age 16D - The Michigan y - Thursday, Septemb; 985 S '9 -0 The A igan Daily - Thursc RADIO The Utopfanr P o etBy arwulf arwulf THI R ADIO is a verb. That's what I said. You are a participant, when your radio is on, and you are an extension of the station you choose to follow. I doubt that very many of us ponder the implications of this, and if I harp on it for very long, you'll probably get tired of it. Let's just say that folks should think a bit more about things they do every day of their lives. Culture happens on a day-to-day basis. We involve ourselves in an awful lot of things without thinking at all about causes, effects, or perhaps most importantly, alternatives.. The FM dial, in Ann Arbor, has a cluster of Public Radio Stations on the left, and each in its own way can provide you with an alternative to the rampant commercialism of the vast multitude of American radio wavelengths. The first you'd encounter, at 91.7 FM, is WUOM, Ann Arbor's straight- ahead predominantely classical station. My personal favorite at this location is Peter Greenquist, a quaint, middle-aged fellow who does friendly wakeup programming on the week- days. This is big-time FM Public Radio; they're rather rigid and very professional-sounding. Theredare no idiotic commercials. Public radio is funded by the listeners for the most part, and for this reason they are all subject to periodic fundraisers. For WUOM, a fundraiser means plenty of talk, and indeed all fundraisers, whatever the station, are made of WCBN is a noun. But nonetheless active. CBN provides the soundtrack for reality in the City of Trees. talk. So are commercials, though, and many are happy to fork over a small donation to stave off the need for ads. WUOM has an incredible range, lots of air power, and can be heard throughout most of the lower penin- sula. In addition to the dominant classical programming, they offer an- tiquated jazz (with Hazen Schumacher), and contemporary jazz (with Michael Grofsorean). Other features include National Public Radio Newscasts, Lecture Hours, Books by Radio, Recorded Concerts, Opera Night, and some beefy Sports Reporting. Next, on our cruise towards the left on your FM dial, is the unstoppable WEMU, at 89.1 FM. This round-the- clock station emanates from Eastern Michigan University, in Ypsilanti, and has almost as much wattage as WUOM. WEMU focuses on jazz. There are lots of different ways to play jazz, and they've got a program for every facet. The wilder your tastes are, the later in the day you should tune in. The morning "Jazz Scope" is 7 HAIRCUTTERS " NO WAITING DASCOLA STYLISTS Liberty off State.....668-9329 Maple Village........ 761-2733 I usually straight-sailing and easy to comprehend. By the time the after- noon is upon you, they're slapping down some blues and boogie and bona fide hard bop. "Late Night Jazz Scope" gets even more adven- turesome, and "Jazzscope After Hours" tosses off all restraints. This station also subscribes to National Public Radio, and this means regulated newscasts, reliable weather info, and generally a clean, professional attitude. They're going out over vast portions of Southeastern Michigan, and this necessitates a certain style of broadcasting. It is for- tunate that we have this clean-stated presentation of jazz, as this means that the music can be heard in den- tist's offices and retail outlets, where muzak and brainless pop usually hold sway. WEMU also sponsors many live blues and jazz events, usually in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. The biggest of these is the annual Frog Island Jazz Festival, held just a short step away from historic Depot Town, the hippest spot in all of Ypsi. This station is an active element in the alternative music scene in Washtenaw County, and the dedicated staff of Jazzers include boss Jim Dulzo, nice guys George Klein, Bret Julek, and John Asemacher; and the unbeatable night staff of Michal G. Nastos, Michael Jewett and Tom Simonian. This last individual is also responsible for the ever-popular Third World Dance Party, offering reggae, African and other equatorial rhyth- ms. Definitely worth tuning in. All are hard working fellows, deeply in love with the music. Away off to the left, just about as far as your radio can get in that direction, there's a little 10-watt station which has been providing Ann Arbor with surprises and creative enigmas for as long as most of us can remember. Well, since 1972, anyway. This is WC- BN 88.3 FM, "Radio Free Ann Ar- bor.'"> Run aby. , yonhmteers predominately students, this is a remarkable listening opportunity. 