Everybody SCREAM!!!
From The Truth | 10:32
Spin class gets personal.
- Playing
- Everybody SCREAM!!!
- From
- The Truth
On this episode of The Truth, we're going to spin class. Warm up that saddle and pick up the pace, as we go inside the imaginations of two very competitive women.
Chet Siegel as Sam
Emily Tarver as Lisa
Ed Herbstman as Kirk
Produced by Jonathan Mitchell
written collaboratively by The Truth, from a story by Chet Siegel
Special thanks: Peter Clowney, Kerrie Hillman, Madeline Sparer and Chris Bannon. Recorded at WNYC and on location in New York City
A Violinst Grapples With Death
From KFAI Minneapolis | Part of the 10,000 Fresh Voices series | 03:55
Near the end of his life, Franz Schubert composed "Death and the Maiden." Two centuries later, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja grappled with the dark subject as she and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra brought the piece to life for new audiences. Their recording of "Death and the Maiden" won a Grammy award. KFAI's Ryan Dawes produced this audio portrait.
- Playing
- A Violinst Grapples With Death
- From
- KFAI Minneapolis
Near the end of his life, Franz Schubert composed "Death and the Maiden." Two centuries later, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja grappled with the dark subject as she and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra brought the piece to life for new audiences. Their recording of "Death and the Maiden" won a Grammy award. For CD info, go here: bit.ly/2HVRJLp
Portrait of a Psychic as a Young Man
From Salt Institute for Documentary Studies | 07:41
Nathan Dyer?s just like any other teenage kid-- except, for a small fee, he?ll tell you what your future holds.
Nathan Dyer?s just like any other teenage kid-- except, for a small fee, he?ll tell you what your future holds.
A Radio Rorschach Test
From Aaron Henkin | 13:30
An exploration of how six radio 'guinea pigs' react to a series of sonic inkblots...
- Playing
- A Radio Rorschach Test
- From
- Aaron Henkin
I was inspired to put this piece together after interviewing Baltimore experimental musician John Berndt about his band Geodesic Gnome. Their stuff is so abstract, it seemed like a great opportunity to gather together a really random sampling of volunteer test-subjects and to 'administer' the songs to them scientifically as possible, in the tradition of the Rorschach test.
I'm guessing a psychologist would have a field day listening to the results of this radio experiment. It turned up some pretty cool mental images and some pretty humorous moments.
Now clear your mind, and prepare to answer honestly...
City X
From Jonathan Mitchell | 22:33
A history of the mall, as told by an anonymous city
- Playing
- City X
- From
- Jonathan Mitchell
City X is a history of the modern shopping mall through perspectives of people living in a real, yet unnamed, city. Using a sound rich audio mosaic of observations and ruminations, all scored to Muzak, the universal mall experience comes to life, for better or for worse. City X was commissioned by Hearing Voices radio with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It was first broadcast (in a shortened form) on NPR's Living on Earth in November, 2004. The version presented here is the full length version of the piece It has been heard on: NPR's Living on Earth WUIS's Living in Illinois WBEZ's re:Sound Third Coast Festival website (www.thirdcoastfestival.org) PRX podcast
Potholes
From William S. Hammack | Part of the Stories of Technology series | 02:47
A pothole is a uniquely American phenomenon. Drive the highways of South Africa, Germany or France and you'll find few ruts and divots. Why potholes in America and not everywhere?
- Playing
- Potholes
- From
- William S. Hammack
To make a road, engineers first prepare the soil: They mix it and smooth it and then compact layers of rock on top. Next they make a mixture of rocks stuck together by asphalt. Asphalt is the gooey stuff left over from distilling crude petroleum. This rock and asphalt conglomerate is dumped onto the roadbed where a paving machine spreads it to finish the road. And then, in America, potholes form. Small cracks in the pavement fill with water, which freezes and expands the cracks. The ice melts in the spring leaving a gap and weakening the pavement, which eventually gives way, creating a pothole. In South Africa, which has perhaps the world's best roads, they do lots of compacting, smoothing, and mixing of the underlying soil to create an even layer. This gives the road a good foundation so that when cracks do appear, they don't easily form potholes because the well-packed ground doesn't give way. This careful approach is used in most of Europe, so why not here?
Well, a pothole is not just a technological thing, it's also a political entity. Usually we think of European nations as steeped in governmental regulation, and of the United States as a free market, but actually the opposite occurs in building roads. In the United States the government sets specifications and asks contractors to meet them. Once done with the road they have no more responsibility.
Perfect Bed
From Sue Mell | 03:22
Independent Producer Sue Mell makes a bed and talks about working as a Bed Stylist.
- Playing
- Perfect Bed
- From
- Sue Mell
Sure you've looked at all those stacks of gorgeous 400 thread count sheets in a catalogue and wished you could afford them, but have you ever wondered who ironed up those sheets and folded them so that they look absolutely perfect? Because this is an actual job--there's a bed 'stylist'--someone who gets paid just to make all the beds in a catalogue look beautiful. And there are reasons why those beds look so much better than when you make your bed at home! When she's not producing radio, Sue Mell works as a freelance Bed Stylist and in this sound rich piece she takes us through some of the steps it takes to make a perfect bed.
