Radio
Sigh...when I first wrote up this page, CJCH 920am in Halifax was a
full-time talk radio station. Fearing the affects of intelligent programming
upon the citizenship, CJCH went to an all-sports format in its continuing
mission to bore the countryside into submission. So, unless you've got some
super powered radio, its unlikely you'll be able to listen to these shows. Which
is a shame. But here's what you're missing.
Talk radio, that is. With the advent of MP3's who's gonna
waste time listening to unfunny DJ's giving away free tickets to
Supertramp? Of the multitudes of talk radio shows out there, only two are
worth my while: Dr. Gabe Mirkin and
Art Bell.
Dr. Mirkin is NOT one of those pop psychologists who
infest the airwaves like weeds. Dr. Mirkin may be the smartest man on Earth. There isn't a
medical problem he hasn't examined, analyzed or pondered over. If you're not
familiar with the show, callers phone up the good doctor with health questions, covering
everything from acne to zits, and all the stuff in between. He has an answer for
everyone. Dr. Mirkin pores over all the latest medical journals from around the
world gaining the most current medical knowledge. He has a very low opinion of common
doctors who are often ignorant of this new information, and consequently give the
incorrect treatment to their patients.
Listening to Dr. Mirkin's show often scares the hell out
of you, when you realize just how MANY things can go wrong with the human body. No
two callers have the same problem, and you stop and wonder just how humans survive at all
with all the maladies that are out there.
Art Bell. How do you describe Art Bell? His radio show
ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous. For the uninitiated, Art Bell deals with
psychic phenomena, UFO's, conspiracy theories and things that go bump in the night. Art
Bell is responsible for turning the Y2K bug from harmless computer glitch to the
apocalyptic (non) event of the millennium. In the past, guests have warned Art about
solar flares which would kill all life on Earth, the magnetic poles reversing which would
devastate the world (don't ask me how, it just would.) Sometimes you laugh at the
ridiculous conspiracies that guests spout, but other times you'll be afraid to turn off
the light for fear that someone or something is waiting for you in the dark.
I think what makes his show so effective is that it's on
all night long. Here in Halifax, it played from 1:00AM to 6:00AM. At those hours
of the night, the mind starts playing tricks. Things that would seem ridiculous in the
light of day, seem very possible in the dead of night. For an example for
what I'm talking about read this transcript.
Keep in
mind it was 4:00AM when I first heard this, and then the program abruptly went off the
air, and stayed off for the rest of the night. It REALLY freaked me out.
Incredible as it sounds, the satellite which was broadcasting the show
throughout North America failed at that exact moment. Yikes. A few weeks
later, someone took credit for the call and claimed it all a hoax. Now I'm
inclined to believe it was, but I suspect few things will ever have that affect
on me again.
Now, you may ask yourself, "Hmmmm Pete, why are you up at
4:00AM listening to the radio?" Ah ha, but I may counter with "Why weren't
YOU up at 4:00AM listening to the radio?" You see, the ball's in your court now, and
while you struggle for an answer I slip out the backdoor and make my getaway.
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