2. A Strange Connection
Even though he at one point infuriates local farmers so much that they resort to dropping a cow on him, Alan's radio shows are exemplary. True, his musical choices are often suspect, and he'll occasionally laugh inanely to fill the 15 seconds before the news, but I'm sure that many DJs would kill for the connection he manages to establish with his listeners. Be it through popular regular features (Alan's Funny Stories; Today's Farmer; Alan's Deep Bath) or themed radio discussions (Who's The Best Lord - Of The Rings, Of The Dance or Of The Flies?); if Alan's show existed in the real world, it would definitely have a gargantuan cult following beyond the strange and lonely people who phone in. And you can't put a price on banter such as this: That was Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell, a song in which Joni complains they 'Paved paradise to put up a parking lot', a measure which actually would have alleviated traffic congestion on the outskirts of paradise, something which Joni singularly fails to point out, perhaps because it doesn't quite fit in with her blinkered view of the world. Nevertheless, nice song.