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When David Goren was 13 years old, he and his family went to visit their Uncle Lou.
“He was usually just railing about my long hair or criticizing rock and roll,” he recalled. But this time was different. “He gave me an old radio of his that had a shortwave band on it. I really didn’t know what that was. I asked my dad, and he was like, ‘You won’t hear anything on that!’”
David was curious, though, so after he got home, he turned it on, started fidgeting with the dial, and was amazed to discover sounds and music from around the world!
I’ve known David for a long time, and I share his interest in broadcasting, having worked in public radio, myself, for many years before I started my podcast.
I’ve been thinking about all this recently, cause COVID-19 has closed borders and made traveling difficult if not impossible for many of us. But radio signals don’t needs passports or plane tickets. They circle the earth, bouncing off the atmosphere, so even if you’re confined to your home, it’s possible – with a good antenna – to listen to voices from the other side of the planet.
On the latest episode of Far From Home, David — who went on to become an award-winning radio producer and audio archivist — joins me to share recorded highlights from his many decades monitoring the shortwave and pirate radio airwaves from his home in Brooklyn, NY.
We also talk about the rich history of radio broadcasting, from propaganda to rebellion, and we review some listening tips courtesy of the BBC:
Listen to my interview here:
And if you enjoy it, I highly recommend checking out David’s interactive Brooklyn Pirate Radio Sound Map as well as his Soundcloud page where he’s posted dozens more shortwave radio recordings from his archives!
If you want to be part of future conversations like this and have a chance to ask questions of my guests, join my club on the Clubhouse app, which is now available on both iPhone and Android-based cell phones.
Thanks for listening!
