On Your Radio

I just crossed about two thirds of the United States again, by car, with my pets with me. There's nothing quite like 26 hours in a 2006 Chevy Malibu Maxx with a dog and a cat (and a cat box). And that's for the best.

One of favorite things to do on these trips is spend time listening to AM radio. All the fun is on the AM stations in not very populous spots. When you're driving through relatively isolated areas of the United States—which I do—you realize how much a lifeline to the world that radio still is. On this trip, for instance, I heard:

--“Ed, your dog is running around on Wakita Highway. Put him in, for God's sake..he's not used to being out. It's freezing. Damn, you're stupid.”

--“It's time for Swap and Sell.” Mindy on Route W has a washer and dryer she'd like to swap for just about anything. Let's face it, she's not washing clothes now that the kids are gone.”

--“Bob and Shelly were really busy at the council meeting last night, as usual. They took it to Eddie's afterward, and Eddie had to cut them off after a few drinks.”

These things come in bits and pieces and are hard to find. But Interstate 40 is long and, God knows, I've got time. I hunt these things down.

Satellite Radio is the rage now. I don't get it. If I want to listen to music in the car, I'll listen to...music that I brought, as opposed to someone else's choices. I guess the argument is you don't have to put up with DJs or talk or commercials. Personally, I like the human contact of radio. I like the stories and the news ( as opposed to the “talk” of “talk radio,” which is mainly about yelling and telling people you disagree with what they're doing wrong). And I guess that says something about how far technology has come, that small town AM radio is often about “human contact.” In a world filled with Ipods and Wiis and DSL lines, that's still a good thing.