Piece Description

Joe Bevilacqua uses audio he recorded as a child to recount how his volatile father's gift of a tape recorder led him to another father figure (Daws Butler) and an eventual career in radio. Check out my latest review: Dad & Daws (Father's Day) Joe Bevilacqua , 10:46 ***** Engaging, Intimate, Real What a wonderfully crafted piece for Father's Day. Joe brings us a captivating, intimate, sound rich story. He does it with simple writing and without being overly dramatic. The story has a steady tone that keeps listeners engaged, definitely a candidate for a driveway moment. The story also has a flowing narrative with good visual imagery. I also love hearing that the correspondence with Daws was done via letter and cassette, especially now in the era of e-mail, blogs etc. The story of Joe's father is disturbing and troubling. However, Joe's writing and use of tape makes it an element of a story and shines the light on the good that came out of his work with Daws and the career that grew from his love for cartoon characters. He leaves the listener feeling good for him and sharing the same wonder about his father's purchase of a stereo tape recorder. Kudos for saving all this tape and weaving into a sound-rich, personal essay. (Reviewer) (Editorial Board) Arvid Hokanson , KUOW May 31, 2007 First broadcast June 13, 2003 (Father's Day) on Weekend Edition Sunday. Can be rebroadcast anytime. This version includes the Weekend Edition intro, which should be cut if run on a date other than Father's Day. Please credit NPR's Weekend Edition if you use. Joe Bevilacqua is willing to remix the piece if needed. You can also run these FREE programs that are discussed in the piece with it: http://www.prx.org/pieces/18822