Ear Joy: This is stunning!
Tonight Edge 102.1 will broadcast the 1,000th Episode of The Ongoing History of New Music. That’s surreal.
High fives and man hugs to Alan Cross and the Corus Entertainment team.
I’ve not listened to all 1000 episodes (has anybody?!) but I’ve consumed a massive chunk. And yes you do get smarter by listening to Alan Cross.
(We tend to think of nerds or geeks as dorks who’re passionate about Marvel Comics or Star Wars but music has nerds, comedy has nerds…nerd like love is often bigger than we grasp.)
This nerdy break down is something Canadians do well. This is a fundamental difference between Canadian culture and American culture…while there are many similarities they’re not often the same.
There’s a media literacy where we want to impart and teach and dig into the culture, eh? MuchMusic used to do that with Too Much 4 Much.
Anybody can react to culture…that’s often what social media is. Nobody ever posts “no comment.” Reacting to unfolding culture doesn’t make you unique…it’s a tribal activity: you’re singing in the choir.
To be distinct is to take deftly apart the culture…to grasp the overlooked nuances and freely share those revealed insights with others with the authority of an intelligent university professor.
I first listened because of the “New Music” in title…I enjoy New Music…and Old Music. So then I started listening because of the History in the title. How did we get here…no culture is created in a void?
Now with a 1,000 episodes it truly is…Ongoing. And I hope it’s Ongoing for 1000 more.
To Listen: Episode 1,000 airs on Sunday, December 17th at 7pm on 102.1 the Edge!
Sammy Verdict: Alan Cross is Ira Glass but for music nerds.
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
