Author: davestankowicz

Dave Stankowicz is a retired educator who lives on an island off the coast of Portland, Maine with his wife Debbie Jordan and their dog Cody. Liberated from the responsibilities of teaching he has found the space and time to pursue so much that interests him. Dave is the former host of the WMPG radio show Palm Wine Radio, and currently hosts Next To Silence - an hour long show that explores different themes, genres, artists and record labels. Next to Silence can be streamed live on Peaks Island Radio at https://peaksislandradio.com on Mondays and Fridays @ 7:00 PM EDT, and Tuesdays @noon. You can also stream archived shows at his site (category: next to silence) He continues his lifelong efforts to master space and time.

Doo Wop Part 3 – April 21, 2025

Dear Friends,

This week on Next To Silence we drift back to the glow of street lamps and transistor radios, to harmonies that once echoed off stoops and fire escapes with the third and final journey through the heart of doo wop—songs of devotion, heartbreak, summer nights, and promises whispered beneath porch lights. From the innocent to the smoldering and back again, let the voices carry you somewhere just out of reach, just next to silence.

The playlist for the week of April 21, 2025 ☞

00.:00:00 The Moonglows – Sincerely

00:04:49 The Cadillacs – Speedo

00:06:57 The Crew Cuts – Sh-Boom

00:09:42 The Platters – Only You (And You Alone)

00:12:17 The Drifters – Save the Last Dance for Me

00:14:48 Jerry Butler – For Your Precious Love

00:17:32 The Duprees – You Belong To Me

00:20:18 The Dreamlovers – When We Get Married

00:22:42 Rosie & The Originals – Angel Baby

00:26:24 The Mello-Kings – Tonite Tonite

00:32:12 The Danleers – One Summer Night

00:34:24 Shep & The Limelites – Daddy’s Home

00:37:16 The Marvelettes – Playboy

00:40:00 Hank Ballard – Work With Me Annie

00:42:30 Hank Ballard – Annie Had a Baby

00:45:09 Billy Ward & The Dominoes – Sixty Minute Man

00:47:38 The Del-Vikings – Oh Tonight

00:52:53 Carla Thomas – Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)

00:55:06 Chuck Jackson – Any Day Now

00:58:48 Jesse Belvin – Goodnight My Love

01:01:55 The Cadillacs – Gloria

01:04:46 The Spaniels – Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite

01:07:29 The Pentagons – To Be Loved (Forever)

01:09:57 Jackie Wilson – Lonely Teardrops

01:12:34 Dion – Donna the Prima Donna

01:15:26 The Drifters – This Magic Moment

01:17:52 Little Anthony & The Imperials – I’m On the Outside (Looking In)

01:20:58 The Echoes – Baby Blue

01:28:20 The Essex – Easier Said Than Done

Next To Silence streams live at:

1700AM and on the web at PeaksIslandRadio.com

On:

Mondays Fridays @7:00PM

Tuesdays @Noon

You can find the archives of past shows at PeaksIslandRadio.com. Click on SCHEDULE – scroll down to NEXT TO SILENCE 

Thanks for listening,

Dave

Benefits Pending

The boardwalk ends like a pension plan
that stopped showing up.
A sign says area closed,
but the ocean never followed rules.

Planks slump like ex-employees
waiting for purpose to call back.
Shadows come and go—
no clock, no punchline, just habit.

They called it retirement—
a view, some quiet, the slow reward.
But it feels more like a layoff
nobody bothered to announce.

No memos, no coffee, no names left to forget.
Just wind filing its own report.
I lean on the rail, light fading.
So this is what all the meetings were for.

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

The Lost Dress

There it hangs like it forgot something,
like maybe it left its body behind—
too clean, too soft, too damn dreamy
for this busted room and crooked light.

Bella wore it drunk, barefoot, laughing
through the wreckage of her last good thought.
Said she’d marry a trumpet player.
She didn’t. She left it on a fire escape.

Luna danced in it once—
no shoes, no god, just rain.
She drowned in her bathtub,
water humming hymns, dress breathing.

And Zoe? Zoe wore it to the trial,
eyes full of dust from forgotten dreams.
She left it spinning on a motel fan,
a slow ghost orbiting her exit wound.

The cleaning lady touches it with gloves,
crosses herself, whispers to the floor.
She’s seen blood come out of tile grout—
but never anything that shrieks like this.

