All Things Must Pass - A Final Word from the Monkey House

By Israel Aragon Bravo

What was the college radio show, The Monkey House? It’s a question I’ve gotten several times before, and even now, it’s not easy for me to describe.

It was almost like a playground of sorts. It had that carefree and playful spirit about it that separated it from the everyday political talk show. It was a small playground at first, but it gradually expanded as we slowly but surely mustered up the bravery to let our imaginations run free. Friends of faces both old and unfamiliar would come over to this playground and help it grow. Eventually this playground grew so much that folks who we could not even see in person showed up by messaging in and sharing their thoughts on the mysteries, muses, and misfortunes of everyday life - effectively becoming visitors of the playground themselves.

I always envisioned The Monkey House as a place where people could talk and have fun, but also grow at the same time. Despite being only 20 at the time, I felt like a grown-up myself when the show first premiered in July of 2017. But in the past year and a half, I feel like I’ve grown up even more. I think and talk about things I never used to talk about before. I’ve also come to realize that in this stage of my life, I still have so much more to learn and, God willing, many more years of growth ahead of me.

As some of you reading may know, on January 11, we capped off our year-and-a-half-long journey with a boisterous two-and-a-half-hour discussion that indulged in some of the things we always found incremental to the spirit of The Monkey House - impassioned political discourse, an air of levity, and warm interactions with our listeners. Oh, and a couple of nasty jelly beans to boot.

Though our time with The Monkey House may be over, the spirit of the playground we and all of you have created will live on and endure for years to come. We are all very happy to have done this and we wish all up-and-coming WVUM DJs success in creating their own playgrounds.

A very special thanks to everyone who tuned in. Keep it locked.

Israel Aragon Bravo

View the final show below: