The lore of the Yukon used to be the gold, hidden in the rocks. Today, only a few still dig and pan, but others treasures in culture and history still abound. Aired on NPR All Things Considered; by producer Jake Warga, “Exploring The Yukon” (5:26 mp3):
Photos from Jake’s Yukon collection:
Charles Gaulperin is a Santeria priest and the owner of Botanica El Congo Manuel. The shop sells religious items and is located in a strip mall on Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. Outside, it’s the kind of place Angeleonos drive by a million times and never notice. Inside the Botanica, are sacred Afro-Cuban ceremonies. We witness one involving the sacrifice of a hen and a sick man in New York. Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer Queena Kim, “Botanica El Congo Manuel” (4:58 mp3):
One of my favorite performed poems is a New Year’s Eve 1969 memory by John B. Lee, “Jimi Hendrix In The Company Of Cows” (1:49 mp3):
From the compilation of Canadian poets Word Up.
Hearing Voices from NPR®
044 Memory Book: Looking Back at Life
Host: Ceil Muller of KQED-FM
Airs week of: 2010-04-14 (Originally: 2008-12-31)
“Memory Book” (52:00 mp3):
Recollections, remembrances, and mnemonics for recalling time:
Lester Nafzger recites his litany of lynchpins, memories that lock his life together, excerpted from Joe Frank’s hour Performer.
Host Ceil Muller takes us on a tour of her own memory palace, made with bits of unused tape recordings gathered over the years.
We roam the beach with retired folk in Venice, Florida, finding seashells, shark’s teeth and distant memories; narrated by Joe Frank, piano by Larry Massett.
From the album Been in the Storm So Long: A Collection of Spirituals, Folk Tales and Children’s Games from Johns Island, SC (Smithsonian Folkways).
Drawing at top: Phrenology Symbolized, © 1895– by Prof. Wm. Windsor: The Symbolical Phrenological Head, Showing the Location of the organs of the Brain; from his book How to Become Rich (1898).
Bernice was bad; she used to date Biker Bob. She beat him up one day… Another ZBS 2 Minute Film Noir. Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer Tom Lopez of ZBS, “TitleOfMP3” (3:02 mp3):
And a happy new you. Guitar by Jesse Boggs, vocals by his son Eli — at 4 years old. “We Wish” (1:41 mp3):
The victims and perpetrators of genocide in Rwanda must daily confront their everpresent, past ghosts. Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer Jake Warga, “Rwanda: Genocide’s Ghosts” (8:57 mp3):
Longer (better) version, includes a delightful woman who started her own orphanage: (10:00 mp3):
A Vermont family changes as their mother’s dementia progresses. What happens to love when there is no memory? An evolution of relationships reveal themselves in these conversation between Gregory Sharrow, his mother Marjorie, and Greg’s husband Bob Hooker.
Music by Karinne Keithley. Check Transom for more on this story. Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer Erica Heilman, “After The Forgetting” (8:57 mp3):
Marj Sharrow
Marjorie Sahrrow and Bob Hooker
The secrets teenagers will never reveal to their parents. Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer April Winbun & Curie Youth Radio, “We Wish We Could Tell Our Parents” (2:21 mp3):
Curie Youth Radio group photo
A travel writer’s tips for international travelers via an audio postcard from Taiwan.
Aired on The World; by producer Jake Warga, “Travel Tips” (4:30 mp3):
See Jake’s Taiwan photos.
Hearing Voices from NPR®
042 Yes to God: Mother Mary & Thomas Merton
Host: Beverly Donofrio of Nada Hermitage
Airs week of: 2009-12-16 (Originally: 2008-12-17)
“Yes to God” (52:00 mp3):
Sound-portraits of the Virgin Mary and a Trappist monk:
This week’s host reads a home for Christmas story from her book Riding in Cars with Boys: Confessions of a Bad Girl Who Makes Good (music: Trans-Siberian Orchestra “Christmas Eve, Sarajevo” & The First Noel” from Christmas Eve And Other Stories
In 1980 NPR traveled to the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky to talk to those who know Thomas Merton (), the Catholic writer (The Seven Storey Mountain) and Trappist monk.
Ms. Donofrio goes cross-country looking for those who see visions of the Virgin, a Sound Portraits production. More…
HV and Transom just finished collaborating on getting an edited version of Eric Winick’s “How Are You Who You Are?” on NPR ATC. Our next co-project was just posted: “Transom Show: After The Forgetting” by Erica Heilman (who has a resume item you don’t see often: “an independent radio producer and private investigator”).
