Soapbox (((HearingVoices))) Radio Special

A Sampling 20th Century Political Speech
Hosted by Sarah Vowell (= 28K)

• Scott Carrier has friends across from the White House in "Lafayette Square."
• Dave Eggers snaps a "Family Photo Opp" in brother Bill's campaign Hummer.
• Joe Frank's "Presidential Candidate" is just like us -- and that's scary.
• Jesse Boggs and the Bush Administration do the "WMD Waltz."
• Taylor Mali teaches us "How to Write a Political Poem."
• Host Sarah Vowell establishes "The Garden for Disappointed Politicians."
• And the Presidents of the United States swear their Inaugural Oaths.

Soapbox- Part 1 (33:00) featuring:

"Lafayette Square" by Scott Carrier. Hanging out for a few months with the mostly homeless protesters living in the park directly across the street from the White House.

"Family Photo Opp" by Dave Eggers. On the campaign trail with Dave's brother Bill, running for State Representative as a Republican -- blood is thicker than politics.

The first sound-recording of a presidential inauguration was made in 1925, Calvin Coolidge's ceremony. It was one of the first electrical recordings, using not acoustical horns to capture audio, but microphones and amplifiers to record the sound. (No inaugural recording exists of Coolidge's sucessor, Herbert Hoover.) During this first half of the radio special, we hear excerpts from:

CALVIN COOLIDGE Inaugural Address, Wednesday, March 4, 1925

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT First Inaugural Address, Saturday, March 4, 1933

HARRY S. TRUMAN Inaugural Address, Thursday, January 20, 1949

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER First Inaugural Address, Tuesday, January 20, 1953

JOHN F. KENNEDY Inaugural Address, Friday, January 20, 1961

Thomas in Lafayette Square; © 1983 Scott Carrier

Soapbox- Part 2 (24:00) featuring:

"How to Write a Political Poem" and "Totally Like Whatever" by Taylor Mali. Two poetic polemics on rhetoric, rhyme, and reason -- "Where are the limbs onto which we once walked?"

"The Garden for Disappointed Politicians." by Sarah Vowell. Established as a conceptual public trust, based on Alexander Hamilton's observations on the good of gardening for frustrated pols. An entry in the book: The Future Dictionary of America (a lexicon of words which will be coined in a future, better U.S.A.).

Bushisms (5:17) QuickTime (17M) Real (56K) A Video by Trent Harris Audio/Music: Jesse Boggs Vox: Bush Administration

"Presidential Candidate" by Joe Frank. An excerpt from Joe's hour "Words" in which the politician shows his common roots, that he just like us -- i.e., full of repressed rage and deeply disturbed.

"WMD Waltz" by Jeese Boggs. An administration speaks with one voice, dances to the same disciplined downbeat.

And we hear more inaugural words from more Presidents of the United States. (President Ford did not have an Inauguration Day, but did have some memorable moments during his "Remarks On Taking the Oath of Office".):

LYNDON B. JOHNSON Inaugural Address, Wednesday, January 20, 1965

RICHARD M. NIXON Second Inaugural Address, Saturday, January 20, 1973

GERALD FORD Remarks On Taking the Oath of Office, Friday Aug. 9, 1974

JIMMY CARTER Inaugural Address, Thursday, January 20, 1977

RONALD REAGAN Second Inaugural Address, Monday, January 21, 1985

GEORGE H. W. BUSH Inaugural Address, Friday, January 20, 1989

BILL CLINTON First Inaugural Address, Thursday, January 20, 1993

GEORGE W. BUSH Inaugural Address, Saturday, January 20, 2001

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WEB RESOURCES: Producers

Sarah's- Consonant Vowells
Scott's- All Things Carrier
Scott Carrier- Green River Stories
Dave Eggers- McSweeney's
Dave & Sarah- The Future Dictionary of America
Taylor Mali- TaylorMali.com
Joe Frank- Official Website
Jesse Boggs- The News Lounge
Trent Harris- Video Shorts

WEB RESOURCES: Lafayette Square, Inaugurations

Library of Congress- "I Do Solemnly Swear": Presidential Inaugurations
National Archives- Inauguration Quiz
Truman Library- Presidential Inaugurations Quiz
Grolier Encyclopedia- The American Presidency
LOC's Historical American Building Survey- Lafayette Square
National Park Service- Lafayette Square Historic District
U.S. Dept. of Transportation- Imaginary Tour of Pennsylvania Avenue
Lafayette Square's Thomas/Connie/Ellen- Proposition One
Bold New Look- Interview with Concepción Picciotto (Connie)

This special was mixed by Robin Wise of Sound Imagery. Executive Producer is Barrett Golding. (((HearingVoices))) specials are crafted from new and classic radio shows. Funders include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Endowment for the Arts.

Audio © the producers & (((HearingVoices))). Battle Mtn photos © Scott Carrier

These specials are Free to all public stations (via Creative PR)