Bergen-Belsen
From Sound Portraits | 03:49
In 1945, the BBC broadcasted one reporter's description and field recording of a Shabbat service conducted on the grounds of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in the days following its liberation.
- Playing
- Bergen-Belsen
- From
- Sound Portraits
On April 15, 1945, British forces liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany. Sixty-thousand prisoners were living in the camp when the troops arrived, most of them seriously ill. Thousands more lay dead and unburied on the camp grounds.
BBC reporter Patrick Gordon Walker was among the press corps that entered Bergen-Belsen with the British troops that day. Over the next few weeks, he documented what he saw, recording the first Sabbath ceremony openly conducted on German soil since the beginning of the war, interviewing survivors, and speaking to British Tommies about what they had witnessed at liberation.
One of the people who heard Walker's radio dispatches was soon-to-be-legendary folk-music producer Moe Asch. An engineer at the time at New York radio station WEVD, Asch recorded the shortwave broadcast onto an acetate disc. Decades later, the record was re-discovered at the Smithsonian Institution by historian Henry Sapoznik.
Recorded in Near Celle, Germany.
Premiered April 20, 2002, on Weekend Edition Saturday.
What's the Word? Rock and Roll
From Modern Language Association | 29:08
The evolution, influence, and energy of a genre
Bruce Springsteen called rock and roll the "voice of America--the real America." From its roots in rhythm and blues, gospel, country, and swing, rock and roll had crossed over to the American mainstream by the mid 1950s and had become the dance music of the postwar generation. On this program, Ben Saunders talks about the roots of rock and roll and takes a look at the music of Elvis Presley; Stephen Burt explores rock and roll as a force for social change, with a look at the music of Bruce Springsteen and Bikini Kill; and Joshua Clover tells us why he thinks rock lyrics aren't poetry and considers the music of MIA and Bob Dylan.
Fifteen- and thirty-second promos available.
Image: Rock 'n' Roll - 1999 United States Postal Service. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.
If you are interested in this, see our piece at What's the Word? Taking Hip-Hop Seriously .
All Songs Considered: Guest DJ Thom York of Radiohead
From NPR Music | Part of the All Songs Considered from NPR Music series | 28:59
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke shares some of his favorite music with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke shares some of his favorite music with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. The two talk about Radiohead's latest work, In Rainbows and listen to some of the artists Yorke admires, including German electronica group Modeselektor, rapper Madvillain, techno duo Autechre and more.
More info: (Click on the "For Stations" tab for set list and timing cues.)
Available for free to NPR member stations.
If you're not an NPR member station, contact programservices@npr.org
Live from Minnesota: Charlie Parr
From KFAI Minneapolis | Part of the Live from Minnesota series | 51:59
Although Charlie Parr calls Duluth home, the Minnesota folk singer rarely lays his head there. He's more often on the road, sleeping in his car, and singing at bars, county fairs, and in this "Live from Minnesota" performance, at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Minnesota.
- Playing
- Live from Minnesota: Charlie Parr
- From
- KFAI Minneapolis
Although Charlie Parr calls Duluth home, the Minnesota folk singer rarely lays his head there. He's more often on the road, sleeping in his car, and singing at bars, county fairs, and in this "Live from Minnesota" performance, at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Minnesota.
Samuel L. Jackson en francais
From Sarah Elzas | 05:05
The French voice behind the image onscreen
- Playing
- Samuel L. Jackson en francais
- From
- Sarah Elzas
The capital of the movie industry is Hollywood. Its language is English. But the rest of the world doesn't necessarily understand the language of that capital, and they don't always want to read subtitles. Enter: voiceover actors. France has one of the most advanced voiceover dubbing industries in the world. And when a Hollywood actor gets famous enough, he or she begins to be dubbed by the same person each time.
This piece is a portrait of Thierry Desroses, the French voice of Samuel L. Jackson (among others).
The Tristan Mysteries; The Sonic Mysteries
From WNYC | Part of the The Tristan Mysteries series | 15:35
Wagner's classic love story "Tristan und Isolde" revealed.
- Playing
- The Tristan Mysteries; The Sonic Mysteries
- From
- WNYC
What's that famous "Tristan Chord" all about, anyway? Composer Danny Felsenfeld takes a look under the hood to reveal the power, the beauty and the "game" of the infamous Tristan Chord.
Music writer John Rockwell helps illustrate how those few simple notes have changed the course of Western music and become part of the musical collective unconscious.
This segment also features a Tristan Chord "Mashup", tracing the trajectory of the Chord from Wagner's opera all the way to the Alt-rock band, Radiohead.
Sad Happy Birthday
From Pete Mills | :32
Sad Happy Birthday Voicemail
- Playing
- Sad Happy Birthday
- From
- Pete Mills
This is a recording of a voicemail from my parents, Lu and Dick. Lu’s health has been failing for some time and Dick is the primary care giver. Lu’s voice wavers and Dicks is stronger. Dick can’t hear so well and stops singing every so often to make sure she is still a part of the duet.
