I'm on the Radio! Radio-oooo

"My baby baby baby baby baby babe gave me malaria, malaria-aahhh!" - Pavement

As Sam and I carved our way along the Oregon-Washington border and the Columbia River on the way into Oregon, I made my first solid connection with the Oregon community as I listened to the local NPR station, OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting), and made it on the show!

The program was called "Handmade Musical Instruments" on Think Out Loud with host Emily Harris. Here's our conversation towards the end of the hour:


Emily: "Let's hear from Liz! Liz has called in from the Dalles. Liz, welcome to Think Out Loud."

Me: "Hi, thanks--thanks for having me on the show! I've never made it on!"

Emily: "Well, welcome, go ahead."

Me: "Thank you. Well, I'm a classical bassist, and I do some jazz, and I'm actually moving to the Portland area, and I do play a handmade instrument--I wish my bass were made out of a trash can! Yeah, it just gets beat up, but it's actually in the passenger seat with me."

Emily: "Do you really wish it were made out of a trash can? Did you like the sound of that?"

Me: "I did! It sounded really funky! I liked it."

[James Cook's trash can bass. Another variation is commonly known as a "gut bucket" or washtub bass.]

Emily: "What do you like about having a handmade bass?"

Me: "You know, for me, when I got my bass . . . you know, I was looking for something that I could possibly have for the rest of my life. So you know, for me, finding an instrument was kind of like adopting a child. And I wanted to know where it came from, who made it, what it was made out of, so that I could have that connection with it, you know?"

Emily: "Do you think that affects the music you make?"

Me: "I think so. For me, like, I can't just pick up any old instrument and feel a connection with it, and with mine I do feel kind of emotionally and spiritually connected to my bass. It has a name--it's name is James, and--"

Emily: "It's name is James?!" [The guest on the show who made the trash can bass was James Cook, member of the band Trash Can Joe.]

Me: "Yeah, it's name is James Robin."

Emily: "Not Captain James Robin?" [James Cook sometimes goes by Captain Cook.]

Me: "Ha ha, no, just James Robin, and my bow's name is Friar Tuck."

[Laughs all around.]

Me: "And, uh, you know, it has a personality of its own. And I appreciate the work that's gone into it and how it was crafted 'cause it has a personality that fits with mine. So when we make music together, you know, we have a connection, and it makes performing that much more . . . fun!"

Emily: "Well, that's great. Liz, thanks for calling this morning."

Me: "Thanks--thanks for having me!"


Ta da! I can't believe how many times I said "you know" and "for me." The last time I had a conversation on the radio was back in high school. I was on the classical music station and was interviewed about playing the bass and classical technique on a program that featured the youth or something like that. But I was so nervous then that every sentence I said curved up with this nervous laughter, which came back to haunt me. Anyway. I have this secret dream to be a radio announcer for a classical or jazz station.

"That was 'Blue in Green' from Mile's Davis monumental album Kind of Blue, recorded in 1959. Once again, you're listening to KMJZ, your station for coooool jazz all night long. I'm Liz Lambson. Thanks for tuning in."