An unexpected problem arises for people "living off the grid" in the early 70s... lightning strikes again and again, and it keeps ruining their stuff! There are two stories here. One is the story of the people whose energy-consumption decisions create scarcely imagined hassles -- like the need to buy several answering machines at once. The other story, and possibly even the better story, is the story of the interviewer finding out about the bizarre scenarios that went along with his parents' unconventional lifestyle. The sound of the interviewer (son) and interviewees (parents) laughing together in disbelief captures something incredible. Anyone with a slightly offbeat family can relate to this kind of moment. We'll call it the "you did WHAT?" moment, where the kids have some sort of insight into the parents' world, and the parents, looking back at the kids, see their behavior from the outside and just crack up.
My only criticism is that the piece lacks structure. That didn't particularly bother me, listening to it on its own through this site, but it's hard to imagine how it could be integrated into a larger program. If the producer would be willing to go back in and arrange the piece so that the structure was a little more deliberate, I think it could be brilliant... really! I'd suggest weaving the narrative into the parents' descriptions a little more consistently, and adding a really bang-up ending.
I like this piece a lot. The writing is good, and the piece is personal and annecdotal while managing to maintain relevance all the way through. Most importantly, I leave wanting to find out more about local farms in my own region, what is produced there and how it tastes. So it's successful on a basic level. And the interviews are really animated and personable. The voicing is a little rough at points... mostly near the beginning, before he gets so excited by the story that he loosens up and just tells it. Near the beginning, there are mouth-smacking noises and the pace is kind of slow. My only other criticism is that the point, the conclusion, is repeated a few times. I think it would be powerful if he just stated his point once and then got out. But really good. Really informative. The listener gets more from it than just the quaint story of a guy who did an experiment for a food magazine.
Comments by Gina Kaufmann
Comment for "Lightning Proof Telephone"
Gina Kaufmann
Posted on April 27, 2006 at 06:46 AM | Permalink
Review of Lightning Proof Telephone
An unexpected problem arises for people "living off the grid" in the early 70s... lightning strikes again and again, and it keeps ruining their stuff! There are two stories here. One is the story of the people whose energy-consumption decisions create scarcely imagined hassles -- like the need to buy several answering machines at once. The other story, and possibly even the better story, is the story of the interviewer finding out about the bizarre scenarios that went along with his parents' unconventional lifestyle. The sound of the interviewer (son) and interviewees (parents) laughing together in disbelief captures something incredible. Anyone with a slightly offbeat family can relate to this kind of moment. We'll call it the "you did WHAT?" moment, where the kids have some sort of insight into the parents' world, and the parents, looking back at the kids, see their behavior from the outside and just crack up.
My only criticism is that the piece lacks structure. That didn't particularly bother me, listening to it on its own through this site, but it's hard to imagine how it could be integrated into a larger program. If the producer would be willing to go back in and arrange the piece so that the structure was a little more deliberate, I think it could be brilliant... really! I'd suggest weaving the narrative into the parents' descriptions a little more consistently, and adding a really bang-up ending.
Comment for "Eating Close to Home"
Gina Kaufmann
Posted on February 23, 2006 at 01:36 PM | Permalink
Review of Eating Close to Home
I like this piece a lot. The writing is good, and the piece is personal and annecdotal while managing to maintain relevance all the way through. Most importantly, I leave wanting to find out more about local farms in my own region, what is produced there and how it tastes. So it's successful on a basic level. And the interviews are really animated and personable. The voicing is a little rough at points... mostly near the beginning, before he gets so excited by the story that he loosens up and just tells it. Near the beginning, there are mouth-smacking noises and the pace is kind of slow. My only other criticism is that the point, the conclusion, is repeated a few times. I think it would be powerful if he just stated his point once and then got out. But really good. Really informative. The listener gets more from it than just the quaint story of a guy who did an experiment for a food magazine.