One Of My Lost Pastimes

I had a busy day today. So much for "Sunday - A Day of Rest" and all that jazz. But for me, busy usually equates to good as I loathe boredom more than anything. For me, to be bored is a fate worse than death, or at the very least equated with it. With the advent of the Internet, bouts of boredom are few and far in between for me - though periodically, it can set in. But it's frequency of occurrence is much less.Which brings me to a reflection of my earlier life. What did I use to do to ahem, "entertain" myself? Preoccupy would be a more appropriate word here.

Well, among the myriad of outlets for miscellaneous interests I had in my "younger day" (astronomy, biology, science project kits, geology, and some very obscure hobbies) perhaps the most pronounced pursuit I held was in all things regarding broadcasting.I had an insatiable appetite for commercial radio and various forms of what is known as "DXing", the hobby of taking inventory of various radio wave propagation signals from any given locale and documenting their place of origin, format, etc. Yes, I realize this is the passion of "geekdom" perhaps...but I was and am proud to wear that badge today.

Much of the enthusiasms I held for the field of broadcasting has been shifted into the computing realm. But there are moments when I think back to those youthful times of yore when radio was king and I was an aspiring disc jockey, a dream of which I actually saw some small realization in.At some point in my childhood, I took a passionate interest in radio. I loved the feel and the atmosphere, the magic that commercial radio could conjure up in an age when such a medium was second only to television.

But unlike the "big TV", radio is more suited to the imagination..."the theatre of the mind" so to speak. I had a very vivid imagination and would "daydream" about not only being a radio announcer (as well as a TV programmer) but also of running my own network of radio stations (I dreamed big). I would think up jingles, commercials, and a format for the songs that would garner active rotation on my imaginary station as I would secretly practice my delivery into a basic tape recorder.

As the 80s progressed, I started following a number of countdowns religiously, particularly "Dan Ingram's Top 40 Satellite Survey" (which fell into obscurity) and the more populist "Casey Kasem's American Top 40".Regarding both shows, it was the former that really galvanized my passion for music, and the latter that inspired me to pursue a path in radio broadcasting.

During my teens, I actually managed to work at a commercial radio station in Wildwood, NJ during my senior year in high school as an intern and board operator among other "duties". This development culminated after a brief stint at staffing a high school radio station in the spring of 1986 at Ridley High School, a "dream arrangement" if there ever was one. Before relocating to The Jersey Shore, I had the good fortune of attending a high school with amenities that would rival some small colleges. "RHS" was unique in that it had its own radio station of which one could only work at if one attended its host school.

After bouncing around a number of different high schools during a period of uprooting, irony would have it that I would only "sample" the fruits of Ridley High for a meager four months. But what a four months it was. The experiences I came away with from there built the platform that would launch me into commercial radio and working as a disc jockey for clubs and events well into the 90s.But what I hold the most nostalgia for is for the countdown shows I would look forward to each weekend. There was something well, magical about hearing a collective of diverse songs all rising and falling on a chart, each occupying a unique number and position. I would obsess myself with the minutiae of details that came with being a fan of the charts (Simple Minds are at 1 this week!...Powerstation's "Communication" is stuck at 34!...) to no end.

For a time, I would even awaken at 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning just so that I wouldn't miss Dan Ingram. Believe me, I was (and am) anything but a "morning person" so you know this must be something that really captivated my interest. If only I had the technology of today back in those prehistoric days...sigh.

As for the venerable Casey Kasem and his seemingly eternal countdown, I have been reliving some of those heydays via the magic of resurrected radio shows, countdowns re aired in their original entirety that date back to the 1970s and 80s. Upon hearing these chestnuts from the golden age of Top 40 radio (known as CHR in broadcasting circles) I find myself transported to these long gone eras, almost recapturing what my life and life itself was like for me at that specific time, to the best I can approximate it. Sure, it may be considered quaint to some. But "quaint" can be a comforting thing for me sometimes on the grounds of sentimental familiarity.

Regarding Casey Kasem's "classic countdowns" that now air all over the country on oldies stations (sheesh...OLDIES is it?) I have come to a small realization. I find that my sentimental notion of Mr. Kasem's "immortality" as a "radio god" somewhat dashed. This upon hearing a recently recorded commercial with his voiceover in it juxtaposed against his prime during the original airings of his countdown shows. Like everyone and everything else on this material plane, he has aged...but gracefully I must say. Time has only seasoned his legendary voice. And Casey Kasem seems to have aged very well for a 76 year old(!).

As for my radio ambitions, the "game" and industry has changed and my interests along with it. Commercial radio is a very pale shadow of what it once was...another victim of greed and profits. A shame really, as I owe radio much for providing me with some fantastic times in my youth. Somewhere in my dark and dusty closet of memory, I still retain mementos from a more idealistic age.

And those classic words of Casey Kasem still ring true to me as they did in my youth, no matter how trite..."keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars". And oh yeah, a big thanks to Dan Ingram as well for also sparking my interest in radio. But I'll pass on Rick Dees, however...nothing personal.