Today I was reading FM 100’s Tom Prestigiacomo’s blog on myspace/blogspot ( http://tomfm100.blogspot.com/) and suddenly felt compelled to email him and thank him for blogging. I got kinda carried away I guess, and felt like there may be a few Memphians on here who would appreciate my own musings about the River City. Or, at least, a few other homesick souls who could write something similar about their own home town.I preface my note to Tom with this: When I think of Memphis, I think of Music. If you know me well, you know Music is the fabric of who I am. Listening to it, Playing it, Making it, Dancing to it, Laughing to it, Crying to it, Leaving to it, Loving to it and so forth… I always have a song for all of life’s experiences. Knowing this, if you’ve ever wondered where it all started, read my note to Tom below.
Hello there-
I am writing you to say thank you for blogging.
I enjoy reading your musings because its a lot like listening to you on the radio, but without the commercials.
This may make you feel old, but in any case, I have listened to you on the radio since I was a kid. When I was little, I used to ride my bike around my Me-maw’s neighborhood and Kennedy Park (back in the early 1980’s) with a hand held transistor radio in the basket of my bike… ALWAYS tuned to FM 100. I graduated from my hand held to a full fledged “jam box” which I carted around the neighborhood blaring hits from Michael and Janet, Hall and Oats, Madonna and WHAM. I remember my uncle teaching me to dance and telling me stories about his days as a DJ at Skateland in Raleigh and Alfred’s on Beale. Then my friends and I would turn on FM 100, have dance parties on the linoleum kitchen floor and pretend like we were there.
That was almost 20 years ago now. All grown up, I moved away for college, marriage, and career. But despite the distance, and the unfortunate absence of a ‘listen live’ feature on your website, I get a glimpse of my own hometown memories through your blog.
Some may say that the Season sparks this nostalgia, but I say it’s the fun times and great memories I have of growing up in such a great city and FM 100 on the radio.
I have not had the pleasure of returning home to Memphis in over a year. My husband and I have made our home in our nation’s capitol and the last time we traveled south was in September 2005 for my 10 year high school reunion.
This is the LONGEST I have been away from home in my life. And to say I am homesick would be an understatement. But thanks to the high cost of fuel, our good friends at Northwest Airlines make it impossible for me to find an acceptable e-saver, and since the husband doesn’t have a lot of vacation time, the 2 day drive home isn’t possible. But somehow, reading your stories of Memphis people and places helps home to feel not so far away.
My radio may never again pick up FM 100, but I will always hear Memphis calling me home.
Very Truly Yours,
Annie Laurie Crane Walters
annielauriewalters.com 