The Transistor Radio...

     When I was a wee lad (7 or 8) and had been jolted awake by a nightmare, I would run down the hallway to my parents room seeking solace. I was usually met by my Mom's voice echoing back out of the darkness with,"Go back to bed, you just had a bad dream" and Dad saying, "As long as you're up can you get me a glass of water? And make sure you let it run a while." Very comforting.

     One night after a bad dream and now aware that a trip to my parents room would be to no avail, I went to the kitchen to retrieve the transistor radio we kept on the kitchen counter. I'm not even sure what drove me to do it (ball shrinking fear) but was glad I did. Mom's Dad had given her the radio as a gift. It was small (about 4" by 6"), made from white plastic and was wrapped in a tan leather case with little holes punched where the speaker was. Still shaken by the nightmare I crawled back under the covers, pulled them over my my head and turned the radio on low so Mom wouldn't hear-- to this day I remember the song that crackled out of that tiny speaker...

     That tune was so appropriate and it was remarkable how that music completely pacified me and drove away the demons that had terrified me earlier-- it was the first time in my life I remember feeling a deep sense of comfort (until I later found my hand, well not my hand exactly and vodka). I drifted off to sleep to that AM radio station (probably LG 73 or 1410 CFUN) and when I awoke in the morning the radio was gone. My intention had been to return the radio to the kitchen before Mom got up-- I was scared I would catch shit for using  it and running down the batteries but nothing was said. I figured I dodged a bullet.

    We got a bigger (but maybe not better) radio for the kitchen and I inherited the classic-- that little radio served me well for years until I eventually got a new one for Christmas. If you've read any of my other blogs you'll know that music had been a part of my life since I was three years old or so but a whole new level of the magic, meaning and power of music had been discovered that night. That last line sounds pretty sappy but it's true... 

     On a bit of a sidebar it seems funny to think of it now with all the different ways there are to hear music but for years AM radio whether it was in the house or the car was pretty much the only vehicle for hearing new music...