Remix / Mashup Celebrating The Beatles Revolver's 40th
From Douglas Grant | 04:14
Companion Piece to Paul Ingles' Production, "Everything Was Right: The Beatles' 'Revolver'"
It's been 40 years since the release of The Beatles' "Revolver," a most fantastic collection of work by the Fab Four, producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick that changed so much in music and the recording process.
I was asked by producer Paul Ingles to help prepare material for his tribute to the album, "Everything Was Right: The Beatles' Revolver" which would air on Public Radio International (and is offered here on PRX - http://prx.org/pieces/15368 ). Consequently, I ended up with an assortment of extractions and loops from the record which wanted to be assembled in some fashion.
Inspired while reading Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey's book, "Here, There, and Everywhere," this mix, remix, mashup, call it what you like, grew to be called, "Everything Was Right."
Although the track was created as an unplanned and happy consequence of working on Paul Ingles' project and bears its name (you can hear some of it in the show at the end of Hour One Part One), it is not encumbered by that program's license, and is offered free for everyone.
* * *
Praise for "Everything Was Right"
Hey Douglas,
Just stumbled across your blog and wanted to tell you that I loved your loop tribute to Revolver, "Everything Was Right." It's great to hear someone doing something creative with such classic music. Keep up the good work!
Best regards,
Howard Massey
co-author of Geoff Emerick's Here, There, and Everywhere
--
I just stumbled upon your Revolver sound collage and absolutely LOVE IT! It's so hypnotic. A brilliant and inspired job. Thank you for presented these old sounds in a startling new way!
Posted by Anonymous
--
Wow!!, Douglas Grant, you obviously had fun doing that remix, I actually think John, Paul, George & Ringo would like it too. I'm sure Sir George Martin would give his blessing 2 & then no doubt offer you a job @ Abbey road.
I loved your remix to bits. It's the best "new" track from the Beatles since the Anthology.
I believe the beatleg podcast site have used a little of your remix in their podcast celebrating Revolver's 40th, No.63 I think. I have also heard snippet's in Paul Ingles & Public Radio Internation's excellent tribute to Revolver "Everything Was Right". Your mix highlights some of the best moments of Revolver & then some, whilst sounded true to the album & The Beatles.
I'm really made up you have done this mix & pretty gobsmacked at how good it is.
Any chance you could post me a copy, uninterrupted. I would so appreciate it. I have a mac computer & haven't been able 2 downlaod your "masterpiece". Revolver is my fav album of all time.
Yours in music,
John Oswick
--
Maria, Lena and Me
From Karla Murthy | 22:48
Maria Yudina was one of the most fearless and provocative Russian musicians of her time. She challenged not only the traditional rules of classical music, but government authorities as well. Yudina was revered by many and became a symbol of freedom during the most repressive years of the Soviet regime.
- Playing
- Maria, Lena and Me
- From
- Karla Murthy
I used to study classical piano years ago which is how I met my Russian friend and pianist, Lena Lisitsian. One day, I was talking with her about music, and she told me this fascinating story about a strange Russian pianist named Maria Yudina (1899-1970). Yudina is considered to be one of the greatest 20th century pianists, but has been hidden behind the iron curtain from much of the Western world. Living under the tight control of the Soviet regime, Yudina was an eccentric figure (a bit of a cat lady) who was kind of a rebel in all aspects of her life. Not only was her interpretation of classical music highly unorthodox, she also did crazy things from the stage, like reading banned poetry. She constantly challenged government authority, but ironically, is most famously known as Stalin’s favorite pianist. For many living in the Soviet Union, Yudina came to symbolize someone who was "free," a maverick who lived her life with no fear. In this radio documentary, you’ll hear her unusual interpretations of music and the legendary stories about Yudina that have elevated her to mythic status.
Tony Schwartz: 30,000 Recordings Later
From The Kitchen Sisters | Part of the Lost & Found Sound series | 20:42
A profile of Tony Schwartz, an innovative and inspired sound gatherer, recording the sounds of America since 1945.
This is a profile of Tony Schwartz, an innovative and inspired sound gatherer, recording the sounds of America since 1945. Schwartz died on June 14, 2008 at the age of 84.
Schwartz composed the Lost and Found Sound series theme music, "Music in Marble Halls." He recorded it in the lobby of 14 East 36th Street in New York City in the late 1950s. Clarinet by Jimmy Giuffre with Mrs. Giuffre on High Heels.
TONY SCHWARTZ:
"New York 19" was the non-commercial musical life of my postal zone. And the postal zone was New York 19 at that time. It's 10019 now. That was the area I could travel in. I'm not able to travel far. I have agoraphobia and in walking I could just go around my postal zone in the midst of Manhattan.
I made the first portable recorder. I brought the VU meter from inside the case to the top so I could look down at it and see how loud things were and I put a strap on it so I could hang it over my shoulder, that was in 1945. I could go record children in the park doing jump rope rhymes. And I recorded the street festivals. I made fourteen records for Folkways records you can see them up there. The children's games of the streets -- I called it "1-2-3 and a Zing-Zing-Zing." "I won't go to Macys any more more more. There's a big fat policeman at the door door door..." I was interested in the sound around us.