This is a well-crafted documentary on the band Phish, using their last-ever concert as a focus. There's some absolutely wonderful vox pop here, including the woman who says, "We've missed two mortgage payments to get these tickets!" I could picture the muddy field and the crowds of Phish-heads tramping around in the rain.

A couple of quibbles:
First, the tone is very introductory and a little too serious, a little bit of "here's what the crazy kids are doing these days." It assumes that the listener has never heard of Phish and doesn't know what jam band music is (a helpful definition is provided). For a general audience, for a station that's primarily news-oriented, maybe that was a good choice. But for music stations, it may sound a little *too* elementary, and the Phans may think you're hopelessly uncool.

Second, I want to hear more music! There's almost constant music bedding the interviews and narration, but not enough windows where the music stretches out. I know, it's Phish -- so that could take up the whole show by itself -- but I think the show could have benefited from a more spacious feel.

There's so much good content here that I almost hate to criticize anything. The hour addresses the community that formed around Phish's music, the commercial side of the music business, and the logistics of running these gigantic outdoor concerts in a safe and eco-friendly way. Music stations and news/talk stations alike can and should air this.

This is kinda silly but definitely engaging. Makes you want to grab someone else and say, "You gotta check this out!" Very artfully done.

This is an absurdly engaging and buoyant hour of radio. Simon Morton takes a look at the world of Bollywood but cleverly frames it in such a way ("How can I get a job in Bollywood?") that his questions open doors and get people talking. I'm a big fan of Bollywood cinema so I was intrigued to get the inside scoop on how it all works, and hearing Morton's dance lesson is priceless! At the same time, he takes a look at why cinema is so popular in India, and his light skin enables him to explore the racial prejudices still very much present. He makes for a friendly and conspiratorial host, and I enjoyed going on this trip with him.

This is a beautiful piece, mainly because the main subject herself is incredibly engaging and enthusiastic. The editing is smooth and I love hearing the diary format. This piece gives a view of Iranian culture that many people may not be familiar with, but through the perspective of a longtime American. I'm putting this together with two other features on Muslim women -- "Lolita Unveiled" and "Reclaiming Islam" -- for an hour-long program.

This is beautifully constructed, with just the right proportions of words and music -- and the producer has the good sense to let the music drop out when the words are especially compelling. It sounds like Shabalala is whispering in your ear, telling you stories. I feel like I can see him leaning closer when he has something important to say. I'm using this to fill a news hole in the American Radio Works Mandela doc, so it makes a nice complement.

This is very effective radio. Simply done, a story told with just enough ambience to set the scene. It could have been much longer but the producer was smart enough to make it short and devastating.