Th story documents a Vermont family’s changes as their mother’s dementia progresses. What happens to love when there is no memory? An evolution of relationships reveal themselves in these conversations between Gregory Sharrow, his mother Marjorie, and Greg’s husband Bob Hooker. (Produced for The Vermont Folklife Center with music by Karinne Keithley.)
Hearing Voices from NPR®
041 Christmas Mashup: Holy Days & Silent Nights
Host: Barrett Golding of Hearing Voices
Airs week of: 2010-12-22 (Originally: 2008-12-10)
“Christmas Mashup” (52:00 mp3):
Holiday cheer and holiday weird, a mix of lotsa holiday stories, found-sound, and sprinkling of sampled songs:
A home-recording of a “Christmas Gathering 1947” (4:08 excerpt), on an unlabeled 7″ Wilcox Gay Recordio Disc, was found by Bob Purse. The complete recording is posted at the 365 Days Project, “Christmas Gathering 1947” (6:32 mp3):
John Beltran remixes Bing Crosby “The First Noel” (5:02), on the compilation Holiday Chill – The Christmas Remixes
“Dad and Sam” (4:43) is Jay Allison‘s story of father and brotherhood, from his series Life Stories. More…
Vincent van Rhyn has been selling Christmas trees since he was 16. He’s been on the same Brooklyn corner every Holiday season for 30 years. Or, A Christmas Tree Grows in Brooklyn. (Photo: cc ARKNTINA).
Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer Lizzy Cooper Davis, “Brooklyn Christmas Trees” (2:36 mp3):
The Found Sound Orchestra does some nice sample-mashup-remixes. FSO is a team9 project and lotsa mp3s are at the site.
From Copier Love EP & Remixes, The Found Sound Orchestra “2000 tomorrows” (2:00 mp3):
Airing this Weekend America: Annie Leonard spent a decade researching where our consumer stuff comes from, how its made, who the manufacturing effects, and where it ends up.
Among the results is a 20min. video, The Story of Stuff (also in chapters on YouTube), made by Free Range Studios, the same folk who exposed The Meatrix.
“From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view.”
“Story of Stuff” (7:38 mp3):
The video came out on the web a year ago and has since been viewed four-and-a-half million times. Time Magazine named Annie Leonard a 2008 Hero of the Environment. Our HV radio report is by Chase Sbicca.
Ben Adair has unearthed a treasure trove of online audio at his new Natural Sound site. It’s an audio archive, blog, and podcast featuring works by dozens of producers on the several series Ben has helmed, the dearly departed Pacific Drift & Savvy Traveler, and the still-going-strong Weekend America.
Ben posted every piece from PacDrift’s two seasons and 26 episodes. This one’s by Ben himself, from Pacific Drift 03: The Markings of Culture, correctional officer “D.J. Vodicka Takes on the Most Dangerous Prison Gang of All” (7:56 mp3):
And do check Ben and wife Shoshanna’s new baby pix.
Hearing Voices from NPR®
040 Spirit World: Angels on the Line
Host: Larry Massett of Hearing Voices
Airs week of: 2010-09-15 (Originally: 2008-12-03)
“Spirit World” (52:00 mp3):
Paranormal sonic-expeditions:
A preacher/prank-caller/audio-artist conjures up a con.
Carmen samples some voodoo Santera, soaks in a spirit bath; she prays for sex, adventure, and central heat.
Ceil visits the small Florida town known as “The Psychic Center of the World.”
Our host hangs out in the new age atmosphere of the California city that sits below the spiritual Mecca of Mount Shasta (4,317 m. / 14,162 ft.).
Photo of the Cassedega intersection signs © Rachael Anne Ryals.
Here’s a piece I heard at Duke’s Ctr for Doc Studies Documentary Happening—
“‘Leaving the Mountains’ is one young man’s experience about having to deal with economic depression in rural Kentucky, and the reality of migration.” Produced for the Appalachian Media Institute and Youth Radio, and aired on NPR ATC, “Leaving the Mountains by Machlyn Blair (mp3 1:56):
This weeks HV Podcast— Sampling the “Ritual Magic” of a voodoo Santera, soaks in a spirit bath, the producer prays for sex, adventure, and central heat. By producer Carmen Delzell, “Ritual Magic” (4:39 mp3):