Is it strange for one to listen to Marketplace on National Public Radio and grin to oneself or even outright laugh when, during their “Do the Numbers” segment on the US stock market index final standings for the day, they play “We’re in the Money” in the background when stocks are up, “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” when stocks fluctuate, and “Stormy Weather” when stocks are down?
Is it odd for one to get at least mildly excited and then immediately disappointed when “Burnin'” by Daft Punk starts to play but ends up only being background music to an hourly station identification for 89.3 The Current, a station which by all accounts feels like it should be Daft Punk-friendly yet seemingly never has any full Daft Punk songs played as part of their programming playlist?
Is it bizarre for one to be listening to National Public Radio‘s news prgrams, or special hour-long segments about war, or even pundits discuss the latest political ballyhoo, only to feel as though they have a profound sense of what’s hip and to feel some sort of cosmic, kismet-like connection with some secretly suave NPR producer who’s decided if the program ends early, to broadcast approximately one minute of filler music by Air?
Between noticing background music cues and my private little game* of reciting “From NPR news in Washington, I’m…” and “From Minnesota Public Radio news, I’m…” along with the news reader and trying to say their name in succinct unison by recognizing their voice, it’s pretty clear I have an unhealthy obsession with NPR nuances.
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* In my private little game, I can readily identify Jack Speer, Carl Castle, Lac Shmi Sing, Ann Taylor, William Wilcoxen, and Gretta Cunningham uncannily well, by the way. Craig Windham and Korva Coleman are tricky, while Phil Picardi and Steven John sound like exactly the same.
OMG It’s me!
Korva’s easy by the way. What about Ann Taylor, Giles Snider, Shea Stevens, Nora Raum, Barbara Klein, and Paul Brown?
:=)
OMG! Thought I was the only one who does this.
I too like to do “From NPR in Washington, I’m Jack Spear.”
Can pick out Nina Totenberg, Carl Kassel, Steve Carmidy, Nora Raum, Giles Snyder if I ever heard them in a crowd.
Love Lisa Mullins and Terri Gross.
And oh BTW its Lakshmi Singh.
I’ve listened to NPR for 30+ years, but I am afraid that Carl Kassel sounds like his batteries are running down. And Anne Taylor’s quirky delivery often makes me queasy. Am I just oversensitive to the way she puts stresses and pauses in strange places?
I cannot believe other people do that as well. My favorite thing about Anne Taylor is the way she says “Dow Jones Industrial Average”
Jack Spear and Shay Stevens…her voice may be the most soothing I have ever heard, I actually stay up at night listening to the BBC (my bedtime relaxation, bbc just offer an interesting perspective) because she comes on during that time.
i 2 am up at all times of nite just 2 hear npr n bbc. mr. norris (meeechele norris’s husband) is 1 lucky no blessed man. u go man!