One year ago today.
March 15th of 2020 was the last time that Dana and I were in the studio for a live broadcast of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. These were the opening remarks from that week's posted playlist:
We live in interesting times. And "interesting" is waaaaaay overrated.
It's been pointed out elsewhere, but it's worthy of repeat play here: no one in the media is paid to say "We don't know." Nor would such an admission inspire confidence, but it's something that should be said more often than it is. We don't know. We don't know.
And as we acknowledge our uncertainty, we can try to be vigilant, responsible...good. We can heed the advice of experts. We can try to do the right thing, even if we're still struggling to figure out precisely what that right thing is. We can for damned sure refrain from hoarding stuff. We can practice social distancing. Respect. Consideration. Remaining calm, keeping our heads, and washing our freakin' hands. These are things we can do. There is a light ahead. We'll get to it in due time, together. Maybe we shouldn't hold hands right now. But we'll still get there together. Stronger. Healthier. Together.
We had no idea of what would happen, of the weird and stressful times that would follow. We took the next week off, the start of a hiatus of undetermined length, unsure of when we could return.
But then we did a Zoom show the following week, 3/29/2020, celebrating the release of the album Factory Settings by our pals Pop Co-Op. After that, we started recording TIRnRR from our separate remote locations, beginning with a show aired on April 5th. That's been our process ever since. We don't know when (or, I guess, if) we'll ever get back to the studio. The show goes on. If it's a comfort in uncertain times, or an empty exercise in willful denial, we keep on...
...wait.
No.
I'm not making a claim that this little mutant radio show is important, nor that our petty inconveniences signify any greater meaning in a world beset by real troubles. But it is something. It's music. It's friends. It's a chance to connect when connections can seem hard to come by. It's the power of sharing records, allowing ourselves to be giddy and exultant and goofy and pumped up on the sounds we love. It's a rock 'n' roll love letter. It's a chance to light up the sky, to go wild in the country, to mourn places that are gone, to summon strength to endure, to beseech true hearts to take a chance, to bellow LET'S GO!, to be happy just to dance with you. We are one of dozens and dozens of rock 'n' roll radio shows pursuing musical communion on the air, in Syracuse, Maui, Rochester, Florida, DC, Oregon, Sacramento, across the country, around the world. A thousand points of bright, bright light. Its meaning isn't profound, but it is intrinsic, and it has value. Music. Friends. Songs on the radio. Interesting times need a soundtrack, too. This is how that soundtrack played out on a Sunday night in Syracuse this week.
One year. I think that damned calendar's starting to glow in the dark.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.
Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio: CD or download
http://sparksyracuse.org/support/
https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/
Hey, Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 165 essays about 165 songs, each one of 'em THE greatest record ever made. An infinite number of songs can each be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Updated initial information can be seen here, and you can see my weekly GREM! video rants in my Greatest Record Ever Made! YouTube playlist.
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