cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo shared by The Rocketeer
A number of things these days I find interesting are ones where you say “I can try and explain but you really had to be there” This includes they way people have described the Unplug’d conference (I’ve met like half on my road trip), and also very much ds106 radio.
Usually these things are ones that you talk about so much that you may annoy people around you. The answer to almost anything becomes… “ds106 radio”.
Well here is one more. Those I who have been around me know I don’t spend much time sleeping. I honestly find a lot of time sleeping tiring… and a waste of time! It’s like the way Keith Richards open’s his autobiography:
For many years I slept, on average, twice a week. This means that I have been conscious for at least three lifetimes.
I find that getting revved up n a programming or video editing project, I might start tired, but end up wired for hours. The same thing happens on ds106 radio.
I came up with this idea- traditional radio is about broadcasting something for people to hear you- ds106radio is about broadcasting for people to hear with you. One word difference, but it is immense.
Last night I was trying to read a book and ended up sleeping with it resting on my chest. I woke up to respond to an important text message, and thought, what the hell, will see what is going the radio. It was just Auto DJ, which is fine, because there is always something on. But the radio is ALIVE when someone is live broadcasting.
I just felt like doing something, but not talking, so I queued up about 8 sounds I had already in a list of “All Right” songs, just to say I was all right. I started tweeting the songs. People like @pumpkiny (who is a musicologist galore) responded with new suggestions. @aforgrave joined in as I was calling out things like “air guitar solo time”. Someone I’ve not crossed paths with before @savasavasava suggested a new song. I was downloading them and tossing them into the mix, even screwing up one when I did not think and sampled the song from iTunes Store, which of course went out on stream.
What happened? Did I feel like a nimcompoop or worthless for making a public mistake? Nah, I laughed, and @forgrave tweeted “hey Alan, it’s allright!’
Even just describing this sounds ho-hum, but more more, the endorphins were flowing strong. I ended up staying up another hour to write a blog post. My new and improved playlist is:
- Feelin’ Alright (Traffic)
- It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) (Bob Dylan)
- All Right Now [Live] (Free)
- Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting (Elton John)
- Feelin’ Alright (Joe Cocker)
- Jesus Is Just Alright (The Doobie Brothers)
- Bloody Well Right (Supertramp)
- The Kids Are Alright (The Who)
- It’s Alright For You (The Police)
- That’s All Right (Rod Stewart)
- Jumpin’ Jack Flash (The Rolling Stones)
- End of the Line (The Traveling Wilburys)
Want to feel allright? Try these
Do you really want to feel allright? Get on yer #4Life yell, pick up the microphone, and join our mad loving community. See http://bit.ly/radio4life for everything you need to listen and broadcast.
Radio makes me feel more alive than almost all other activities. How can I put that in words? Well… you have to be there….
What, no I’m alright by Kenny Loggins? CaddyShack baby.
My bad, but you had to be there to suggest it live. Get on the real internet, its radio, man.
#4life , Alan, #4life . Missed hearing you but caught a lot on twitter. My day was brightened today by hearing @onepercentyello playing her ukelele just for me. Screw “amazing stories of openness”, we need “amazing stories of #ds106radio”
Amazing stories happen every day on #ds106 radio, in fact the amazing is ordinary; we are into ultramazing
I’ve been trying to explain to my children the timelines around technology and social change. We toured my old stomping grounds around McGill University and I told them that when I went there, I had no computer, there was no real internet, I had no cell phone. We had no TV at home. I was ONLY connected to the world through radio. The gorgeous wooden stereo cabinet that my grandfather built when he worked at RCA was my only source of news, of community, of entertainment (“who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows, …”).
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to host a folk blues show at Concordia University’s radio station during my time there. I’m not sure I can put into words the feeling of spinning an LP and then dashing out into the halls to watch people tap their feet, nod their heads.
Now fast-forward to DS106Radio. To talking with folks, honestly and openly. Listening to them jam across time zones. Beautiful young voices on ukuleles. Intellectual discourse.
It all happens on radio. I lend my ear to the waves and hear the beat of your hearts.
Thank you for sharing this most difficult time with us Alan. I look forward to your return to the great white north. My door is always open.
I never cease to be amazed at the rich, deeply meaningful experiences and bonds that have connected this radio community that continues to grow.
“If we sit and talk in a dark room, words suddenly acquire new meanings and different textures. They become richer, […]. All those gestural qualities […] come back in the dark, and on the radio.” ~ McLuhan
It is amazing.
Great recap, Alan! LOVE your photo sotcelien for this post. I think you can add to your list…”number of places I crossed off my list to visit” – answer “all of them but I added 1000 more” :-0)