Aerial View was WFMU’s first regularly-scheduled phone-in talk show. Hosted by Chris T. and on the air since 1989, the show features topical conversation, interviews and many trips down the rabbit hole. Until further notice, Aerial View is only available as a podcast, available every Tuesday morning. Subscribe to the newsletter “See You Next Tuesday!” and find tons of archives at aerialview.me. (Visit homepage.)

March 31, 2015: Presence

View this in your browser. Tonight: Presence Tidal, a new streaming music service from Jay Z., was relaunched in Manhattan yesterday with a star-studded press conference featuring everyone from Rihanna to Jason Aldean to Alicia Keys to Chris Martin to Jack White. Click below to watch: Rihanna, Nicky Minaj and Madonna at the Tidal Press Conference. Tidal promises to deliver "CD quality sound" in an artist-curated format, as this promo video attests: A Daft Punk and scowling Jack White in a Tidal promo video. Jack White also appears in a Pono (the new streaming service and music player from Neil Young) video: A Pono promotional video. Pono and Tidal have me wondering: Where do you get your music from? CD? Shellac? Vinyl? Streams? The radio? YouTube? Bit Torrent? How high-fidelity does it need to be? Do you consider yourself an audiophile or is "good enough" good enough? How much money do you spend on music and audio? How many times have you re-purchased the same material and in how many different formats? There's lots of debunking of high-fidelity formats on YouTube. Here's just one. Don't soften to the Pono! AND: On this day in 1976, the Led Zeppelin album Presence was released. Do you have a copy or is ITS presence not required? Listen to this show:  Pop-up player! Special thanks to Brian Turner at WFMU for alerting us to the Tidal press conference and all it implies! Last Week: We Are A Dangerous Cult Last week my in-studio guest was Tony Ortega, of Raw Story and formerly of the Village Voice. Tony's website The Underground Bunker has been peeling back the lid on the Church of Scientology for twenty years. If you aw Alex Gibney's Scientology documentary Going Clear on HBO this past Sunday you saw Tony onscreen echoing some of his comments on this very special edition of Aerial View. Here are some playlist comments: Excited to learn more about my favorite cult (next to WFMU, of course)! Evening, Chris! Loved The Master, loved Going Clear, anticipating loving the HBO doc. i've got both going clear (book on cd) and jon krakauer's under the banner of heaven (the actual book, about fundamentalist mormonism) checked out from my library. this stuff is giving me the willies! Oh my god!!! He's going to talk about Scientology. I'm going to go hide in my closet Hey Chris! Great interview! L. Ron was a Mellotron owner. Ha! i guess what i wonder is, is Scientology on the wane a bit these days? perhaps the guest will talk about this anyway I found "The Master" incredibly intelligent. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix really delivered. For better or worse, most of what I know about Scientology is from what I saw on a South Park episode. Listen on AudioBoom Upcoming Chris T. Stuff Saturday, May 2 I'll be selling records, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, books, old paper and lots of interesting collectibles at the WFMU Record Fair, this year in BROOKLYN! Saturday, May 30 I return to the Asbury Park Punk Rock Flea Market with whatever's left over from the WFMU Record Fair! Obligatory Throwback Pic Easter Sunday, 1966. L - R: Chris, Marc, Joanie (RIP), Mario (RIP), Diana   OVER THE AIR: Every Tuesday night, 6 PM Eastern time on WFMU in the metro NY/NJ area at 91.1 FM and on WMFU at 90.1 in the lower Catskills, Hudson Valley, western New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. ON THE WEB: Streaming audio in several formats is available at wfmu.org. ON DEMAND ARCHIVES: The Aerial View Archive page features archives going back to nearly the beginning of the show in RealAudio and MP3 format. PODCAST: Aerial View is available on iTunes as a podcast. WFMU MOBILE: Listen live via the mobile app or browse the archives. Get the iOS app here and the Android version here. Amazon Kindle users can use the TuneIn Radio app. Info for other platforms, including Blackberry, etc. can be found here. AUDIOBOOM: The newest way to hear Aerial View and share it on social media can be found here. Mobile apps are here.  "I'll see you TONIGHT, 6 PM Eastern time, on WFMU!" Aerial View E-mail Facebook Instagram Twitter christsakis.com Artist Track Album Label Year Format Comments Images New * / Special *** Approx. start time Led Chris T. Zeppelin  Achilles Last Aerial View Stand   → "Achilles Last Aerial View Stand" by "Led Chris T.... Aerial View Intros    2015  WAV          <-- Previous playlist | Back to Aerial View playlists | Next playlist --> RSS feeds for Aerial View: Playlists feed | MP3 archives feed | Email the Program Director | Other WFMU Playlists | All artists played by Aerial View | Listen on the Internet | Contact Us | Music & Programs | WFMU Home Page | Support Us | FAQ Live Audio Streams for WFMU: Pop-up | 128k AAC | 128k MP3 | 32k MP3    (More streams: [+]) Give the Drummer Radio: Pop-up | 128k MP3 Rock'N'Soul Radio: Pop-up | 128k MP3 Sheena's Jungle Room: Pop-up | 128k MP3 Listener comments! ♥ 6:02pm → Marcel M: My favorite Zep song! Hello Chris and friends. ♥ 6:04pm → Aaron in Minneapolis: Hey cant listen live but I am kist wondering where did you come across those L Ron Hubbard Proclaimations? ♥ 6:04pm → Marcel M: Dang. Turn off all those voices Chris, this is my favorite part (just kidding!) ♥ 6:10pm → chris: I don't trust my ears to deliver great sounds anymore due to my own stupidity (lack of hearing protection worn, in my youth). So, I can't claim to be an audiophile. To me, CD is good enough. Digital downloads are usually good enough. Yes, I love vinyl, but I think its a romantic notion to me at this point. No plans for Pono or Tidal for me.   6:10pm → Listener Robert: I actually find Facebook HARD to use, plus it's a PITA to keep up w if you have responsibility for 1. ♥ 6:13pm → Ken From Hyde Park: There's Ryan Dunn getting blasted by jet exhaust when he was remaking the old Memorex commercial in one of his movies. 6:14pm → V Priceless: I wanna start a music streaming service that makes all audio sound like Rock & Roll being played thru a 1960's transistor radio! Who's with me? Yay! Hi Chris and all! ♥ 6:14pm → Marcel M: What I don't get about PONO is Lossless files are great quality, it really doesn't matter that they are digital. You can play lossless files in your car. What the hell is Neil Young talking about? ♥ 6:14pm → Mike East: These days I listen to vinyl for a number of reasons, none of which have anything to do with fidelity. I'm fed up with CD's skipping, which is mostly my fault because I didn't take good enough care of them in my 20's...I find its easier to take care of vinyl simply because you can just throw them on a spindle and toss them around your car. I also like the limits of physical media. I get too overwhelmed by the infinite possibilities of the internet and digital media. I let WFMU sort through that and filter out the garbage for me. ♥ 6:15pm → dale: if you grew up recording songs off the radio onto a realistic cassette recorder and listening to scratchy vinyl (like me) then these stoopid services aren't for you. well, me anyway. not to mention that jay z is an asshat. ♥ 6:15pm → Marcel M: A greater cause? For these people to get richer? Oooo poor millionaire starving artists.. ♥ 6:16pm → Marcel M: @Mike East: In agreement with you there, all of the above. I have friends that download so much music they couldn't possibly listen to it or take enough time to really enjoy listening to it. 6:17pm → V Priceless: @ dale - well said.   6:17pm → JakeGould: In the tradition of “We are the World” and “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” comes, “Hey! You’re All Thieves! We Gotta Get Paid!” ♥ 6:18pm → dale: like the throwback pick. that's an organized family.   6:18pm → JakeGould: Jaz-Z is all about Brooklyn! Until he decided to decamp to Los Angeles. ♥ 6:18pm → Marcel M: They feelin' that money energy ♥ 6:18pm → chris: Love the play by play, Chris T. ♥ 6:19pm → Mike East: @Marcel - which brings up another reason for me which is valuing the experience of listening to music...putting on pandora/spotify/whatever in the background isn't worth as much to me as putting a needle on a record and having to pay attention to when its time to flip to side B, etc. More conscious listening. 6:19pm → V Priceless: where's Noddy Holder? ♥ 6:19pm → Marcel M: +1 Mike   6:19pm → JakeGould: It seems nuts to me that somehow me actually supporting artists on Bandcamp makes me a rebel.   6:20pm → JakeGould: Why isn’t Pink Floyd a part of this so they can release another remastering of “Dark Side of the Moon.” ♥ 6:20pm → dale: or AOGMEP, for short ♥ 6:20pm → Marcel M: Bandcamp is great. FMA is also really great exposure I gotta say. And thats *gasp* FREE! ♥ 6:21pm → Monica: the fact that a press conference unveiling "the future of music" was held in a post office should tell you something. ♥ 6:21pm → Greg from Bloomfield: This is amazing. ♥ 6:22pm → Marcel M: Only one shoe. ♥ 6:23pm → Ken From Hyde Park: They're generous enough to give you a 30-day free trial - www.tidal.com   6:23pm → Bebe B: Offlining your music? Sound the pretense and bullshit horns. ♥ 6:23pm → dale: will they partner up with beats by dr. dre for the overpriced players? 