Sure, it might seem like Frank Sinatra and Kid Rock don’t have much in common, but after discussing Rock’s catalogue, an associate texted and encouraged me to check out Sinatra’s own work straddling different genres.

Paul Simon had just been a guest on Colbert and mentioned Sinatra had covered “Mrs. Robinson”.

Loyal Scaiaholics will recall the associate in question from our trip to Indiana last year to satisfy the demands of the legion, for all you know, of fans of our college radio show.

He explained Sinatra would often experiment in different styles of music, and his favorite is “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”.

Our conclusion was everything sounds better with a big band backing you up.

A lot of people have checked out on news because they say we focus too much on gloom and doom. Radio’s current direction does not appear to be working. To bring people back, I might suggest a more uplifting tone.

We could introduce that genre-busting sound to tornado warnings. That tone is designed to be the most audible over a distance, but let me tell you something, if your TV, radio or phone starts playing a brass band and swing music, you’re gonna start listening.

Maybe you’ll snap along with it as you watch.

“Oh yeah, that cumulonimbus cloud sure looks nice,” you’d say as Sinatra hits that line.

National Weather Service warnings need to convey urgency, but with an accompanying swing band, they could achieve that goal while still helping us relax and focus.

“The tornado planned each chartered course, each careful step along Interstate 30 between mile markers 25 and 42,” the warning would indicate. “And more, much more than this, if you’re in Grand Prairie, you should get in the basement.”

Sinatra didn’t need artificial intelligence to create a unique sound. If he wanted to try something, he did it.

Sinatra and Kid Rock are trying to tell us all we shouldn’t be afraid to take chances, to believe in ourselves.

Tom T. Hall was an excellent storyteller. I’ll bring that flair to my work. A lot of reporters want to sound important, get famous and “build a personal brand.” Instead of scaring people, I’d prefer an unpretentious, down-to-earth inflection to reassure people if they pay attention, we can get through a time of crisis.

It might be difficult to bring a guitar into city council meetings, though.