By: Tora Matys
The spirit of the radio, that companion in a box giving your life a soundtrack. And for me, holding some of the best memories I have. I figured this being my first editorial as the new assistant entertainment editor, I may as well tell you why I’m so crazy about music and the radio.
There was never a car ride that wasn’t accompanied by either music or good Ol’ CBC Radio, which as a kid there was no bigger nightmare than suffering though talk radio. While now I find myself tuning in almost every day on the drive home and I’m fortunate enough to be a part of the spirit.
The radio has fascinated me since I was a little kid and discovered my dad’s crank radio. With this little box that didn’t require batteries, I could take, what I thought was, the world anywhere with me. All I had to do was put in a little elbow grease and I was unstoppable. That thing attended every sleepover, every camping trip and got me hooked on the magic of the airwaves.
My childhood was tracked by Toronto’s Q107 and 101.5 The Wolf. Stations I still tune into every now and again even though I’m across the country, a part of the magic of radio. Up until last year on the occasional Sunday, I would tune into Q 107s for Psychedelic Sunday. It always brought me back to being a kid riding in the back of my dad’s truck in rural Ontario just jamming out and listening to rock and roll. My dad would always tell stories about the songs that would play or the bands that played them. If I was lucky he would even have a joke for it.
The best dad joke was whenever The Guess Who played and he’d turn to me and say,
“Do you know who this is?” and I’d go “I don’t know, who?”
He’d always reply with “Guess Who.” and then laugh his ass off and I’d ask “who?” and he’d keep going until I finally gave up.
When I first moved to Alberta, it was the radio that tied me back home. I immediately discovered 100.3 The Bear and for years the jocks kept me company when I couldn’t sleep. They were my study buddies in high-school and my co-pilots when I learned to drive.
Without even knowing it, all the jocks over the years have made me who I am today. They say never meet your heroes, but meeting them just assured me that my dreams are obtainable.
Photosource: Pathways to god
