Aerial View was WFMU’s first regularly-scheduled phone-in talk show. Hosted by Chris T. and on the air since 1989, the show features topical conversation, interviews and many trips down the rabbit hole. Until further notice, Aerial View is only available as a podcast, available every Tuesday morning. Subscribe to the newsletter “See You Next Tuesday!” and find tons of archives at aerialview.me. (Visit homepage.)

Also available as an MP3 podcast. More info at our Podcast Central page.

October 21, 2014: Little Record, Big Hole
Singles Going Steady week is back on WFMU. It happens every October, during our Silent Fundraiser, and is a celebration of those little records with the big hole, 7" singles.

The first records I remember encountering were 45 RPM singles owned by my mother and my sisters. I inherited some of them but they tend to be in terrible shape because the sleeves long ago went missing (my sisters, in a common practice, discarded the sleeves and transported the records stacked in a carrier).

Some people feel the 7" single is the perfect audio format. Fairly portable, one song per side (usually); massive sonic signature (wide grooves) and (sometimes) a great picture sleeve: there's a reason why hit singles continue to rule the music charts, even if 45s are only being produced by a handful of companies these days, like our friends at Norton Records.

I never specifically collected 45s, though I do remember being handed quite a few by friends in bands, back in the day (some years ago I sold my copy of the Heart Attack single for almost four figures). I was going to spin some of those tonight, along with recently acquired 45s of a more bizarre nature: singles manufactured for use with a portable electronic game caller. But I left them all in a WFMU tote bag at work (there was a moment of sheer panic when I thought I left them on the bus!). So I'm calling an audible and making a last minute switch: let's talk about being single, about going steady and how you know he or she is "the one". Please call 201-209-WFMU and tell me about your new love. I'll also play some of the pre-Nico show music, German versions of 60's pop songs.

Listen to this show:  Pop-up player!