Swan Song

Tim Page's last edition of New, Old and Unexpected. He says there is nothing special or cosmic about this last program other than to play a lot of different kinds of music. He just wants to do "as good" as show as he could as a send-off for the program. It's simply time for him to make a change.

Archivist's Note: This program was pieced together from a cassette aircheck and has a few gaps/inconsistencies where the cartridge was flipped.

The Last Page by John Schaefer - WNYC Program Guide, December 1992:

A part of WNYC's long illustrious history comes to an end on Friday, December 18, when Tim Page does his final program in the New Old and Unexpected series. While WNYC's commitment to the music of our time and the music of our country is as old as the station itself, it was Tim Page who personified that commitment for many listeners and much of the arts community since 1981.

To try to assess the accomplishments of Tim's tenure here at WNYC would take several pages: the list of composers whose music received its most sympathetic (and sometimes only) broadcasts on his programs reads like a who's who of contemporary music. But its important also to note that Tim never lost sight of the traditional classical repertoire that complemented or contrasted with all this wild new stuff: the name New, Old and Unexpected was not an arbitrary one.

And, of course, there were the truly bizarre and idiosyncratic moments that made Tim Page's programs so...well, bizarre and idiosyncratic. Who can forget the Shags, creators of the "world's worst recording ever"? Or the twisted propaganda songs perpetrated by both sides during World War II? Or the five-minute high speed "precis" of the entire Wagner Ring cycle? All of this colored Tim's show and made it, in many ways, a defining part of WNYC's programming during the past twelve years.

So this is what we're saying farewell to on December 18. But we will continue to draw on Tim's expertise for special projects during the upcoming seasons. In the meantime, we hope you'll tune in to Tim Page's grand finale, from 8-11 pm and help us wish him well. Best of luck, Tim!

WNYC archives id: 47936