Showing posts with label alternative. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alternative. Show all posts

Friday, October 25, 2024

3 Chords & the Truth: Not going back

This could be the end of the world as we know it. I don't feel fine.

I am old enough to know what American fascism is like, having grown up in the deepest of the Deep South in the 1960s and '70s. I am old enough to have been threatened, by my parents, with being sent to "the n***er school" when I acted up -- as if that legally were possible then.

Having grown up that way informs who I am. Having spent a lifetime trying to dig myself out of that fascistic black hole -- and if you don't think Jim Crow was fascism, open up a history book, why don't you -- informs who I am even more. It also informs what 3 Chords & the Truth is . . . every damn week.

That doesn't mean the Big Show isn't fun. It is. But, trust me, it's a damn high-wire act.

And here we are, a week and a half out from the most consequential presidential election of my lifetime. And fascism is on the ballot. That's because, as it turns out, a lot of Americans are. . . .

That does not surprise me. I'm a Southerner, after all.

There's not much more I can say about that, so I won't. I'll let the music do the talking from here on.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, September 13, 2024

3 Chords & the Truth: If you can't laugh. . . .

Well, at least we don't have little messages before the late news saying "It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your cats and dogs are?"

Yet.

Every damn week for the last nine years or so, whenever I'm confronted with writing another little missive for another episode of 3 Chords & the Truth, I have to think of something to say amid the crazy. And You Know Who has prompted the fruitiest of the Fruit Loops in America today.

Now, it's "They're eating the cats. They're eating the dogs." You Know Who floated that bit of crazy during  the presidential debate, no less.

What in the Wide World of Sports is your average, marginally sane person supposed to do with that level of bat shit?

To maintain my marginal level of sanity, I make merciless fun of it. So we're breaking a bubbling-under-the-Top-40 future smash hit on the Big Show this week. It, unsurprisingly, is from that unfathomably popular group, The DJT Music Explosion.

They're exploding something, all right.

Let's just hope it doesn't end up being the United States of America.

That said, insert the usual description of the awesomeness of this week's show, because that generally doesn't change a whit.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Saturday, July 27, 2024

3 Chords & the Truth: As the Nut Cracks

Click.

You're in tune with 3 Chords & the Truth, Omaha.

(THEME MUSIC SWELLS.)

Join us for the next 90 minutes for As the Nut Cracks, the story of a country just a bit off its nut, sponsored by Planters, where every can is full of nuts, just like American politics. Planters, where nuttery is our business.

(DISSOLVE TO OPENING SCENE.)

"Bing bong, bing bing bing! Sharks! Electric boats! Shocking! Jaws! Mass deportation now! Commies! Commies!"

We will return to the Big Show after these messages.

Buy Planters. Our nuts are the good kind. Really.

Now back to . . . As the Nut Cracks!

"Doctor, is there anything that can be done? I'm afraid, Doctor, I'm afraid! That's some weird shit."

"It's a difficult case, Jane. One of the worst I've ever seen . . . but we'll do our best. But for you, dear, I recommend you start drinking heavily. After all, I'm a doctor.

"Also, you might want to listen to some good music. It will be very calming. I'll give you a prescription."

"Thank you, Doctor. Thanks for everything."

(MUSIC SWELLS.)

Can the doctor restore sanity? Or will the nut crack? Find out tomorrow on the next episode of As the Nut Cracks, the story of a country that's just around the bend.

Now a final word from our sponsor -- Planters. Our nuts won't hurt you, just so long as you're not allergic.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, July 19, 2024

3 Chords & the Truth: America today

We find ourselves living in the Age of Disunity. Now, more than ever, the mother's milk of politics is bullshit.

This applies much more to some political parties than others. Boy, does it.

Listen, I watched all of Donald Trump's historically weird acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, otherwise known as Nuremberg for Dummies. That über über gathering in Milwaukee was notable among American political conventions for the placard handouts that got right to the point -- "MASS DEPORTATION NOW."

Sieg heil, y'all.

THIS IS the American milieu from which 3 Chords & the Truth emerges every week. You sometimes wonder whether doing this thing, amid this level of ugly, every week amounts to whistling past a national graveyard.

Oh, yeah. Some 20-year-old nutter attempted to assassinate Trump last week. So there's that.

I absolutely cannot wait for what lies ahead . . . said no one ever the past few years.

Then we have the Democrats trying to force a diminished and doddering Joe Biden off the ballot. The niceties disappear when the stakes are existential, and losing may be death.

