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One Listener to Anoth
— "give the little girl a hand!''
WE were chatting with a well-known radio artist the other day, and the subject of fan mail arose. "Do you really think fan letters mean much to the radio performer," we asked him, "Or does he like them because they are flattering?"
The artist smiled. "Well," he said, "It is always pleasant to read something flattering about yourself, but the real fan letter does something deeper than that. It is the performer's only means of contact with his listeners. He doesn't know whether he is 'going over' or not, if someone didn't tell him. His friends all slap him on the back and say 'Great, old top! You sang marvelously.' But compliments like these from kindhearted friends aren't really sufficient. Sometimes they don't ring true."
Of course, there are high-salaried artists on the top of the heap who are good, and know they are good. It is the conscientious, hard-working small-timer, many of whom contribute the greatest share of our entertainment, for whom this is written.
Moreover, it isn't only the complimentary letter the artist likes to receive. If there is something about his work that actually needs altering, he is the first one that wants to learn of it. If he could listen to himself broadcast, it would be a simple matter for him to criticize himself as he would like to. The brickbats are welcomed along with the bouquets by most artists.
Radio artists bring more hours of entertainment into the life of the average person today than any other class of entertainer. The actor on the stage gets a big hand if he goes over — and a "boo" or a sour expression on the face of his audience if he doesn't — at least he knows how his work is appreciated. But the radio artist works before a silent, unresponsive microphone, that can't even return a good healthy "boo" much less say, "Well, old boy, you did a good job tonight!"