Radio Waves- A Review and a taste of Revolution

"Not so long ago, I used to come to this station filled with the fire of revolution, and the zeal of an explorer. We used to believe tht somehow, if we just played the music long enough and loud enough, we could change the world, evolve ourselves into something higher, brighter, more aware." - Jim Ladd, Radio Waves

Not so long ago, I lived in Southern California. I moved out in September of 02 with typical dreams of making in the entertainment industry. Whatever that means. Now years, seven years later, I am three thousand miles away and still being transformed by the light which I brought back from the glittering streetlights of L.A. It was the music and the words and the guidance of two very different people on opposite ends of the station schedule at 95.5 KLOS. One was Jim Ladd, the Lonesome L.A. Cowboy, the only remaining free-form rock and roll D.J. and the other Frank Sontag, the reassuring voice that I found when searching for answers about the unending bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan and my own internal and external struggle to survive in the San Fernando Valley.

Between The Impact Program on Sunday nights/monday mornings and Weeknights after close at the fine dining establishment know as Subway, Headsets on Wednesday at midnight, long bus rides, nights on Mullholland overlook, walking down an empty street at 1 or 2 a. m. , and little help from a little green tree which apparently can be lit on fire and inhaled, and a few good books "to hang out with" as Ram Dass would say, I discovered what I had suspected since high school and probably long before that- that there is more to life than school, work, money, and the hopes of becoming "rich and famous." That there is a part of me that no one else can see but I can feel but never knew how to use and what it had to do with "who I am".

Being an artist I know a little something about tapping into that Source for inspiration. The same Source which the Beatles, Doors, and other bands that were famous long before I was born.
Music, especially rock and roll or classic rock had a way of expressing what I felt in my heart.

Radio Waves is a heart-wrenching, mind-blowing look into the origins of FM Radio and how Free-form radio started as desperate act by Big Daddy Donahue to save a dying foreign language station and turn it into a forum for the voice of revolution. Free-form rock and roll was what set FM radio apart from AM. Jim Ladd was part of the movement which captured the heart of the Summer of Love and turned it into a spiritual revolution.

The book gives you the sense that you are along for the ride or have been since the beginning even if you just got on the magic bus. If you have not heard what Free-form rock and roll sounds like- go to 955klos.com and listen to the Jim Ladd show for a while- listen to his skillful sets of songs with various themes which tell a little story, listen to headsets with the lights low and some insence or candle or other comustible enhancement. It may just change your life. You may get a glimpe at what RADIO KAOS was all about. You may find yourself asking questions which have very scary answers or which trigger even scarier questions.

One of the most inspiring parts of the book is the Paraquat incident which resulted in Jim Ladd giving out a phone number which connected to the White House. I'm not going to tell you what happened but I found myself wondering if somehting like that could be attempted again. You may find yourself saying, "Hey, is there a phone number or e-mail address which goes directly to the White House- You may find yourself calling or e-mailling the president and asking him why the F-(though i'd probably go with a more subtle, calm, and respectful approach) we are still in Iraq and Afghanistan. What can we accomplish there besides more annhillation by megaton warheads, more soldiers and ordinary people like you and me trying to live with car bombs and roadside mines. Why should Americans support, defend, pay for a war which has no end, no purpose, no coverage on any news network or talkshow except maybe Real Time with Bill Maher, the Daily Show, The Impact Program and the Jim Ladd Show. Does Mr. Obama, a man I am proud to have voted for. The first president I can honestly say I openly and thoughtfully elected. The first president I have seen in person and captured on my cellphone cam. The only glimpse of W. I ever got was the exhaust pipe of AirForce One last time I flew back from a visit to L.A.

This review has become a rant and a rant which I hope will become a revolution. For anyone who lives or has lived in So Cal and knows who Jim Ladd or only just discovered him on the new Impact Program, please listen again if you don't already, order Radio Waves through the talkradioone.com Amazon button. turn off the T.V.(or unlplug it and put in the the basement like I did) and read Radio Waves by Jim Ladd(and I suggest listening to some of the music referenced in the book because it gives it a more effective context). It only took me two days and it has broken open a dam that so long I had kept putting my finger into the holes of.

Oh and please listen to the new Impact Program on talkradioone.com. I owe a lot to both Jim Ladd and Frank Sontag. Without them I would still be a little lost sheep with no clue as to what I really beleive or who I really am.

Lord Have Mercy.

"Listen again with fresh ears to the mystic rhythm of the trial drum - beating from the heart of KAOS" - Jim Ladd.