Thomas Toscano, Maestro, Composer, WBTN Executive Director, Engineer, Producer, Etc., was excited today. I stopped at an Asian restaurant to pick up two Shrimp Bento Boxes, we ate lunch together.
It was something of a business meeting, we honed a plan to give listeners an opportunity to be “Golden Leash Supporters” of “Talking To Animals for $25 an hour.
When I called him this morning, he said he knew it was me. I said we must be spiritual brothers, and he said we were. I guess we are.
I call Thomas “Maestro” because he is a successful conductor, he studies with Leonard Bernstein and ran his own opera company in Brooklyn. He is very much a Maestro of WBTN.
Thomas said “supporters” are a little different than “sponsors,” the latter are businesses that can sponsor the broadcast on a regular basis, the “Golden Leash Supporters” can send a payment of $25 online via Paypal or by check (WBTN, 407 Harwood Hill, Bennington, Vt, 05201) and “support” an hour of my broadcast in the name of any person, cause or animal they wish.
I love this idea, it’s perfect for the people’s animal broadcast on the people’s media. You don’t need to be General Motors to be able to participate.
To our amazement, we raised $225 in Golden Leash Supporter pledges in just a few minutes. Thomas was amazed. Thanks to Maria, Anne Sweeney, Beverly Graham, Eileen Petersen, and Susan Popper.
Anne is thinking of being monthly supporter, and it was her suggestion that sparked all of this. Anybody can get their own hour dedicated to then or their pet, just send us $25. Maria was the first one to sign up, she dedicated her hour to Fate and to Full Moon Fiber Arts.
In the interests of transparency, I admitted on the air that I was sleeping with our first official supporter.
Thomas was excited, he told me that he was sleeping in the ratty and decaying WBTN building tonight, it was supposed to be down in the single digits and windy and he wanted to make sure the building was all right.
I brought him a quilt Maria sent over and he told me he saw a baby weasel parading through the studio glowering at him. There is heat in the building.
A baby weasel?, I said, for once, speechless.
Yes, he said a family of weasels moves into the rear wall of the building every November when it gets cold, they’ve been doing that for years.
He said he would be careful, he didn’t want a baby weasel jumping up onto the sofa with him to be warm.
I think Thomas would live in the building if he could, he is there all the time, anyway, he says. He railed on a bit about corporate fat cats and billionaires.
I came home and looked up “weasels” online, and found they are ferocious predators, who send off horrible stink bombs when cornered. I don’t think I would want to sleep with one in the house marching around the floor.
Thomas was not troubled. I wish him well. I’ll check in with him tonight before either of us goes to sleep.
Somehow, it seems fitting that a family of weasels has taken up residence at WBTN. I am often quite critical of myself, as many of you know, but I will say that I seem to run across interesting people in my life.