No one claims it now, while
it drapes over air like it’s trying to disappear.
Some say it hums when no one’s near,
a lullaby with teeth behind the silk.

Gardiner, Maine

Spiritual John Coltrane – April 14, 2025

Dear Friends,

This week’s show journeys into the transcendent world of John Coltrane, a musician whose work embodies both the depth of human struggle and the heights of spiritual awakening. Coltrane’s music evolved from bebop to free jazz, but his search for truth—both personal and universal—remained constant. From meditative ballads to fervent expressions of devotion, this playlist highlights his spiritual essence, culminating in A Love Supreme, his masterpiece of gratitude and enlightenment. 

John Coltrane’s spiritual journey was not just in his music, but in his life. Today we honor his search for truth, love, and the divine.

PLAYLIST for the week of April 14, 2025:

00:00:00 John Coltrane -Dear Lord

00:08:08 John Coltrane Quartet -Spiritual (Live at the Village Vanguard, 1961)

00:21:50 John Coltrane – Naima

00:26:10 John Coltrane – Alabama

00:28:33 John Coltrane – After The Rain

00:32:41 John Coltrane Quartet – Wise One

00:41:42 John Coltrane – I Want to Talk About You

00:57:18 John Coltrane – A Love Supreme Pt. I – Acknowledgement

01:05:00 John Coltrane – A Love Supreme Pt. II – Resolution

01:12:18 John Coltrane – A Love Supreme Pt. III – Pursuance

01:22:59 John Coltrane – A Love Supreme Pt. IV – Psalm

To all my friends: Happy Easter, Happy Passover, thanks for listening.

Dave

Spectrum

I’m Box #8, red, fabulous, and slightly tilted.

Don’t judge—I’ve held more secrets than your therapist.

The orange one’s always anxious—

thinks rain is a government experiment.

Yellow believes he’s a portal to the insect realm.

Keeps whispering “The beetle king will return.”

Green meditates. Sends vibes to the squirrels.

We don’t ask what’s in his letters. 

Blue gets love notes. Every. Single. Day.

Claims it's a curse. We think he likes it.

Purple? Full-on drama. Tarot cards, glitter,

once screamed because someone mailed a potato.

We’ve seen it all—

breakup letters sealed with glitter tears,

late bills folded like apologies,

invitations no one answered.


Still, we hold space.

For hope. 
For coupons.

For the next peculiar thing you’ll send.

We’re not just mailboxes. We’re personalities with hinges.

We hold the town’s gossip, taxes, dreams, and junk.

We’ve seen things. Heard things.

Now please—lift gently. No one likes a slam.

Peaks Island, Maine

Zanzibar Hyperbole!

It’s a Zanzibar Hyperbole!

she exclaimed 
through a mouthful of guacamole and chips.

I didn’t understand, nor did I ask.

She pointed toward the restroom,

where Marilyn smiled with impossible confidence,

eternally turning,

as if beauty could pause the world mid-sentence.

The mirror caught her twice—

realer in reflection than in art,

with soap and hygiene notices

framing glamour like a government-issued dream.

Heated by the

radiance of her face

brimming with mischief and enchantment, 
I could not love her more.

Rockland, Maine

Carole King & Gerry Goffin – April 7, 2025

Dear Friends,

This week Next To Silence dives into the legendary songs of Carole King and Gerry Goffin—one of the most iconic songwriting duos in music history. Their melodies shaped the sound of pop, soul, and rock from the ‘60s onward, performed by artists like The Shirelles, The Drifters, Dusty Springfield, and even The Monkees. We’ll explore their greatest hits, uncover the stories behind the music, and celebrate the lasting impact of their songwriting magic. Whether you’re reminiscing or discovering these classics for the first time, please sit back and enjoy the timeless sound of Goffin & King.

The playlist for the week of April 7, 2025 ☞

00:00:00 The Shirelles -Will You Love Me Tomorrow

00:04:04 Bobby Vee -Take Good Care of My Baby

00:07:10 Little Eva -The Loco-Motion

00:09:26 The Drifters -Up on the Roof

00:11:59 The Monkees -Pleasant Valley Sunday

00:15:12 Freddie Scott -Hey Girl

00:18:17 Steve Lawrence -Go Away Little Girl

00:20:29 The Chiffons -One Fine Day

00:22:35 Earl-Jean -I’m into Something Good

00:25:25 Aretha Franklin -(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

00:28:06 Dusty Springfield -Some Of Your Lovin’

