From the time I was 8 years old I was on almost every radio show there was.
He [Alan Lomax] started right off trying to find people who could introduce folk songs to city people. He found a young actor named Burl Ives and said, "Burl, you know a lot of great country songs learned from your grandmother, don't you know people would love to hear them?" He put on radio programs. He persuaded CBS to dedicate "The School of the Air" for one year to American folk music. He'd get some old sailor to sing an old sea shanty with a cracked voice. Then he'd get me to sing it with my banjo.
If it weren't for radio programs like 'The George Jarkesy Show,' no one would know about 'The Amateur'.
When television began, it modeled itself after radio. Many early television programs were radio programs first. 'My Favorite Wife,' 'The Jack Benny Show,' 'Burns and Allen,' 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents.'
You might not believe it, but there are times when I feel the TV and radio shows demand more of me than those Sunday afternoon games.
There was no television, so the radio provided you with everything.
I'd always loved radio. I loved Bob And Ray. I loved Stan Freberg.
I work really hard not to have a kitsch tone to any of my work, particularly radio stuff, which sometimes goes in that direction on certain programs.
There are certain things that you can blast through a stereo. You can blast hip-hop. You can blast heavy metal. You can't blast 'All Things Considered.'
It is a really interesting to hear yourself on the radio. I've gotten to hear myself in different capacities. I've heard myself on Sirius XM on the bluegrass channels, and on WSM and other places.
I'm a big fan of martial arts films, novels and radio programs.
We grew up without a television, so we constantly had music playing in our house.
American radio from the '30s through the '60s was just fabulous. There was such a diversity.
