Mary McCaslin's Roundup

Oct 25, 2001

TURN YOUR RADIO ON, Part 2

The word "Pataphysical" does not appear in any dictionary I've ever looked through, even recent editions that include computer and cyber terms. Public radio station KUSP is operated by the Pataphysical Broadcasting Foundation and on Sundays from 1 to 3 pm Down on the `Pataphysical Farm, a Bluegrass and Oldtime country music program, airs on KUSP, with alternating hosts Leigh Hill and Chris Jong.

Down on the `Pataphysical Farm is one of my favorite shows on local public radio. I'm especially fond of Leigh's calendar of upcoming live performances, which he calls the Bluegrass Paper Shuffle. And Chris plays lots of great Old-time ("clawhammer") banjo recordings during her shows.

But what does pataphysical mean? According to Leigh Hill, a man named Alfred Jarre coined the term "pataphysics", defining it as a psuedo science of laws that govern exceptions to rules. The word appears in a Firesign Theatre skit and has somewhat made its way into the lexicon. But it still sounds like pataphysical or pataphysics came from a language used on Star Trek.

KUSP is heard on 88.9 FM and 89.3 FM in downtown Santa Cruz, as well as on various frequencies throughout the Central Coast area. The station carries National Public Radio programming which includes news shows Morning Edition, Weekend Edition and All Things Considered along with Fresh Air, This American Life and Car Talk. But it's KUSP's locally produced programs that make it a great radio station.

Over the many years I toured up and down the eastern seaboard, it was often likely that the only programming I would encounter on public radio was syndicated. Featured were either long blocks of classical music or opera, or in depth discussion and commentary on current events, politics or economical issues. As much as I would have liked to absorb musical culture and be knowledgable about the world around me, I would realize that my eyes were glazing over as I drove the New Jersey Turnpike. So I would scan the airwaves for anything reasonably listenable, which is more of a challenge than one might think given the number of radio stations in that part of the world.

This is not to say that KUSP does not offer classical music or public affairs programs. It's just that these shows are hosted and produced in the KUSP studio. The same goes for KUSP's outstanding lineup of World Music shows, which air Monday through Friday from 1 to 4 pm. First rate shows featuring jazz and music for every taste are staples of the KUSP program schedule. All are hosted by local djs.

My other favorite programs on KUSP are Cindy Odom's Celtic music show Continental Drift, the Coast Ridge Ramble with alternating hosts Rachel Goodman and Michael Tanner, and the Blues music show Trouble in Mind with hosts including Charlie Lange, Will Gorman and Mike Eckstrom. These programs are on Saturday, starting at 11 am with the Continental Drift and continuing through the afternoon.

On Sunday afternoon the Lost Highway (The one and only original "Bluebilly Radio Show") follows the `Pataphysical Farm. Each week either Johnny Simmons, Charlie Park or Dave Bob Nielsen plays classic country music and Western Swing recordings. This is the real thing, not "today's new country". Charlie Park even has the authentic accent to go along with music.

Speaking of real country music, my husband and I left on September 28 to drive to Virginia and West Virginia for some shows I had booked. It was a quick trip; we got home late on October 11. While driving through the southwest and the south we managed to unearth some musical gems in the form of country music radio stations that played real country music. We heard artists and songs that I had not heard on commercial radio since my high school days: Stonewall Jackson's "Waterloo", Marty Robbins' "Cowboy in a Continental Suit", early Lefty Frizzell, Hank Snow, Loretta Lynn and lots of other great and real country singers.

There is a radio station in Mt. Airy, North Carolina called WPAQ. It has broadcast on 740 AM since 1948 and is known as "The Voice of the Blueridge Mountains". Luckily we were able to pick up WPAQ while driving between gigs and caught the last few songs played on the Saturday morning show dedicated to playing 78s on the air. The ones we heard sounded clean and clear like they had just come off the press! Following the "78s show" was a broadcast of live performances by old time and bluegrass bands who came in that morning to play on the air.

A couple of years ago, Rounder Records released a CD showcasing a selection of early live performances on WPAQ that had been recorded in the late 1940s. If you like this sort of thing as much as I do, you should find WPAQ: The Voice of the Blueridge Mountains (Rounder CD 0404).

All in all, it is a strange time to be travelling here in the U.S., but we found signs of hope everywhere: In the friendliness we encountered all along the way, in the sound of the "old time" country radio stations and, most of all, in the breathtaking beauty of the deserts of the southwest and glorious fall colors of the trees of the southern mountains.

Of course, the airwaves were pretty much saturated with September 11 related news and discussions, and the number of Christian radio stations throughout the country is truely astounding. Add a seemingly endless number of oldies, classic rock and modern country stations to the mix and it's no wonder that the chance to hear an old time country or public radio station would become a major highlight of a day's drive.

Getting back to our local radio scene, the next installment of the Roundup will feature public radio station KAZU in Pacific Grove.

One more thing about public radio: This is one of the two times of the year that listeners are asked to pledge their financial support to KZSC, KUSP and KAZU. These stations receive a remarkably small amount of government or university assistance. They depend on underwriting from local businesses and "listeners like you". All it would take to realize what we have here is a drive across our country's mostly vast radio wasteland.

September 11

Upon seeing the film footage of the attacks on the World Trade Center, one of the first thoughts that came to me was of a song written and sung by the late singer-songwriter Hoyt Axton on his great album My Griffon Is Gone. Recorded in 1969 on Columbia Records and met with indifference, this album was a masterpiece and it sounds as wonderful today as it did when it was released.

The song, "Beelzebub's Laughter", is about the Vietnam war. The line that came to mind on September 11 was: "Freckle faced, tee-shirted, milk drinking babies have never, no never, seen fire in the skies." Well, now we've all seen fire in the skies.

Stay in touch and take care.

Mary McCaslin can be reached at: roundup@marymccaslin.com