From the Road to the Radio

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get to speak on NPR with Let’s Go Founding Father Oliver Koppell (pictured above at our 50th Anniversary Celebration.) The experience itself was fantastic, but also a little nerve wracking.

Because I had no clue how else to prepare for a radio interview, I did what many girls do: stress primp. As I emerged from my room with what I assumed was a professional, highly articulate look, my dad eyed my outfit and said, “You know NPR is the radio, right? Not TV?.”

Oops.

So I showed up overdressed, obsessively early, and with sweaty palms. One thing they never tell you about radio stations is how silent they are. You’d think people would be talking all the time, right, because it’s their job? Wrong.

When Oliver Koppell arrived, I was a little star-struck. I don’t know what I had expected from the Founding Father of Let’s Go (An Indiana Jones hat? An “It’s Better in Botswana” tee-shirt?), but Mr. Koppell was just a nice, dignified grandfatherly-type man. He was friendly and extremely personable, which helped calm my nerves as they directed me to put on the massive headphones and position the microphone to start the interview.

I don’t really remember much about what happened during the interview itself, only that I was preoccupied with not letting my voice get too high and shrill. Hear for yourself at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122169234

I might have gone a little overboard while trying to sound mature: afterwards, my sister told me I did the worst “Anchorman”  impression ever.