Radio (part 1)
(to be continued)
Drawing this comic made me feel really old, or else very aware of how quickly technology has evolved over my lifetime. When I first started listening in the 80s, we didn’t even have FM. And I remember when walkmans first arrived. I also just finished a book by Claire Messud, called The Woman Upstairs, in which a 37-year-old is described as middle-aged. That made me feel old too.
Anyway, this comic is partly an excuse to tell you about my radio appearances. Here I am talking to Morrin Rout on Plains FM. And tomorrow night Dylan Horrocks is going to be talking about The Fall of Light and my comics on Radio NZ. I will post the podcast link when it appears. On the topic of other people discussing my comics, Mike Peterson had a thoughtful response to my last Katherine Mansfield one here.
Oh, and if you’re around Auckland University tomorrow night, I’m going to be reading with a bunch of other fine people in Old Government House at 5:30.
LET ME BE FRANK 
This is where steve braunius feels older than you becuase you may have listened to him on air?
Seems we grew up in Palmy at the same time Sarah. I can totally relate to those shifting radio listening preferences. I think Radio Massey was at it’s best during the late eighties and early nineties. I try listening to it now but, alas, my preferences have now well and truly moved on: my ears are older.
I recall being at PNBHS when the 2XS guys turned up to launch the station. And we thought they were pretty cool. They showed us this massive playlist that featured Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure, etc. And that’s how it began, but as it went on it got closer and closer to the Middle of the Road so 2XS just sounded like a lot of INXS. By then we’d all switched to Radio Massey, reading the NME Bible, hanging out for Radio With Pictures, and ordering vinyl through the New World Record Club. And dubbed everything onto cassette, which was the currency of the day, complete with home-made covers PVAed over the BASF logos. PS: Don’t ever feel guilty about waxing lyrical about The Smiths… they remain fresh and vital, and can speak to a whole new generation with humour and heart and jangley guitars. Morrissey and Marr were the Lennon and McCartney of their time. And deserve to be held in similar esteem – And now I know how Joan of Arc felt as the flames rose to her Roman nose and her Walkman started to melt… nothing today tops that.
This sounds so familiar – NME, World Record Club, cassette dubbing – I didn’t watch Radio With Pictures because we didn’t have a TV, but it was broadcast on 2xs. I will have to incorporate some of these details in the next comics… when I get the time to write them. And thanks for the Smiths wisdom.