Groce gets direct about ‘Politically Indirect’

WMEB spot

By Ryan Clark

Posted on April 27, 2006, at 12:00 a.m.

By being indirect, Paul Groce has a direct impact on his listeners.

As the host of “Politically Indirect,” which airs on Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m. on WMEB, senior has given listeners another way to think about the political issues that are on the forefront.

“Politics is good to know about and is good for me to not be involved with directly,” Groce said.

Growing up in Union, Groce had what he liked to call a ‘love-hate’ relationship with politics.

Always intrigued by what went on around him, at times he would get flustered and upset when it came to learning more about the issues.

While reading about and watching the ongoing battle of conservatives vs. liberals, it was his ears that eventually led to future University of Maine students doing all the talking.

As a child, one of Groce’s biggest musical influences was Public Enemy. “It was Rage Against the Machine and a Public Enemy album that made me really open up my eyes to see what music can do,” Groce said. “‘Fear of a Black Planet’ is an amazing album, the beats are revolutionary and the subjects had such passion because I never heard people talk about those things before.”

From the sounds of “Fight the Power” to “Sleep Now in the Fire” by Rage Against the Machine, Groce had the idea to flirt with mixing politics with music as a chance to inform the community about what’s going on.

Two years ago, Groce went to the offices of WMEB and presented the idea of his radio show. Although his idea was liked by the station’s management, they wanted him to find an indirect way of expressing a viewpoint, instead of turning a music show into a talk show.

It was at that point that he came up with the idea for the name of his show, “Politically Indirect.”

Since that time, Groce has gone on to play the sounds of traditional music activists such as Bob Marley and Immortal Techinque. He also plays groups like The Beastie Boys and The Roots. This format has brought him everything from criticism to praise.

Besides getting different opinions, the show has captured somewhat of a cult following. One listener even made Groce brownies. Another has gone so far as to record the show every Tuesday.

“I get phone calls and many of them are from the older generations,” Groce said. “I have had 70-year old ladies to young people listen and they have even come down to thank me.”

“People are invested into this show because it’s not about hearing their favorite artists, but something they actually believe in.”

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