I think I realized that this was not any old radio station greatest hits countdown when I heard Number 734, Count Basie's orchestra doing "One O'Clock Jump." You just don't hear that kind of music on the radio anymore, certainly not sandwiched between an old folkie like Tim Buckley and a gui-tarzan like Johnny Winter.

Once upon a time, either in real life or my imagination, radio stations weren't afraid to play all kinds of music. . .The Mamas and the Papas, Yo-Yo Ma, Mel Torme, Professor Longhair. . .Back in the day, whenever that was, radio stations played music for an audience ranging in age from eight to 80. . . .The Silver Jews, Les Paul, The Dixie Dregs, Dizzy Gillespie, Weird Al Yankovic. . .Before radio was methodically programmed by age, sex, race, education and political orientation into a commercial uniformity offering listeners a choice between "Tastes great" and "Less filling," mom and dad would listen to the same radio stations as their children. . .Aaron Copeland, Tupac Shakur, Grand Funk Railroad, the Everly Brothers, Mississippi John Hurt. . .

I'm not saying that this was the best possible radio programming, certainly not in a gimme-what-I-want-now age such as ours, but the sweep of the music tended to teach us all, old and young, patience. . . .The Carpenters, Fats Domino, Grey Eye Glances, Luther Vandross, Iron Maiden, Blue Oster Cult, Wes Montgomery. . . The kids would wait out the old fogey music, knowing that something they actually liked would soon come on. And in the process they'd learn something about music and their parents. . .Bing Crosby, Bobby Darin, Blood Sweat and Tears, Jackie Wilson. . .While mom and dad would actually hear the music their kids were listening to. . .Linkin Park, LL Cool J, Arctic Monkeys, Pet Shop Boys, Drive By Truckers. . . It was an education for all, and therefore doomed to oblivion.

Number 500 in the 'XPN listeners list of greatest artists was Russian composer Pytor Ilych Tchaikovsky and his "1812 Overture." Number 499 was Audioslave playing "Cochese." It's been like that for the last two weeks, something classic, literally, followed by a band you've never heard of before. . .Chick Corea, Disco Biscuits, T. Rex, Devo, Richie Havens, Bill Monroe, Cher. . .Number 125 was Johann Sebastian Bach, who was sandwiched between Otis Redding and Todd Rundgren.

Number 87, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, fell between The Moody Blues and The Ramones. Such a ranking it ridiculous, absurd, arbitrary and magnificent. It is truly public radio at its best. As that other Linkin, the one with the beard without the tattoos, might have put it, this type of radio programming is "of the people, by the people and for the people." And as the list proves, the people's taste ain't too shabby. . .Credence Clearwater Revival, Woody Guthrie, Pattie Smith, Jimmy Buffet, Hank Williams, James Brown, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, The Replacements, Cream, Warren Zevon, Patty Griffin, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Carole King, Louis Armstrong, Paul McCartney. . .