Middle of the Night Radio

When I was young, we had a radio at home in the eighties very similar to this one.

I've always been a night person. I love being awake when everyone else is asleep.

I don't need a lot of interaction with people, but when I was a tween and young adult I would sometimes turn on the radio in the middle of the night ... and just want the DJ to say something. Definitely not morning-DJ stuff. Just a very not-morning-dj few words that sounded real and like they were alone sorta nearby in Seattle locked in a dim glassy cell (like I saw on WKRP in Cincinnati?) with a whole bunch of records to choose from (my fantasy). Sleepy-voice. Just announce the station and their name. This is so-and-so and you're listening to blah blah balh. 101.5. Something small -- a tiny connection to some other person awake and alone at the same time, listening to the same music.

When I'd wait through song after automated-song without hearing a live voice, I'd feel more and more alone. But on the nights when they DID say something -- even just a handful of words -- if I could tell there was a real person saying it in a box in a darkened building 25 miles away I felt immense relief and companionship. Knowing that one other person was awake with me, playing music. Nothing more was required or desired.

I want to give that to other people - a breath of intimate weirdo connection when you're awake, alone, and/or feeling different from almost everybody else. It's part of why we broadcast 24/7 live voyeur cams for a decade.

I hope everyone has a moment alone under a starry sky when some kind of fragile truly-piloted airplane sails out of the darkness straight to you.