00:34:57 The Cookies -Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby)

00:37:37 Maxine Brown -Oh No Not My Baby

00:40:12 The Byrds -Wasn’t Born to Follow

00:42:17 The Everly Brothers -Crying in the Rain

00:44:14 Gerry & The Pacemakers -I’ll Be There

00:47:25 Dusty Springfield -No Easy Way Down

0050:33 The Animals -Don’t Bring Me Down

00:53:46 The Righteous Brothers -Just Once In My Life

01:01:36 The Drifters -When My Little Girl Is Smiling

01:04:07 Betty Everett -I Can’t Hear You

01:06:40 Tony Orlando -Bless You

01:08:49 The Righteous Brothers -Hung On You

01:12:08 Dee Dee Warwick -Yours Until Tomorrow

01:14:30 Del Shannon -Cry Myself to Sleep

01:20:02 Carole King -You’ve Got a Friend

Next To Silence streams live at:

1700AM and on the web at PeaksIslandRadio.com

On:

Mondays Fridays @7:00PM

Tuesdays @Noon

You can find the archives of past shows at PeaksIslandRadio.com. Click on SCHEDULE – scroll down to NEXT TO SILENCE 

Thanks for listening,

Dave

Bardo Dreams

Bardo dreams
sealed in plastic cocoons,
hovering above the frozen earth,
half-formed, neither here nor gone.

Their hulls stretch against shrink-wrap skin,

ghostly outlines of a season past,

suspended between water and sky,

adrift in winter’s forgotten light.

A scaffold of waiting,

a silence thick as frozen tides,

where memory curls like vapor,

lost between longing and return.

No wake, no passage,

only the wind’s slow hands

pressing whispers into plastic,

holding time in absent motion.

Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

The Tunnel

We walked through that tunnel again last night. 
Water up to our ankles, the smell of something old. 
Graffiti on the walls—names, dates, symbols we couldn't read. 
You said it felt like a dream you wouldn’t tell me.

The rope still hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly. 
I wondered who put it there, and why. 
Our reflections in the water looked back at us, distorted, 
like strangers we have become.

Beyond the tunnel, the street lights flickered. 
We stood there, listening to the distant hum. 
I wanted to say something, but the words— 
they just weren't there.

The distance between us stretched like the tunnel itself, 
longer than before, heavier than silence. 
We turned around and walked back, leaving the tunnel—
and what we once had—to its own darkness.

Peaks Island, Maine

HAPPY – March 24, 2025

Happiness is a universal pursuit, yet its meaning varies—some find it in love, others in solitude, adventure, or even nostalgia. Interestingly, many songs about happiness are upbeat and celebratory, while others reveal a more complex, even bittersweet, side to joy. Humor, often intertwined with happiness, works by highlighting the unexpected—surprising contrasts, irony, or exaggeration—provoking laughter and lightness. 

This week’s show features songs that has “happy” or “happiness” in the title. As we explore these songs, consider what happiness sounds like to you.

The playlist for the week of March 24, 2025:

00:00:00 The Turtles - Happy Together
00:05:10 The Rolling Stones - Happy
00:08:12 The Pointer Sisters - Happiness
00:12:06 The Temptations - Happy People
00:15:41 Otis Redding - The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)
00:21:07 Judy Garland - Get Happy
00:23:53 Roy Rogers - Happy Trails
00:26:07 Nat King Cole - Sometimes I'm Happy
00:30:15 Barbara Streisand - Happy Days Are Here Again
00:33:18 Peggy Lee - Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
00:39:19 Jim Kweskin & Maria Muldaur -Let's Get Happy Together
00:41:52 Taj Mahal - Happy Just To Be Like I Am
00:45:36 Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks - Is This My Happy Home?
00:49:21 Lightnin' Hopkins - Happy Blues For John Glen
00:54:41 Elmore James Happy Home
00:57:32 Mafikizolo - Happiness
01:03:14 Yemi Alade - Happy Day
01:05:35 Childish Gambino & Khruangbin - Happy Survival
01:08:43 Paul McCartney - Happy With You
01:12:16 The Who - Happy Jack
01:14:27 Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
01:19:14 Tim Buckley - Happy Time
01:22:26 The Beatles - Happiness Is A Warm Gun
01:25:08 Blood, Sweat & Tears - You Made Me So Very Happy
01:29:20 The Edwin Hawkins Singers - Oh Happy Day
01:40:17 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - I'm Glad