a midway bikelog

We need Jeremy Clarkson on TV here, for that matter. Best road test ever.

via truetone

For the last 17 years, TD Mischke has been creating one of the most interesting, funny, literate and thoughtful radio shows we’ve ever had here in the Twin Cities. It’s a throwback to old time talk radio with a wide range of topics, a wild cast of regular callers, original songs and bits; a regular audio carnival. News came out this weekend though that Mischke has been laid off from KSTP, his station from the beginning, the one that not only allowed, but encouraged him to find and use his own voice on the air.

I’ve been listening to Mischke off and on since he was on Don Vogel’s show in the early ’90s. I had just finished college and was looking for a job for a couple of months, with no TV, pre-internet, so i spent a lot of time listening to the radio and reading the newspapers for job leads. Vogel’s sense of humor and love for the blues sucked me in, and the wackiness of the show was partly due to Mischke’s influence as a sideman. That sense of free adventurism was honed further when Mishke got his own show in 1997.

In the years i listened, i’ve heard him do perfect recitations of scenes from Jaws, thoughtfully and deeply interview an expert on alternative health care, let long minutes of total silence draw out, make prank calls and answer calls pretending to be various people, sing countless songs on the news of the day, talk candidly about his battle with depression, and talk passionately about music, sports, politics, history, books, movies and a world of other topics.

I’ve never met him in person, though i think he actually lives in my neighborhood. He’s the slightly nutty guy who would probably get you talking at the bar despite yourself. Like a good bartender or barber, he had an attraction to people and their stories. His listeners and regular callers are dedicated because he has deep sympathy and perspective from years of hearing the stories flowing in over the phone lines. He could range from wacky and manic to very sober and reflective, always retaining a big heart and quick mind.

He’s so integrated to the stories of the cities and Minnesota that it’s hard to imagine him doing the show anywhere else, but i hope he continues somewhere. I’ve been following him mostly by podcast for the last few years because i can’t listen by radio during work – perhaps, as a comment on the am1500 boards suggested, it’s worth having him produce a podcast-only show that we can subscribe to. Here’s hoping that TD is back on the air somewhere soon.

A couple of favorite clips via the Mischke Madness fan site – first, he interviews an author on the anniversary of sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald:

“mirrored shower doors” – a great example of having fun with a caller with total bullshit, playing both himself and the phone screener

Mischke on 9/11 – wisdom worthy of a broadcast from Morrow or Cronkite.

Finally, the Mischke Poem, inspired by the show and played on-air occasionally:

Thanks, Mischke.

Not that i’ve been very active anyway since the election aftermath, but i’m taking an end-of-the-year break here. A lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous, a lotta strands to keep in my head.

Happy solstice and whatnot, keep the rubber side down, see you soon.

She would be worth listening to just for the cool guitar work or the cool song structures or the great lyrics and phrasings. But on top of that, she truly has one of the great singing voices. Wish i’d been able to see her here a couple of months back.