Ready for some music yet?

Ready or not, here it is, and it's damn good. As usual. In times like these, you have to keep on keepin' on -- until you can't. We'll keep the eclectic wonderfulness of the Big Show coming . . . until we can't.

It's that kind of America right now.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, June 07, 2024

3 Chords & the Truth: You get what you get

By the time I got to Memphis, I was sinking.

You'll find the note I left hangin' on your phone. You'll laugh when you read the part that says I'm flailin.'
 'Cause I've flailed on here so many times before.
 
BY THE TIME I hit record, I was low energy. You
'll probably think the Big Show is nothin' at all.
 But you'll just have to go on thinkin' . . . mighty small. That's all.
 
By the time you figure it out, show'll be over. You'll turn and say "That's 3 Chords & the Truth!"
 And you'll cry just to think I'd really done it -- tho' time and time again I've pulled it off.
 You just didn't know . . . it's the Big Show.
 
It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.
 

Friday, May 17, 2024

3 Chords & the Truth: What can I say?

What can I say?

Well, I don't know.

I've been in a contemplative mood but, unfortunately, that hasn't readily translated into something in particular to actually say on this week's 3 Chords & the Truth. Guess the music will have to do the talking.

Good thing the music, as usual, just says it all.

That's the Big Show for you.

And that is all I have to say.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, May 10, 2024

3 Chords & the Truth: Nudge dread

"These are the times that try men's souls."

Thomas Paine opened his essay "American Crisis" with that sentence in December 1776. The revolution against Great Britain wasn't going so well at that point.

Two hundred forty-eight years later, with a country riven as much as it's been since the Civil War, with a deranged authoritarian commanding the loyalty of a good 40 percent of Americans -- with American democracy itself teetering on the sharp edge of oblivion -- these are the times that try people's will to get out of bed in the morning.

SCRATCH MILLIONS of average Americans, and you're likely to bring forth a flood of existential dread. It's been that way for much of the past nine years.

And here I am doing a music podcast. You may have heard of it -- 3 Chords & the Truth. And the Truth is, we don't know how much more of this mess we, and the United States, can take. Think of the 3 Chords part as a pleasant refuge from the encroaching dread.

Ninety minutes' peace a week from existential dread ain't nothing. Well, that's one way to market the Big Show.

The quintessential 2024 way to market a music program.

Fortunately, that 90 minutes a week of musical refuge are 90 quality minutes of musical refuge. An absolute dread-free zone.

Thank God.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, November 10, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: Whatever

You’re in tune with 3 Chords & the Truth. Welcome to my stream of consciousness.

Most weeks, I have no idea where the Big Show is going when I start to pick the music. I’m just looking to mix it up and not play stuff that I’ve recently had on the program.

That’s about it.

This week. . . . This week is that on steroids. I had no effing idea.

I SCROLLED through stuff, and I picked something that caught my fancy. Then I picked something else that sounded good to me. Then something that I figured would go with what came before.

The stream of whatever got to be something else.

Again, welcome of stream-of-conscience programming on 3 Chords & the Truth. It is what it is, and you get what you get.

And I’m hoping it doesn’t suck. Maybe I’m the best judge of that; then again, maybe not.

Note the slick use of the semicolon there.

And that pulled pork in the Whole Foods dinner really was almost pureéd. Not bad tasting, just baby foodish. The collard greens and macaroni and cheese were surprisingly good for store food.

OK, the stream-of-conscious thing is getting out of hand here.

I think it’s time for me to stand down now. Just listen to the show and let me know. Wait, is the LED lightbulb in the studio fixin’ to go out? Blink, blink. blink. I hate that.

It’s 3 Chords & the Truth, y’all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, September 01, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: Fly, pigeon, fly

I shall share with you a scene from the week's hiatus of the Big Show. It starts with a stroll through City Hall Plaza in Chicago, a resumption -- after a 41-year delay -- of my Great Blues Brothers Tour.
 
Picture a walk-by of the site of Jake and Elwood’s last stand — along with its iconic Picasso sculpture.
 
A healthy (or perhaps, medically speaking, not) gathering of Big City Pigeons attracted my attention for a bit before I turned back to the Picasso. After a while, I was distracted by the sound of what only could be described as a pigeonado. This is similar to a sharknado, only oddly more impressive.
 
I entertained the possibility that this phenomenon might be even more impressive than what greets you weekly on 3 Chords & the Truth.
 
