We started a podcast!

A friend called the other day with a hot job tip. This radio station in the Midwest is looking for a news director. In the old days of radio, you usually started your career in the Midwest somewhere, like Indiana, and tried to make your way, east or west, to the job in the big market (like this one). But radio being what it is today, the reverse appears to be true. It’s not that there aren’t any jobs, it’s just that they’re aren’t any jobs around here.

I’m not c0mplaining, really. I have been in love with the radio for as long as I can remember. I was the kid who snuck the transistor radio into bed with him, like it was porn, slowly turning the dial in the dark, like a safe cracker, straining to hear a broadcast from some exotic place like Kansas City, or St. Louis. I’d stay up as long as my radio held the signal, listening, especially, for the newscasts at the top of the hour. (Who does that any more?) What a cool job that is, I thought. Maybe, one day. Ah, but who wants to do something they love for living, right? That’s corny.

Today, you can carry around hundreds of radio stations on your iPhone, so, like a kid who can have all the candy in the candy store, a bit of the romance is gone. I have about 25 radio stations saved on my iTunes right now, but I still mostly listen to the BBC overnight. I still love radio, though. I prefer listening to a radio show over my iPod on shuffle, especially when I’m writing or thinking or trying to dream in sleepland. I want to feel as if there’s someone, (or some thing) else, out there, spinning music and other odd audio for my enjoyment.

It is from that frame of mind that I decided to make my own radio show and podcast it. It’s called Sounds found, (as in: dude, that sounds found). By way of format, the show really doesn’t have one. What’s it about? Well, it’s about 30 minutes. I don’t want to try to explain it any better because I know I will just sound like a million other pretentious podcaster radio personality wannabe cool jock radio dudes. Right now, it’s a (very) eclectic mix of music (ska to samba, juju to jazz) and sounds (street noise, speech, crickets) found from my travels through the (real and virtual) world. There is no deep message, most of the time, or at least not one that you have to get to enjoy the show.

Like the jazz man I dream to be, I am improvising, spontaneously composing, a weekly radio show. It’s frankly intended for my ears only, but I post it for you to, hopefully, enjoy, or, conversely, savage, mock and/or ridicule. After all, what fun would you be if you weren’t so eager to poke me in the (good) eye, every once in a while.

Three episodes have already aired (for out of town audiences). It’s already changed (hopefully, improved) somewhat over the first three episodes. You can hear a new one every Friday morning. You can find it here on BCB, or you can subscribe to it, for free, on iTunes, for home delivery. Just search for: Sounds found podcast. Of course, I welcome your comments.