Whenever it comes up, I let people know that Abby and I are "radio people." Given the choice between a good radio show and television show, we always chose a radio show. Living in NYC was a buffet of great radio and we feasted.
One of the programs we always made sure to listen to was whatever show Lynn Samuels was hosting at the time. (She bounced around the dial a bit but we'll always remember her from her time on WBAI.) Lynn was the quintessencial New Yorker. It would have been impossible to hear her anywhere else in the country and have it make sense. And we loved her very much.
Lynn loved being on the radio. When it didn't pay enough for her to make a living, she worked in a laundromat and told us all about it. I think, in addition to her other radio skills, it was her vast love for the medium that made it so easy for Abby and I to listen to her. She loved doing what she was doing and that made it so easy to listen to her. It's easy to fall in love and admire someone who's so much in love.
I haven't listened to Lynn in years but her voice is in my ear. [more]