Roman Mars Makes Radio

Awesome Pope! This is the greatest vox pop ever committed to tape. I presented and confessed my love for its sublime exuberance at Pop-Up Magazine #1, and even though I had nothing at all to do with the NPR story it came from (I’m citing fair use here), it is near and dear to my heart. If you ever need cheering up, play this.

Back when I worked for the amazing Third Coast International Audio Festival, I discovered and became kind of obsessed by Radio Net. For two hours on 200 NPR stations in 1977, sound artist Max Neuhaus conducted a massive, experimental audio symphony using processed sound from callers all around the nation. It’s a vivid reminder of the audacious, experimental artistic force NPR once was (but no longer wants to be). (produced 2005)

Faux Bono. When Pavel Sfera looks in the mirror he sees one of the biggest rock stars in the world. That’s what most everyone else sees too, and that’s the way Pavel Sfera likes it. Q: What’s it like to walk into a bar with Bono? A: Awesome.

The tape rolls as we witness the tearful end of a perfect online world. This piece is based on a story from Robert Ashley’s brilliant A Life Well Wasted internet radio program.

Going to See the Elephant by Rodes Fishburne is a whimsical tale, where the inexorably linked traits of writing, hubris and naïveté bounce around a maelstrom of patented San Francisco eccentricity. I met up with Fishburne to find out why San Francisco is the only place where these characters could come to life.

Tuesday nights aren’t exactly the most exciting night of the week. Most bands play over the weekend. Movies open on Friday. But, if you’re the type of person who knows who the 28th president of the United States was or the name of the longest suspension bridge, then Tuesday may be your favorite night of the week to go out.

NASA is figuring out how to take the next great leap into space. The difficulty is, if we leap to Mars, we might not make it back. (produced Summer, 2009)