Re:sound

This week on the podcast, a Third Coast original production. The Sitter Dispatch by Maya Goldberg-Safir & Dennis Funk (Re:sound debut, 2015) Straight out of college, Maya was living in her cousins' attic and was working a part-time, unpaid internship. Then she took a job as a nanny that turned out to be nothing like she'd expected.

This hour we celebrate the ethereal, Dickens-inspired works of British producer Cathy FitzGerald. Skylarking [Excerpt] by Cathy FitzGerald [Sound Design by Joe Acheson] (Between the Ears, BBC Radio 3, 2014) Cathy FitzGerald meets a prisoner and a paraglider in this airy daydream about the delights of looking up at a big blue sky. **Please note Skylarking is a lawn-based, horizontal radio feature best experienced from the comfort of a picnic blanket with a long drink, a soft pillow and a view of the sky. How to Dig a Grave [Excerpt] by Cathy FitzGerald (BBC Radio 4, 2014) Gravediggers exist in the popular imagination as a creepy, ghoulish breed. We keep them safely at a distance where they can carry the weight of our fantasies and fears about death. But what's the reality? And what lessons are there to learn six feet under the ground? The Cabinet of Animosities [Excerpt] by Cathy FitzGerald and Matt Thompson (The Documentary, BBC World Service, 2012) The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb exhibits...

This hour stories of dads who are starting to slip away and the sons who are desperately trying to stay connected. The Mind Shaft by Lea Thau (KCRW, Strangers, 2014) Greg O'Brien has been a writer, journalist and thinker all his life. Now he is losing his mind due to early on-set Alzheimer's, and he's an astute observer of his own decline. He compares this clicking in and out to the flickering light of a loose plug in a socket. He's in a race against time to share his story before the plug falls out for good. My Father Takes a Vacation by Martin Johnson (RTÉ Radio 1, Documentaries On One, 2008) A few years after Martin Johnson's mother died, his father left he and his two siblings in their native Sweden to go cycling around the coast of Ireland. Six years later, Martin decided to retrace his father’s journey — the places he went, the people he met — to try and better understand who he was, why he disappeared and why he’s been leaving ever since. Photo Michael Strong

This hour we head back in time to 1984. [Listen to the full show here http://bit.ly/1vNkzgC] 1984 (the year not the book) by Benjamen Walker (Benjamen Walker's Theory of Everything, 2014) In the book 1984, George Orwell predicted that in the future "Big Brother" would watch and dictate our every move. In the year 1984, producer Benjamen Walker was in middle school. Like Orwell's protagonist Winston Smith, Benjamen kept a diary for "future citizens" in which he recorded the country's descent into totalitarianism — and his crush on a girl named Theresa. In 2014, he revisited those diaries and produced this sonic catapult to the days of Reagonomics, Thriller, Clara Peller and the birth of Apple. What would Benjamen's 12-year-old self think about the 42-year-old's documentary? Find out in Behind the Scenes. Advice on Ageing Jonathan Goldstein & Mira Burt-Wintonick What if, by some magic time/space dimensional realignment, you could go back and advise your younger self. What words of wisdom would... &

This hour stories of detours, bad directions and finding the right path... on the road and in life. This Is Not The Way Home by Lea Redfern (360 Documentaries [ABC RN], 2009) If direction in life is a positive, what happens to those who have no sense of direction? And can a relationship be thrown off course by the introduction of an intangible, yet otherwise seemingly perfect, third person? Choir Boy by Katie Mingle (Love + Radio, 2014) Tom Justice came from a well-to-do family. He was senior class president at a swanky suburban high school, graduated from college and excelled as an athlete. Then, a bank and a bike lead him to prison. Off Route by Annie Costakis & Dennis Funk (Re:sound debut, 2014) A story about finding direction when your GPS has a mind (or minds) of it's own. Photo Richard Drdul http://bit.ly/1zD5u6k

This week on the Third Coast Podcast, we're sharing two of our favourite pieces that were entered to win the 2014 Little Mermaid Award. Into the Woods, Cell Phone, iPod and All by Amy Pearl (New Tech City, WNYC, 2013) In the city, things never seem to slow down. So producer Amy Pearl decided to get away and hike the Appalachian Trail for a few days with her dog. The plan was to be totally unplugged. Well, almost. Variety by Leo Hornak (In the Dark, 2013) A man with eclectic interests gives us a tour of his ancestral home in North Wales, and shares his philosophy on life. Listen to the Little Mermaid Award winners here: http://bit.ly/1y6Bb8c

The 2014 Third Coast Festival Broadcast, featuring the winners of our annual competition.

