It’s time. My brain hurts. A person can only take so much bullshit.
I spend roughly 90 minutes a day commuting to and from work, and nearly all of that time is enhanced by some sort of aural experience. A big fan of NPR, I enjoy the topical and quirky feature stories of Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
Another local public radio affiliate – WNKU – now plays newer indie-type music, which is good in doses.
The local AM powerhouse is WLW, dishing out traffic and weather on the tens, mornings and afternoons. Unfortunately, those brief updates are all I can stand from what has become the broadcast equivalent of Pudge The World’s Greatest Dog’s morning constitution.
Name your favorite FM commercial station…right now they’re probably playing a song you’ve heard 759,312 times before. Sure, there’s satellite radio, but I’m the guy who just cut the cable to save about $130 a month. I have no interest in shelling out more money.
Until recently I was relatively content with this limited mix of media. But no more. Trump, Clinton, walls, emails, bombs, guns, ISIS, zika, cop versus black versus cop, Syria, Russia, Turkey. ENOUGH! I’m done. At least until after the election.
I’m changing my presets. And not just on the car radio. I’m looking elsewhere for information, inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and an occasional taste of sophomoric humor. So if you’re keeping score, that means no more cable TV, no DVR, no AM radio, no commercial radio, and only a cursory sampling of public radio until that, too, becomes too toxic.
“Well, tc,” you may be asking, “what does that leave?” Glad you asked. Here are some of my latest diversions…podcasts.
To wit...
The Art of Manliness - Not designed to build biceps. Just interesting topics geared toward guys.
Poem of the Day - Because I like poetry
Essential American Poets - See Poem of the Day
Hidden Brain - Shankar Vedantam’s insights into human behavior
NPR Music Live in Concert - Because music
Fresh Air - NPR’s pre-eminent radio host, Terry Gross, lays down an interview like few others
Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History - Reinterpretations of historical events
Have any that interest you? Leave suggestions in the comments below.
It’s time to reclaim the brain!
tc