In my updates post last Saturday I mentioned an Esquire article by Chuck Closterman titled Radio is History. It was in the June 2007 issue and it discussed the demise of radio in America using the Rush song The Spirit of Radio to illustrate the point. Dave gave me the heads up that the entire article is now online at this location. The article begins as follows:
In 1980, one song...canonized everything that is great about listening to the radio. In 2007, those qualities face extinction. ... Originally written about a Toronto radio station I couldn't care less about, the primary detail modern audiences know about this song is that the intro would be almost impossible to play on Guitar Hero. This is the shortsighted view. I think about 'The Spirit of Radio' a great deal more than that, perhaps because I've faithfully listened to it (approximately) no less than seventy times a day for the past twenty-five years. Let us begin with an examination of Geddy Lee's opening gambit: Begin the day...
It then goes on to break down each section of the song using it to bolster his argument. The article is tinged with sarcasm and at times it's hard to tell whether the author is poking fun at the song or genuinely believes in the profundity of the words. Either way, it's an interesting read.
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