Tuesday, June 24, 2008

"If you can't find a friend, you've still got the radio..."

If anyone knows what song that line comes from (no Googling) I may just send you a surprise.

I have never been much of a radio girl myself, but living where I live can make just about anyone love the radio. We have the most fantastic public radio station I have ever heard. I'm the sort who doesn't like 24 hours of extremely biased news reporting. If I hear too much liberal news, I am likely to rebel and go listen to Rush Limbaugh. If I hear too much conservative news, I rebel by turning on some NPR production. But I definitely prefer NPR's reporting to anyone else's, and my station gives me just enough to keep me interested without making me turn on WGOP (or whatever broadcasts Rush).

They also take plenty of breaks from NPR to give me fabulous shows like BBC Newshour, the Story, and my all-time favorite, Backporch Music. Most of these are available online. You definitely can't get better than Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights with the BPM folks playing everything from the old-time mountain musicians to the newest in folk and bluegrass. Who wouldn't want to spend an evening with Ralph Stanley, John Prine, Lucinda Williams, and Kickin' Grass?

And if I get tired of public radio, which I rarely do unless Diane Rehm is interviewing yet another author of yet another book on the war, I can always turn to this station. My husband and I make fun of their motto, "If you're listening to great classical music, you're listening to WCPE." But they really do play great classical music all of the time, excluding their Thursday night opera music. (I can handle opera live, but over the radio is too much for me.) When we lived in Illinois, I used to listen to the station over the internet while I worked. Now Hobbes gets instantly quiet when I turn it on and complains if I switch back to public radio. If you like classical music, or have a fussy toddler, you should definitely check it out.

There you have it, a shameless plug for two of my favorite things in North Carolina. What about you? What do you listen to when you are in the car?

12 comments:

Catherine said...

When I'm in the car, I listen to NPR. :) Especially if its "The Story."

Anonymous said...

I love NPR. I occasionally listen to odds and ends on my computer. I especially love Car Talk. I can't wait to be back in Virginia in August and be able to listen to a constant stream of NPR.

BBC radio 3 (classical) is what's on the most in our house. Though BBC radio 4 has some good stuff too and is probably closest related to NPR as far as variety of talk programmes, but I don't seem to listen to it as much as I would like.

Missy K said...

Mmmmm, another NPR girl here-- I really love it. And my Carrie Newcomer CDs. That is pretty much it-- I am totally unaware of "top 40" radio-- like, is it still called that?

And I think the quote is from a Nanci Griffith song.

:-)

Missy K said...

PS-- I would also love to know the NPR station you listen to-- might try to give it a listen on the internet-- sounds like it might offer a better variety of programming than ours here in upstate SC.

TwoSquareMeals said...

Missy, you win! Now I have to come up with something to send you...

You are the fourth person who has mentioned Carrie Newcomber to me. I need to check her out.

WUNC is the station. They have a website. Not sure if they stream their programming, but a lot of it is available in podcast and to download.

Anonymous said...

Definitely check out Carrie Newcomer. She really is wonderful. And as my sister-in-law (who introduced me to her) says, there are some wonderful English major moments in her lyrics.

Missy K said...

Oh, yes, I echo Kate. Carrie Newcomer is wonderful, my go-to girl, my riding down country roads girl. There are samples to listen to on her website- www.carrienewcomer.com
Especially loving "Geodes"
and "A Woman and a Shovel" right now.

Nanci Griffith is also woven so deeply into my listening life. "Love at the Five and Dime," "Flyer," "There's a Light Beyond These Woods, Mary Margaret," "More Than a Whisper," "Trouble in the Fields. . . " I have a song of hers for every mood.

Thanks for WUNC-- they do live streaming and some podcasts-- thanks! I'll be listening along and embroidering. . .

TwoSquareMeals said...

Kate makes one more Carrie Newcomber endorsement. I must get on iTunes today!

Missy, anyone who loves Nanci G. as much as I do deserves a gift card to Amazon. Send me your e-mail address, and it will be coming your way shortly.

My e-mail is: twosquaremeals[at]gmail[dot]com

Oh, and how did I forget CarTalk? It's a family favorite!

Anonymous said...

I listen to mostly Bluegrass/folk stuff. My favorites The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Doc Watson, and Tim O'Brien. At the moment in my player is Allison Krauss's very first cd when she first started out-my girls have re-discovered it.

At A Hen's Pace said...

I mostly listen to audio books in the car.... But I'll always choose Car Talk over a story!

:)

Jeanne

Katie W. said...

KEXP. Fabulous station out of Seattle, now affiliated with Radio New York. Its a must if you want to know what's hip and it in the Indie scene, or anywhere else really: from Common to L Cohen and all in between. They have a fabulous internet-only station as well called Wo Pop that is all the coolest World Music. Kexp is my at-work staple. As for the car...NPR or CD's.

SF Mom of One said...

Satellite radio. on XM, I switch among these themed channels
Willie's Place, Deep Tracks, Folk Village.

Then I switch to CD and have tons of Bob Dylan, most notably the soundtrack from the American Masters special.