6:23pm → V Priceless: but....if "it's beyond technology"...doesn't that make it worth it? ; ) ♥ 6:24pm → Marcel M: Oh gawd... Don't bring Fred into this... 6:24pm → Apples Caruthers: Jimi Hendrix wouldn't been there; thats for freaking certain. Jack White has officially joined the ranks of these self aggrandizing ass wipes like Kanye West & Jay z, eck..   6:24pm → Zak: Did these assholes invent the internet or something? ♥ 6:24pm → ottovonbqe: ok, can this end now? too much hate-listening. ♥ 6:24pm → Greg from Bloomfield: I'll never forget the first time I heard Pavement's "Slanted & Enchanted"...I thought "This demands a platform that ensures a healthy and robust industry." 6:24pm → V Priceless: whole new error   6:24pm → P-90: You just KNEW old Freddy Neetchy was going to come into this at some point... ♥ 6:25pm → dale: it says i need a voucher ken from hp - can i use a government cheese voucher?   6:26pm → Nardo: Wait ..... wwwwhhhaaaaaaaaaaat! Nietzsche? What does he have to do with shitty music. I think he was referring to Wagner.   6:27pm → JakeGould: @Monica: It was at the James A. Farley Post Office? Had to be in the upstairs “event area” that is nice for art shows but is filled with asbestos and bird crap. Bravo, Tidal! 6:28pm → V Priceless: pono - hold the 'h' for 'hopeless'   6:29pm → JakeGould: Pono: Plays Only Neil’s Ouds.   6:30pm → matt in space: How about "audio book"? ♥ 6:31pm → dale: the bang and olafsen stuff that had the record flipped on it's side was cool. what was that place in manhattan that sold carver and macintosh equipment? my cats would love to lay on those arm tubes. ♥ 6:32pm → dale: WARM tubes....   6:32pm → P-90: Yay! The classic AR turntable.   6:32pm → JakeGould: @Dale: Stereo Exchange still exists on Broadway. ♥ 6:33pm → Marcel M: There was a place next to Other Music for a while down there too. Not sure if still there. Had really crazy stuff.   6:34pm → JakeGould: I also remember all of the stereo shops on Church Street. J&R was the anchor, but then so many places like Uncle Steve’s. ♥ 6:35pm → Marcel M: I remember that toothbrush! ♥ 6:36pm → Marcel M: I spend way too much on records every year.   6:37pm → JakeGould: I’m all about digital nowadays. Had CDs and LPs up until 2000 or so. Moving made me realize a hard drive was lighter and easier to deal with. ♥ 6:37pm → Monica: @JakeGould, yep! While the hoi polloi were downstairs buying money orders and Forever Stamps, the got rocks were upstairs sippin' the champagne and takin' the selfies :) ♥ 6:37pm → Mike East: I'd say I spend maybe 100 bucks on records in a year. My wife spends about that on itunes, I'd say. Kills me when she buys stuff that I already own on vinyl, but whatareyougonnado? ♥ 6:38pm → Mike East: @JakeGould - funny, I'm in the process of moving now and the last thing to go over will be my records. ♥ 6:39pm → Marcel M: Which model Orange Chris? I keep the presence down man. Like 6:50.   6:39pm → P-90: "Presence" on guitar amps is upper-midrange eq boost.   6:40pm → JakeGould: @Monica: Wow. They are trying to push that place as a haughty event space. Went to the “Spring Break Art Show” there and it was perfectly fine for that. Liked that. But for a fancy event? There is serious bird crap and broken ceilings in there. 6:41pm → herb.nyc: (1) when i heard Tidal on radio this morning, i made a note to go to web for more info. i typed Title into Google, and of course got nowhere. and that's where we're going, nowhere fast. (2) special toothpaste for that toothbrush? buy at CVS or Other Music? ♥ 6:42pm → dale: take a stand? a stand against what? ♥ 6:42pm → Ken From Hyde Park: Today is also the 20th anniversary of Selena's death.   6:43pm → JakeGould: @Dale, take a stand against fans actually enjoying your music. ♥ 6:43pm → Marcel M: This reminds me of the brain washing video in Zoolander ♥ 6:43pm → Greg from Bloomfield: GO PRETENSION ALARM, GO!!! ♥ 6:43pm → chris: its a Tidal wave of our own oil!   6:44pm → JakeGould: When will Tidal announce they are reanimating the corpse of Michael Jackson via a robotic simulacra?   6:45pm → P-90: I'm missing something: What exactly about a new $20/month streaming service is "The dawn of a new era"?   