As much as I like National Public Radio I must confess that the theme music for some of its shows annoys the hell out of me.
A fellow named B.J. Leiderman is responsible for most of those themes which include the NPR programs: Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, Car Talk, The People’s Pharmacy, Common Ground, A Moment In Time with Dan Roberts and Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me! I am unable to link Mr. Leiderman’s Website at the moment so if you are a fan or are curious to see what a man looks like who probably gets paid tons of music for writing whimsical but, to me, quite annoying music then dial-up:
http://web.mac.com/bjleiderman/BJ_Leiderman_Music/Welcome.html
Hopefully you will copy and paste the above url rather than type it but if your fingers need the exercise, then have at it.
This is not to say Mr. Leiderman’s music is bad. It has been around for quite sometime and I don’t know that any mass acts of hari kari have resulted from people listening to his theme songs. But I have to admit that if I were locked in a room and this music was played over and over and over and over … then I would probably divulge all the state secrets. Like I have any.
I have an acquaintance who is a correspondent for NPR. She is a very nice, pleasant, intelligent, quite attractive woman. I have never mentioned the fact that the music for her network’s news programs could very easily send me out among the Plain of Jars in search of cosmic pickles.
By now, I suppose one might have gathered that I am not a real fan of the theme music for NPR. But that’s okay. As goofy as the music sounds to me one really has to appreciate Mr. Leiderman’s something or other. And at least those themes aren’t rap. You see, if you can’t say something good about someone then … I don’t know … get off the porch, maybe?