Transistor radios are such an iconic reminder of times gone by. An earlier era when radio was important. It no longer holds the same magic in these corporatized days. But once upon a time, the radio connected you to your society, to your peers, to your community. It was where you went to become a part of the tribe; when John Lennon, or Elvis died. When music was a common language that was shared by all your classmates. When The Beatles broke, we knew about it because of radio, and when The Beatles broke up, we heard that too.
Transistor radios were the last of the "Made in America" era. They were the beginning of multinational parts being incorporated into an object. The beginning of global commerce. Back in the day, these radios imparted sheer magic, though. They were tucked under our pillows, secreted away after bedtime. The content was too exciting, the music, the DJ talking. I ate it all up, and couldn't wait for the next night as I fought sleep.
We are dancing on the dying embers of mass communication. We are no longer wired together, but wired separately on our iPods. We are starting a new "Tower of Babel" era. Not broadcasting any longer, but narrowcasting, to a party of one. One to one to one. That is why it is so hard for new acts to break through. The apparatus is broken, the platform is gone, and the new one hasn't developed yet. Let us revisit an earlier time with Randy Weeks and special guests Stonehoney.
- Jessie Scott
