Piece Comment

Review of No Depression


When it comes to writing for radio, I personally don't think anyone can do it as well as David Brown. The man always manages to sound like he's a longtime friend, sitting across the kitchen table, sharing a favorite story. I've got to say I could listen to his work all day, regardless of what it's about. Fortunately, he's been busy producing stories about a really fun subject... Brown heads up a project called "Texas Music Matters," where his basic idea is to approach the subject of Texas music with all of the journalistic values normally associated with public radio new coverage at large. This piece, about the history of the music publication "No Depression," is inlaid with great music, built around thoughtfully selected pieces of tape from No Depression editor Peter Blackstock, and of course accented with the inimitable writing of our narrator, the 25-year public radio veteran, Mr. Brown.