The 2014 Third Coast Festival Broadcast, featuring the winners of our annual competition.

This hour, two stories in which random events change lives forever, and a third pulled from a random cassette. The Long Shadow [Excerpt] by Lea Thau (Strangers [KCRW], 2014) One day in February 1997, four young men decided they would go up to the top of the Empire State Building. What happened in the observatory that day was as random as it was terrifying and cast a long shadow over everything that came after. J Dilla's Lost Scrolls by Pat Mesiti-Miller (Snap Judgment [NPR], 2013) When record store owner Jeff Bubeck buys an old record collection out of an abandoned storage unit, he has no idea what he's (randomly) stumbled across. Jeff learns the collection once belonged to the late, great hip hop producer J Dilla. Along with the thousands of LP's from Dilla's personal collection, there's something else that's uncovered, something huge... The Diet by David Weinberg (Random Tape, 2012) A story unfolds from a cassette found at a yard sale, as a man instructs his family not to interfere with...  Se

This week, Israeli soldiers speak out to advocate for Palestinian rights. Breaking the Silence by Cathy Peters (producer) & Dr Peter Slezak (presenter) (360documentaries [ABC RN], 2012) In 2012, writer Peter Slezak took a tour of the Palestinian Occupied Territories where he met with Palestinians and Israelis — including members of an Israeli NGO called Breaking the Silence, which gives tours around hotspots in the West Bank and Gaza. Slezak witnessed what Occupation means in terms of the human rights abuses that occur routinely, and the annexation of Palestinian lands to large Israeli settlements and to the 700 km long Separation Wall. Interview with Rabbi Brant Rosen Brant Rosen was rabbi at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Illinois until his resignation in September 2014. He left the position because he felt his advocacy for Palestinian rights, and criticism of the Israeli government was creating divisions among his own congregation.

The Last Days of Hollywood Park by David Weinberg (KCRW, 2013) After 75 years, the last race at Hollywood Park was run in December 2013. Once the celebrity playground of Hollywood stars, who owned thoroughbreds and stock in the racetrack, we visit the grounds in their final days. More from David Weinberg at www.randomtape.com Photo jondoeforty1 http://bit.ly/1vlOfBJ

This hour: the dinner table and all that it inspires. Big Night by Jonathan Goldstein (This American Life [WBEZ], 2002) Producer Jonathan Goldstein made every girl he ever dated watch the home movie of his family's Rosh Hashanah dinner he made when he was 17. He hoped that seeing his family life on film might make the women more sympathetic to his shortcomings Naked Dinner by Gwen Macsai (Weekend Edition Saturday [NPR], 2005) Once a month in New York, a particular group of friends gathers to dine at various restaurants around Manhattan... nude. Re:sound host, Gwen Macsai, has this report from her first Clothing Optional Dinner at a restaurant called Dorian's. Dreaming of Fat Men [Excerpt] by Lorelei Harris (Documentary on One [RTÉ Radio 1], 1994) Five very fat women meet to feast and discuss their relationship with food. Dreaming Of Fat Men is at once funny and sad and presents a portrait of women, food and desire that is rarely seen. Listen to the full story: http://bit.ly/1v0p87E A...  See a

This hour we buckle up and hit the road. Don't Drive Like My Brother by Jonathan Menjivar (This American Life [WBEZ], 2005) Charles Johnson was living in St. Louis, married with a young daughter, and he had no job. He looked around, and decided he'd try trucking. There was this company offering to train and hire drivers, so he signed up. The only problem was, he couldn't read. Stories and Driving by Sophie Townsend with Jesse Cox and Louis Mitchell (Radiotonic [ABC RN], 2014) Sophie Townsend and her husband used to go on long driving trips, taking the back roads and scenic routes, with a cup of hot coffee between them and a constant supply of Fellini soundtracks on the stereo. Sophie no longer drives those routes though, and she's slowly losing those memories because it’s another story, one that keeps forcing it's way up to the surface, that keeps eclipsing those earlier recollections. Drive Straight Ahead by Mira Burt-Wintonick (Wiretap [CBC], 2014) A driver enlists the help of her car's GPS system to...

