Podcast 291

Time Machine. Take a break from the thrum of the daily news cycle, climb aboard The Bob Davis Podcasts Time Machine. If you could go back to anytime in history, where and when would you choose? Live from the Living Room of the Broadcast Bunker. If you love to read history, sometimes don’t you wish you could open a book, and go to the era written about? What eras and places would you visit and why? The 1920’s, Civil War, Ancient Greece, China about 600 years ago or India nearly a thousand years ago. What about Chicago in the 1890’s. Most people pick different eras for different reasons, and the times they pick to visit or to live in, are often windows into their personalities. Did people in different time periods understand what was happening in their world any more than we understand what is happening in ours? If we were to visit those times, even knowing what happened, let alone detailed knowledge of history, how would our own perceptions about a time change? How great would be to be able to visit the street you grew up on at different times, and see if it lives up to your memories. Another difference is age, as it relates to the times people want to visit. Younger people these days are interested in the 1970’s, even though not every house had brown shag carpeting, egg shell hanging chairs, and a brand new Admiral Color TV. Even the most recent eras in our history seem like they happened a million years ago. Believe it or not, cell phones were still physically huge in the 1990’s, and got really hot after about ten minutes of talking. And what about visiting the future? How far forward would you go, and what do you think you would find there? (Editor’s Note: My head hurts.) Sponsored by My Complete Basement and DepotStar. 

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Podcast 275

Nye’s Bar To Close. The news came down in the last few weeks, the iconic Minneapolis Nye’s Bar will be closing sometime in August or September of 2015. The Bob Davis Podcast visits Nye’s on a Friday to give listeners the feel of the place. Opened in 1950, Nye’s Polonaise Room was kind of the grandma and grandpa bar in the late 70’s, and through the 80’s. Hipsters love its 1950’s decor, red naugahyde booths and kitchy piano bar. Nye’s Bar – featuring a polka band – is even funkier, and is older than the Polonaise Room. What’s not for hipsters to like? The owners are closing the restaurant and bar because they say, even with its popularity, there’s not enough business during the week, despite a ton of people there on the weekends, to keep the place open. What will replace Nye’s? A 20 to 30 story glass tower apartment building, according to owners. Minneapolis has always had a penchant for destroying the old, and putting up modern glass and brick buildings, and nothing has changed. The new city council apparently favors this kind of development, so don’t look for too many roadblocks. Yes, Nye’s owners ought to be able to do whatever they want with their business. But, regional plans, city plans, subsidies and things like taxpayer funded stadiums all over the place doesn’t bode well for mom and pop structures. Rents are going up. Costs to businesses are going up, as condos and apartments only trust fund babies can afford all over the city. They keep saying they want soul, but they keep tearing down all the soulful buildings. When is it too much development? What are the real costs of such subsidized development? This podcast also features some of the people singing at the Piano Bar. Some are better than others, but some of them were really good. Spend an evening at the Nye’s Piano Bar before it all goes away. It’s actually really special entertainment. In fact, play the podcast, and you’ll spend an evening at Nye’s again and again, long after it is gone. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. 

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Podcast 226

ASMR. Say what? How has communicating on the radio changed over the years, from the glory days of AM Rock Radio, to Progressive FM Radio, to today’s Talk Radio Ghetto on AM. Are internet delivered on-demand-audio broadcasts changing how we communicate? Autonomous sensory meridian response is a fancy name for getting tingles when you hear certain people speak. ASMR is pretty big on You Tube, with ASMR ‘artists’ garnering millions of views and shares, and likes, for their ASMR videos. Some of them talk about issues, some of them role play, some of them tell stories. One thing is for sure. They don’t yell and pound, and they don’t take calls. With public radio stations in many major markets now garnering a higher share than commercial news and talk radio, it may be that a softer vocal approach, while delivering information on heavy issues, delivered on-demand, over the Internet is ‘The New Talk’. (Editor’s note: I certainly think so!). This podcast includes a sample of favorite ASMR artists, plus some audio nostalgia, with air checks of the Late Great Larry Lujack at WLS in the early 70’s, and George Michael at WFIL around the same time period. Plus, a bonus sample of early – and rare – ‘Progressive’ FM Radio Giant, KSAN-FM in San Francisco, in 1969. Some people laugh at ASMR artists, but they’re using the new tools, in a completely different way, to have fun with sound, and media, and technology, and they’re clearly speaking to a new generation of ‘audio’ listeners. Are offerings like ASMR changing the way we communicate with media? How might that eventually change what we see and hear from politicians, cable news channels, podcasts, broadcast and internet radio, and each other? Time for a fun podcast about something new. Sponsored by X Government Cars, and by Depot Star. 

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