How I fell in love with a voice...

In the 1970's and thereabouts, Ron Cuzner was on the radio late at night with his show The Dark Side.
Duane Dudek just added some of the audio from his shows to the JSOnline website and it took me back to some late nights I spent alone, in the semi- darkness with Ron's voice.

He had a style all his own and a rhythm to his patter that made you relax and want to crawl through the radio and join him in the studio.

I was editing a special for WTMJ called the Christmas Tree Ship.  It was the story of the Rouse Simmons that sank on its way to Chicago with all hands lost and tons of Christmas trees sent to the bottom of Lake Michigan during a November storm.  I worked on the documentary after my regular shift for Channel 4. That meant that I started editing at about 10:30pm and worked until dawn... and all that time, Ron's voice was with me.

When I took breaks from the miles of film (yes, we were still using film then) and relaxed for a few minutes, Ron's beautiful voice and the jazz he played were both relaxing and energizing.  Sometimes I talked back to the radio.  I had long, deep conversations with Ron that he never knew about.

The best way to listen to Ron Cuzner was in the dark... late at night... alone... or maybe not.

Thank you, Ron for making my Dark Side, bright.