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Issue 134 APRIL 12TH, 2021 With Copper’s new format, long “Opening Salvo” intros take up a lot of space when viewed on a phone, so we’ll keep them short from now on. This line from Gary Wilson from his song “I Wanna Take You On A Sea Cruise” seems appropriate for the times: “Hey baby, there’s only two more days till tomorrow!” In this issue: Anne E. Johnson offers retrospectives on cinematic storyteller Randy Newman and on troubadours ancient and modern. Tom Gibbs reviews new releases from Frank Zappa, Charles Lloyd and Dr. Lonnie Smith. J.I. Agnew begins a series on historic tape recorders with a look at the Studer A80 and interview with Paul Gold of Salt Mastering. Roy Hall has memories of "Hey Jude.” Wayne Robins digs Rita Indiana. Steven Bryan Bieler realizes it’s all about the bass. Ken Sander celebrates Thanksgiving at the Fillmore East. Jay Jay ponders streaming audio quality. What’s it like to suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity? We ask Dav Bedi of RadiAsian.London to find out. Stuart Marvin interviews groundbreaking music promoter Eppy Epstein of My Father’s Place, Russ Welton interviews Yamaha UK, and Ray Chelstowski wraps up his talk with keyboardist extraordinaire Chuck Leavell. Alón Sagee gets high at Mount Everest. Don Kaplan tells us about more favorite recordings. John Seetoo interviews iconoclastic producer/engineer Sylvia Massy. Adrian Wu continues his series on open reel tape. James Whitworth loses ground, Peter Xeni avoids social stigma, Audio Anthropology is on the beam and our Parting Shot looks further on. Living With Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: Davinder Bedi of RadiAsian.London FRANKLY SPEAKING Written by Frank Doris Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are all around us. We’re constantly bombarded by low-level EMF from computer screens, Wi-Fi, cell phones and other devices. However, since EMF is invisible, most of us never give it a second thought. But what if you were not only aware of low-level electromagnetic radiation, but physically reacted to it, to the point where it made you feel ill? This is known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity, or EHS. It’s also categorized as idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields, or IEI-IMF. While EHS isn’t an accepted medical diagnosis, and pooh-poohed in some studies or attributed to other environmental factors, there are those who will tell you it’s real, from experience. Davinder Bedi knows it first-hand. He’s the host of online radio station RadiAsian.London, “The No. 1 Station for the Asian Invasion.” The channel plays a wide range of music from around the world. He also lives with EHS. We asked Dav to talk about his experiences. Frank Doris: What is electromagnetic hypersensitivity and what are its symptoms? Dav Bedi: PubMed.gov, which is part of the National Library of Medicine, does a decent job of defining EHS (excerpted; click here for the full article): “Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), known in the past as ‘microwave syndrome,’ is a clinical syndrome characterized by the presence of a wide spectrum of non-specific multiple organ symptoms, typically including central nervous system symptoms, that occur following the patient's acute or chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields in the environment or in occupational settings.” I find the work of Alasdair and Jean Philips extremely informative. They provide a more detailed list of symptoms at the Powerwatch website. FD: How does it affect you? DB: For a long time it made my days unbearable. I would get sharp headaches, and would feel pains in my heart. However, nowadays I have found methods to minimize the impact on my body. FD: When did you first think you had it, and how was it diagnosed? DB: Twenty years ago I was in the car with a female friend. I was in the passenger seat with my eyes closed with the car doing between 50-70 MPH, and I told her where I felt the mobile phone towers were, judging by the pain in my head. Time after time I was correct and she was amazed. And back then the mobile phone towers were nowhere near as powerful in their emission of radio frequencies (RF) as they are today. A ten-minute conversation on a mobile telephone would give me a headache which lasted hours, ruining my day. I just knew something wasn’t right. Diagnosis was another matter. I saw my general practitioner, who tried to downplay it to stress and dehydration. He wouldn’t even refer me to some kind of specialist. Back then, a diagnosis for EHS was out of