Amanda has written several times in her blog about how disconcertingly straightforward people living in Palembang - and now, in Malaysia, too - can be.
Well, Amanda, it doesn't just happen there.
For nine years, I had my own radio show ("The Audio Attic") on WEBR, the Fairfax County public access radio station. I really enjoyed doing it because I love music and because, since it was a public access rather than a commercial station, I could pretty much do whatever I wanted as long as it wasn't obscene or libelous. Over time I actually built a fairly large audience, as measured by the number of phone calls I got when I was on the air (the audio equivalent of the comments we bloggers always hope for).
Well, one year we set up a booth at the Fairfax County Fair to drum up interest and provide information about the station to people who might not have heard of us. We all got spiffy t-shirts to wear, along with brightly-colored badges that showed our names and the names of our programs. Things we going swimmingly during my shift (I was even asked for an autograph by one visitor, woo-hoo!) when an attractive young lady walked up. She talked about how much she enjoyed listening to WEBR, and how the wide variety of programs we offered always offered something for everyone.
Then she looked at my name tag.
And she looked up at me.
Then she looked at my name tag again.
Then she looked back at me.
And she said ...
"YOU'RE Bilbo? From "The Audio Attic?" You don't look anything like you sound!"
I wasn't quite sure what to say, so I decided to interpret it as "you're SO much better looking in person!" ... although I'm not sure that was exactly what she meant.
Oh, well...
I've been told that I have a pleasant, baritone radio voice. Which is good, because I don't have a particularly television-ready face. I just didn't need to be reminded of the fact quite that directly.
Amanda would understand.
Have a good day. Support your local public access radio station.
More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
5 comments:
One of my favorite comments over the years was from a British officer, who said "Katherine, you're PAINFULLY honest". I suspect he didn't mean it as a compliment, but I've always taken it that way.
You do have a lovely voice for radio :)
Upon meeting a certain blogger for the first time, she said that I didn't look at all the way she imagined me. I asked her what she thought, and she said, "Clean cut, blonde, younger...". This after I've described myself as a hippie with Cherokee ancestry. I just let the "younger" thing pass. I guess I was glad she didn't perceive me as older.
Now we all need to know what you sound like. You need to put an old show out on Youtube.
My brother-in-law, who is 15 years my junior, and I stepped up to a bar to get some drinks while our spouses remained at a table not far away. Around the corner at the bar was a woman who had consumed "tee many martoonis" is my guess. She got my attention and asked "Are you the mother or the girlfriend?"
"Neither. I'm the sister-in-law." I replied rather taken back by her question in the first place.
"Oh." she said. Then she proceeded to dig herself the deepest hole by saying over and over again things like "Gee, I hope I look as good as you when I get to be your age." and "Honestly, I do." and "You look great!" And on and on.
I thought she'd never shut up. I was so glad to finally get back to our table.
LOL! Yes, I do understand. Some people just say things straight to your face and you're left with trying to keep at least neutral face.
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