Heroes of the Airwaves: A Radio ReflectionHeroes of the Airwaves: A Radio Reflection
In my bio page, I've noted that I grew up on the Southern CT shoreline, about 75 miles from New York City. During the 60s', when other people only read about some of the more famous disc jockeys that aligned themselves with the Beatle era, like Murray the K, Cousin Brucie, and the WMCA Good Guys, I actually was lucky enough to hear them and occasionally see one or two on various New York TV specials. It was around 1968 when radio started to seriously matter to me. My tastes were becoming more eclectic, ranging from the oldies and top 40 from stations like WDRC in Hartford, to progressive rock stations like WYBC (the Yale University radio station, where ironically enough years later I would have a brief radio news internship), WPKN in Bridgeport, WHCN in Hartford and WNHC-FM (later WPLR).
Progressive rock drew me in because it was fresh, exciting and different. They say the musical experience was enhanced if you took drugs, but I was only 13 and a nice, straight arrow nerdy girl and even if I were interested in sampling anything, my parents were sure to freak out. The one album that caught my ear the most back then was "Child Is Father To the Man" by Blood, Sweat and Tears. Way before the band's David Clayton-Thomas top 40 hit making era, Al Kooper ran the band and sang lead. Kooper's vocals had its critics, but I wasn't having any of that. There was just something about his singing that drew me in. All I know was he had believability, and I bought every word he sang. My little teenage heart used to just break when I'd hear "Just One Smile".
As I got a little older, I got better stereo equipment, and was able to get an FM tuner on which I was able to connect a small TV-FM antenna which sat at the back of the house. This enabled me to pull in some of the New York FM radio stations when the wind blew in the proper direction. During this period I found WNEW-FM, which had some radio personalities that made programming an art form. Folks like Dennis Elsas, Vin Scelza and Pete Fornatele and a show called "Mixed Bag".
Now, you can hear a song on the radio, and it in itself might move you a certain way. But, as part of a theme set as only Pete could manage to do it, one or more of these songs strategically placed together at the right moment can grab you to the depth of your soul. My fellow gospel music fan friends may think movement of the spirit only happens with gospel music, but trust me...it happened here over and over again as well. Many a day and night I've cursed the reception and strained my ears to stubbornly listen through static at what was truly some marvelous radio magic...the winning combination of the song choices and the heart and soul behind it all.
Eventually times and formats changed, and I moved to the Midwest where perhaps the closest thing I had to the feeling was the acoustic music featured on "A Prairie Home Companion", and even that was on hiatus by the time I got to the Twin Cities.
Fast forward about 10 years or so. Along came the Internet, and the delightful discovery that some of my progressive radio heroes found a home at WFUV in New York. And I was able to hear them thanks to the phenomenon of streaming radio. In April of 2001 came a rare opportunity...I tied in a trip to visit family in CT with a live broadcast of "Mixed Bag" with Pete Fornatele from the Museum of Radio and TV. I was smart enough to become a member of both WFUV and the MTR, both of which got me an in. And as if that were not enough, later that same evening my musical hero of my teen years, Al Kooper, was playing a rare solo gig at a Greenwich Village club. I went to the live WFUV broadcast, laughed at the humor of Christine Lavin and Modern Man, was deeply moved with the rest of the audience with Tom Chapin's version of his brother Harry's "Circle", and I got to meet and hug my radio hero, Pete Fornatele. Right after that, ignoring any and all fear, I jumped in a cab by myself and headed to Greenwich Village to hear my other musical hero, Al Kooper. That was me shrieking when he sang "Just One Smile"...my little preteen heart broke all over again. After the show, I got his autograph and managed to spit out a few words of appreciation. Sometimes it's good to have to wait for these things...I probably couldn't have handled it when I was 13, after all.
(Oh, and on a trip the year before that, there was a free oldies concert sponsored by WCBS-FM. I got to see Dick Clark live and in person, and got to meet another of my radio heroes, Dandy Dan Daniel, one of the original "Good Guys".)
Top 40 radio sure has changed a lot. At work recently I found myself shaking my head at some of the lyrical content of the hip hop and rap songs coming from the radio station some of the younger folks left on. Stuff that never would have had a prayer of making it to the airwaves 30-40 years ago. When I observed to one of the younger persons how "interesting" I felt the "music" was, he quite seriously asked me whatever did I mean by that. Then I realized I had become my parents. I didn't get it when they used to explain the virtues of big band.
I am grateful for the technology that not only allows me to hear some of my radio heroes who have kept on keeping on, but which also allows us to give them encouragement and tell them just how much what they do matters. You may have radio heroes of your own, but be sure to tell them how much you value what they do. It matters.
Rock on.
--Wendy V
Recommended listening:
WFUV.org
ReelRadio.com