TEN YEARS AFTER

When I arrived at the 105 studio on Monday September 5th, a colleague asked me how I was going to commemorate 9/11. I answered that “I hadn’t thought of it”, but once I actually put my head to the question, I realized that I had already done my commemorating. Looking down at the CD I’d brought along to do that day’s program, I realized that the cover of my edition of “Godspell” showed a photograph of the cast on top of the World Trade Center’s roof.
On Friday September 9 , I discovered the Concert For New York City to benefit the Robin Hood Relief Fund. I had never known of its existence before, and only encountered the CD of the live October, 20, 2001 event at Madison Square Garden by chance on the morning of that day. I had been searching for something from 2001 for Melodies & Memories Friday edition of songs from the 1990’s up to the present when the CD materialized before me.
Once Saturday came along, I felt totally spent as far as 9/11 content and commentary was concerned and chose to transmit a pre-9/11 recording of somber jazz instrumentals which I felt were appropriate for that particular day’s edition of The Strange and The Extraordinary. On Sunday morning September the 11^th I went to see an exhibition for the 10^th anniversary of 9/11, and in the evening, went to a public projection of a documentary film dedicated to it.
On Monday(September 12, 2011) instead of broadcasting the rest of the “Godspell” soundtrack, I used the exquisite score to “Francesco” by Carlo Siliotto. I like to think that my giving up the fabulous final songs from “Godspell” for the wordless tracks from the score of “Francesco” as my own silent contribution to the 10^th anniversary of that terrible date which is so hard to put behind us.