the question. FD: We live in a world where we’re bombarded with wireless and electromagnetic radiation. How has it affected your functioning in the modern world? DB: People of my age group look at me as a bit odd or behind the times, especially when they ask for my mobile phone number and I give them a land line number. However, they are the ones glued to their smartphone or tablet. I appreciate the birds in the trees and the clouds in the sky, as I’m not constantly looking down at a screen. I tend to avoid built-up areas, especially those in close proximity to mobile phone masts. I don’t visit other peoples’ houses much, and if I must, they may find me odd in that I ask them to switch off their Wi-Fi router temporarily. That really starts a conversation! Being in a car with somebody with a mobile phone results in me getting out of the car if possible, especially during a call. Bluetooth audio connectivity is not an option. Bluetooth really gives me headaches quickly. I avoid most people who I know can’t live without their tech. I have walked out of jobs where the RF levels were too high. At home I have a hard-wired landline. I don’t use cordless phones. There was no Wi-Fi near my house, until recently when a new couple moved in next door with their high-speed Wi-Fi. They kindly agreed to switch it off at night. Regardless, I was feeling pains my head and heart while it was on during the day. I found it difficult to focus. I ended up wrapping myself in special RF sheeting just to minimize the pain. I was dressed like a sheikh, which family and friends found hilarious initially, but they soon accepted it. Thanks to the understanding and kindness of my landlord, I painted the dividing wall between the apartments with a special carbon-based paint which I grounded by connecting via a wire to the ground pin of an AC wall plug. Don’t try it this you don’t know what you are doing; call a qualified electrician. Over the window I have an enhanced version of a net curtain, which reduces frequencies by up to 36 dB at 40 GHz. It is actually an EMF radiation-protection fabric, which can be used to shield windows, your bedding or even your body. These sheets have silver and copper in them, which can block EMF and RF. That very same sheet formed my sheikh outfit. I made a video demonstrating the effectiveness of this sheeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEYZa_hhw5s The Alasdair and Jean Philips study raises an interesting point, which I also have personal experience of. To quote: “Many electrically sensitive people seem to have quite dry skin and can carry high electrostatic charges on their body. Not only can other people experience a ‘zap’ when touching the person, but the electrostatic charges can also be transferred to electronic equipment causing equipment to malfunction. If you experience these problems, then you should wear clothes and shoes made of natural materials or even special conductive clothing and footwear that is made for workers in the electronics semiconductor industry. You need to have flooring that is made of natural material, as you build up static charges every time you move your feet.” I have literally shocked my partner a few times but nowadays I wear a silver chain around my neck and silver bracelet on my wrist. Luckily, I haven’t frazzled any equipment as of yet. During my daily walk, I place my hands on the bark of an old oak tree before I head home. My partner, Claire, thinks it’s a bit odd, but is used to it by now. FD: You’re a radio broadcaster. How can you work in an environment where EMF must be prevalent? DB: I am tactical in the sense that I only switch on what I need for the show and switch if off straight after the show is done. One of the biggest culprits in the studio which caused a painful burning sensation in my hands was a MacBook Pro. So, I can only use it with an external wired keyboard and mouse. I use a wired Ethernet connection. The studio is full of transformers, but I only switch on what is needed, for a limited duration. Headphones always have to be wired, not wireless. In the studio I usually use a set of AKG K271 MKIIs which give me a reading of 3 mG (magnetic) and around 100 V/m (electric) on the EMF meter. My Beyer DT150s measure significantly lower at 1 mG (magnetic) and around 30 V/m (electric). To minimize exposure while listening to music, I much prefer to use an old speaker system here at low volume. What also helped was installing an EMFields DE2 Dirty Electricity (AC) Filter. I was a little dubious when I purchased it but within the first few minutes of plugging it into the wall, I felt more relaxed.