Mei Young's final broadcast on Drive 105 Homegrown - tonight (7/2) at 10PM

(Photo: Mei Young and I at Mei's "retirement" party at Big V's a few weeks ago. Self-portrait by me.)

Our friend and former HWTS'er Steve McPherson wrote a nice farewell piece to Mei Young in Wednesday's edition of the Pulse. (I've pasted it in below.) Well, damn it, I, too, will miss Mei's presence on the local airwaves.

I am honored to be filling in as co-host during Mei's final appearance on Homegrown, a program she started about ten years ago now. The irony of my appearance on tonight's program is that I'm filling in for Dave Campbell (who is seeing Wilco in Duluth), and one of our guests is Andrea Myers, who is filling in for me while I am on hiatus as editor of HowWasTheShow. So, it's a bit of a double switcheroo (a double spy turning into a triple spy) kind of thing.

Tune in. 10PM. At http://www.drive105.com or on an actual radio at 105.1 etc. FM.

And here's a HowWasTheShow Flickr Photo tribute to Mei Young from pictures of the fun we've had over the past year or so.

Mei Young's Last Broadcast on Drive 105
by Steve McPherson

It won't be without a tiny tear that we bid adieu to Mei Young on this week's Homegrown. After all, she's been one of the most tireless supporters of the local music scene for as long as anyone can remember. After getting permission to play one local song a night in her 2 a.m. slot on KQRS way back in 1996, Young had planted the seeds of what would one day become Homegrown, and the show's long list of impressive guests is a testament to her unwavering dedication to all things local. I got to peek inside just this past January for the annual Critics' Picks show and, despite a fantastic case of jet lag, I felt right at home, due in large part to Mei's easy way with a mic and a question. Her final broadcast will feature guest appearances from Howwastheshow.com's Andrea Myers and David de Young (who's become a regular contributor to the show), as well as the yet-to-be-picked winner of Homegrown's Battle of the Bands. Plus, those are just the announced guests; the press release promises mystery guests from Mei's past a la "This Is Your Life." As Young rides off into self-employment, she leaves the show in Dave Campbell's hands as host and producer, so a piece of advice: I've hung out with that guy, and I wouldn't let him drive my car. That's all I'm saying. With David de Young, Andrea Myers and Battle of the Bands winner. Drive 105 FM. 10 p.m. MCPHERSON