Set the wayback machine for February of 2003. I was working for a major ISP in the tech support call center, dealing with a kind of stress that creeps up on you in ways you never see coming. At the same time, I had been running a fan site for a 4X space themed video game where I roleplayed the Captain of a pirate empire in the forums. As the site grew, and my stress levels peaked at work, I found release in that roleplay in a more real form by starting up my own little pirate radio broadcast using Shoutcast.
I ran the show twice a week, playing music that would have shut down any on the air station in a hot minute, and holding running conversations with the site members on the air that often devolved into mud-slinging and general unruly, pirate like discourse. Recently, I found a few of the saved sessions I made back then, and while they were a bit dark to look back into, they served to remind me that this story has been percolating for an incredibly long time and deserves to have it’s moment in the sun.
The State of the Cesspool Address was the name of the show, and for a long time, the following song was my opener. It’s part of the soundtrack I hear in my head when I write, and though it’s a bit obscure, to me it’s as epic as Wagner. Enjoy.
