Shakesthegrounds Rumblings

[Shakesthecoffecan]

When I first got online, back in 1998, the first thing I did was look up National Public Radio because I wanted to know what Sylvia Poggioli looked like.

I love NPR.

I had always thought of it as the Classical Radio station growing up. Consequently I never listened to it. I was not into AC/DC and Styx. My third year in college a buddy told me about this program "Hearts of Space" that came on 10 pm on Sunday nights, the most relaxing, beautiful music I ever heard, the music of the speres. I was hooked. Not long after that I was talking to a friend from an exchange trip to Minnesota who told me about Pararie Home Companion. From it I learned the power of story, was amazed how Garrison Keillor could lul me in and carry me away to a world populated by Magandances, and it was real.

Soon I was toting a boombox and all I would listen to was public radio, I could have used a walkman but I figured the world needed to know about this too. The news content on All Things Considered was amazing to me. Sure, it was and is left leaning, but in Ronald Reagan's America it was more than a breath of fresh air, it was oxygen. I listen to Classical, I listened to Opera, I listened to Jazz, Blugrass, the Blues.

Over the years NPR has been my constant companion, my major source of news, or stories, it has shaped my outlook on the world. I have heard Red Barbour come and go, Kim Willliams come and go, I remember when Moe Rocca got his start on NPR, I thought, euuuu, he's a strange one.

But like meeting a Brokie, there is no feeling quite like putting a face with a name, or a voice. Like the silky voice of Sylvia Poggioli.

www.npr.org

[southendmd]

I love NPR!  It's essentially my only source of news.

I was introduced to it more than 20 years ago:  every night with Susan Stamberg and Noah Adams. 

Garrison Keillor every Saturday night!  I've seen him in person twice:  he tellls those stories without notes, it's amazing.  I miss "Hello, Love", the earlier opening song.  Powder Milk Biscuits makes me dance.

I fell for Terry Gross as well.  I heard her speak at Harvard and even got to meet her.  She's tiny and buys her clothes at GapKids.  90%+ of her interviews are done long-distance, even though she makes it sound as if she and her subject are in the same room. 

Here's a fantasy:  take Italian lessons with Sylvia Poggioli. Ahhh.

[Shakesthecoffecan]

That's so wild, I miss that song too (Hello Love). He performed it as part of the show recently and the audience went wild. I wish he would bring it back. I've seen him once, and Terry Gross once too.

When Terry Gross came to speak it was a real watershed, the previous station manager of my local station had canceled her because she had a whole week of gay themed interviews. No one had complained, but he just thought it was too much. He was soon gone and Terry was back and when the Q&A opened up that is what most people wanted talk about, although it had been 3 years. She said that week was not intentional, and that gay stories come up a lot for her because we are part of the population, same as everyone else and she got a lot of applause.

I asked her who from the past she would like to interview and she said Rogers and Hart. All the big names from back in the day, she would want to interview them.

[southendmd]

Terry is particularly good at interviewing musicians, I've noticed.  I understand her husband is somehow involved in jazz, a critic perhaps.

I recall part of her talk at Harvard:  she played clips of subjects who "fled the interview".  She's left saying, "hello?"  Very funny.  The subjects were either drunk, obnoxious, or really unprepared.  The most famous was Monica Lewinsky.  Terry was not mean, however, she said Monica was put up to it by some publicist, and was not prepared, and shouldn't have even tried the interview.

Apparently she owns all her archives.  Very smart.

[Shakesthecoffecan]

Yeah she played those too, I loved the one with M.L., bless her heart. That voice comes on and says "she's left the studio" 

Her husband is a jazz musician and she told the story once they were at a party with his mother and someone was talking to her and said "There's Terry Gross, she's a lesbian you know." and the mother-in-law was like "Really?"

here she is with Richard Thompson

[southendmd]

I think my favorite Terry Gross interview was the one she did with Triumph, the Comic Insult Dog (aka Robert Smigel).  Terry was laughing uncontrollably at one point, practically snorting.

[Shakesthecoffecan]

I remember that, I was like WTF? At first, but I think it was one of her better ones.

She did an interview with Ike turner a few years ago and was so totally focused on him and his career and I kept expecting her to ask about Tina, but I don;t believe she did.

[loneleeb3]

I remember that, I was like WTF? At first, but I think it was one of her better ones.

She did an interview with Ike turner a few years ago and was so totally focused on him and his career and I kept expecting her to ask about Tina, but I don;t believe she did.

Probably wasn't allowed to.
He wouldn't talk about Tina. Specially after  the movie.

[Shakesthecoffecan]

I am going to get crucified for this, but someone once told me never underestimate the power of a woman who has been wronged.

[loneleeb3]

I am going to get crucified for this, but someone once told me never underestimate the power of a woman who has been wronged.

Brother, I can attest to that!
Scoot over an make room for me on that cross!