A Pledge Ad Even I Can Love: "Help Me Destroy Public Radio!"

Oh, lordy: one of the Los Angeles area NPR stations is having another pledge drive. Perhaps it's because of the shifting perception of time that supposedly accompanies growing older (except when it doesn't), but it seems to me that the "non-commercial" radio stations are one endless, nonstop pledge drive. Or maybe it's because the programming is always the same: self-congratulatory, relentlessly "respectable," and always, always serious. Even the programs that are supposed to be "funny" are serious. I hate that shit the most.

But I just heard an ad that caused me to double over in laughter. It was, natch, tongue in cheek; unfortunately for the serious!, respectable!! NPR folks, an increasing number of people locate the joke in a place rather different from where they aimed in such a predictably trite manner. This is kinda how it went (I've shortened it, cuz I'm a thoughtful and gentle soul):

This pledge drive, don't give. Who needs national public radio, with its serious treatment of ideas, its lack of buxom babes [jezus, how old is that phrase? and what, no mention of hunky men? not even from liberals?!], its refusal to discuss news as entertainment? Who enjoys that? blahblahblah stuff in the middle of the ad blahblahblah So this pledge drive, keep on being lazy. Don't lift a finger. Don't dial the phone. Don't make a pledge. Help me destroy public radio!

You got it, brother! It is my pleasure to obey.

Reminds me: I wrote about pledge drives, and about the music programming (and the respectable, well-informed hosts of same) on KUSC a while ago. I haven't listened to Svedja's program (or Murphy's) in months. Even I haven't been that bad.

And I still haven't told you about The Miracle of the Leaves. You need to earn that. Help destroy public radio -- hey, that's what they want you to do -- and you may qualify.