“A proper puppeteer is a despot, one that makes the Tsar seem like a petty gendarme.” – #walterbenjamin
Tag Archives | Hybrid Highbrow
Walter Benjamin radio diary: mailbag #1
Who knew that Walter Benjamin would generate this much correspondence?
Walter Benjamin radio diary entry #1: selective snouting
Walter Benjamin’s first radio essay focused on the Berlin “Schnauze” or snout, but selectively so.
When it comes to classical music (and classical radio), don’t mess with (San Antonio) Texas
KPAC is another reason why San Antonio, Texas is a great place for classical music and classical radio.
When radio (not Twitter) got you in trouble: the case of Sammy Davis Jr.
Once upon a time radio, not Twitter, was the place where you blew up your world. An old Rat Pack story serves to illustrate . . .
What was that “very serious” music I heard on the radio in 1959?
I am at the point when recalling events from my childhood feels like digging up another historical epoch. Nonetheless, if I do not attempt the memory excavation now, when will I get around to it? So here I ponder a question that has poked at me for many years: what was that strange music that […]
Saul Levine, radio pioneer, still advocating for independent media
I’m glad that Saul Levine, fierce advocate for local radio, is still going strong at age 92.
Unsilent Nights: where to find one; what to do
The holiday season approaches, and as has been the case since 1992, revelers will soon gather in a host of cities and perform Phil Kline’s composition Unsilent Night. They will each download one of four parts of the piece and play it on some mobile device as they stroll down evening streets. Anything from a iPod […]
There’s a place for us (and it includes Jewish music + oldies)
I am increasingly confident that there is a place for everyone, especially on the radio. The other day in response to Jennifer’s annual Alice’s Restaurant survey we received a response from Al Gordon of WJPR in New Jersey. The station broadcasts a hybrid format: “Jewish all day and oldies all night.”
Four great pieces for a Sunday AM classical music community radio show
My friend Sherry Gendelman, who hosts a popular Sunday morning classical music show on KPFA in Berkeley, started her program last week with a piece for violin and orchestra. No sooner did the performance begin than the phones started ringing. ‘What is this?’ six listeners in a row immediately demanded. “I woke up to this […]