Likewise, I entertained the alternate possibility that this might be Armageddon, defying centuries of end-times Cassandras by starting in the Windy City. In fact, after witnessing this Avian Apocalypse, I considered this might be where Chicago got its nickname.
 
I will not pussyfoot around. There was a whole lot of flappin’ goin’ on.
 
IN THE CENTER of the maelstrom was not a cosmic cage match between the Son of God and the Prince of Darkness, but instead a little Asian lady tossing the last of a sack of rice into the whirlwind. Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she faded into the mists of time.
 
OK, that was hyperbole. 
 
Instead, she crossed the busy street and vanished into the evening hubbub.
 
Mrs. Favog and I struck up a conversation with a nonplussed bystander who explained what we had seen was, alas, not Beelzebub but instead the "Crazy Asian Pigeon Lady," a figure as determined as she is reviled by Chicagoans sick and tired of scraping pigeon crap off of sidewalks, downtown structures . . . and themselves.
 
ANGRY CITIZENS, exasperated property mangers and pissed-off members of Chicago’s Finest apparently are helpless against a determined woman and a bag of rice.
 
It's kind of similar to how radio and musical convention are helpless against the mind-blowing experience of this humble . . . ish . . . podcast, the Big Show.
 
Anyway, the fellow we talked to said the pigeon lady comes to feed the city’s flying rats every evening at 6 sharp. Also, pigeons can tell time. He noted, though, that she was a few minutes late that evening.
 
I blame climate change.
 
There is no word on whether the city of big shoulders will get serious about ending this crap — literally — once and for all with full deployment of the Chicago PD SWAT team, the Illinois National Guard, a sizable contingent of state police . . . and the fully strapped ghost of Carrie Fisher. (I told you this was a Blues Brothers tour.)
 
There also was no official confirmation that the dude who was way too happy to be considered of sound mind (or permanent address) as he danced amid — and perpetuated — the pigeonado, is, in fact, Da Screwtape.
 
Film at 11 on WBBM-TV, fortuitously positioned right across North Dearborn Street from the coming manifestation of the End of Days.
 
As you may be able to tell, Chicago is one of my favorite cities ever.
 
It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.
 

Friday, August 18, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: Uh . . . well . . . um. . . .

You know the old saying, "When you have nothing in particular to say, just shut up and play the music"?

You don't?

Well, you do now. See, there's a reason you listen to 3 Chords & the Truth.

Maybe it's because I'm preoccupied with taking a week off next week. Mrs. Favog and myself are celebrating our 40th anniversary (Yes. I am old. She, however, has not aged a day.), and we plan to revel in goofing off and doing fun stuff. For a whole week.

Listen, would you want to be stuck with me non-stop for four decades? The woman has earned at least a week of goofing off and doing fun stuff. At least.

So, I'm talking about pretty much nothing, and I'm letting the music do all the heavy lifting. (As if that weren't the case already.)

It's gonna be great.

Naturally, the lack of things to say extends to describing the episode of the Big Show where I have nothing much of importance to say. So . . . so . . . so . . . so. . . .

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, June 09, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: Beware the flying monkeys

New this week in the culture-war bunker, far behind America's Ironic Curtain: A flying monkey warning.

Now that Donald Trump has been indicted on federal charges of the conspiracy and Espionage Act variety, we at 3 Chords & the Truth are hunkered down here in Red America, waiting for the disgraced former president and future felon to unleash his flying monkeys upon us all. Trust me -- there's no more disturbing sight than flying monkeys in red MAGA hats.

Still, the show must go on. And go on, it will.

Given that much of what the former prez says sounded much better in the original German, the Big Show will feature some music . . . in the original German. Which sounds fine to me, being that it features none of the original Nazi.

Unlike most of what we hear here behind the Ironic Curtain, which is much like the old Iron Curtain.  Here in the former United States, though, it's incongruent with the "freedom" and "liberty" blather favored by the flying-monkey crowd.

Anyway, just because we hunker in the bunker, it doesn't mean we can't crank out program after program featuring the best music mix on the Internets. After all, the proof is in the listening. Which you should begin about now.

So, that's about it for another introductory missive for yet another show. There's only one thing left to be said.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, June 02, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: Music from the bunker

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs.

Come to think of it, I ought to have played the Five Man Electrical Band this week on the Big Show.

Just as the Nebraska Legislature closed out a session where it pretty clearly put out a sign saying who's not welcome here, the skies opened, the lightning flashed, the wind roared . . . and the lights went out. Makes you wonder.

But the electricity eventually came back on, so you're thinking "Well, maybe not."

