KWST-FM 106 – Raechel Donahue – Dusty Street – November 18, 1980 – Rob Frankel Collection –
November 18, 1980 – A week away from Thanksgiving – L.A. is in the midst of burning down this year. Like clockwork, the Santa Ana winds start to blow and L.A. obliges by turning the hills around the city into a big glowing ember with smoke everywhere and cars covered in ash.
You freely admit, 1980 has been strange. The 70’s are definitely over. Everybody says the 60s were great. You miss the 70’s. The 70s were your decade.
You read somewhere that time travel is real. It’s just a matter of finding the right frequency and being in the right place. You read there were electromagnetic fields all over, some as close as right next to you. You just have to find the right one to be transported. You like that idea.
So you sent away for the complete guide to finding these frequencies and what you need to pick them up. You also need about a hundred feet of aluminum foil; extra heavy duty, and something to make an antenna and receiver with. You spent most of the week in your garage, grabbing an old TV antenna and pulling apart the transistor radio you got when you were a kid. You knew you took electronics class for a reason. You can feel 1972 in your bloodstream.
You’re good at following instructions and you’re handy with a soldering iron. You put together the receiver and the antenna in no time and get ready to go exploring for time tunnels.
Okay, so people are looking at you. Some of them are laughing. But you’re on a mission – you’re looking for the 70s and you’re determined to find the time warp to get there.
But if you weren’t busy looking for electromagnetic fields, you were probably glued to your radio – and most likely you were dialed into KWST where you got a dose of Raechel Donahue and Dusty Street while L.A. was quietly catching on fire.
Forty years ago – it was a different time then, too.
Big thanks to Rob Frankel for the aircheck.
