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- Stick Poke Scrape Dump
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- Bill Palladino
An essay/poem assignment from the Radio Anyway program titled: Dead End Jobs.
My first job was at the Bronx Whitestone Drive-in Movie Theater, picking up trash the day after each showing. The theme picks up on allusions to water. It uses a piece of music from the Kronos Quartet as its rhythmic foundation for the prose that follows.
It is essay-like, in that it leans towards frilly prose. Just my way of having fun with the meter of language while telling a story.
Radio Anyway is a locally produced program in Traverse City, Michigan. It is a half-hour in length and usually includes four six minute, independently produced, pieces. Please keep in mind this piece was produced with for this program.
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Piece Description
An essay/poem assignment from the Radio Anyway program titled: Dead End Jobs. My first job was at the Bronx Whitestone Drive-in Movie Theater, picking up trash the day after each showing. The theme picks up on allusions to water. It uses a piece of music from the Kronos Quartet as its rhythmic foundation for the prose that follows. It is essay-like, in that it leans towards frilly prose. Just my way of having fun with the meter of language while telling a story. Radio Anyway is a locally produced program in Traverse City, Michigan. It is a half-hour in length and usually includes four six minute, independently produced, pieces. Please keep in mind this piece was produced with for this program.
Broadcast History
Originally broadcast on Radio Anyway in Traverse City, Michigan on January 8, 2006
Transcript
Stick Poke Scrape Dump
This place is an undulating sea of middle class detritus. Silky rollers heaving of earth and of steel posts. The chaotic music of Poseidon himself blares from little boxes at the crest of each wave. Torrents of candy wrappers, tsunamis of Jujubes, whitecaps of popcorn. It?s all unrelenting and sickeningly repetitive. Stick, poke, scrape, dump. From peak to trough and back again. The monotony puts us into a trance. Stick, poke, scrape, dump. Two youthful zombies walking the rows of the Whitestone Drive-In Theater. Every great while a rogue wave of baby?s diapers, takes us under and we hold our breath. Suck the air in through our teeth, resist, resist, fight the urge to breath until we?re back on top. (breath) Our ship righted for another northward push. Sailors say you?ve not lived until you?ve been sea-sick.
Our task each day is made very clea...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
Suggested Intro:
Bill Palladino grew up within walking distance of the last drive-in theater in New York City. It was also his first place of employment. The veritable seas of paper cups, candy wrappers and other garbage were his domain to pick up every morning during the Summer of 1975. This next piece, written as a rhythmic poem, details the mundane work involved and serves as an homage of sorts to the drive-in era.
IN: Music starts quickly fades with voice over. "This place is an undulating sea..."
Out: "I'm Bill Palladino." and music crescendo.
Total Running Time 6:39
Musical Works
Sensamayo for Orchestra
Performed by the Kronos Quartet
Composed by Silvestre Revueltas
From the recording:
NUEVO - Kronos Quartet & guests - Nonesuch 79649-2:
Length of Excerpt 6:39
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Marjorie Van Halteren
Posted on February 22, 2006 at 01:29 PM | Permalink
Review of Stick Poke Scrape Dump
This is an unusual torrent of words, at once gentle and sharp. It very much needs a live, one-sentence intro saying it's a poetic description of this job that the producer/reader vividly (and passionately!) recalls from his youth - this mature, mellow, radio-sounding voice does not sound the voice of a person in this situation - but if you can place the scene, it's good to go, and would work nicely for any station wanting to observe April with poetry - and do! do! Poetic writing especially for the radio is so precious!