The Sound of Young America Coming to KXOT
Jesse Thorn, member of sketch comedy group Prank the Dean, produces his public radio show from his own living room in Los Angeles. At first, Seattlest thought that was code for "I am unemployed and play a lot of XBox" but it turns out he actually does have a radio show (this is still ambiguous on the "unemployed" detail), and even more to the point: it is very good.
For many, even those of us who listen to plenty of it, public radio evokes the aging, Subaru-driving, Whole Foods-loving patron saints of NPR. There will be the occasional "Wait, wait, don't tell me" that you love and "This American Life" can certainly deliver, but with the departure of John Moe, the air coming out of our public radio dial got even a wee bit staler this past month. So Seattlest is heartened to hear that for a month-long trial run starting Sunday, February 25th, KXOT will be beaming The Sound of Young America from a radio tower near you.
According to Thorn:
This isn't about aging boomers making something they hope the kids'll like. It's not even about the kids making programming for themselves. This is about making smart, thoughtful radio that happens to include humor, and indie rock, and rap music, and other things that have been aced out of public radio. We're not locking anyone out of public radio -- we're just bringing some new people in from the cold.
The show has hosted the likes of Terry Gilliam, David Cross, and Chuck D. If you don't know who Chuck D is, you're more likely to continue with the Fresh Air.
