Snarky NPR
OK, this post has absolutely nothing to do with travel. I can’t even stretch to make it fit. It happens to be tangentially about money management, which is only a coincidence given my last post. But that’s about as much a connection I can make.
Yesterday I was partaking in one of my all-too-rare-yet-favorite activities, the post-work nap. For those of you with things like kids that prevent you from doing this, all I can say is two words: nyah nyah.
As I was coming out of my hour-long bliss, my bedside radio was turned on to NPR, as it always is. Given the time of evening, Marketplace was on, which is one of my favorites. Marketplace is a show that promotes wise money management in everyday terms for everyday folk.
I like Marketplace so much that a few years ago I won an online auction to go downtown and watch an episode being aired. At the time, it featured David Brown, who I swear to god looks just like Mark Wahlberg in the movie Rock Star. NOT what you expect the host of a financial radio show to look like. But, then, Cokie Roberts did the news in her robe and PJs from her house and no one knew about it until her basset hound started barking on air one day, so obviously there’s a reason why people choose to go into radio.
As you can tell, I listen to far too much public radio, because I know it was a “basset hound”, rather just a “dog”. [I can also share a story where the only time I have ever lost my cool in the presence of a ‘celebrity’ was accidentally running into Daniel Schorr. I frightened him terribly and he ran away from me. I was sad. Both sad sad, and sad pathetic at the same time. But, I’ll save that for another time when I can’t think of anything else to write.]
The show now features its third host since I’ve lived in LA (Kai Ryssdal, a fellow Emory alum — woo hoo for Emeroids), and they all sound exactly alike! It must be a hiring requirement or something.
Anyway, as I’m in my post-wake-up stupor, I hear them do the weekly Wall Street roundup with David Johnson, some stockbroker/analyst guy from Dallas. And he’s talking about … whatever … I don’t really remember, but then he closes off with saying how much he likes the word “Snarky” and that he hopes next week he’ll be introduced with “Let’s go to Dallas for the Snarky Stockbroker, David Johnson”.
I sit up in bed and am thinking “did he just say that? Is that on everyone else’s radio, or just mine?”
Now, for those 8 other NPR addicts out there, yes, you will notice that that is almost the exact same thing that Ira Glass said when he heard This American Life snarkily referred to on his favorite show, The O.C. (per an extremely funny episode about television, I highly recommend it). So, my brain is now obviously stealing lines the radio, but I kid you not that’s exactly what my brain said! Or… thought.
Anyway, all I can say is, more power do you, David. You’ll always be known as the Snarky Stockbroker to me!
Tags: About Moi, money
snarkyinla
Before my Internet days, when I was doing radio in Atlanta, I did morning drive from my house. I wasn’t as modest as Cokie, so it was mainly boxers and a t-shirt for me. And the illusion worked wonderfully. The entire city of Atlanta thought I was beside the host every half hour, wearing a tie as any financial reporter should – until the one morning my dog (a basset mix, I should add) sat outside my office window and began barking loudly and repeatedly the moment I went on the air.
My cover was blown – but for the record, I still opted against pants.
Loving the blog! Can’t wait for the updates from Africa.