Grandma Phyllis with Clay Pigeon

I generally avoid Seven Second Delay on WFMU. Andy does some good work. I quite enjoyed Rat Race (but have never seen Monk), perhaps he should stick to writing. He is not so good on the radio. He has a losing combination of traits being, abrasive and silly at the same time. He also somehow reminds me of Scooby Do, something about his voice.

At any rate I happened to look at the WFMU site at that hour the other day and saw that Clay Pigeon was filling in with someone called Grandma Phyllis and, being a fan of Clay's work, tuned in half way through the program.

They presented a unique and wonderful listening experience simply by talking, being human and authentic. For the first half hour Clay basically interviews Phyllis. As usual he is very good at drawing people out with empathy, projection, and leading questions. This works really well with Phyllis who seems quite comfortable about opening up about herself. Maybe she figures, at 78, "Why not!"

Later they take some calls. The calls are also unique. Particularly the granddaughter who lives with her grandparents and the 63 year old NYC woman.
There is some discussion about what it means for older people to move out of NYC and the dead zone of places that retirees are often expected to go live. Florida is particularly slammed as an unlivable place for someone who does not drive. I loved this discussion because Phyllis really defends being an older NYCer, as does the caller who is 63.
And it is true. NYC is a pretty wonderful place to live, and in the right neighborhood, everything is easily accessible for young or old. One does not have to get in an automobile all the time and I love that.

This is a terrific program. I found myself thinking that Phyllis should have her own show, but really it is special because it is rare, and if it was on every week it would probably become more guarded, or Phyllis would be annoyed by the commitment or something. But what we have is really interesting and fun.

Here it is:
WFMU's The Dusty Show with Clay Pigeon from 7/30/2008