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Piece Description
Oliver Miller, an American from New Mexico discovered table tennis in the parks of Berlin. He became so obsessed with it, that he eventually created Dr. Pong, a table tennis bar in the trendy neighborhood of "Prenzlauer Berg" in East Berlin. This piece has no narration. No broadcast history.
3 Comments
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Review of Dr. PongOliver owns a table-tennis bar. Cool. I've heard of weird bars, like art bars, TV watching bars (think soaps, or an episode of Friends). Table tennis (ping pong) isn't really the focus, but the architecture of the bar plays a role. And, it sounds fun, with a rolling game of ping pong involving 20 or so people. And a franchise? Maybe, says Oliver. The audio has very sharp echo but is understandable. It seems mostly like a dream sequence but becomes less noticeable as you get used to it. I liked this piece. It's just Oliver, no narration, and some music. Short, sweet and interesting. Good for a Public Radio Weekend type show, or Littlefield's Only a Game. |
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Review of Dr. PongThis piece isn't as successful as I 'd like it to be and I think it has limited appeal for an American audience. Though the music thread keeps it moving, there isn't enough substance to warrant a full feature piece on this guy. Yes, he's an American who emigrated and started a ping pong bar in Berlin. Okay that's strange so why not go into more depth? What makes him want to be in Berlin? Why table tennis? Why a bar? What do Berliners think of ping pong? What do Berliners think of this guy? Let's hear from the patrons. Let's hear the game with 20 people playing at the same time rather than hear him describe it. This piece needs another edit before it's even close to ready for an American radio audience. |
Broadcast History
No broadcast history
Jim Joseph
Posted on February 20, 2005 at 04:08 PM | Permalink
Review of Dr. Pong
This is an interesting idea, but I need more specifics.
There are so many gimmicks already. Where would most 30-somethings be without irony? I need something more to quell the cynic in me and keep me from dismissing this guy as pretentious or as a failed architect cashing in on our seemingly boundless need for mindless diversion.
What was Oliver's "bizarre catharsis"? What worthwhile experience does his bar provide its patrons? Mindless diversion has its place, but if that's what his bar provides, why the high-flown concepts? Concrete motivations and experiences would more easily draw me in and get me thinking.