The Songs Vin Played for 11/09/2002

     Respect The Elders.
     Embrace The New.
     Encourage The Impractical and Improbable,
     Without Bias.
                                                       —  David Fricke

These are the songs I played on
Vin Scelsa's IDIOT'S DELIGHT®

These are the songs I played on member supported 90.7 FM  WFUV in  New York
on VIN SCELSA'S IDIOT'S DELIGHT®  — 11/9/02 — Saturday, 8 PM to Midnight

SATURDAY,  NOVEMBER 9,  2002  -  8 PM-12 Midnight:

The "Illusions & Connections" Edition of Idiot's Delight

JACK McDUFF   Walking The Dog   (opening theme)

WALTER HUSTON September Song   (Anderson/Weill)
(original version from the 1938 musical "Knickerbocker Holiday")
MARIAN McPARTLAND   September Song   (1953)
LOU REED   September Song   (1985 version)

PAUL AUSTER - guest - conversation

Brooklyn based author Paul Auster returned to Idiot's Delight
upon the publication of his latest novel The Book Of Illusions
(Henry Holt), which deals with a man's obsession about a silent
film star.  Auster is the author of such highly regarded novels as
City of Glass, Ghosts, The Locked Room (known collectively
as "The New York Trilogy"),  In The Country Of Last Things,
Moon Palace, and The Music Of Chance.  He collaborated
with director Wayne Wang on the screenplays and direction
for Smoke and Blue in The Face and wrote and directed the
film Lulu On The Bridge. Auster has published collections of
poetry, biography and essays.  He is an esteemed translator of
French poetry and prose and served as the editor and on-air
reader for NPR's  "National Story Project" - which yielded the
collection I Thought My Father Was God And Other Tales.

Paul does all his writing in longhand.  When a piece seems
"finished" he types it up using an old Olympia manual typewriter.
His friend, the artist San Messer, became so intrigued by the
typewriter that he began to sketch and paint it.  Some of these
portraits - from black and white sketches to surrealistic colorful
animated dreamscapes - have been published in a book by
Auster and Messer entitled The Story Of My Typewriter ( D.A.P. ) -
a delightful work of visual and literal art!

THE KINKS   Celluloid Heroes
VAN MORRISON   Rare Heavy Connection

PAOLO CONTE  Via Con Me
DEXTER GORDON   Valse Robin

The next portion of the show was a dedication to
Battalion Chief Matthew L. Ryan of the FDNY,
who lost his life at the World Trade Center on 9/11/01.

There is a "secret" Idiot's Delight community.  The great majority
of us never meet or know anything about each other.  We are a
family of loners - sisters and brothers united only in our shared
communion via the public airwaves.  We have, as the Van Morrison
song puts it, "a rare heavy connection."  After all these years it is
something I tend to take for granted.  I should not do so.

On December 12, 2001, The New York Times published a
"portrait" of Matthew Ryan of Seaford, New York, a member of the
FDNY who died at the World Trade Center on 9/11.  In that
portrait it was noted that Matthew was a long time devoted listener
to Idiot's Delight.

At that time I was unable to properly deal with this enormous
"compliment" ... this indirect but very meaningful tie to a man and
to an unforgettable moment in our history.  My understanding and
my public recognition of Matthew Ryan has been a long time coming.
Words really cannot express how humbled and moved I am that this
man - a stranger to me - was so connected to me through my radio
show.  For a long time after his portrait appeared in The Times I
found it impossible to really grasp the meaning of this.  Through his
wife Margaret and Matt's FDNY friend Artie Mastrangelo I have
come to know something of this man: by learning of his love for
music and the enthusiasm with which he shared this love with his
family and friends.

To Margaret Ryan, to Matthew's family, to his co-workers and friends,
I offer my sincere condolences.  Isn't it mysterious and beautiful how we
"strangers" are united through Matthew's passion for music and a radio
show?  The best way for me to express my emotional support for you
all as you continue to live with this loss is to play some of Matt's favorite
songs - as related to me by Margaret and Artie - on the radio in his honor.

On this weekend following the Friday November 8, 2002 plaque
dedication ceremony for Battalion Chief  Matthew Ryan at
Battalion 4 / Ladder 18 headquarters on Pitt Street in Manhattan,
I honor this brave man who was a part of "the secret family" of
Idiot's Delight.

To my "brother in spirit" Matthew Ryan -
I raise my fist in honor and solidarity!

BLACK 47   Rockin' The Bronx
SEANCHAI & THE UNITY SQUAD   The Holy Ground
(lead vocal, Rachel Fitzgerald)
U2   With Or Without You
BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS   You Made Me So Very Happy
NEIL YOUNG   Harvest Moon
TIM BUCKLEY   Once I Was
CHRISTY MOORE   Ordinary Man
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN   Glory Days
TOM WAITS   Tom Traubert's Blues
THE CLANCY BROTHERS   When The Ship Comes In
JOHN PRINE   Lake Marie
THE BAND   Shine A Light

SEANCHAI & THE UNITY SQUAD   Conas A Ta Tu
LL COOL J with P. DIDDY   After School

RICHARD "GROOVE" HOLMES     Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
(closing theme)

Thanks to Engineers Kevin and Erich ... to AP Caitlin
and, as always, to Producer Kara "Booker T." Manning  ...

It's 2002 - Our Year Of Living Palindromically!
Keep safe ...

UPCOMING GUESTS

NOV  16   SEANCHAI & THE UNITY SQUAD.  Seanchai
is former Black 47 uillean pipes player and co-founder Chris Byrne.
The name means "storyteller" in Irish and that's exactly what Chris
and the Unity Squad are; they tell stories of real people - their
struggles, passions, pride, rage, honor, grief and joy - in a marvelous
Brooklyn stew of traditional Celtic music, urban hip hop and
rock'n'roll!  The band has just released a new album entitled
I Shamrock New York - available at gigs (like their Friday night
shows at Rocky Sullivan's) and soon through their web site.

NOV  23  LAURA CANTRELL.  Such wonderful things are
happening these days for this "radio sister" of mine (Laura is the
host of the highly esteemed "Radio Thrift Shop" on WFMU).  Her
second album, When The Roses Bloom Again (Diesel Only Record),
has just been released to the same critical accolades which greeted
her debut album, Not The Tremblin' Kind in 2000.  She's on the
road opening for Elvis Costello this Fall!  Nashville-born
New York-based Cantrell is a "real country" music authority,
a talented radio performer, a terrific songwriter and a singer with
a great ear for wonderful material.

DEC  14   THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS.  John Linnell and John
Flansburgh made their first New York City radio appearance on the
Sunday morning version of Idiot's Delight back in 1986 when their
first album was released (yes friends, on vinyl, in a time before CDs!).
We have continued to be a "mutual admiration society" ever since.
This past year has been an exciting one for the Johns.  Their "children's
album" - No! - has been an enormous chart-topping success; they won
a Grammy for "Boss Of Me" - the theme song for the television show
Malcolm In The Middle, and Rhino Records has just released a box
set entitled Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants.
They will be performing at Irving Plaza December 27 and 28.
 

NOTES:

Vin Scelsa's Idiot’s Delight is heard every Saturday night on broadcast radio in New York on member supported public radio 90.7 WFUV ...  http://www.wfuv.org ...  WFUV streams its broadcast signal live on the internet ... and most of the weekend specialty shows – including ID) – are now archived for a period of time so that they can be listened to "on demand."

Vin Scelsa
Idiot's Delight
c/o WFUV
Fordham University
Bronx, NY 10458