Time to meet another citizen of Brattleboro. In this installment, we visit with someone known by many names (and even a few ages). Settle in for a talk with Tim Guarente about music, bikes, and secret powers.
Name: Timothy John Guarente
Also Known As: Tim, Timmy, TJ, dockboy, DJ Skywalker, T-dog, Scout
Birthday: June 3, 1983
What were your earliest impressions of Brattleboro?
One of the first places I visited was the co-op, and it was the first grocery store I (almost) actually enjoyed being in. The architecture is pleasant, very New England, and worn-in. Walking around with locals, I discovered that it took about 45 minutes (minimum!) to run a 10 minute errand, what with all the people who know each other.
What made you want to move here?
I'm from Laconia, NH, and was going to school in Rindge, NH. I came here at the end of school to help some friends build their strawbale house. They even paid me. I got to know the town, the people, and A Girl, and ended up staying. At the end of this month, it'll have been 2 years.
Tell us about your radio show on rfb....
My show is the antithesis of DJ 1MikeTango's show- I only play good music. Good music, however, comes from so many different places- I play rock and roll, from the early 60s to more modern stuff, folk, even though most music is written by folks, jazz, bluegrass-jazz with easier chords-, some stuff that might be called country, hip hop (one word? a hyphen? does it matter?), blues, classical, some punk, old-timey music and anything else that suits my fancy. I start at eleven at night, sometimes going on until four a.m., later even. Don't expect me to talk much, but put me on at a party (on a Wednesday night?), and be happy. Unless you don't like music, and listen to the radio for the ads.
You played a series of rock operas, right? Are there more out there or did you exhaust the genre?
I did indeed showcase rock operas for a while, and there are more out there, many more, but I took a break- I just stopped trying to get my hands on them. If you have one you want to hear, let me know.
Is community radio worth preserving? Shouldn't professional companies play us researched playlists to attract a maximum number of listeners?
I'll address the second question first- Professional companies should play us researched playlists, but they should actually research them, and look for good music that people will like, that carries a positive message and reflects the opinions of the people in the area. They don't do that- they research who the record comanies are trying to abuse and push down our throats, and buy their records, er, CDs, er, sound files.
Because of this, community radio does need to exist. Some market analyst in New York doesn't know what people up here wants- he (and it is almost certainly a guy) knows that if he buys these tracks and tells the affiliates, aka local sound-funneling broadcasters who also don't pay attention to the locals, that they need to play this stuff. Community radio, much like everything else that is "community based," works in the opposite direction- the people play what they want to, even if it is the newest pop garbage.
How did you get interested in music?
Get? I think I was born with this disease. My brother Mike turned me on to good music, though- giving me Frank Zappa albums and playing his guitar so loud that I could hear it down the road.
What's the best way to educate people?
Sorry, there is no "best way." Everybody learns differently, and thus needs a different approach. Small groups works better, in general, than large groups, especially when that small group is created based on real factors, such as educational experience, interests, abilities or even personalities. Alphabetically organizing people is stupid.
Tell us about the Tim Guarente Trio...
Ahh, the trio... it doesn't exist yet, but I'm planning a jazz-fusion trio , wherein I learn (so much of my life is about learning!) how to really lead a band, whilst providing for your listening enjoyment a plethora of sound-groupings, commonly referred to as "Songs." I need a drummer, first off.
What skills do you posses that are under-utilized at the moment?
I'm a bike mechanic, but I'm not working on many bikes at all. I also don't write enough. I'm also a wicked good cook, but don't cook often- I miss that a lot, too. I haven't been drawing much, nor have I really been sleeping as much as I know I am able.
If you could have a secret power, which would it be?
Well, if I told you it wouldn't be secret, now, would it? Especially since I want to fly.
Why should people ride bicycles?
In order to properly answer this question, I will compare them to the two other common alternatives, cars and walking, showing their disadvantages, as well. The average car consumes about 1800 calories per person per mile, while a bicycle only uses 30. I'm not sure on the energy efficiency of walking, but it's probably right around bicycles.
