M Ward: Transistor Radio
Frances Morgan, Plan B, February 2005
THE TRANSISTOR RADIO — best friend of the Shaggs ("My companion is with me wherever I go/My companion is of course my radio"), occult portal of the Beach Boys' heavy-handed fairytale 'Mount Vernon And Fairway' — once embodied the lonely power of pop, the ear pressed against the tinny speaker in teenage bedrooms and midnight gardens just as the car radio symbolised freedom, escape and wide-open roads.
Total word count of piece: 549
