Monday, October 22, 2007

Time Has Come Today



Fall. Autumn. Funny to use a song about time to talk about my favorite radio stations. I listen to KLBB. The music of your life as they call it. Dean Martin, Sinatra, Mills Brothers. The morning DJ is Reed Hagen. Who has this rich, buttery set of pipes. I just love hearing that if I have to get up early. But they're a low watt station and they have to power down when it's dark. In the summer the sun is up and so is KLBB - at full power. But now in fall, it's dark and so is the station. It's kind of there - just not at full power until it's light. The signal drifts in and out, no rich buttery tones - just fizz. So, I have the clock set to this really annoying station FM107. It's like chick talk day and night. It gets me right out of bed so I can turn it off. There is the ABC news at the top of the hour. Which is better than KLBB's Fox Radio, "We report, you decide." But Reed. I miss my morning cup of Reed.

Also, Radio K, a great college radio station is the same. Luckily there is an FM station. But long ago, it used to be that when it got dark, so did Radio K. I remember one cold dark winter day and the sun was setting around 4 and so was my cool radio station. What a bunch of shit.

But now they're both on the Internet, but I mostly listen in the car or clock radio - so the Internet doesn't help me much. Time has come for fall and winter to be dark and cold. And without music. When I need it most.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Bear bait

Reuben's Ford, Prentice, WI
We had just come from Medford, WI and saw Phil and Eleanor's steak house
Steakhouse and trees
and got great stories. Then on to the Florena Supper club.
Florena Supper Club, Medford, WI
The guy comes out and asks what am I doing. I try to engage him but he's not in a story mood.

We go up the road to Prentice, WI and see the Bear Bait Ford. I'm walking around, getting different angles and we decide to go in. There's an old guy on an old couch
And then oddly, James asks to use the bathroom. It's weird. I had hoped for maybe an old service station. Candy, postcards. Old cute retro stuff around. Like a movie set. No, It's got junk. And odd metal scrap. I try to talk to the old guy on the couch but he's deaf as a post. I'm talking loud to him but to no avail. He somehow manages to tell me the Ford sign isn't for sale. Then some other old guys come in and they're talking about the sign - it's now only a few thousand dollars. The creep level cranks up a notch. James is taking forever. I'm sending him psychic signals that we HAVE TO Ghttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifO. The woman's bathroom looks way too creepy. I'll just wait. And I'm not that picky. Suddenly, some younger people come in but when they start talking - the weird gets weirder. They somehow know old deaf as a post and get food out of a small dirty fridge. They are off somehow, learning disabled or cross bred and it's like those Diane Arbus photos of retarded people. It's amazingly creepy and now I'm thinking we're the bear bait. We will all be eaten by bears. Me and this creepshow all in some bear's stomach. James FINALLY comes out and I give him the hairy eyeball meaning let's get the fuck out of here. Outside I snap a few more shots, even some close ups of the Ford sign as more bear bait goes into the shop. Chomp, chomp chomp.