Show #244

Hello Friends of the Garden!

Beautiful clear skies, nice!

I have been fortunate to spend as much time as I have at the coast lately! The Martin Luther King weekend finds me on my familiar deck, with the familiar soothing sounds of the ocean and the little radio playing in the background! After I finish this blog post I'll be at my favorite activity here, searching for sea glass. 

"Don-Jons" lined up for the Inauguration Event

Well, with less than a week from Inauguration Day there is no slowing down from the daily assault of news! Great news country fans, Toby Keith has been added to the line-up for the Inauguration Day festivities! This makes perfect sense to me! Nothing says "American" like country music! After all country music is an American invention and the original music of our country! 

Hold on! I thought Jazz was the original "American" music! I don't even like Jazz though (I think). For that matter I don't like "mainstream" country (elaborate nomenclature makes it less objectionable) music either! Surely this can't be right! Since I believe "Rock and Roll" music to be the original "American" music, then I must be right and everyone else, educated or not, more knowledgeable or not, IS WRONG!

English Innovation!

Americans have always enjoyed this idea that we are the true innovators! Once again we offer our latest greatest innovation to the world, "Fake News"! Great! As if it wasn't hard enough already to discern the truth! The network news is too liberal, the radio is too conservative, the newspapers are biased, how is possible that everyone is lying and telling the truth at the same time? Oh, I know, just ask your family members! They are the ones you trust and love! They'd never steer you wrong!

Random wacko!

It used to be that if you were a conspiracy theorist, you were wacko! Now, you are a master manipulator of "Fake News"! It's not like this is new at all! I'm a radio guy, always have been! Think back to a time when the nation was in the grip of fear, truly! In 1938, Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater radio group, using the latest, most innovative media technology at the time, convinced many Americans  that we were invaded by Martians!

Young Orson Welles

At that time Orson Welles was 23 years old. A young man using modern media. Now, Orson Welles did what he did, and very convincingly, for entertainment purposes. Imagine a group with refined skills bent on deception for reasons other than entertainment! I believe we've only gotten better at deception and the tools haven't changed, the most modern sophisticated, technology available!

My favorite comic strip!

The double edged sword of modern media didn't clear the waters for finding the truth. Really, it only got worse, exponentially! I'm not really a Facebook guy but think about some of the strange things your friends and family post! These are you friends and family!?! It's no wonder you turn to network TV/Radio for your facts! Prepare for the inevitable Idiocracy! It might not turn as bad as we think, who knows!

I'll look for my truth on the beach!

On to Show #244! I recorded this show. I'm at the coast for the long weekend. It's funny that I keep forgetting to give a shout out to myself when I do that! This time I remembered! This show I went "Gardenerism" crazy again! Starts with a Grateful Dead themed set followed by, hard, easy, tough, simple, strange, and good songs. I end up with cars for a theme and finish with one "Redneck Friend"! Like I said in the show, you do 244 of these things and you'll do weird things eventually! In my mind it works! It probably will for you too!

Thanks Jerry and Robin for all your support! Now more than ever! It means the world to me!

Thanks to all of you listeners/readers for you support too! So many of you reach out to me and that is so kind! I'm thankful for all the true friends I have, both in life and the radio!

Peace and love!

Mike