It's Been A Long, Long, Long Time

The King, the Living Dead, the Secaucus Seven, the Native, the Prodigal Son, Martin Guerre, the Jedi, and the Grievous Angel all had theirs, and now here's mine.  Return, that is.

It's hard to believe that it's been more than 6 months since my last post, since my last show on WOOL, but it has.  Work, illnesses (Alice's, not mine), life in general have all conspired to keep me from doing these avocational things which I really like, and which do renew me.  So, I'm'a try again to find and make time for these pursuits.  As my 60th b'day looms shockingly near, I'm tryna remember that Thomas Hobbes, that happy-go-lucky 16th century philosopher, characterized life, in Leviathan, as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."  Bet he was a blast at parties, huh?  All his other characterizations aside, life is certainly too short to miss any enjoyments.  So, for better or worse, I'm back.

Which is one of the two organizing principles around which I'm basing this week's show: "Back" and "Return."  And since I've been away for so long, it's gonna be longer than 2 hrs, probably closer to 3.  Much of the time will be spent re-familiarizing myself with the equipment and routines at the station and fixing my screw-ups, but, I think, there'll be lots of music, too.  Herewith, a playlist, not necessarily in order:

Cheap Day Return                         Jethro Tull
Dream of the Return                      Pat Metheny Group
Hello, I've Returned                       Buffalo Springfield
I Always Return                              Mark Erelli
I Shall Return                                  Gov't Mule
Joint of No Return                           John Gorka
The Kiss of No Return                    John Coltrane
Lover's Return                                 Dolly, Linda, Emmylou
The Return                                       Sally Fingerett
The Return of the Blues Cowboy    Joe Strummer
Return of the Grievous Angel         Counting Crows
Return of the Grievous Angel         Lucinda Williams/David Crosby
Return of the Grievous Angel         Gram Parsons
Return of the Mack                          Mark Morrison
Ritorna-Me                                      Dean Martin
Return to Sender                              Elvis Presley
Return to Sender                              Mojave 3
Returning                                         Jennifer Berezan
River Of No Return                         Marilyn Monroe
The Spirit Returns                            Rory Block


Back Home                                      Eric Clapton
Back Home                                      Gil Scott-Heron
Back Home Again                           John Denver
Back Home                                      War
Back In The High Life                    Warren Zevon
Back In The Saddle                         Aerosmith
Back In Your Life                            Jonathan Richman
Back Into Your World                     Son Volt
I Want You Back (Alive)                Graham Parker
It All Comes Back                           Paul Butterfield/Better Days
Sing Me Back Home                        Flying Burrito Bros.
I'll Be Back                                       Beatles
Goin' Back                                        Nils Lofgren
Goin' Back                                        Neil Young
Get Back                                           Beatles
Get Way Back                                   Amos Garrett
Ease Back                                         Grant Green
Coming Back                                    Darol Anger/Mike Marshall

Lots of stuff, lots of variety, I think.  That's what WOOL is about.  Just to remind you, we are a community radio station, all-volunteer, even more dependent than Public Radio on "the kindness of strangers."  We are in somewhat dire financial straits, so I'm asking you all, even those who can't or don't make time to actually listen, to support the Arts and community radio.  If you go to our website (wool.fm), you'll find out how to join, and how easy it is.  For a mere (tax-deductible) $25, you can help support an interesting, interested endeavor, and keep the airwaves a little more free-form--not totally dominated by Clear Channel, nasty talk-radio, and the like.  Plus, you'll get, in addition to our enduring thanks, a cool bumper sticker.  Please think about joining, and then do it.  And if you're somehow connected to a group or organization which would benefit from it, you could become an underwriter, which would be extremely cool and helpful....

Anyway, my show's gonna start this week at 11:30 AM on Tuesday, June 18, and go till around 3 PM.  I hope you can join me for some or all, at 100.1 FM, or streamed live at wool.fm on the webs.  And in case you didn't recognize, the title of this post, and the coda, are from George's lovely song on the "white album", which is actually just called "The Beatles."


"How could I ever have lost you?"

I hope I didn't.