The Gypsy Scholar's Plea for More Communication

Nobody—neither DJ or any other radio show host—is doing what the Gypsy Scholar is doing is on radio.

Of course, music shows with DJs are the norm. However, studies have shown that the main reason radio is declining, especially with the demographic of younger listeners, is because of the direct access music technology, such as iTunes, where people can be their own DJs and program playlists of songs they prefer anytime they want to listen to music. (This was brought up as a reason KUSP's listenership was declining and thus the restructuring of 2008, when most of the daytime local music shows were axed.) Therefore, you would think—as the GS thinks—that his program would be popular, since (1), unlike the typical DJ thing for "music" programs, that just play sets of songs randomly, his program plays songs thematically in the context of the radio-text he calls the "Orphic Essay-with-Soundtrack" and (2), unlike "informational" programs, songs are not just interludes or segues between talk. You can't do this at home with a playlist. Of course, the only drawbacks here are that you have less music played within a program and, more importantly, you can't just sit back and phase out—you have to pay attention and think in order to get the rewards of such a program. The rewards of this kind of programming are not only those that allow you to hear familiar songs in a new way, but those that transcend the discursive mind and evoke, to the receptive state of mind, contemplation and reverie. In other words, with this kind of programming, which mixes Argument (information) and Song (music), both mind (thought) and heart (emotion) come into play.

The GS not only wants to entertain listeners, like a DJ does, but he also wants to inform—to communicate ideas—, like a scholar does (an "inspired Orphic scholar"), whether through the spoken word or through song. ("That's why I'm telling you in song." -Van Morrison)

The GS feels he has a unique program which informs as well as entertains, with its dialectical relationship between Argument & Song. To this end, the GS puts a significant portion of his time into producing his two-hour program (vastly more than any DJ puts in), putting together a 10 to 12 page essay, with music programmed in, each and every week. This is no small task--as they say: 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. ("And twenty-seven angels from the great beyond /They tied me to this table in the Tower of Song . . . / And I'm paying my rent everyday / Right here in the Tower of Song." -Leonard Cohen)

The GS mentions all this because, in spite of the fact that he devotes a tremendous amount of his time and energy to providing radio listeners with an alternative kind of radio program, and in spite of the fact that he provides listeners with an opportunity for feedback and dialogue (email + blog + facebook), he very seldom gets any. Please don't misunderstand, the GS greatly values the little feedback he gets. However, given the nature of his program, it should be a lot more.

The GS realizes that having his program air at midnight on a Monday morning seriously limits the amount of listeners he's going to have. But he has tried to remedy this limitation by uploading the audio files of the program recording to his website, so they can be listened to at any time before the next week's program airs. So this shouldn't be the problem. One would assume, given the out-of-the-mainstream and controversial ideas and views the GS consistently puts out, that this alone would generate feedback. (Just look at the profuse amount of dialogue that goes on in internet blogging these days, or the day-to-day give and take of ideas and points of view on Facebook!) But, alas, this isn't the case for the GS's program.

Therefore, the GS is writing this to appeal to listeners (and potential listeners) for more communication. It doesn't have to be something long; just enough to let him know you're listening and your general feedback on the programs--even, perhaps, your own views on a topic presented. And if you want to challenge something you heard, that's welcome too. (It, at the very least, will give the GS a chance to sharpen his debating skills. :) In summation, the GS would like to have his program be a platform for more of a dialogue than a monologue.

The GS looks forward to hearing from you.

(A footnote: Since the GS conceives of the Tower of Song broadcast and its cyberspace presence on the internet as integral parts of the program—radio synergistically fused with the internet website—, he would like to build up, program after program, a structure around which a community of KUSP listeners can participate in a logos-cybersphere Tower of Song blogosphere. Anyone interested?)