the radio and..... You know what I do then? I change the station. Or turn off the radio. Sometimes quiet is nice. I don't write a letter or boycott a product. You can. I'm a grown up. I can take it.
Political correctness was just funny. The new "cancel culture" is sad. I'm not afraid to hear anything or let anyone have a forum. "Oh..so you LIKE Hitler!" Um....no...I don't like Hitler. Not even a little. The shutting down of alternative views on college campuses is...... weird. That used to be the bastion of free speech. Now alternative views are shouted down or disinvited. I saw this first hand when a filmmaker, whom I'd just dropped off at a NY college theater, jumped back in my car and said, "Get me back to civilization." He didn't even make it to the stage. A lot of comedians will no longer perform on college campuses. In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, "They've lost they're ability to laugh at things that are uncomfortable." I think I'm paraphrasing. I always found "uncomfortable" to be where the best comedy lives! Some years back when things were just starting to get weird I was taking night courses at Rutgers and received my one and only college A. I disagreed with the professor on everything but on tests and papers regurgitated back to him everything he wanted to hear. After a full day of work I didn't have the energy for debate. I would even add a postscript thanking him for his insights and for opening my eyes to different social issues of which I was blindingly unaware. I'd get a lot of "Good job!" and "Great points!" I gotta admit feeling a little sleazy but....my only college A! My neighbor across the aisle, to her credit, would always take the contrarian side, on tests, papers and class discussions. Her efforts would come back covered with "Wrong!!" or "Read Tuesday's Times editorial on this!" Etc. She wound up with a final C. Undeserved. She wasn't too happy with my strategy but occasionally we'd go to Tumulty's pub for the post class beer, anyway.
On my Thursday morning radio show ....PLUG!...WDVR FM 6am- 9.... I play music and observe... ala, Jean Shepherd....life. I couldn't hope to shine his shoes but I give it a shot. He was the best. Christmas story!? C'mon!! Jean's elaborate, windings tales coming out of my parents radio from the next room would accompany me to that peaceful world of sleep. They really kept that radio obscenely loud. Kind of like I do now. So no time for politics on my airwaves unless it's a quick stick in the eye. A non partisan stick in the eye. Or as James Carville says, "Pawatisan." How he and Mary Matlin made it work all those years is one of life's great mysteries. Ya know, I really am a live and let live, love your neighbor, kind of guy but I can't pass up a good jab. It's the Mad Magazine, SNL (when it was funny), Far Side part of me. It's a conundrum. My cross to bear. I have to keep my mouth shut. A lot. And listening can be a wonderful thing.
I think I've mentioned this somewhere before but this kind of sums up life in America today and may bear repeating. One Thursday morning, post Trump/Hilary election, I received a call from a woman who said she could no longer listen to my show as I was obviously in the tank....yeah... she said "in the tank"....for Hilary. Ok. See ya, yadda yadda, no hard feelings. I was a little disturbed. Until......two weeks later.....two weeks!....... I got a call from a guy who said he could no longer listen to my show as I was obviously a shill...yeah.... "shill".... for Donald Trump. Well. now I could play that next Critters song (Don Ciccone was my fill in guitar teacher. Look him up) with a clear conscience. Cigars all around. My work here was done. I pissed off both sides. By saying practically nothing! I fear the days of arguments on the Senate floor leading to Happy Hour truces are over. Pick your side and stick with it. Don't give an inch. Even if you spot some possible merit to an opposing argument. One misstep and your next moniker will be Persona non Grata.
Listen. No one's got the ultimate answer; the myriad religions, political parties, talking heads or you...or me. They all think they do. And, at times, we probably think we do, too. I guess confidence, even misdirected confidence, is good. I believe we'll find out, somewhere, sometime. Surprise! In the meantime be kind, be willing to listen to the other side, be able to give and take a jab and if you don't like what you're hearing.....change the station, channel, dialogue. Or, if you must, write a letter, boycott, protest. I don't have the time or frankly, interest, for that. But you can! We're still able to do that. But maybe.... you better hurry. Better yet, go play catch with your dog. He's always glad to see you.
Happy birthday NPR! Peace.......
