Sirius, watch your speed.(Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.)(Column)

Byline: Dutch Mandel

Many people of an age find life's philosophy from Dylan or Jagger, Morrison or Slick, Young or Cash. Me, I'm a Jerry's kid, taking wisdom from the nine-fingered riff off Mr. Garcia's guitar and the rest of the Grateful Dead crew.

There is a car connection here, and not just some kind of oblique, ancient, drug-addled babble from someone on the fading edge of the Baby Boom. It's got nothing to do with a review of the beater car that transported me to Red Rocks or Roseland or anywhere else I saw the Dead live, either. This is a less cosmic connection and one for which I'm seriously indebted to the Sirius people.

You know Sirius, that "other'' satellite radio provider, the one whose logo looks a bit like His Master's Voice tripping. Sirius is doing all it can to make up for the head start XM received as the factory-installed system General Motors has in its cars. It's doing a pretty good job of it, too.

Before we go further, let me say of both satellite radio providers: I love you, man! That a listener can pull up five kinds of zydeco, two different NASCAR channels, a religion channel, right-wing blather or left-wing folderol, or local traffic reports regardless of what city you're in is glorious. My favorites though, regardless of cars or cities or networks, are the comedy channels. (Guy looks into the audience and sees a young lady. "Miss, how old are you? You're 22, uh? I'm old enough to be your daddy. Do you want me to be your daddy...?'' It's a killer line.) I do opt for the more risque offerings; there's nothing quite like an oh-dark-hundred morning commute with Eddie Murphy or Lewis Black throwing out F-bombs while you try to keep a double Americano from firing out your nose. This requires great concentration and discipline.

So back to Jerry and me, or I should say, Jake, Bill ...