-
What to get for the mom upon whose survival the colony depends?
Happy Mother’s Day! I’d like to wish my mom, Sandra Johnson, a very happy mother’s day. I figure the best way to say thanks is to chase the bizarre sense of humor we share down the rabbit hole … or in this case, ant colony. This is my Sunday column for the May 12, 2013…
-
Bragging about Minnesota’s passive-aggressive non-bragging
This Saturday on KAXE‘s “Between You and Me” the topic is “Brag About Minnesota.” The inspiration was this Andrew Gauthier Buzzfeed piece, “38 Things Minnesotans are Too Nice to Brag About.” My essay for the radio has also been adapted into my Sunday column for the Hibbing Daily Tribune, but you might enjoy the audio…
-
Breaking the mold of northern Minnesota media
This morning Northern Community Radio begins its winter/spring fundraiser. As many of you know, KAXE, KBXE, and Northern Community Internet comprise a truly unique independent public media network, one that has supported me and my writing for many years. I don’t ask for donations here at my blog, but if you are a loyal reader…
-
‘Lincoln’: An ode to gradual change
This is my Sunday column for the Feb. 17, 2013 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece aired Saturday on KAXE‘s Between You and Me. The Academy Awards ceremony is tonight. ‘Lincoln”: An ode to gradual changeBy Aaron J. Brown Early in “Team of Rivals,” Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book about President…
-
Thar she syncs: Accepting my e-fate
Here is my Sunday column for the Jan. 27, 2013 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. An audio version of this piece aired yesterday on Northern Community Radio’s “Between You and Me.” I offered some additional thoughts (and cool whale art) on Friday. Thar she syncs: Accepting my e-fateBy Aaron J. BrownBehold, me lads and…
-
To the seas of the air; on pride, e-readers and ‘Moby Dick’
I got a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas this year and was forced to confront a matter of pride. I had resisted jumping over to e-readers, despite their obvious popularity, instead remaining loyal the paper books I grew up with and love. If I was going to read an e-book for the first time, I wasn’t…
-
The holiday project, light unto a dark universe
Today ends November and welcomes December, a month that, in America at least, brings a contradictory swirl of non-stop holiday and additional work duties. Have fun! Relax! Get your work done! We usually fire people before the end of the year! Don’t worry, though, we wouldn’t do that on Christmas! The topic on Saturday’s “Between…
-
18-pt trophy stag chef Wolfgang Buck on KAXE Saturday
Last weekend’s poor weather has put Minnesota’s 2012 deer harvest down 14 percent from last year. Now, the final weekend of rifle deer hunting is upon us. On Saturday morning, from 10 a.m. to noon, Northern Community Radio’s “Between You and Me” will talk about cooking for Thanksgiving. I chose to talk about interesting ways…
-
AUDIO: Movies and typewriter time travel
Saturday morning’s “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE will share “movie moments.” Film professor Jack Nachbar and KAXE “Mom of Pop Culture” Julie Crabb will take nominations for great movie moments and lead a discussion of how our lives intersect with these moments. The show runs 10 a.m. to noon on 91.7 FM in…
-
AUDIO: Game on (the radio)
We can’t change the present or the future. We can only change the past, and we do it all the time. That’s Bob Dylan from his recent (print edition only) interview in Rolling Stone. That quote floored me, and further still I read it in an ESPN/Grantland Fantasy Football column by Chuck Klosterman. What?! What…
-
AUDIO: "Call Me Maybe," life theme songs & plight of frogs
So I went and did it. I downloaded “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jespen. Sure, I’m late to the party. The song peaked in popularity months ago with the downright literary refrain: “Hey, I just met youand this is crazy,but here’s my number,so call me maybe.” I actually listened to the Cookie Monster parody…
-
On the Air: Remembering as we go
This week, it was lightly noted that Johnny Carson taped his final Tonight Show 20 years ago this past Monday. I was 12 the year Johnny signed off. We were living south of Eveleth, not far from Forbes — a little Iron Range rail location where the elementary school I attended 1st and 2nd grades…
-
Brown on the Air: GEOCACHING!
This week on Northern Community Radio’s Saturday morning call-in and music program “Between You and Me” host Heidi Holtan will lead a conversation on geocaching. This is the distinctly 21st century hobby of finding treasure using handheld GPS devices. I went geocaching once and it was fine, but one of my favorite things about it…
-
Brown on the Air: GRANDMOTHERS!
It’s the opening of the walleye fishing season in Minnesota which, for some, is also a good reminder that it’s also Mother’s Day weekend. We’re talking about grandmothers on the Saturday morning talk and music program “Between You and Me” on Northern Community Radio. Host and producer Heidi Holtan is looking for stories and memories…
-
Brown on the Air: I DON’T GET …
This week’s topic on the Northern Community Radio Saturday morning call-in and music program “Between You and Me” is “I don’t get…” Blank. You fill in the blank. What don’t you get? My weekly commentary develops a list that shows how dependent I am on broadcast media to relate with the world around me, something…