I’ve always been a person who liked light background noise at night. From my first clock-radio, bought at a garage sale, I slept with the radio, and later the black-and-white TeeVee with an antenna, on. The problem with sleeping with the TeeVee on was the overnight sign-off to static at 02:00am. Yes, younglings, broadcast TeeVee stations used to play the national anthem and then broadcast static for three hours overnight. This is how I discovered at age 14 the subsidized radio station out of the University of Kansas, FM 91.5, which played amazing jazz off of vinyl until 1:30am, then the militant black Nation of islam retards had their public access show, which made me realize that I really, REALLY needed to drop out of Leavenworth High School for my own wellbeing and safety. In retrospect, I owe those odious people a roundabout debt of gratitude. Dropping out of high school was one of the top-three decisions I’ve ever made. Converting to the One True Faith and Church is obviously numero uno. The other will be in the memoirs.
Then, I would wake up to NPR Morning Edition, which in those ancient days was just super-soothing benign long-form pieces and interviews – not intolerable communist agitprop. SNL did a send-up of “NPR voice” decades ago. Search “SNL Delicious Dish” on YouTube if you don’t mind double entendres.
Now, I have discovered that many people have had exactly the same idea as I have had: find on YouTube local radio/TeeVee broadcasts of MLB baseball games, including the advertisements, from one’s early childhood. For me, the voices of Fred White and Denny Matthews, and then Denny Trease calling Royals games on the radio and TV are peak audio nostalgia.
Next would be old Superstation WGN broadcasts of Cubs games with Harry Caray. My grandparents were very early cable tv subscribers, and from my earliest childhood, afternoons were filled with the sound of Cubs (and Braves on TBS) games (Wrigley Field didn’t install lights until ARSH 1988) on the TeeVee.
I find these make excellent background for very casual parties as well. Preferably where beer is served. Harry Caray would want to you have a taaaalll, coooooool Budweiser, but we’ve all moved on.
Look up your local teams. It doesn’t have to be the Royals or the Cubs, but I do recommend baseball. Basketball and football are too harsh to be relaxing background.
If you’re not maxed-out on nostalgia, here’s the 1980s TWIB theme: