The Immediacy of Radio

Last night Chaise Lounge was featured on a radio show called “Everything Old Is New Again” on WBAI in New York.  I am amazed at how thrilling it was.  When everything is available all the time  on YouTube or on some web-based archive… it is amazing how exciting it is to hear something that is only on…now!  I was able to tune in via internet radio.   The fact that I was dropping in on a New York station from afar didn’t lessen the impact of the experience at all. They played 43 Good Excuses and I was wowed. Part of the thrill, I think, was the idea that any number of random people could have been listening to this.  In New York, or on the internet.  There is something just so “un-targeted” about this.  The difference between listening to live radio and ,say, Pandora is a lot. As perfectly tailored as Pandora is to your current listening needs, there is an awful sense of being manipulated while listening. Even to tracks that you have selected.  Sirius Radio is similar to me. The closer I can get to dialing in exactly what one wants, the less chance there is of  finding something really great, really surprising.   So here’s to old fashioned terrestrial radio. Huzzah