A birthday greeting from Jeff Giles

Like a lot of people, I largely stopped listening to the radio at some point in the ’90s, driven away by a combination of factors that included focus-grouped playlists, rampant consolidation across the dial, and the increased portability of my own music library. Much as it pains me to admit it to anyone reading this, I haven’t really missed it much; when presented with the choice between listening to whatever I choose or subjecting myself to an ad-supported concentric circle, there are usually perilously few reasons to opt for the latter.

That has everything to do with the current state of radio, however, and nothing at all to do with the magic of the medium. At its best, radio has always had a wonderful ability to connect us, and in the small pockets where program directors and DJs are still free to follow their muse, that still holds true — perhaps more than ever. There’s a reason that DSPs keep experimenting with “AI” “DJs,” and that reason is this: Even in the era of infinite streaming playlists, there’s still nothing like being guided to new musical frontiers by a friendly, knowledgeable voice.

“A friendly, knowledgeable voice” is as good a phrase as any to describe Bill Childs. The driving force behind Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, Bill is just as delightfully droll, kind, and curious in person as he is on the air. I can no longer recall how we met, but I’m pretty sure it happened when I was at the mast of a relatively short-lived kindie site. The fact that our friendship has persisted long after the site went bust tells you everything you need to know about Bill — chiefly, that he does what he does because he means it, not because it holds any transactional value.

This approach appears to be going the way of the dodo in our increasingly profit-driven media landscape, but it still pays dividends. Sometimes they’re financial — as with the thousands of dollars that Spare the Rock has raised for various charities with its series of non-profit compilations — and sometimes they’re worth more than money. Connecting with people; sharing ideas. Shining a light on independently made and released art. Conducting community outreach. These are all things that sound sort of quaint and/or vaguely aspirational to a lot of folks these days, but for a long time, they were part and parcel of what radio not only could be, but what it had a civic responsibility to do.

I can picture Bill bemusedly chuckling at all this highfalutin praise, and as usual, he probably has a point. After all, you don’t need to think about love over gold, late-stage capitalism, or radio in general in order to enjoy Spare the Rock; you just need a functioning ear or two, a little time, and a willingness to let yourself be taken on a journey by a host who’s got a wonderful knack for shepherding discovery. It’s kid-friendly, sure, but it isn’t for kids. That’s the key to the show’s success, and why it’s lasted through multiple moves, countless life changes, and Bill’s youthful cohosts aging out of their regular posts. Cheers to a great 20 years, and here’s to many more.