Saturday, November 14, 2009

A Different Nature

DW and I went up to the big city today. We had a few errands to run,  art to see, a goodbye dinner with a friend, and homage to pay.

I listen to a lot of different styles of music. There is very little that I dislike, and will even endure those styles low on my totem pole if the mood is right. I could wax about music being the language of the Spirit, but I won't.

I owe this eclectic taste largely to college and community radio stations. While we have a rather sizable selection of music at home, I find it efficient to listen to what others want to play, people much more informed than I who do it on a volunteer basis for the sheer love of music. I am comfortable in their hands.

Not too long ago, the DJ for one of my favorite radio programs passed away. His name is Richard Francis. I don't know much about Richard, and most of what I do know I have learned after his death. What I cared about was the music. Richard's show, "A Different Nature," was what might be referred to as experimental: ambient, spoken word, musique concrete and noise; in other words, what might best be described as avant garde. The radio station at which he volunteered held a sale of Richard's music CDs, albums and cassettes, books and VHS movies today to help defray some of the costs his family have incurred associated with his death. We wanted to help, and I wanted to pick up some music that I knew I would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

I came home with 43 CDs and DW bought several books. Money well spent.

I thought about making a list of the music here.  Instead, I thought I'd try something a little different.  A lot of the music I picked up I am unfamiliar with, and some I know the artist but not the work. So I thought we'd discover a couple of them together by way of YouTube.

Ready?





3 comments:

Crash said...

bastin, this is a wonderful station based here by the U of M. Not public radio, but it is not commercial. Billed as 'A different station every hour.' If you check their schedule and programming, you will see the claim is true. As with your station, the dj's are volunteers and own much of the material they play. Has streaming, so you could listen. http://www.kfai.org/

TenMile said...

Which brings two questions immediately:

How'd the station get control of an estate package.

And, how long did it take to decide to rid themselves of it.

bastinptc said...

Crash - I will add it to my list.

TM - I don't know the particulars, but I was under the impression that the station held the sale as a favor to the family, meaning that the family brought in the items and the station volunteers collected the money. One person paid by check and the volunteer told him to make it out to someone with the last name of the deceased.

By the time we arrived at the sale, there was just a handful of shopper. Apparently the place had been mobbed a couple hours before. There was still a lot of good stuff to be had, so this guy's music collection must have been that of a true audiophile.