Until, as I was putting together this edition of 3 Chords & the Truth early this morning, the lights went out again. And it wasn't storming. The computer instantly went dead. The lights went off. It was early -- very early -- so I couldn't see my hand in front of my face.

So, there I was, stumbling around like a blind man without a cane, trying to find a flashlight and channeling my inner Roy Kent. And while two power outages may or may not be a sign from the Great Beyond, they certainly are a metaphor.

THE LIGHTS are going out in these parts. Darkness reigns, trying to pass itself off as light. People are always falling for that one.

And here we are. And here I am.

But here's the thing: The lights went out -- twice -- yet here's a band-new episode of the Big Show. The process took a little longer, you're kind of thinking "Now, where was I?" when the power comes back on, but nevertheless. . . .

I'm crouched down here in the culture-war bunker, in Omaha, by God, Nebraska . . . and I'm still inserting an eclectic, adventurous and stellar variety of music right onto the Internet and right into your preferred electronic device. Maybe that's a metaphor, too.

The brief version of my little story is just one short sentence: Don't let the bastards get you down.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, May 19, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: The Ironic Curtain

Greetings from the wrong side of the Ironic Curtain.

The what?

The Ironic Curtain. Let me explain. What we’re seeing in America these days is the building of an Iron Curtain in this country, dividing red and blue states -- and dividing Americans into first- and second-class citizens.

In America . . . again.

The irony, of course, is that we now have an Iron Curtain -- much like the one that divided democratic Western Europe from the communist east after World War II -- in a country that styles itself as a beacon of freedom and democracy for the world. This is the second time that's happened here.

The first time, it was the line separating the Jim Crow South from the rest of the United States. Back then, there were definite similarities between the repression found in the Eastern Bloc countries and the repression found in the American South. Before that, the South's Jim Crow regimes served as inspiration for the policies of Adolf Hitler's Germany.

TODAY, those of us stuck behind the modern-day Ironic Curtain are starting to see certain similarities between ourselves and Vladimir Putin's fascist dictatorship in Russia and, much more closely, Viktor Orban's fascist, authoritarian regime in Hungary.

It's not a good place to be, especially if you're an official "Other." That's what this week's edition of 3 Chords & the Truth is all about, which is pretty much what last week's show was about, too.

As a Nebraskan by choice who sees what is happening to this state, I have been on the razor’s edge of rage for a while now. But it’s not really rage, fundamentally. What it is, is grief.

What I have witnessed during this session of the Nebraska Legislature -- and I have watched hours upon hours of it on television the past few weeks — is incipient fascism. The content of LB 547, and the chicanery employed to pass it, looked familiar to me; I was born in 1961 into Jim Crow era Louisiana.

I attended legally segregated public schools in Baton Rouge . . . until 1970. When my school was desegregated under a “neighborhood school” plan, I had a teacher tell me not to play with a Black classmate. I saw that Black classmate demeaned and discriminated against by our fourth-grade teacher.

As a Southerner of a certain age, I know what fascism and official “othering” looks like. And it has followed me here after all these years.

In Nebraska today, the Others are vulnerable pregnant women and transgender youth. Next year, the legislator behind today's othering intends to target drag shows.

I AM a 62-year-old man who has been married for almost 40 years. I do not understand transgenderism because, well, how the hell could I?

But I do understand that trans individuals are citizens of the United States and children of God, and they deserve to live in peace. The parents of trans youth have the right to seek the best care possible for their children. Medical science has no solution that will perfectly reconcile mind and body, but it should not be illegal to do the best one can -- especially when that might be what keeps your child alive.

As a Catholic, I would be inclined to proceed cautiously if I had a transgender child. But make no mistake, I would do what I had to do to keep my kid, first, alive and, second, happy and healthy.

But how parents raise -- or choose to medically treat -- their trans children is, fundamentally, none of my damned business. It is not the unicameral’s business. It isn’t even the church’s business. It’s just not.

Likewise, concerning abortion, I have to say I consider myself pro-life. However, LB 547, enacted by the legislature Friday, is no fitting way to reduce the instance of abortion as much as humanly possible. It also will endanger the lives of women with catastrophic pregnancies.

If legislators want to “save babies,” they should -- pardon my French -- give a shit about vulnerable women. They should give a shit about struggling families. They should give a shit about the outrageous expense of giving birth.

They should give a shit about the oppressive cost of decent daycare. They should give a shit about creating an effective social safety net. And they should give a shit about the jobs they’re about to drive away from Nebraska.

