This is a great topic, and the piece explores it in a lighthearted and respectful way. The producers found some real gems in their interview subjects, especially the married couple Cy and Alice, the warm and engaging sex therapist Jay Lucowitz, and husky-voiced Frieda, one of the residents in the seniors’ complex. There are some nice verbal details describing things like the food on offer at the seniors’ home, and great ambient sound like the bingo game in progress. The use of music sets an upbeat tone and reminds us of the generation we’re learning about. The experts are informative, articulate, and sympathetic with their senior patients’ sexual concerns.
The beginning is really strong, using some of the strongest quotes that come up later in the piece, but it gets into expert interview a little too soon. I’d have preferred to hear more from the seniors before hearing from the sex therapists. Near the end, the narrator mentions that gay retired couples will soon be residents of senior care homes, but the point doesn’t get developed at all, so it feels kind of token. Overall a really informative piece that was fun to listen to.
This piece is really good, because the narrator's mother is such an engaging presence, and because the aneurism experience makes an effective story arc. At the beginning of the piece, we're introduced to the mother enough to become attached to her, but then we're not entirely sure if she's going to survive, so there's a subtle tension that propells the story forward. The daughter's story takes place in the background, offering a nice reflective aspect without upstaging the mother's more dramatic transformation. This piece reminds me once again how powerful it is to have dialogue between people who know each other intimately- there is a warmth and immediacy when the mother and daughter share their memories of the crisis experience. Great idea to get sound of the mother singing. Reminds me of a TAL piece with a daughter interviewing her dad and getting him to sing the jingle he wrote for his nascent cable channel featuring 24/7 puppies- hilarious, and instantly makes the singing dad into a hugely sympathetic character.
Not sure the effects made it better- there was something a little phony about the siren and hospital machines, because it forced me to imagine a) that the daughter or some unknown person was there recording in the hospital while the mother was in critical condition, or b) that the sound was recorded later and added in artificially. This is a case where faking it wasn't effective- maybe urgent-sounding music would have created the crisis atmosphere more effectively.
I liked this piece because it's a good story, well written, with nice, carefully chosen details that give a good sketch of the characters and situation in the short time of the piece.
I would have liked it even more if it had been a little more leisurely in pace. The protagonist moves very slowly, and the narration describing her movements felt a little rushed. There was obviously a choice made to keep it simple with just the narrator telling the story, but I wonder if some music and maybe other sound would have created another level of emotional depth. Maybe some Musak in the store, the sound of the ocean when the protagonist goes swimming, and/or some contemplative music to create spaces in the narrative, giving the listener a little more time to "see" the wonderful images in the story.
Comments by Jenn Blair
Comment for "Spirit and Body Willing: Sex Over Age 70"
Jenn Blair
Posted on August 18, 2004 at 09:11 AM | Permalink
Review of Spirit and Body Willing: Sex Over Age 70
This is a great topic, and the piece explores it in a lighthearted and respectful way. The producers found some real gems in their interview subjects, especially the married couple Cy and Alice, the warm and engaging sex therapist Jay Lucowitz, and husky-voiced Frieda, one of the residents in the seniors’ complex. There are some nice verbal details describing things like the food on offer at the seniors’ home, and great ambient sound like the bingo game in progress. The use of music sets an upbeat tone and reminds us of the generation we’re learning about. The experts are informative, articulate, and sympathetic with their senior patients’ sexual concerns.
The beginning is really strong, using some of the strongest quotes that come up later in the piece, but it gets into expert interview a little too soon. I’d have preferred to hear more from the seniors before hearing from the sex therapists. Near the end, the narrator mentions that gay retired couples will soon be residents of senior care homes, but the point doesn’t get developed at all, so it feels kind of token. Overall a really informative piece that was fun to listen to.
Comment for "The Day My Mother's Head Exploded"
Jenn Blair
Posted on July 18, 2004 at 10:21 AM | Permalink
Review of The Day My Mother's Head Exploded
This piece is really good, because the narrator's mother is such an engaging presence, and because the aneurism experience makes an effective story arc. At the beginning of the piece, we're introduced to the mother enough to become attached to her, but then we're not entirely sure if she's going to survive, so there's a subtle tension that propells the story forward. The daughter's story takes place in the background, offering a nice reflective aspect without upstaging the mother's more dramatic transformation. This piece reminds me once again how powerful it is to have dialogue between people who know each other intimately- there is a warmth and immediacy when the mother and daughter share their memories of the crisis experience. Great idea to get sound of the mother singing. Reminds me of a TAL piece with a daughter interviewing her dad and getting him to sing the jingle he wrote for his nascent cable channel featuring 24/7 puppies- hilarious, and instantly makes the singing dad into a hugely sympathetic character.
Not sure the effects made it better- there was something a little phony about the siren and hospital machines, because it forced me to imagine a) that the daughter or some unknown person was there recording in the hospital while the mother was in critical condition, or b) that the sound was recorded later and added in artificially. This is a case where faking it wasn't effective- maybe urgent-sounding music would have created the crisis atmosphere more effectively.
Comment for "A Cook's Notebook: Pregnant Lemonade"
Jenn Blair
Posted on July 18, 2004 at 09:28 AM | Permalink
Review of A Cook's Notebook: Pregnant Lemonade
I liked this piece because it's a good story, well written, with nice, carefully chosen details that give a good sketch of the characters and situation in the short time of the piece.
I would have liked it even more if it had been a little more leisurely in pace. The protagonist moves very slowly, and the narration describing her movements felt a little rushed. There was obviously a choice made to keep it simple with just the narrator telling the story, but I wonder if some music and maybe other sound would have created another level of emotional depth. Maybe some Musak in the store, the sound of the ocean when the protagonist goes swimming, and/or some contemplative music to create spaces in the narrative, giving the listener a little more time to "see" the wonderful images in the story.