January 27 , 2007 (#64)- The I Hate This Show

I Hate This
David Hansen- Writer
Dave DeOreo- Producer
Al Dahlhausen- Engineer

The story of David Hansen’s “I Hate This,” jumps back and forth between two timelines: The thirty-six hours before the still birth of his son and the year following it. A tragic topic, but it’s not without some twists and turns and even some unexpected levity. The piece began as a one-man show that won an Overall Excellence award at the New York Fringe Festival. After that, it was adapted into a radio play on WCPN in Cleveland.

Featured Music

Melodium, "My Xylophone Loves Me", Music for Invisible People (Autres Directions in Music, 2006)
Mum, " I Can't Feel My Hand Any More, It's Alright, Sleep Still", Finally We Are No One ( Fat Cat Records / IODA, 2002)

Extras:

Learn more about actor, director, writer David Hansen.

January 20 , 2007 (#40)- The Radio Show
Originally broadcast February 25, 2006

Conrad's Garage
Joe Richman- Producer, Radio Diaries

Before there were ipods,  before there were walkmans,  before there were transistors, stereos or even radio stations, there was Conrad’s garage.  Thomas Edison said “To invent you need a good imagination…and a pile of junk.” Frank Conrad , a Westinghouse engineer had both. And in 1919 he unknowingly started a revolutionary industry. Producer Joe Richman tells this unusual story. (Lost and Found Sound, 2001)

Whispers in the Air
Chris Brookes- Producer, Battery Radio

The are so many things going through the airwaves at any given time – cell phones, televisions, radio, satellite signals, who knows what is  passing through you everytime you step outside your door.  But a hundred years ago, the air was strangely empty.  Then, on Dec 12, 1901, as the legend goes, on a hill in Newfoundland, Marconi received the first trans-atlantic wireless signal,  pretty much enabling every single communication device  that has been with us ever since.  Canadian producer Chris Brooks lives at the base of that same hill and decided to find out exactly what happened there a century ago. (Battery Radio, 2001)

Snooze
Geoff Siskind

An exploration of that twilight zone between sleep and consciousness: where talking squirrels abound. (Outfront, 2005)

Featured Music

Depth Affect, "Honey Folky," Arche-Lymb (Autres Directions, 2006)
RJD2, "Ghostwriter," Dead Ringer (Definitive Jux, 2002)
Stan Freberg, Quincy Jones, Sarah Vaughan, "Who Listens to Radio?" The Tip of the Freberg (Rhino, 1998)
Depth Affect, "Velevt and Carolina ," Arche-Lymb (Autres Directions, 2006)
Minotaur Shock, "Somebody Once Told Me It Existed But They Never Found It," Maritime (4AD/Ada, 2005)
Elvis Costello, "Radio Radio" This Year's Model (Rhino/ Wea, 1978)

Extras:

HearJoe Richman's 2005 Third Coast Festival/Richard H. Driehaus award winning documentary "Mandela: An Audio History."

Hear Chris Brookes' 2005 Third Coast Festival/Richard H. Driehaus award winning documentary "A Map of the Sea ."

January 13, 2007 (#63) - The End As Beginning Show

This week we bring you an award-winning world premiere: Rebecca Sheir's The End as Beginning: An Audio Exploration of the Jewish View of Death. The trilogy blends interviews, personal reflections, and music, and focuses on death and the Jewish tradition. The work is an explanation, an illustration, and an investigation all in one -- and it balances these elements so beautifully that "Honoring the Body: Taharah" (the second segment) won the 2006 Third Coast Festival Director's Choice Award.

Part 1: Talking About It: The Jewish Mourning Process

In Judaism, death is accepted as an unavoidable part of life -- one that's acknowledged and talked about extensively. As Sheir says, "When it comes to death, Judaism gives us something to hold on to. It offers a structure, an ancient series of procedures and stages of mourning, all designed with two purposes in mind: to show respect for the dead and to comfort the living." Part 1 describes this mourning process.

Part 2: Honoring the Body: Taharah

Part 2 explores the ritualistic cleansing and preparation of the body before burial, a process meant to honor the deceased.

Part 3: What Comes Next? Jews and the Afterlife

In the most personal section of the trilogy, Sheir recalls her own grandmother's death and her childhood beliefs about the afterlife. She also interviews Rabbis and scholars about one of the oldest questions in the world -- what comes next? -- only to discover, of course, that no one really knows.