1 Most of the programming comes1 under the heading of FREEFORM.: This means that all types of music are1 intermingled in a flowing procession of audio images, sometimes overlap-I ping, or even layered, like filo dough.1 The possibilities are endless and' varied, and ideally all the genres are represented. WCBN is dedicated to the presen- tation of unusual and hard-to-find recordings, and the music is offered up in a way that few stations in' Michigan or anywhere else would care to or dare to. The announcing is relaxed, the records are often gleaned from private collections, and there is always lots of room for creative ex- perimentation. Rock 'n' roll, at WCBN, can mean psychedelic new wave, hard core punk, sixties garage bands, wild man Fischer, rockabilly, or unclassifiable weirdness. There is a policy that ster- nly frowns upon current over- produced hits, and a DJ who is unable to avoid such garbage will be prevailed upon to explore more in- novative territory. Twenty other stations are playing those hits - CBN has other priorities. Radio should be a learning experience. The blues are the basis for rock 'n' roll, and for much of America's popular music since 1900. WCBN's blues collection spans the entire history of the music, from Blind Blake and Bessie Smith to the very most recent releases from electrified modern blues masters. Any freeform show worth its weight should contain some blues at one point or another, as there's nothing more appropriate to life in America than some honest blues. Jazz means at least 80 years worth of American music. Most stations that bother to air it are reluctant to step outside of the mainstream, at least before, 0) or 11 pim. Most historical jazz programming resorts to the dreaded "Nostalgia" routine, which is guaranteed to turn off vast numbers of young listeners. Many folks who dislike jazz are reacting to the commericial side of it, and might benefit from a taste of the bizarre. WCBN's Jazz Til Noon program, which hits at 9 every week- day morning, confronts the waking individual with some vibrant, color- ful, thought provoking Alternative Jazzcasting. The jazz stacks cover a formidable range, and the staff em- ploy a healthy freeform attitude toward the music. For these reasons you might find Jelly Roll Morton back-to-back with Cecil Taylor. The spectrum of World Music is constantly expanding. At WCBN, as new releases enrich the selection in the record library, your chances of being surprised and educated are in- creasing every day. There are folk and country experts, including the rockabilly expert Chris Daley, with his pickup truck, slicked-back hair and scratchy 45s; there's a wild assor- tment of ethnic music, covering African, South & Central American, reggae, Germanic, Japanese, Tibetan, Native American, Javanese, Cajun and Tex-Mex, and really ust about any culture which has been recorded and made available. There are people who specialize in music from the British Isles, there's a Progressive Soul Department, and a small, dedicated circle of opera freaks. Twentieth Century chamber music, wiped-out manifestations from the shaggy corners of the avant gar- de, schizoid babble from god knows where, it's all there. CBN is the ultimate radio station, or can be, and there are very few stations like it anywhere. The weekends are the wildest part of the CBN schedule, for most of the specialty shows cluster round Satur- day and Sunday. There are also com- pact, exciting specialty programs on weeknights from 7 to 8. The freedom to explore and prosper with new combinations has made WCBN a terrifically exciting listening experience, and the "three turntables going at once" phenomenom has become a notorious trademark here in Treetown. As you become a part of Ann Arbor, you are encouraged to find the right part of CBN for your tastes, and to expand said tastes with repeated exposure to the varied possibilities of 88.3 FM. In addition, if you are a University of Michigan student, you can worm your way into this Network and gain fulfilling radio experience as a mem- ber of the Campus Broadcasting Net- work. Weekly record reviewing meetings give newcomers and time- worn DJs a chance to mingle and to discuss the latest releases in all genres. There's also an AM station in the Network-WJJX. This station gets piped into the dorms and certain University buildings. They offer first- hand experience in playing commer- cially-oriented hits, and real-world-of- broadcasting pastimes such as the selling of ads. The Campus Broadcasting Network offers lots of opportunities in radio, if you're interested. Call 763-3501 for more information. Let that FM dial wander off to the extreme left and see where itgets you.