Comments for Schadenfreude: The Phudie Mart

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This piece belongs to the series "Schadenfreude"

Produced by Justin Kaufmann, Schadenfreude, Shiow-Jiau Yung

Other pieces by WBEZ

Summary: Chicago Public Radio's comedy program presents the documentary, "The Phudie Mart."
 

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Review of Schadenfreude: The Phudie Mart

This is brilliant. Listen! It's smart, funny, keenly observed, sound rich, brilliantly performed, masterfully produced. It's just great, great radio.
It's a radio play, I guess, but maybe more like a film. Justin Kaufman reminded me of Steve Buscemi (not to diminish Justin's unique performance through comparison, but I love Buscemi so this is meant as a high compliment)
The piece is full of wonderful images and characters that are so well conceived... and, I think I said this already, the writing is great!
Most of the attempts I hear at humor on public radio (NPR in particular) fall totally flat (except when I bought hook line and sinker the April Fools ATC piece that the Boston Celtics (Sell-tics) were changing their name to the Celtics (Kell-tics). That time, the joke was on me. This time, there are no "jokes" - just brilliant comedy, the kind that makes you laugh AND think. Great, great work.

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Review of Schadenfreude: The Phudie Mart

Let’s say upfront that I go for comedy – and that in trawling around prx for some yucks I’ve listened to other Schadenfreude pieces and (along with a couple of other groups) I enjoy them quite a lot. What I like most about their work is the gentle, but intricate attention to character, which also comes out in the writing. This piece, a mockumentary about a food market, is no exception, with individuals that I can palpably SEE: the employee in a stiff brown tie who refuses to take a vacation, the affable nut in her cowboy boots, the “loose cannon” in open shirt. However, in my mind better not to announce it as a documentary – because to parody a doc successfully it should really fool you, especially in a sea of radio where almost everything is documentary around it. This however sounds like comedy from the get-go (with the reporter as straight man – why not - everyone needs one!) – might as well go with it. Also – I was less happy when piece strayed from the subtlety – the screaming fascist from corporate headquarters – too much. Don’t need to do that to keep surprising me – the little stuff gets me first.