Radio Bluey, or: Adventures in Broadcasting
Some of you who follow me on Twitter might know that a mentor, friend, and ex-colleague of mine passed away quite recently. Bea's loss has made me thoughtful, as losses tend to do, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about her and appreciating the things I loved about her: her intelligence, her wit, her spirit, her determination, her sense of humor, her smile, her versatility and intellectual curiosity. She was a tiny, powerful person who wore many hats in her time... mostly because she had a good face for them, and they were flattering. But she also did a lot of different jobs , and one of those jobs, way back when, brought her into contact with an up-and-coming British Mod band.
You might know them as The Who.
Now, Bea had a fantastic rock 'n' roll story about meeting The Who (and giving them a talking-to!), so the thought struck me this weekend, as I was listening to my favorite satellite radio station from London, to request a Who song in her honor. That felt like a fitting tribute. So I tweeted the radio station with a memorial request, wanting to dedicate it to Bea, because she was possibly the only woman in the history of the world who told The Who to be quiet and actually got them to obey. If I was lucky, I thought, I'd get a song played in her memory.
Imagine my surprise when the DJ tweeted me back, asking me if I would mind if it played tomorrow, and would I be open to telling Bea's story on the air, and could I e-mail her my phone number and details?
Well. I told her I'd be delighted, obviously. But since it WOULD be a transatlantic phone call, I didn't really count on it happening. Still, I e-mailed her the details, and my phone number, and a write-up of the story, just in case the call was a no-go, so she could read it out herself.
But lo and behold, she did actually call me on Sunday morning! We did a little mini-interview, and she had me tell my story, and then we chatted for a bit afterward, and she was so kind and lovely and reassuring that I really had no time to feel nervous or awkward about it. It was only later, after I'd hung up, that I realized that I was shaking a bit and began to wonder what the hell I'd just said, or if I'd just hallucinated the entire thing.
But about 20 minutes later, my segment played (uncut, so it can't have been TOO terrible), and I've been reassured that I didn't embarrass myself too badly. ;-) And afterward, the DJ sent me a lovely little thank you tweet.
And people all over the world who were tuned in to Xfm got to hear the story of Bea Sacks and The Who, and to hear "Pinball Wizard" played in her honor. I like to think that Bea would have been delighted. I hope so. :D
It was a wonderful experience, a fun adventure, and a worthy tribute, and I'm very grateful to Lliana Bird for giving me the opportunity (and reassurance!) to do it. Even if I weren't a fan already, I would be now.
So! If you'd like to hear me on Xfm radio, telling Lliana Bird my story about Bea and The Who, click this link right here and follow the instructions under the cut. The show should be available through next Sunday, the 29th.
You'll see a box in the upper right corner, where "listen again" is an option. Click that, and it will load the player.
When the player loads, hit the tab for "listen again," and it will give you a listing of the hosts. Click on Lliana Bird's name.
Select the show from 22/01/2012, and wait for it to load! My segment is at 1 hour and 46 minutes in, so you can skip to it. (Though hey, it IS a good set, and you might want to enjoy it all, if you have the time. *g*)
Enjoy! I hope.
Hugs and smooches to all of you, as always, wherever you are in the world today. &hearts
You might know them as The Who.
Now, Bea had a fantastic rock 'n' roll story about meeting The Who (and giving them a talking-to!), so the thought struck me this weekend, as I was listening to my favorite satellite radio station from London, to request a Who song in her honor. That felt like a fitting tribute. So I tweeted the radio station with a memorial request, wanting to dedicate it to Bea, because she was possibly the only woman in the history of the world who told The Who to be quiet and actually got them to obey. If I was lucky, I thought, I'd get a song played in her memory.
Imagine my surprise when the DJ tweeted me back, asking me if I would mind if it played tomorrow, and would I be open to telling Bea's story on the air, and could I e-mail her my phone number and details?
Well. I told her I'd be delighted, obviously. But since it WOULD be a transatlantic phone call, I didn't really count on it happening. Still, I e-mailed her the details, and my phone number, and a write-up of the story, just in case the call was a no-go, so she could read it out herself.
But lo and behold, she did actually call me on Sunday morning! We did a little mini-interview, and she had me tell my story, and then we chatted for a bit afterward, and she was so kind and lovely and reassuring that I really had no time to feel nervous or awkward about it. It was only later, after I'd hung up, that I realized that I was shaking a bit and began to wonder what the hell I'd just said, or if I'd just hallucinated the entire thing.
But about 20 minutes later, my segment played (uncut, so it can't have been TOO terrible), and I've been reassured that I didn't embarrass myself too badly. ;-) And afterward, the DJ sent me a lovely little thank you tweet.
And people all over the world who were tuned in to Xfm got to hear the story of Bea Sacks and The Who, and to hear "Pinball Wizard" played in her honor. I like to think that Bea would have been delighted. I hope so. :D
It was a wonderful experience, a fun adventure, and a worthy tribute, and I'm very grateful to Lliana Bird for giving me the opportunity (and reassurance!) to do it. Even if I weren't a fan already, I would be now.
So! If you'd like to hear me on Xfm radio, telling Lliana Bird my story about Bea and The Who, click this link right here and follow the instructions under the cut. The show should be available through next Sunday, the 29th.
You'll see a box in the upper right corner, where "listen again" is an option. Click that, and it will load the player.
When the player loads, hit the tab for "listen again," and it will give you a listing of the hosts. Click on Lliana Bird's name.
Select the show from 22/01/2012, and wait for it to load! My segment is at 1 hour and 46 minutes in, so you can skip to it. (Though hey, it IS a good set, and you might want to enjoy it all, if you have the time. *g*)
Enjoy! I hope.
Hugs and smooches to all of you, as always, wherever you are in the world today. &hearts