That said, this is the week Nebraska died. It’s over. And that's what informs this week's Big Show.

That is all. That is enough.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, April 21, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: Two steps forward, 80 years back

Big shows don't play on tiny radios . . . and, to tell you the truth, they're not easy to do in small-minded states. Like this one.

Yet here we are with the latest edition of 3 Chords & the Truth.

After the last week in the Nebraska Legislature, I am tempted to tell you to boycott this state. But then you'd probably boycott the Big Show, too, and that would be like Ron DeSantis trying to kill Mickey Mouse. Wouldn't end well for anyone.

So I just curl up next to the big, big radio and just do the damn show. With appropriate measures of snark, sarcasm, warped humor and a great and eclectic mix of music -- mostly great music.

I mean, if you're contemplating curling up into a fetal position, turn on some tunes first, man.

But brace yourself for that King Crimson to George Martin segué. You'll understand when you hear it.

Well, that's about all before I curl up next to the stereo system and turn on the program. Except for this. . . .

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, April 14, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: What do we do?

It's a stormy, stormy night here in Omaha, by God, Nebraska. Fitting for those of us living in a state that has become a shitstorm.

Pardon my French, but that's the best description I can muster for a place where the MAGA crackpots have taken full control . . . and now are doing what MAGA crackpots do. That would be punching down at The Other and generally waging war on what's left of civil society.

It's especially depressing when one's church is in on the action. Then again, Judas was a disciple, and Peter was a dolt. Things have gotten worse -- at least in these parts -- since.

"But what, Favog," you may ask, "does this have to do with 3 Chords & the Truth?

Excellent question.

And the only answer I have, as humble as it may be, is that the Big Show is a bit of a refuge -- for me and, one hopes, for you, too. That's all I got.

That's all I got.

As for the Nebraska unicameral, all I can say is that try as the booboisie might, the blind can't lead the blind. And it's pretty dark in there.

So, given the above, I'll enjoy the thoroughly enjoyable music as I ponder my options. I suspect you can, too. Actually, I really hope you do -- as usual, it's a hell of a show.

But not a shitshow. We'll leave that to the Republicans.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, March 31, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: 600 and counting

This is the 600th episode of 3 Chords & the Truth. You think I'd have something suitably momentous to say about it.

I do not.

After 600 shows, you tend to feel like you've said everything you have to say about it -- unless sudden inspiration strikes. Well, as I post another of the Big Show with two zeros at the end of the number, inspiration has struck out.

Not in the show itself, mind you, just in thinking of something to say about it, apart from -- once again -- eclectic, reasonably entertaining, good music and the host doesn't completely suck. Of course, there's a lot of leeway in "doesn't completely suck."

So, give the latest 3 Chords & the Truth a listen, and I'm reasonably confident you will find that it doesn't completely suck.

And, no, I never did get the salesman gene. This is as good as I get.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, March 24, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: Thatsa lotta shows!

It just so happens that episode No. 599 of 3 Chords & the Truth drops on my birthday.

After all those years, and shows, I certainly hope the program is fresher than I am. For I am . . . not young.

Five hundred ninety-nine editions of the Big Show. That means the next one will be . . . let me get out the calculatin' machine here . . . hang on . . . workin' the problem . . . any second now . . . just about there . . . No. 600.

Thatsa lotta shows.

But I'll worry about that next time. This week, there is good music, of course, but I'm at a loss over what else to say. Birthday, don'tcha know. Takin' a break from thinking too hard.

So, with that not said. . . .

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Thursday, March 16, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: Jonesin' in the years

Sometimes, progress looks like going from Butch Wax to Brylcreem. Unless, of course, you live in a Vitalis household.

The above sentence makes sense to me. Therefore, I am (Generation) Jonesin' in the years. Stowin' away the time.

This means I remember when vintage was new. When classic rock was AOR. Which was not MOR. All of which ends up on 3 Chords & the Truth, by the way.

This last sentence also makes sense to me. Authenticity -- you can't fake it. It also helps you avoid sepia-colored cliches. A little dab'll do ya.

I KNOW. I'm rambling. It happens at my age. But sometimes you ramble into a lot of good stuff, just like we do on the Big Show.

I guess that's just the way we midcentury old farts do things.

So . . . yeah.

Groovy.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, March 10, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: Tick tock

Let's do the time warp again.

This week on 3 Chords & the Truth, we turn back the clock a little more than usual. To the Old Days. But not much.

Still, the Big Show is a real sentimental journey.