Featured Music:

Marcio Doctor, "Idyllen", Idyllen (NRW, 2005)
Hauschka, "Fernpunkt", The Prepared Piano (Karaoke Kalk, 2005)
Hauschka, "Kreuzung", The Prepared Piano (Karaoke Kalk, 2005)
Hauschka, "Kein Wort", The Prepared Piano (Karaoke Kalk, 2005)

Extras:

Learn more about all the winners of the 2006 Third Coast Festival Competition.

Listen to "AK", the radio news magazine Sheir currently hosts for the Alaska Public Radio Network.

January 6, 2007 (#39) - The Games Show
Originally broadcast February 11, 2006

Tongues Twisting
Judith Sloan- Independent Producer

Clapping games and tongue twisters in multiple languages turn into rich stories when Judith Sloan records young immigrants in a theatre workshop. Memories of life "back home", broken families, and thoughts about dual realities are woven together with rhythm games and performances as the kids reveal the game of adapting to life in America.

The Ambassador of Go
Blake Eskin- Independent Producer

Most Americans have never heard of Go, an ancient board game that has simpler rules than chess but such complex strategy that computers can’t even beat a talented amateur. In China, however, it's part of daily culture - there are 30 million Go players and two Go channels on TV. Feng Yun is one of only two women in history to become a 9-dan Go professional - the game's highest ranking. And she’s faced even greater challenges since reaching the top of her game.

The Rules Will Be Different
Melissa Robbins- Independent Producer

Hear how the political became personal in the wake of the 2000 Presidential Election for Florida recount lawyer Todd Elmer. Elmer takes us behind the scenes, as a renowned game theorist elaborates on
the boundaries of contest and archival audio brings us back to the days of hanging chads.

"There was a whole lotta hundreds..."
Michael Kavanagh- Independent Producer

In America's high schools, students are playing a game whose only rule is to break the rules. "There was a whole lotta hundreds..." is a collection of stories about crib notes, secret codes, and elaborate heists, as told by the players and the referees: students and teachers from across the country.

Flying Pumpkins
Matt Power- Independent Producer
Emily Botein- Producer, The Next Big Thing

Every year in Millsboro, Delaware, on the first Saturday after Halloween, a fierce competition gets underway, involving powerful instruments of propulsion and… some very hearty produce. (The Next Big Thing, 2002)

Friday Night Bites
Dan Collison- Producer, Long Haul Productions
Elizabeth Meister- Producer, Long Haul Productions

The River Valley High Mustangs -- in southwest Michigan near the town of Three Oaks -- have lost 18 football games in a row. But it's not just the number of consecutive games the Mustangs have lost, it's how *soundly* they have been beaten. The past two seasons, River Valley has been outscored by its opponents by a total of 949 to 38, or an average of 53 to 2. And for a stretch of games this season, the team went 25 quarters without scoring a single point. Producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister -- who recently moved about a mile from River Valley High - attended the Mustangs last game of the season to see how the team, and their fans, are holding up under such adversity. (Long Haul Productions, 2005)

If I Were a Tall Man
Gwen Macsai- Host, Re:sound

Our host Gwen Macsai has always noticed that short Jewish men love basketball, the sport of towering giants. It's taken years, but she's finally figured out why. (Weekend America, 2005)


Featured Music:

Ratatat, "Lapland," Ratatat (Xl / Beggars Us Ada, 2004)
Anti-Pop Consortium, "Ping Pong," Arrhythmia (Warp Records, 2002)
Channels, "Win Instantly," Open (Desoto Records, 2004)
Takagi Masakatsu, "Come March," Childish Music (Staubgold Germany, 2005)
Depth Affect, "Dani Guimauve," Arche-Lymb (Autres Directions, 2006)
Fugazi, "Combination Lock," Red Medicine (Dischord, 1995)
Ratatat, "El Pico," Ratatat (Xl / Beggars Us Ada, 2004)
Architecture in Helsinki, "Tiny Paintings," In Case We Die (Bar None Records, 2005)
Jurassic 5, "Game," ( Interscope Records, 2000)

Extras:

Learn more about the Third Coast Festival ShortDocs.

Learn more about Crossing the BLVD: strangers, neighbors, aliens in a new America- the traveling exhibition that features Tongues Twisting.