Late Night Radio: The Lanterns

Howdy, folks, and welcome back to the show! If you're just “tuning in,” it's a newspaper version of a late night radio broadcast. Picture this: all the world's asleep. A train whistles in the distance. You turn the dial on the old radio, and the static crackles. The quirky DJ talks between records, with a story here, an idea there, something to keep you company during the wee hours. This evening's tale is about lanterns. I'll be your DJ.

I've done a bit of real radio work, broadcasting from a basement studio on a college station. It was my favorite place in the world. Surrounded by the shelves of music, posters from forgotten bands, and blinking audio gear, I'd spin the tunes, hours flying by in solitude. Every three minutes or so, I'd put a new track on, and maybe say something, then back to the music. DJs always sound like extroverts (I am), but it's a lonely job. Still, the lamp was always burning, and once in a while a visitor would wander by for a chat. Once, a cop walked in, and I thought he meant trouble. Turns out he had a public service announcement to broadcast. Cool dude. (I ended up buying two wind-up Victrolas from him a few weeks later.) He went on his way, and it was back to me and the music, keeping the watch.

There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.