Weekly Report from Boulder
What a blur the last week is. It's always a bit intense around here during the fund drive. We wrapped up Saturday night with our annual Grateful Dead marathon. While a bit short of our goal, there was an overall positive feel. People called in during news saying they liked the music and during music they acknowledged the news. It's good to get that recognition to both parts of our programming.

My highlight of the week was on Thursday when, after numerous phone calls and emails the night before, we got Michael Franti into the studio. He was just in town for the evening with a showing of his new film, "I Know I'm Not Alone." I picked him up at the hotel and as we were coming to the station heard that sproing sound of a broken string on the guitar. A quick detour to HB Woodsong's had us all straightened away.

We talked about his movie and the music that he wrote after returning from Iraq and the Middle East filming that. It was great to hear how the songs, which first time I heard sounded like simple love songs, had that deeper meaning of the connection we all have with each other. Wars only are successful when we dehumanize the enemy, the minute we recognize that the others are just people too, I think war is much harder to defend. At the show, he also got into one song, introduced by telling of the patience and tolerance we need when we get to know a person a little better and suddenly the old quirks become irritations. As he said, he wants to love a person for just who they are, not who we want that person to be.

"I Know I'm Not Alone" is highly worth seeing. They just finished the edit and it will be showing at more film festivals then get a theatrical release next year. I love that musicians are included, we get to see the first thrash metal practicing in their basement in Baghdad. And all throughout, we hear that all people want is peace, the ability to go home, and a home to go to.

Elaine C. Erb. KGNU Music Director. <º))))><
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