Bicycles use less material than cars- about 1% the total weight of them, in fact. This carries over to the replacement parts, as well- tires use less rubber and other materials, brake pads are smaller, less oil and grease is used to keep a bike in good condition, the list goes on. Walking doesn't use parts.
You can fix your bike. If you have a flat tire, you can fix it completley by your self. With cars, you can change your tire, but most car spares (which is most likely what you'd use) aren't even full-sized, so you have to go buy a new tire- at least $50, probably, for a new one. That's how much an expensive bike tire costs, and tubes are only $5. Most everything that goes wrong with a bike can be fixed this way. Cars need "professional mechanics" with computers, big expensive heavy obtrusive lifts and such, plus the thousands of tools that car mechanics need- a bicyclist can carry most things they'd ever need with them on a ride in their back pack or seat pack or whatever, and fix someone elses bike- car tools can be very specific. Walking doesn't break, or if it does, you see a doctor.
Is Brattleboro a bike-friendly town?
Yes and no. Its small enough that you can get anywhere you need to on a bike- you can cross town in 15 minutes if you're taking your time, it is somewhat flat, with some good back roads to get you where you need to go, and two great shops in town. There are plenty of places you can lock your bike up, and the hills keep you in shape. However, people are very committed to the whole car-thing. There isn't much accommidation for cyclists, and many people don't recognise that cyclists have a right to the road, too, and are actually required to behave the same ways cars are- including obeying lights and traffic lanes. I haven't noticed if there are bike racks on the town busses, but that would help people be able to use their bikes.
Describe a perfect day...
I'd get up around 7-7:30, make breakfast with veggies from my garden, go for a bike ride, swim some, play music, get an icy spicey cocoa from Mocha Joe's, more music, ride my bike some more, lunch, go climb a mountain, play music, hang out, cook dinner, more music and socialization, and go to bed. I'd probably read somewhere in there, too.
I should note that this would all take place in mid-June, when its not too hot, but still quite warm.
What is it about fizzy water?
It's got texture, and even if it doesn't have flavor, it tricks my tongue into thinking it does. It's an exciting way to quench my thirst.
What is the world situation, from your point of view? What needs to be done?
There are too many people. There is a somewhat fixed amount of energy on the planet (yes, I do recognise that the sun blasts us with its rays, providing energy), and too much of it is being stored in humans and our stuff. As this energy hoarding continues, the tower upon which we have placed ourselves will collapse, much like jenga blocks stacked too high, too carelessley. Humans will die off, whether we like it or not. There is so much energy being stored by people that will return to the cycle at some point that we'll simply run out. It won't, however, take a total energy comsumption situation, where people have all the energy, for us to lose our grip on this slippery slope. As the energy becomes more scarce, people in the more fragile areas of the world will lose out, and it simply won't be possible to sustain a population of 7 Billion(!). So, people need to die.
Tell us what Brattleboro could look like in the year 2050...
I see a larger population, perhaps 40% more than we have now, living in apartments cut into houses originally constructed to appeal to people with money, with a large portion of low-income residents living paycheck to paycheck. More roads will be around, and less woods. The town will be more and more focused on the tourism industry, billing itself as a convenient destination, but not being worth going to. "Local" shops will simply be run by a large multinational, but using, as will be all the rage, different names in each town. It will be run on nuclear power.
The other way I could see it going is part of a picture glanced at in the last query. The economic system will have fallen apart, and communities will work together to get everybody what they need. People won't be expected to contribute, they will simply do it, because that's what needs to be done. The region (which must be the way this is looked at, as Brattleboro itself would fail in any situation if "Bio-domed") will work on maintaining infrastructure, not increasing, and will use available space for what is needed. There will be signifigantly less outsourcing- food will be grown locally, and all needed materials will be acquired from local sources. If electricity were being used, it would be generated on-site via grease-based deisel generators, solar panels or windmills. Oh, there wouldn't be any government- simply a community, reaching consensus by those who show up for town meetings and whatnot.
Is there anything you'd like to answer that no one ever asks you about?
I suppose that I would answer with "Yes, I really did mean that." Unless I'm joking.
Thanks for taking time with iBrattleboro.
You're welcome, I've been anticipating this long enough, and finally my patience (and nagging!) has rewarded me.