Natchez, Mississippi

“Over 300 bodies were taken to the main mosque on Saturday. It’s unclear how many Christians may have died since their remains were not taken to a mosque. An around-the-clock curfew has been imposed on the city, which has a long history of community violence. KYW news time is 7:40.”

Turn the dial, searching for something raw as I drive the rental car down the Mississippi Delta in the middle of the night.

“Can they still lay me off even though I’m on disability?”
“Yes — and they should! I’ll say it again, people: you are not protected from being laid off! Nobody is!”

Change the station to the stop the yelling.

“— so he caught the attention of the government, unfortunately.”
“Uh oh.”
“Right. And remember, we’re talking about a small mountain town here. University of Tennessee football is the biggest thing in the state of Tennessee, okay? And nobody in Knoxville can stop them from testing —”

Conspiracies always live at the bottom of the dial.

“— I want to get these documents sent from Orange County to another state and the courts are telling me NO!”

“Look Heather, if you had been dealing with my company, I would have gotten on the phone during the next commercial break and started screaming at them at the top of my lungs and I’d get them to act. Believe it. But look what happens when you go to ACME Tax Company: you get screwed over! So tell them to get on the stick now, and I mean now, or you’ll file an instant lawsuit in small claims court —”

Change the station.

“— and you’re right, Bill, we saw the carnage on our television sets and on the internet. Does that feed into what the terrorists are doing? This availability to the media? We’re here at the Green Acres mall in Valley Stream —”

* * *

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Múm – On the Old Mountain Radio (Christian Kleine Mix)
from Please Smile My Noise Bleed. Morr, 2001
An all-time favorite track: an erratic dusty transmission that opens into a deep & saturated cinematic rush. One of the best cuts from the Morr stable.

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Hua Yang – Radio Broadcasting
from In the Mood for Love. OmTown, 2000 | buy mp3s
Late night sign-off, circa Hong Kong 1964.