- Playing
- In Defense of Bad Weather
- From
- Guy Hand
Guy Hand, who frequently writes about the media and the environment, takes a humorous, first person look at bad weather and decides he likes it. Through news, film, and musical clips, Hand explains the media's love of meteorological mayhem and how that skewed focus gives the rest of us the feeling we could be flushed, freeze-dried, or fried by bad weather at any moment.
This piece aired on Living On Earth in mid-February 2005.
Guy Hand, who frequently writes about the media and the environment, takes a humorous, first person look at bad weather and decides he likes it. Through news, film, and musical clips, Hand explains the media's love of meteorological mayhem and how that skewed focus gives the rest of us the feeling we could be flushed, freeze-dried, or fried by bad weather at any moment.
This piece aired on Living On Earth in mid-February 2005.
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Piece Description
Guy Hand, who frequently writes about the media and the environment, takes a humorous, first person look at bad weather and decides he likes it. Through news, film, and musical clips, Hand explains the media's love of meteorological mayhem and how that skewed focus gives the rest of us the feeling we could be flushed, freeze-dried, or fried by bad weather at any moment. This piece aired on Living On Earth in mid-February 2005.
3 Comments
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Review of In Defense of Bad WeatherAn upbeat, philosophical alternative to the flood of stories in the aftermath of Katrina. You won't find any tragedy, heroic relief efforts or political posturing in this personal essay about the media's love of meteorological mayhem, as he so aptly puts it. Divine retribution versus scientific study, musical metaphors and Hollywood plot twisters - no one's entirely safe from his subtle humor (like referring to southern California as "a climate on Prozac." A great mix of tv and film clips support an underlying message of hope and faith in nature's mysterious ways. More than enough hurricaine references to make it timely now - but keep it in mind for any future blizzard, heatwave or just another rainy day. |
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Review of In Defense of Bad WeatherAs I was listening to this piece, our program director came out and said, "There's a snow warning for the panhandle of Oklahoma." Of course, I reacted. Living in Tornado Alley, bad weather is big news around here; occasionally it's the only news. Oklahomans sometime take perverse pride in our bad weather, as if we somehow created it. Guy Hand's piece is funny. He talks about how the media portrays humans as being at war with weather. My favorite line was that LA was a climate on prozac. I'm sure with the recent drenchings, that opinion has changed. Hand's piece is a sound collage of news, music and movie clips. It's entertaining and worth a listen. |
Broadcast History
Aired on Living On Earth in mid-February 2005
Transcript
Suggested Intro: Producer and media maven Guy Hand has been musing about a torrent of unwarranted attacks on the weather. And This is it. He's had enough.
We interrupt this program for a Storm Warning. . .
It's been a big winter for bad weather.
(Recent TV and radio weather news spots) City officials have declared a snow emergency in New York City . . . More dramatic footage out of Utah where more homes have collapsed in the floodwaters. Look at this . . . A rare thunderstorm rocks Hollywood as it passed over the L.A. basin. . .
It's another season of media induced meteorological mayhem. TV news loves bad weather nearly as much as it loves a new Michael Jackson trail. And that can give the rest of us the feeling that we're at war with weather?and losing? (what you see is happening now) that we're on the verge of being flushed, freeze-dried, or fried at any moment. But that's not...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
Without intro the piece is 7:20 minutes long.
Musical Works
Riders on the Storm, The Doors, L.A. Woman, Elektra, 1985, 40 seconds
Let It Rain, Bishop Paul S. Morton Sr., Let It Rain, Compendia Records 2003, 1:30 minutes
Various movie soundtracks and TV news segments
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Rekha Murthy
Posted on April 08, 2008 at 02:32 PM | Permalink
Review of In Defense of Bad Weather
I was predisposed to like this piece because I really enjoy bad weather. Maybe not floods, blizzards, and hurricanes, but a gray day or a hard rain. I thought the producer did a great job weaving in various themes - a commentary on the media, on our culture, and on our everyday lives, with sound-rich production. Fun without sounding like it's trying too hard.