The other night we went to a radio station here in Minneapolis to do a live radio show called "Rockline". There was a control room with the usual console and other accessories and adjacent to that was a tiny room with a round table in it. On the table were six headsets with built in microphones and the network of wires that attached them to a device that was the link to the hundreds of radio stations that were carrying the show. We've done this show many times in the past. It's one of those timekeepers you run across now and then. Every time you do one, it reminds you of that last time you did it and how long it's been. The walls were covered with black foam sound insulation with a surface of perfectly spaced, soft stalactites.
Once everybody was finished making bathroom runs, getting something to eat or drink, checking mic levels and clearing their throat, they brought in an audience of about twenty people to watch the broadcast from the control room. One minute we were all shuffling around shooting the sh*t with the DJ, Bob, the next minute we snapped into the interview stance and started the show.
We took a lot of calls from listeners around the country and that was gave it its main energy. One of the first calls was from Jesse Ventura who just got elected as Governor of Minnesota. When they said it was he I thought they were joking but then I heard his voice and there was no question. We started talking politics and all of a sudden it started to sound like talk radio. Luckily we realized that and got it back to the proper tone. He said he was a fan and invited us to play at his inauguration. When we tried to explain that our schedule wouldn't allow it, we suddenly felt the sensations of a virtual headlock coming on - sadly we will be off the road by then, so we'll just have to wait till he runs for president.
Next Report: Fargo. Hey, no woodchipper jokes.
TH
