Debra Galant Explains the Universe

Free speech on tour

I'm a little late in posting about this, but I just found out that PRI's Ira Glass of This American Life is on a speaking tour all week. I saw him Sunday in Princeton, but assumed it was a one-shot deal. Those of you in Texas and California, take a look at the schedule (link above) and see if you can get there. It's well worth the travel and the price of a ticket.

Needless to say, Ira is as charming in person as he is on the show, but the thing I thought worth reporting on is how much of his show he spent talking how Howard Stern and the FCC.

Actually, he introduced that segment of the show with a funny little trick, by referring to a morning radio host who, as people have heard, may be off the radio very soon. Everybody, of course, thought he was referring to Bob Edwards. And a very audible public-radio audience sigh spread over the room. Then he surprised us all by saying that he was referring, of course, to Howard Stern.

Ira came out in support of Howard in his March 12 show, "The Facts Don't Matter," which you can download for $13 by going to TAL's archive. He's passionate about what's going on, and he says that the FCC has put a chill on all radio shows, including his.

A Howard Stern fan himself, Ira pointed out that while some of what Howard does is dull -- how many times can you listen to girls taking their clothes off on the radio? -- he thinks that what's going on now, with Stern's daily first-amendment rants, is some of the best radio going on today.

Ira played a clip of Howard saying (on the air), "If the government's out to getcha, it's going to getcha," and then Ira went on to say many brilliant things, most of which I don't remember. But the political message was loud and clear and when in the Q&A someone asked what to do about it, Ira pointed out that we get to decide in November who runs the country.

An interesting side note: Ira compared Howard's show to Jack Benny's, in that both incorporate an entourage of sidekicks who get to react in character to whatever happens to the main man.

I don't know if Ira to Howard to Jack will go down as much as a classic as Tinker to Evers to Chance, but it sure was an eye- (or should we say ear- ) opener for soft-heeled denizens of Public Radio Land.

All vegetables considered

© 2004 Debra Galant

I suffer from TDD, television deficit disorder, a condition that leaves me perpetually clueless when it comes to the latest on Madonna or Britney. I depend almost completely on the kindness of NPR to keep me well-informed about the world, which is why I almost missed today’s big story: Jacko showing up to court 20 minutes late, dancing on his SUV and throwing a party for his fans.

I know this only because I happened to be walking through Macy’s at the hour of Jackson’s court appearance, and there happened to be a flat-screen TV embedded in the wall outside the ladies room. I wasn’t really paying attention, but even when you are looking at clothes you don’t need, marked down 75%, you can pick up a certain urgency in an anchor’s voice and the buzz of a televised crowd. Not to mention…a TV, in the petites department? What the hell was going on? Oh yes, I said to myself. Michael Jackson’s trial. I’ve heard something about that.

Later, on carpool duty, my radio tuned to NPR, I thought I’d hear more on the Jackson story. But, nope. Just to make sure I hadn’t missed it, I came home, looked up NPR on the web, and listened to their 7 o’clock top-of-the-hour newscast.

That’s when I realized that my husband was right. NPR truly does serve up a different kind of newscast than the mainstream media. News that’s good for you could be their motto. The brown rice and broccoli of the media.

Here was NPR’s top-of-the-hour line-up at 7 pm eastern time:

1. Bush appoints Charles Pickering as a federal judge while Congress is in recess (broccoli)
2. The Supreme Court refuses to block a GOP redistricting plan in Texas (spinach)
3. Two defendants in Virginia plead guilty in a terrorist plot (eggplant with garlic)
4. Stock prices up somewhat (pickle)
5. Business inventories rose in November (stale rice in the back of the refrigerator)
6. Justice department won’t fight court order allowing John Hinckley to visit his parents (ratatouille)

It did turn out that NPR ran a story about Jacko after all – but not in the day’s news summary, not with their own reporter (they interviewed a correspondent from People magazine) and, unlike just about every news outlet, they didn’t feature it on the front of their web page.

Don't get me wrong. I love NPR. But for dessert, I did have to turn on CNN. I only watched for a minute. Just a little taste was all I needed. After all, it’s January. I ate too many sweets over the holidays.