A live recording of Third Coast's recent listening event with WBEZ Education reporter Linda Lutton. Linda's reporting laid the foundation for This American Life's award-winning series on Chicago's Harper High School. She spoke with Re:sound host Gwen Macsai and shared some of her favourite stories and inspirations. Teens Share Their Secrets by Hearing Voices and Curie Youth Radio, 2008 Teenagers wish they could tell their parents a lot of things. These kids in Chicago and reveal their secrets in a rather public venue. Gone [Excerpt] by Linda Lutton (WBEZ, 2008) About 12,000 students drop out of Chicago Public Schools each year despite efforts by administrators and teachers to keep them on track. At Robeson High School on Chicago’s south side, even an ambitious program couldn’t stop students from slipping away. Reporter Linda Lutton tracked down a few absent Robeson students and discovered that they’d left school for very different reasons. To hear the full story: http://bit.ly/1muDqs4 A...  See

This hour: they built it and we see who came. Another Planet [Excerpt] by David Weinberg, Brendan Baker and Nick van der Kolk (Love + Radio, The Organist, KCRW, 2014) The story of Clyde Casey, a street performer who used surrealism and abstract art to fight crime on Los Angeles’ Skid Row in the 1980s, and the creator of a place called Another Planet. Listen to the entire story: http://loveandradio.org/2014/04/another-planet/ The Treehouse by Karen Duffin with Nick White (Unfictional, 2014) In rural Crossville, Tennessee, you will find a peculiar mansion. It's 15,500 square feet and eight stories high, and spans seven trees.It is the world's largest tree house. This is the story of Horace Burgess, the man who made the tree house, and the price he had to pay for it. Young Ruins by Avery Trufelman with Sam Greenspan, Katie Mingle and Roman Mars (99% Invisible, 2014) At the northwestern edge of San Francisco, right on the Pacific Ocean, is a curious jumble of concrete ruins. You wouldn’t...  See ac

This hour, waiting. Waiting in line, waiting for an organ transplant and waiting for a bus that's never, ever going to come. In Line With Saturday Night Klein by Sean Cole (Weekend America, 2007) Outside of Rockefeller Center in New York, you'll find the standby queue for Saturday Night Live tickets. Hundreds wait, and few will get in, but one man keeps the whole thing in order. The Bus Stop by Lulu Miller (Radiolab, 2010) In this story, the bus stop is there, the people are there. The only thing missing is the bus. Four Failing Lungs by Catie Talarski (WNPR, 2011) For Beth and Brian, a lung transplant could extend their lives for years. Or, it could lead to rejection and continued suffering. Photo Anonymous http://bit.ly/1mprjjM

Without Name by Lina Misitzis (Here Be Monsters, 2013) Eugene up and left for California one morning without packing a thing from his apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Producer Lina Misitzis and her roommate Adrian got the apartment at a discount. The condition, though, was that they took the place as Eugene left it—full of his left-behind life. For two years they enjoyed Eugene's magazine subscriptions, ate out of his bowls, slept on his old couch and used his designer spices. Photo Lina Misitzis

This week one woman's story unfolds through many threads. Songs My Mother Taught Me by Chris Brookes (CBC, 1998) When soldiers from Newfoundland came to London to fight in WWII, many met and married local women and brought their British war brides back home after the war ended. This story is mostly about one such bride, Producer Chris Brookes' mother, a woman of mystery, charm, and above all, secrets. After her death she unwittingly left behind a few key items — including a diary — and from these Chris begins to unravel her story. He discovers her thirst for life on the one hand, a deep sense of longing on the other, and lots more than he expected about himself.

This hour we step inside the mind and listen to our thoughts. I Am Good At [NOTE: This piece is not available due to limited rights] by Cristal Duhaime with Mira Burt-Wintonick (WireTap, CBC 2012) The thoughts running through the heads of a couple as they meet for the first time on a blind date. Everything, Nothing, Harvey Keitel by Pejk Malinovski (Between The Ears, Falling Tree Productions, BBC Radio 3, 2013) A man struggles to meditate as he realises he is sitting next to actor Harvey Keitel. Feet by Gwen Macsai and Taki Telonidis (Morning Edition, NPR, 1994) Re:sound host Gwen Macsai meditates on the two things she inherited from her mother: her feet. Guided By Voices [extract] by Benjamin Walker (Too Much Information with Benjamin Walker, WFMU 2011) After reconnecting with an old girlfriend who finds him on Facebook, host Benjamin Walker tries to make some money doing experimental medical testing.

Easy Love by Jaye Kranz (Long Story Short [ABC Radio National], 2014) Twenty six years ago, Warren Kirk was at home in his Melbourne east-suburban rental. He was freshly showered, he was in his kitchen, and he was about to do something he'd never done before. Photo Emma Danielsson