An Aussie's Journey: Trucking the I-5 to Rocking the Suburbs in Oz

[jazmunda]

My journey with Art began when I caught the show whilst driving late at night on my first of many trips from LA to San Fran in May 1996. I am an Aussie born and bred. I met and fell in lust (some call it love but it doesn't compare to the feelings I share with my wife) with an American girl. We met backpacking in Thailand, continued the romance when she came to Australia and I followed her back to her home and found myself living a hop, skip and a jump from Sunset Boulevard.

I was barely 20 years old and I was taking a year off (it became 2) from University. Whilst in LA I didn't do much except smoke weed and participate in procreation calisthenics. In those days I was bum and whilst my girlfriend worked during the day I became quite well known in my neighborhood. Everyone loved the easy going Aussie and it was very easy to mooch off people using my accent alone. It comes as no surprise that after the honeymoon period wore off my girlfriend kicked my ass out to the curb. I was homeless (well not really I had a ticket back to Oz and I could easily get a job there and also finish my degree) but I decided to stick it out a few months. That was when I got a job with a company and all I had to do was drive a van over night from LA to San Francisco stay a week and drive the van back. Luckily a childhood friend of mine lived in San Fran and I was able to crash on her couch.

So that brings us to May 1996. I was driving on the I-5 to San Fran when I switched stations to talk and heard a now familiar voice than seemed to lure me in almost instantly. Art Bell fans will know what I am talking about. It was an episode about the Philadelphia Experiment and the guest was a guy called Marshall Barnes. I was hooked right away and the hours that I was listening just flew by and so did the road trip. A week later I made sure that my trip back to LA coincided with Art's show. I believe that the show on the way back was about Chupacabras, which at the time I had never heard of, and if I wasn't already hooked I surely was then. I made a point of listening every night after that much to the detriment of my need for sleep.

The show opened me up to so many topics, fields and ideas that I had never heard of before in any other medium (at the time). Some of these topics have since made their way into pop culture and some have even been exposed to the mainstream through TV and Movies. Sure there were many frauds, charlatans and bs artists on the show but it was all fascinating listening and even if some of the stories tuned out to be fiction I am reminded of a quote from a Stephen King book that goes something like, "It is the tale not he who tells it".

I often found that when I was listening in the car just driving home from the movies or a friends place I would often get home and still be sitting in the car listening because I didn't want to stop listening. I once took a leak in my garden so I could still listen to the radio until there was a commercial break and I could finally go inside and turn on the radio in the house.

Fast forward to late 1998 and I arrive back in Australia. What was I going to do without Art Bell. Never fear the internet is here. I was able to hear Art but only on my computer. We didn't have smartphones in those days so I couldn't listen to Art on the fly. I had to either listen live (during the cold light of day mind you) or I could listen to the show later in the full spookiness of the night but both times I would have to do it strapped to my computer chair. There wasn't any WIFI in those days and if there was it wasn't on my radar at the time so I couldn't lug my brick of a laptop around to get any sort of mobility.

I longed for the days when I was living in the US and I could listen to Art live everynight no matter where I was. I yearned for the day that I could listen to Art whilst on the move. There is nothing like driving down the highway (especially at night) with Art Bell on. Or to be able to go camping and sit by a roaring fire with the king of the Kingdom of Nye sitting there beside you.

Fast forward to the age of the iPod and now I was finally able to get Art off my computer and into my car. I could listen to episodes a few hours or days after they aired in my car no less. This was getting to be more like it but it wasn't live. It didn't have the same feel.

Then Art became a less and less frequent host. I thought that my days of having Art Bell as my secret friend were gone. I filled the void by amassing a massive collection of classic Art Bell episodes (which now include the first two episodes that I ever heard mentioned above) and I listen to them every single day, episode after episode in my car. I especially like hearing episodes when driving in my car at night and I imagine that I am transported back to the 90s and listening to the Master live somewhere in anytown USA.

Fast forward to this very week. Months of anticipation have finally ended and Art Bell is back on the airwaves. I should be thrilled. I can open my smartphone and hook into whatever station he is playing on and hear the show right? Wrong? Art is live exclusive to Satellite Radio which isn't available to this poor Aussie. What was I going to do? Never underestimate the power of a hardcore fanatic to find a way to listen to his "hero" live.

I was able to set up an account with Sirius thinking that there is no way this will work. Surely they would have some geo-blocking software preventing this filthy foreigner from listening to their precious radio stations. But no there was no geo-blocking. They accepted my Aussie credit card with a made up US address. For good measure I ordered a Sirius Prepraid Card (thanks MV) to attach to my account so that they wouldn't run my credit card with the made up address through their system and that seemed to do the trick. Shhh don't tell anyone.

I can freely listen to SiriusXM radio and hear the wonderful Art Bell live again. This is something I have dreamed about doing for 15 years. I am gainfully employed these days and work a regular 9 to 5 job. Art's show airs here between 12pm and 3pm/4pm. I have been listening live at work with one ear piece in. Pausing if I need to and then resuming at my leisure. I haven't got much work done this week but who cares Art Bell is back. I even took the day off on Tuesday (Monday night for you Yanks) to listen to the premiere episode in the comfort of my bedroom (with the curtains drawn and the lights out for the full effect). My beautiful wife even look the kids out for the day so I wouldn't be disturbed (Oh yeah I got married and had kids somewhere in between all of this).

I had to go to an offsite meeting the other day during one of the shows and thanks to modern tech (smartphone and bluetooth and the Sirius app) I was able to listen live in the car for the first time in 15 years. Art sounded fantastic through the car stereo. I was in heaven.

Anyway I thought I had to tell this story here because no one else in my life would care or understand (my wife sort of does but only to humor me). So take whatever you will from this tale. It's all true.

Ah. I love trips down memory lane. No other host or radio show has ever had that effect on me.

[valdez]

My journey with Art began...Ah. I love trips down memory lane. No other host or radio show has ever had that effect on me.

     Well done.  And the photo is a nice touch.  Thanks.