6:47pm → JakeGould: @P-90: The issue is first these schmucks complained about MP3s ripping off their CD sales. Now with streaming they are claiming Spotify and Pandora are ripping them off still by not paying enough. So Tidal will “fix” that. ♥ 6:48pm → dale: i heard people discussing speaker wire once - tested monster cable and all that baloney and the wire people preferred in a blind taste test was television twin lead ♥ 6:49pm → Ken From Hyde Park: In the "Last Week" section, the link to the playlist is currently pointing to the Aerial View from March 10. ♥ 6:49pm → Jeff: Wow. That anti-Pono video screed is really mean-spirited, and ultimately not actually a useful addition to the world. I don't actually understand the psychology of people who take it as their mission to be professional debunkers, especially those who specialize in making fun of any audio equipment they've made up their minds must not be worth buying - and they always, always make up their minds based on some theoretical consideration they're convinced is carved in stone, never based on actually listening to the stuff.   6:50pm → JakeGould: @Dale: I had a girlfriend in California who told me that she had stereo problems and I should check it out when I visit her. I did. You know what the problem was? The receiver could handle two sets of speakers, and she wired both right and left speakers to two separate left connections. It took me about 45 minutes to explain why 5 seconds of switching wire fixed it. People like that would pay $30 for magical wire. 6:51pm → V Priceless: I think there's a greater limit to the human perception of audio, versus, say, three-dimensional visual media, etc. - it would be fab if we had the hearing of dogs, but alas...   6:51pm → P-90: I've BEEN to listening tests, yes, the difference between a 5-7 thousand dollar system and a 10-15 thousand dollar system is usually just a matter of "taste", as it would be between two systems at either of those levels. But: the difference between a $1500-$2500 system and the 5-7 thousand dollar systems is easily discernible, even by skeptical amateurs. (And yes, in blind comparison tests.)   6:52pm → JakeGould: @VPriceless: As far as I am concerned, some of the greatest music in the world was recorded and mastered to be heard on crappy mono car stereos. And the whole world of perfect sound is manufactured bullshit. How much money was wasted in the 1970s on nonsense stereo systems. My iPhone sounds great. That’s it as far as I am concerned. ♥ 6:53pm → Ike: I listen to (probably too many) MP3s, as well CDs and the occasional cassette from the 90s, but largely to WFMU via FM radio, often in mono to reduce static. ♥ 6:54pm → Marcel M: Yes! Just play Achilles   6:55pm → P-90: I'm a bit of an "audiophile", I've worked building boutique speakers, etc, and while I have some STRONG reservations about PONO, that YouTube video IS just mean-spirited and stupid. hrumph! ♥ 6:55pm → chris: oh snap, he pulled the bull crap card ♥ 6:55pm → Marcel M: Thank you my son. See you next Tuesday. 6:56pm → V Priceless: @ JakeG - agreed. Most '60's rock & roll was mixed to be listened to on portable radios, and most of it STILL sounds great!   6:56pm → P-90: "Mellow"? wtf?! Please don't.   6:57pm → LES: That old dude is pig biting mad ♥ 6:57pm → Jeff: I was planning awhile ago to subscribe to Tidal to have a listen - the notion of lossless streaming is pretty cool, and Tidal is actually scheduled to be the first way to hear things streamed in the very interesting Meridian MQA format. The recent star-studded video is pretty icky, though - did some of those asshats buy in recently? I don't think I'll let Jay-Z or the scorn of Chris and Brian scare me away from good tech, though. ♥ 6:57pm → Mike East: Whenever I record music myself, the final test is always a drive on the car stereo ♥ 6:57pm → Marcel M: I think he played out of phase a lot on this record.   6:57pm → JakeGould: @VPriceless: Glen Jones talked about how horrible the Ramones sound on a real stereo system. The music was mixed for average systems. No problem.   7:04pm → Old Dave: How well can Neil hear at this point? Probably less than myself after all the chainsaw and other loud noise over 55 years. How to justify any extraordinary audio equipment, now that I can afford it finally, would be pretentious of me! Rather give the cash away to poor people.   7:06pm → JakeGould: Honestly the only piece of audio equipment i think is a valid “extravagance” nowadays is actual speakers. Not even headphones. Those all the same to me. But a good pair of speakers is an upgrade. ♥ 7:06pm → Ken From Hyde Park: My car came with a Sirius/XM free trial. The music from that service seem compressed and unnatural. For driving long distances and you want radio, it's convenient, but I wouldn't pay for it. Now that I think of it, I think I caught part of Chris T's satellite program once while flipping around. ♥ 7:21pm → dale: i have infinity and celestion bookshelf speakers i bought about 1990 that still sound fantastic. Comment! Name Email ✖ Re To songs (C) 2024 WFMU. 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