radio days

It turns out that I love radio. This is a bit of a surprise to me. I haven't really listened to the radio since I left St. Louis. For me, radio was always something that you listened to in the car, and once I moved to the East Coast, I stopped driving and stopped listening to the radio except for 1010 WINS, whose jingle warms the cockles of my cold, cold heart. (And, by the way, inspired one of the greatest NYC-centric pick-up lines I've ever heard: "Give me twenty-two minutes, and I'll give you the world.")

Exactly how unfamiliar am I with radio? This unfamiliar: on Tuesday, when I went to KWMU, the St. Louis NPR affiliate, I walked through a hallway that was filled with photos of NPR's most famous radio hosts. And it was the first time that I realized that Terry Gross was a woman. I actually did a double-take.

So, being new to the whole public-radio scene, I was more than a little nervous about the prospect of doing an hour-long interview for KWMU. But I ended up having a wonderful time, chatting about language, complaining about my ruthless rejection from the CIA, and talking to listeners who called in to tell stories or ask questions. I even learned a few things - who knew that there were spelling bees in Belgium?

In any case, the complete interview is available here, on KWMU's website. Many of the callers have some great anecdotes, and one in particular (about a mistranslation involving the Pope) is truly unmissable. Also: I sing. Briefly. Consider yourselves forewarned.