- Playing
- House of Cards
- From
- Sarah Neal
Obsession. There are so many types. And none of them are logical. And when my friends and I became obsessed with bridge we lost our minds. I say this because we lost our social lives, spent unnecessary money and missed hours of sleep. And this piece portrays our mission for seven spades doubled, redoubled bid and made satisfaction - though listeners need not understand that last part to enjoy. This is a simple profile of a rousing obsession. And it could just as easily be written about anyone who's a collector of anything, the person with the perfect garden or the person who knows every everything about the football team at his alma mater. Obsessions have much in common from a distance. So this is a portrait of twenty something college graduates obsessed with the card game bridge - but it might also resemble a portrait of you. Voices include: happy obsessed people, funny obsessed people, thoughtful obsessed people and a friend of the obsessed who's organizing a contingency against the obsession. Have fun, enjoy.
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Grandfather
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This is a piece about an unexpected recording from the past. My grandfather taped hours of his thoughts for me when I was two - sitting in his self made "recording studio," ...
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Luck
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There's bad luck, luck of the Irish, and the luckiest day of my life, when I was hit in the head with a truck.
Gay in the Heartland
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A picture of gay America that is rarely portrayed by the media - one of gay Americans who choose to live in small, heartland towns.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Obsession. There are so many types. And none of them are logical. And when my friends and I became obsessed with bridge we lost our minds. I say this because we lost our social lives, spent unnecessary money and missed hours of sleep. And this piece portrays our mission for seven spades doubled, redoubled bid and made satisfaction - though listeners need not understand that last part to enjoy. This is a simple profile of a rousing obsession. And it could just as easily be written about anyone who's a collector of anything, the person with the perfect garden or the person who knows every everything about the football team at his alma mater. Obsessions have much in common from a distance. So this is a portrait of twenty something college graduates obsessed with the card game bridge - but it might also resemble a portrait of you. Voices include: happy obsessed people, funny obsessed people, thoughtful obsessed people and a friend of the obsessed who's organizing a contingency against the obsession. Have fun, enjoy.
Broadcast History
B-Side Radio, online, 2002
Inside Oakland, UC Berkeley, 2003
AK, Alaska Public Radio Network, 2005
Timing and Cues
Longer version RUNS: (05:30) with a music IN and OUT
Shorter version RUNS: (2:00) with music IN and OUT
Suggested host lead for either: This is a picture of obsession. In the 1990s, some twenty something college graduates living in the San Francisco Bay Area became obsessed with bridge - the card game - that their grandparents played.
Reporter Sarah Neal was part of this group, and this their story. But obsessions have much in common when viewed from a distance - so this might also resemble a portrait of you.
