There is an Assassinate Attempt Being Made on Public Media
Several years ago, in Seattle I discovered Independent Radio (and yes, I am capitalizing because it’s important), funded by the listeners, and it changed my life for the better. That radio station was KEXP and it became my everything. DJs can play whatever they want, any theme, without algorithms or pay-to-play formats. They are both educational and spin a heavy rotation of local music as well as classic indie gems. I had never heard anything like it before. You might catch Public Enemy, followed by Joni Mitchell and then some small independent artist follows that track. Each radio host did their own thing as well. John Richards was the host that I first caught onto, and his music knowledge floored me. I like to think of myself as having a refined palate of sound logged in my craw, but this dude buried my grasp of music, and I learned so much from him. I am forever indebted. I got to meet him once and as I trembled terribly inside, I think I played it cool.
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