May 29 , 2005 (#23)

Just Another Fish Story
Molly Menschel—Independent Producer

In 1994, a 60-ton dead whale washed up on the Atlantic shore of Lubec, a rural town in the poorest county of Maine. Molly Menschel traveled there and asked the residents to recall what happened to them, the town, and the whale. (Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, 2004)

The Impersovader
Sean Cole—Producer, WBUR Radio, Boston
Benjamen Walker—Host and Producer, The Theory of Everything

Reporter Sean Cole explores the nature of pure evil with the “real” Darth Vader: Salem, Massachusetts, resident Bo Jackson. (WZBC'sYour Radio Nightlight, 2002)

Thirteen Ways
Pejk Malinovski—Producer, The Next Big Thing

Writer Sam Swope visits a class of restless, imaginative 11-year-olds in Queens, New York, where he embraces the challenge of teaching Wallace Stevens's poem, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.” (PRI's The Next Big Thing from WNYC Radio, 2003)

This segment won the Directors' Choice award at the 2004 Third Coast International Audio Festival/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition.

Voices in Your Head
Pamela Z—Independent Producer

After a falling-out with her psychic counselor, a mother is plagued by angry voices day and night. This segment was originally part of producer Pamela Z's live performance piece, Voci.

Featured Music
Ratatat, “Cherry,” Ratatat (XL Recordings, 2004)
Ratatat, “Breaking Away,” Ratatat (XL Recordings, 2004)
Cars Are the Stars, “Toute Me Parle,” Fragments (Chez Moi, 2005)
E*vax, “To Scale a Fish,” Parking Lot Music (Audio Dregs, 2001)
Rainstick Orchestra, “Powderly,” The Floating Glass Key in the Sky (Ninja Tune, 2004)
Mice Parade, “The Days before Fiction,” Ben-Vinda Vontade (Bubble Core, 2005)
Langius, “A Simple Thought,” The Four Walls (Plug Research, 2004)
Mice Parade, “Passing and Galloping,” Ben-Vinda Vontade (Bubble Core, 2005)

Extras:

Producer Molly Menschel discusses Just Another Fish Story Behind The Scenes.

May 22 , 2005 (#22)

There is in the Soul a Desire for not Thinking: The Double Life of Raymond Carver
Alfred Koch- Producer
Lea Redfern- English translation Producer, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The life of Raymond Carver was right out of one of his own short stories; difficult, brief, and brilliant. He's been called the modern-day Chekov, and his work often draws comparisons with Hemingway. Raymond Carver hadn't been very well known in Austria, where this documentary was originally produced, but a serendipitous piece of timing helped this documentary receive a lot of attention. Robert Altman's film Short Cuts was released and as a consequence, the carver short stories it was based on were translated into German, generating something of a Carver explosion in the German-speaking world....then, this story aired. It was written in German, Koch's native tongue, and then translated into English for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It’s quite apparent that Alfred Koch was, as he puts it, "heavily Carver addicted" going into this production -- to both Carver's writing and his life story, and it shows in the care with which the audio piece was put together.

Featured Music

E-Rock, “Shrink Ray,” Conscious (Audio Dregs, 2003)
E-Rock, “Birds,” Conscious (Audio Dregs, 2003)
The Books, “Be Good to Them Always,” Lost and Safe (Tomlab, 2005)
Why?, “Miss Ohio’s Nameless,” Sanddollars (Anitcon, 2005)

Extras:

Hear Austrian radio documentarian Alfred Koch's story about seminal American author Raymond Carver in its orignal German. We've provided a transcript so that you can follow along. (23:00)

Producer Alfred Koch discusses The Double Life of Raymond Carver Behind The Scenes.

May 8, 2005 (#21)- The Phone Show

Wiretap
Jonathan Goldstein- Producer/Host, Wiretap, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Jonathan Goldstein gets an earful from his sister and obsesses about obsession. Also, Re:sound producer Roman Mars talks with Jonathan Goldstein about Wiretap and why the phone works so well for telling stories on the radio. (CBC’s Wiretap, 2004) (Interview excerpts originally aired on KALW’s Invisible Ink.)

#28
Julie Shapiro- Managing Director, Third Coast Festival

When Julie was 10 years old, she had an enormous crush on Steve, the star of the high school football team. Twenty years later, Julie calls him to see if he remembers the grade school girl who was his biggest fan.

My Personal Board
Eurydice Aroney- Independent Producer

Five alarmingly self aware people get together on the phone each week to talk about their lives and goals. This is the first episode of a 20 part reality radio soap opera, that’s very intimate, strangely amusing and totally addictive. (ABC’s Radio Eye)

Call to Canada
Benjamen Walker- Independent Producer, Theory of Everything

A depressed and frightened American seeks asylum in Canada because the U.S. government is “trying to kill him.” ( WZBC’s Your Radio Nightlight, 2003)

30 Second Phone Tour of the Smithsonian
Ann Dentry- Producer, Radio Smithsonian

The Radio Smithsonian team gives a guided phone tour of the Institute’s various and bizarre departments. (Radio Smithsonian pilot. It was never broadcast.)

Featured Music

The Books, “Tokyo,” The Lemon of Pink (Tomlab, 2003)
Viva Las Vegas, “Automata,” Viva Las Vegas (Acuarela, 2001)
Hymie’s Basement, “Parrots,” Hymie’s Basement (Lex Records, 2003)
F.S. Blumm, “Zweit Bohne,” Lichten (Phantom, 2003)
Pram, “Track of the Cat,” Dark Island (Merge, 2003)
Casino Vs. Japan, “Summer Clip,” Numbers Play the Basics (Carpark, 2002)
Sufjan Stevens, “Chicago,” Come on Feel the Illiniose (Asthmatic Kitty, 2005)

Extras:

Hear more episodes from season 1of Eurydice Aroney's My Personal Board in our Audio Library.

May 1 , 2005 (#15)- The Consumerism Show
Originally Broadcast March 6, 2005

City X
Jonathan Mitchell – Independent Producer

Using voices, sounds, and observations scored to Muzak, Jonathan Mitchell traces the history of the cultural and commercial phenomenon of the modern shopping mall through the perspectives of people living in a real, yet unnamed, city. (Commissioned by hearingvoices.com, 2004)

Beyond Scarves
Ken Reisman – Independent Producer, Soundvial.org
Matt Simon - Producer, Soundvial.org and Invisible Ink

Knitting is considered relaxing and maybe even artistic. But can it help find love? Or God? Or intervene in U.S. foreign policy? This musico-documentary follows a handful of Bay Area knitters as they give this ancient craft an unusual spin. (KALW Radio's Invisible Ink, 2004)

Want
Re:sound producer Roman Mars asks people, “If you could have anything, what would you want?”

Raise Your Right Hand
Kimberly Carroll - Producer, Definitely Not the Opera, CBC

In the 1940s, the DeBeers diamond cartel launched an ingenious marketing plan: the “A Diamond Is Forever” campaign turned the diamond from a standard financial investment into a symbol of everlasting love. But, as Kimberly Carroll investigates, the diamond industry has discovered a new way to tap into the luxury spending habits of the single woman: the right-hand diamond ring. (CBC’s Definitely Not the Opera, 2004)

Featured Music

Rainstick Orchestra, “Powderly,” Floating Glass Key in the Sky (Ninja Tune, 2004)
Kid Spatula, “It Starts with Bongos,” Meast (Planet Mu, 2004)
Fatlip, “What's up Fatlip?” (V2/BMG, 2000)

Extras:

Producer Jonathan Mitchell discusses City X Behind The Scenes.