The Great Eastern

If you've tried to access the link to the right for "The Great Eastern," possibly out of idle curiosity, you will have noticed that it doesn't lead anywhere. Keep your fingers crossed that this will be fixed. The Great Eastern was one of the most remarkable radio programs ever created, and if it's gone, the world will be much the poorer for the loss. It would be nearly impossible for me to describe this program in a short posting, but I'll try: GE was a fictitious program broadcast out of St, Johns, Newfoundland that was the funniest and sharpest thing to hit the airwaves since The Firesign Theatre started doing routines on Peter Bergman's Radio Free Oz back in the late '60s. Ostensibly billed as "Newfoundland's cultural magazine," GE created a fictitious community that I personally longed to emigrate to. Hilarious personalities appeared week after week, plus many unique features, including "What's That Noise from Newfoundland?" a contest where listeners had to try to identify a brief (and largely indescribable) sound's source. (The first sonic entry on the program was the sound of a piano being thrown down Signal Hill in 1986...) All of this was presided over by Paul Moth, a radio host of unquenchable enthusiasm, a checkered past and negligible humility or self-awareness. It went off the air in 2000, but the same team of writers came back in 2004 with Sunny Days and Nights, also hosted by Mr. Moth. A pilot for a TV show called Town Beat! was made recently as well. If it comes back up, go to "episodes" and download them all. I recommend listening to them in order. You can thank me later.

Jubilant update: I just learned from the GE webmaster Gerry Porter that the website has been moved to a new address, but is entirely intact. Whew. The link is fixed. What are you waiting for?