Story/Archives
Hearing Voices- Radio Stories
Norfolk Island
Captain Cook gave Norfolk Island its first tourist slogan when he spotted it in 1774: “Jewell of the Pacific”. In 1825 it became “Hell on Earth,” the most feared of England’s penal colonies in Australia, designed as, “a place of the extremist punishment short of death.” Later, it was given to the decedents of the Mutiny on the Bounty to settle. Now, the tourism slogan is: “Norfolk Island… be surprised” — and the island has become completely dependent on tourism.
Aired on NPR All Things Considered; by producer Jake Warga, “Norfolk Island” (5:04 mp3):
Here’s a sample pic from Jake’s Norfolk photo gallery:
Auto-Tuned News
The band The Gregory Brothers are turning newscasters, pundits and politicians into “unintentional” pop-singers by auto-tuning their spoken voices into sung melodies. Their “Auto-Tune the News” series are videos on YouTube and songs on Amie Street.
Michael and Evan Gregory tell us about artificially (art-officially?) interacting with the media’s talking heads. Aired on PRI Studio 360; by producer Barrett Golding, “Auto-Tuned News (edit)” (6:26 mp3):
S360 was a bit time-constrained, so couldn’t present the whole piece, including the G-Bros series Songified History (free d/l at Amie Street), w/ JFK, MLK, & Churchill. Here’s the full vers…
“Auto-Tuned News” (7:03 mp3):
HV on NPR Road Trips
HV goes on NPR Road Trips, the new 3 CD collection from the NPR Shop. We have two stories on National Park Adventures: Scott’s “Angel’s Landing- Zion” and my “Yellowstone Geyser Guy.
Skye’s “Papua New Guinea: Highlands Celebration” is on NPR Road Trips: Postcards From Around the Globe.
We also have a piece, “The Pledge,” on the older NPR CD, The Declaration in Sound.
Reunion- Mother & Son
When Carol Brobeck was 20, she gave her baby boy away for adoption. Twenty years later, the son, Joel, came looking. They two tell their story of reunion.
Aired on NPR All Things Considered; by producers Shea Shackelford (of Big Shed) & Vige Millington for Speakeasy StoryCast, “Reunion- Mother & Son” (5:34 mp3):
Solitary Confinement
Nine former prisoners describe their experiences in solitary confinement. Produced for the STOPMAX project and video, working to end cruel treatment of prisoners. (Voices: Robert Dellelo, Munirah El-Bomani, Tommy Escarcega, Ray Luc Levasseur, King Arch Angel, Hakeem Shaheed, Bilal Sunni-Ali, Laura Whitehorn, Robert King Wilkerson.) Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer Claire Schoen, “Solitary Confinement” (7:19 mp3):
Ghostly Prison- Tasmania
Guide Jane Mills take us on a night tour inside the walls of Port Arthur, Tasmania’s former convict settlement and notorious 19th century penitentiary, now one of Australia’s top tourist attractions. Aired on PRI The World; by producer Jake Warga, “Ghostly Prison- Tasmania” (2:49 mp3):
Part-time Poet
Sez Larry: “My neighbor Rich Keplar is a regular-guy neighbor. He’s a picture framer, a Vietnam vet, his wife’s a lawyer, they have two kids in college, a dog, and a lawn. But one day he mentioned he writes poetry — strictly amateur, never published. So I asked him to read me a few, expecting… well, I don’t know exacty what, but certainly not this…”
Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer Larry Massett, “Part-time Poet” (8:57 mp3):
Miracle on the Streets
Miracle Draven was a homeless girl on the streets of Portland, Oregon. She recounts a day in her life as a crystal meth addict. Excerpted from a longer work (2005) at Stories1st.org. Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer Dmae Roberts, “Miracle on the Streets” (3:27 mp3):
