Fred Newman performs live sound effects for A Prairie Home Companion

Interview with Fred Newman

From: Graham Shelby
Length: 08:48

Sound effects artist Fred Newman is an integral part of A Prairie Home Companion. In this interview, Fred talks about his roots, his partnership with Garrison Keillor and how he used sound effects to get through business school. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Interview with Fred Newman
From: Graham Shelby

Newman_fred_small Sound effects artist Fred Newman is an integral part of A Prairie Home Companion. In this interview, Fred talks about his roots, including the sounds that made him want to make sounds for a living. Fred also describes his first show with Garrison Keillor and how he used his own unique mouth sounds to get through Harvard Business School.

More from Graham Shelby

Tim O' Brien on war stories: "There's something that endures." (03:32)
From: Graham Shelby

Memorial Day can be tough for veterans - especially those who've served in combat. For some, the tributes and ceremonies exacerbate their struggle to resolve memories of war. ...

Shakespeare Behind Bars (03:37)
From: Graham Shelby

So a man commits a crime. A terrible crime. He's caught, tried, sentenced and locked up. Then what? What do the rest of us want from the roughly two million inmates currently ...

Caption: Graham Shelby visits a class at Burr Elementary School in Chicago., Credit: Kumiko Suzuki

An Unpredictable Business (06:20)
From: Graham Shelby

An itinerant worker reflects on the ups and downs of his chosen profession: Teaching writing workshops in elementary schools.

Caption: Graham Shelby plays with Duy (in orange) and other kids at an orphanage in Vietnam in 1994.

A Veteran's Son Goes to Vietnam (07:10)
From: Graham Shelby

Writer Graham Shelby grew up wondering what had happened to his father in Vietnam. Just after graduating from college in 1994, Graham went to find out. Among his most ...

Caption: Japanese students pose with their American teacher (back, center), a member of the JET Program.

When You're a JET...(Voxpop) (01:43)
From: Graham Shelby

Just hours before leaving the U.S., some young Americans talk about their hopes, their fears and their reasons for accepting the risks associated with moving to Japan to work ...

Woody Allen vs. Mean Joe Green (07:59)
From: Graham Shelby

A man-sized teenager believes joining the football team will help him feel big on the inside.

My Hero (07:15)
From: Graham Shelby

In the '80s,a boy who aspires to be a super-hero enters junior high school and encounters his very own super-villains: a group of ninth-grade girls who have different ambitions.

Diamond Day (06:54)
From: Graham Shelby

Tradition or cliche? Free tickets to a father-son baseball game lead writer Graham Shelby to question his attitude towards the national passtime and the value of things we ...

Planet Buddy (07:00)
From: Graham Shelby

Buddy was a sixteen-year-old bad boy who was experimenting with being good. I'd been a good boy my whole life and was ready to try being bad. Then I went on a field trip to ...

At the Humana Festival, the Playwright's the Thing (03:10)
From: Graham Shelby

The Humana Festival of New American plays is to theatre what Sundance is to film or SXSW is to music. For 35 years, the festival has focused on giving playwrights their due.

Piece Description

Sound effects artist Fred Newman is an integral part of A Prairie Home Companion. In this interview, Fred talks about his roots, including the sounds that made him want to make sounds for a living. Fred also describes his first show with Garrison Keillor and how he used his own unique mouth sounds to get through Harvard Business School.

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

OUTRO:

Fred Newman speaking with Graham Shelby of Kentucky Public Radio. You can hear Fred's work on A Prairie Home Companion, Saturdays at (TIME) on (STATION)