This time of the year I tend to reflect on the past year and take stock of my life, which is mighty dangerous with an independent madman such as me.
Considering how awful much of the year was, I cannot help but consider my good fortune at having been able to put the pain and hurt that inhabited a significant portion of the year behind me, thanks overwhelmingly, to the good office of the many kind and loyal friends who have helped me carve out a life that is not a daily burden.
That does include those of you, who ‘tune in’ and respond to what we do. Many of you do write in with your praise and brickbats, and please continue to offer both.
Although I do not ‘know’ most all of those of you on the other side of that stream of 0’s and 1’s that makes our continued mission at presenting a ‘real alternative to radio sedatives’ possible, you are in effect, friends and family to me.
And no, that is just not me being nice, but as you have let me into your world, embraced what we do and hopefully gotten something out of our efforts, you have gained special access to my heart, and I THANK YOU PROFUSELY for giving me the impetus to carry on. I shall try not to let you down, by giving my best.
Actually, it is a good thing I really don’t know most of you. Being a misanthrope overall, I’d probably loathe many of you if I actually met you, or find myself thinking “Gee, what an asshole”, but fortunately that is unlikely to happen.
And then if you were actual friends and family, I would want to treat you just like I treat them… badly… No, I mean buy you little gifties and take you out to dinner, make you a DVD or two of ‘Chesty McClevages’ Greatest Hits, you know, just try and reciprocate in some measurable way, to say “thanks for being a pally’. The savings I incur not knowing you is really to my liking!
But I treasure what we have. Of course it is never enough as yes, I am just shallow enough to never be satisfied with the small size of our audience. I do not like being the leader of an exclusive club so to speak, and will not be satisfied until more people are exposed to our take on radio, one that in my never humble opinion, is what radio needs more of.
But as one old friend has a habit of intermittently reminding me of, it is the quality, not the quantity of listeners that is of true importance, and he could not more accurately delineate why I am…well…blessed.
Self absorbed cafone that I am, I just want to take this space to let you know that your listenership, and the support of those of you who have been able to spare a few sheckles to assist this ongoing experiment in communications alchemy, is more appreciated than my caustic, biting, smart assed ‘you can’t take the Brooklyn out of the guy’ attitude may ever hint at.
So thank you and thanks to those friends I do know, and my family members and fellow railroad bums for being there for me, tolerating me when my mood is at it nadir, and offering help and encouragement in not allowing myself to be thrown from this ride that is life.
And, of course, thanks to my radio family, especially the Big Guy and Dave for relieving me of some of the burden, and for taking up the mantle and promulgating great radio. Also, insufficient thanks no doubt, to our friends Hank and Jim and Pete, original RNI air staff one and all, who have graced our airwaves and stream with their commitment to radio that is not just aural wallpaper. And of course, kudos to Dan Lewis, another RNI original, who has never squandered a minutes worth of airtime.
And while I am oh so generously handing out the plaudits and accolades, thanks to all those radio folks who have come and mostly gone thru the years, who have helped me by empowering and enabling me to become Johnny Lightning and stay a regular presence on the air, allowing me to put my limited resources and talents to use in an occasionally entertaining and informative manner. I may never speak to most of you again, but I will never forget your kindness and ask that imperfect asshole that I often am, you understand I have no malice towards anyone… well, most anyone!
Even those of you that may despise me for whatever real or imaginary reasons know this… I wish no one harm and only hope for the best for you. Heck, most of you possibly even deserve such wishes, and if you do not, well, leave them off at the local Salvation Army post, I am sure someone else can put them to good use!
Free from the ignoble circumstances of life as a landlord in a neighborhood no longer fit for habitation by decent folks, spared the intrusion of drug scum, neighbors who return your courtesies by only cranking up the boom box to only a 9 out of 10 at 3 AM, and now surrounded by neighbors I am thrilled to call my neighbors… with that world of agita no longer an impediment to life, I may just yet find one. And while you may be thinking ‘so who cares ya jerk’, well… I think you should know how profoundly this year has changed my life and to an extent, my persona.
Having been castigated and abandoned by old friends this year, surviving the druggies who wanted nothing more but to put a few caps in my pale, skinny, smoothly shaved behind, and losing the endless agita of a building that I tried to reclaim and repair one too many times, I feel renewed. I cannot say that it will matter a whit relating to the quality of our on the air ‘product’… indeed I am more inclined to recline and smell the brown gravy these days than pour myself into radio almost exclusively, and I must say, I don’t care, but with any luck the consistency of what we do shall remain alarmingly similar to what we have done. And that will be fine with me!
Broadcasting, or narrowcasting as the case may now be, will always be an integral part of me, but now it is in perspective much more than it ever was in the past. And I will not forfeit or sacrifice any other part of my life to prop it up higher on my food chain of importance. So please don’t ever expect the old weekly schedule to return, heck it is often a chore just to do two shows a month. But as I still believe radio is what I do best, I must carry out my prime directive. And so long as my health is adequate, and I still enjoy and get something out of my mission, I hope to stay with it.
To you and yours, I extend nothing but my very best. Good health, prosperity and happiness will hopefully be yours this holiday season and well beyond. A Merry Christmas to all and to all… GET OFF MY PHONE… er, I mean and to all, Bye Y’all.
John L.
Use the link below to view a REAL not a parody ad, for a product with a most unusual name. An instant classic, right down to the ‘they can’t be serious’ kid moment at the end.
