Summary: It is the story of the brain aneurysm that almost killed my mother in 1987 and how she became a completely different person from the mother of my childhood.
THe part of this piece that captures my attention is how the illness turned the mother into an open person, how she likes sex better etc. I would like to have heard more about that and what the world is like for her mother now that she is "open", not so much about the story of how the illness struck. I also wanted more about the relationship between the daughter and the mother and how it changed. That would make it a stronger piece. THe part at the end about not worrying about work or cellphones, I found, was a bit cliched.
Producing a piece about brain aneurysms and dying mothers can make for some pretty bummer radio. Thankfully, this piece avoids all those pitfalls without getting sappy.
This is an unusual story with lots of unexpected little twists, often producing a lot of unanticipated (yet very human) moments of humor. Listen, and you to may believe that heaven is being a vegetable farmer in Vietnam (you have to listen to get that joke).
The piece is a bit too long, but some fantastic interview clips with her mother (who did survive) keep things moving. The only distractions are some occasional sounds effects (ambulance noise, hospital monitor beeps). These are so unnecessary. Since these are not authentic sounds recorded at the time of the events, they are superfluous. The story is so strong that they aren’t needed.
For stations, the piece would make a nice drop-in for a variety of magazine-style programs. A possible connection would be Mother's Day. The piece has an intro and outro that are better read by the local host.
Comments for The Day My Mother's Head Exploded (Short Version)
Produced by Hannah Palin
Other pieces by Hannah Palin
Rating Summary
2 comments
Melissa Waldron Lehner
Posted on March 19, 2004 at 08:19 AM | Permalink
Review of The Day My Mother's Head Exploded (Short Version)
THe part of this piece that captures my attention is how the illness turned the mother into an open person, how she likes sex better etc. I would like to have heard more about that and what the world is like for her mother now that she is "open", not so much about the story of how the illness struck. I also wanted more about the relationship between the daughter and the mother and how it changed. That would make it a stronger piece. THe part at the end about not worrying about work or cellphones, I found, was a bit cliched.
Eric Nuzum
Posted on March 18, 2004 at 01:30 AM | Permalink
Review of The Day My Mother's Head Exploded (Short Version)
This is an unusual story with lots of unexpected little twists, often producing a lot of unanticipated (yet very human) moments of humor. Listen, and you to may believe that heaven is being a vegetable farmer in Vietnam (you have to listen to get that joke).
The piece is a bit too long, but some fantastic interview clips with her mother (who did survive) keep things moving. The only distractions are some occasional sounds effects (ambulance noise, hospital monitor beeps). These are so unnecessary. Since these are not authentic sounds recorded at the time of the events, they are superfluous. The story is so strong that they aren’t needed.
For stations, the piece would make a nice drop-in for a variety of magazine-style programs. A possible connection would be Mother's Day. The piece has an intro and outro that are better read by the local host.