What I Didn't Get To Say Last Weekend, by Maura Kennedy

Pete and I have been overwhelmed by the number of emails we've received in the past three days regarding the sudden demise of SIRIUS Disorder and our weekend shows, "The Dharma Cafe", which aired every Saturday and Sunday morning for the past four and a half years. With the merger of SIRIUS and XM, we all suspected that channels would be consolidated, but we didn't see this coming. We regret that we weren't afforded the opportunity to say goodbye to our listeners on the air and to tell you all just how much you mean to us, and that's precisely the purpose of this blog entry. 

We couldn't have survived for so long without you, and we treasure every email you sent us describing what The Dharma Cafe meant to you and how it figured into your lives. As a matter of fact, I've saved every email, and in the upcoming days I'm going to put together a "best-of" from our listeners and post it here.  Someone also suggested that we post a list of the new music we're into and keep that regularly updated. I like that idea too, so keep an eye out. This way, maybe we can keep the spirit of The Dharma Cafe alive, even if the show is off the air.

Pete and I are proud that we were able to turn you on to so much great new indie music, rare out-of-print tracks and all the glorious odd-ball stuff in between (Like Jack Kerouac singing his mad-libbed version of "Ain't We Got Fun"!)  We had some great live guests in the past four years, like The Roches, Janis Ian, Allan Pepper (from The Bottom Line), Ray Lamontagne, Chris Smither, Tom Russell, Susan Cowsill, Robert Kirby, and so many more, who made the Dharma Cafe come alive with spirited, spontaneous discussion and live music.

And of course, there would have never been a Dharma Cafe without the vision, encouragement, mentorship, and trust of Meg Griffin. She created SIRIUS Disorder, and built it to the unique entity it had become. She was not only responsible for bringing us on board, but also put together the best on-air community of DJs and shows ever to grace the airwaves. Our show aired on Disorder alongside Vin Scelsa's Idiot's Delight, Larry Kirwan's Celtic Crush, Dave Marsh's Kick Out The Jams, David Johansen's Mansion of Fun, Lou Reed's New York Shuffle, Michael Tearson's Bob Dylan Radio Hour, Rick Allison's Bourbon Street Beat.  Some of the best interviews ever on radio were conducted by Meg Griffin herself, who was recently honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who included her in their celebrated DJs exhibit.  Meg has always had an uncanny ability to make her guests feel relaxed as though they were hanging out in her rec room.  Meg rounded out the programming with DJs who all had unique voices and on-air styles - Ghosty was one of our faves. And we lost a good friend along the way -- Disorder DJ Dave Mac, who succumbed to cancer during our time at SIRIUS and we still miss him.

Just reading back over the last paragraph makes this sudden change seem unbelievable. This programming was not spread over several channels...it was all on Disorder! But nothing lasts in this life, and I'm just happy to know that we were a part of such a truly unique community and the cutting edge of a new technology.

I'll be forever grateful to the behind-the-scenes personnel who made our show feel more like a cozy cafe than a national radio broadcast, including our previous coordinators Kate Mariani, Aaron Honore, Jess Besack, Moria Miller, Scott Crynock, Cheryl Fryer, and Heidi O'Brien. Our latest coordinator, Cassandra Khan, was priceless, and we don't know how we ever got by without her. She was never too busy to help us out, and never seemed to be in a hurry.  While there are countless technicians behind the scenes that we never got to know, we owe special thanks to Anthony Lopez and even more especially to Tom Yankowski who produced lots of promotional spots with us at SIRIUS. Cathy Borruso always made sure that there were two microphones available for us whenever we came into the studios. Jeremy Tepper was the latest person at the helm, and he continued Meg's tradition of trusting us to produce the Cafe our own way, giving us total freedom to create our own musical environment every weekend.

But SIRIUS Disorder will always be synonymous with Meg Griffin. It wouldn't have existed without her. I don't think anyone else could have even dreamt it up. We'll all miss it...it was the only true radio home for what we fondly referred to as, "an in-group of outsiders". Thanks Meg...We'll never forget what you did for us all.

-Maura Kennedy, co-host of The Dharma Cafe, 4/17/04 - 11/9/08...SIRIUS Disorder, RIP