So, looming over the whole thing is the clock up on the wall . . . running backward. If you have any complaints about that, please direct them to PA 6-5000. Ask for Flat Foot Floogie.

It's a floy floy, Daddio.

As usual, though, it's gonna be a real trip. A journey to unexpected places. Just don't get nervous on the road -- it's going to be all right. You might even learn something. Or not. That's entirely up to you.

Also, I am pleased to announce that everything is in full-fidelity stereo. Except when it's not.

And if all this is somewhat confusing to you, then you don't know me. But that will change as days go by if you keep listening. There's a lot on the website to help you get up to speed with all the eclectic wonderfulness of this here endeavor.

So, there's only one thing left to say here.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Friday, March 03, 2023

3 Chords & the Truth: The voice of world control


Artificial intelligence has come to radio, and it's ready -- or, rather, the vulture capitalists behind some of America's largest broadcasting chains are ready -- to give mere organics the old heave-ho.

This subject is of some interest to us at 3 Chords & the Truth. To be honest, this subject leaves some of us feeling like we're now totally obsolete, rather than our previous state of being mostly obsolete. Like we were perfectly educated and trained for the Bronze Age. Like being oriented toward the humanities and creative pursuits is just an invitation to obliteration.

Let's get real here. Your Mighty Favog knows damned well that the Big Show is a niche deal. An esoteric pursuit. That most folks -- especially today -- just won't f***ing get it.

FACE IT, it's an anachronism, and I march to an anachronistic drummer. And I often wonder why I bother. Why can't I just squeegee car windows at traffic lights and be grateful for every day that I don't get run over or arrested (or shot, because a squeegee handle might look like a gun barrel, and this is America)?

Frankly, there are days (this is one of them) when I figure I'd have a lot more listeners if I just let the robots do the podcast instead of me. Because Americans.

I got no answers. Given my obvious lack of insight, I thought I would go to the expert in all this -- ChatGPT, which will be writing all your kids' term papers soon enough.

My question was simple enough:

"Why is RadioGPT superior to having human radio announcers? It can replicate the voices of known station personalities, so why have any humans on air at all after the intial customization?"

Here is Chat's -- I hope that's not being too familiar with an artificial intelligence I've just met -- answer. And remember, Chat is the expert here, not your deficiently human Mighty Favog.

While RadioGPT and other AI-driven solutions for radio broadcasting have several advantages over human announcers, there are still reasons why having human personalities on air can be beneficial. Here are some points to consider:

1. Authenticity: Human announcers and personalities can bring a level of authenticity to a broadcast that AI may not be able to replicate. Listeners may feel a stronger connection to a human voice, which can enhance their overall listening experience.

2. Emotional connection: Human announcers and personalities can convey emotion in a way that AI may not be able to. They can react in real-time to events and news, and provide commentary and perspective that may resonate with listeners.

3. Creativity: Human announcers and personalities can bring their own creativity and unique perspective to a broadcast. They can improvise, ad-lib, and inject humor into their delivery, which can keep listeners engaged and entertained.

4. Personalization: While AI can personalize content based on a listener's habits, human announcers and personalities can also provide a personalized touch through interaction with listeners. They can take calls, read emails, and engage with listeners on social media, which can enhance the overall listener experience.

5. Flexibility: Human announcers and personalities can adapt to changing circumstances and events in a way that AI may not be able to. They can react to breaking news, adjust their delivery based on audience feedback, and make other real-time decisions that can improve the quality of the broadcast.

Overall, while AI-driven solutions like RadioGPT may have some advantages over human announcers, there are still benefits to having human personalities on air. They can bring a level of authenticity, emotional connection, creativity, personalization, and flexibility that may enhance the overall listening experience for audiences.

THANKS, Chat, for the pick-me-up. Unfortunately, I think you failed to cover the one rea$on radio-$tation management won't li$ten to any of your quite-valid point$. While you are very artificially intelligent and well-re$ourced, I think you lack the nece$$ary cynici$m to under$tand America today.

And the one point to remember -- always -- is that it's always humans who have held close to their hearts the belief that there's nothing more expendable than human labor . . . and human lives. You might say it's one of humanity's defining characteristics.

That said, dear listener (one shortcoming of a human writer -- or announcer -- is susceptibility to cliches),  you can assume this week's edition of the Big Show is rather different. Because it is. But it's still good . . . and filled with nifty segués, because I'm uselessly weird like that.

Besides, the new age is upon us, and you'd better listen to the organic while you can. Such as he is.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.