I wish the word "poignant" were in the dropdown, because that word sums this one up. An 18 year old envisioning a letter (email, I'd bet) from a busy new mom and a phone call from a long separated friend with promises to "keep in touch" pretty much hit it on the head for me, and I'm 36.
The phone call includes vague answers to "so what are you doing these days" question that is the bane of most people at age 30, who often wished for more than they'd achieved by that age.
Wish I'd guessed as much about being 30 when I was 18 as these guys seem to sense already. Nice stuff.
Like another reviewer, I found that I just didn't understand what the car looked like - why it was supposed to cause a reaction in those that saw it. So I did a Google Image searh, saw what a Fiat 500 looks like and ~instantly~ understood.
Seems like a nice "weekend" piece - but will require an intro that describes the Fiat 500 to those unfamiliar iwth it.
While the author speaks v-e-r-y---s-l-o-w-l-y, this is a great one to listen to, and says a lot about fathers, daughters, childhood and TV Stars. Love it.
A nice look into the life and thoughts of a man who wears a "funny costume" for a living. Starts out funny and interesting and by the end of it you're really engaged in the guy's story and what he plans to do for a living by the time the story ends. Good piece.
Nice piece on the old days of the political convention. At least one thing hasn't changed - you can still listen to stump speeches and get drunk for free - perfect supplement piece for the upcoming convention.
This is GREAT!!!!!!!! Who hasn't stayed in a hotel and wondered about how clean it really was? Get the straight word from the Head of Housekeeping at a major hotel in Seattle. Secrets about the life of any hotel and the lifestyles of the guests.
Behind the scenes at the hotel - great for any travel program.
The big weakness of this piece is that there's no intro, transitory or v.o. commentary - just snippets of each song. Would be better if a narrator compared contrasted song styles/regions etc. Without that I can't imagine someone listening through the whole thing, particularly if they tuned in in the middle of it...
Hey - this is pretty good. The song itself is sung in chorus and a bit hard to hear all the words to, but quite suitable for State anniversaries and patriotic occasions (and sardonic comment).
Listening from Chicago about the difference in lifestyles between SF and NYC, I found this piece really well thought out and engaging. Very professionally done - I'd think that any station could use this piece, and be glad of it.
Overall, I like the piece and the concept a lot, but it feels a bit "loose" and could be a little sharper. No need for new recording, just tightening. Would certainly be appropriate for Morning Edition/All things considered.
Overproduced - too much noise, not enough light. A lot of opinion, and somewhat uninformed. Striking comment from piece - "Seeking revenge for 9/11 won't bring the victims back." Overlooks the need to seek justice.
Response to post 9/11 Hate Crimes answered by --- A series of concerts? How many hate crimes were there? Underlying theme seems to be "if you're white, you're just not right". Waving the flag seems to be equated with shallow patriotism - but one ~can~ wave the flag and be a sincere patriot.
While the story of the Japanese-American Internment camps has been told fairly often, and the tale of the "Go for Broke" Nisei soldiers reported fairly frequently, one doesn't hear so often about the story of Draft Resistors, and why they resisted.
I listened to the audio piece without realizing that it was over 10 years old. Created in 1994, it sounds quite current, and is as affecting as ever.
The program describes the difficult but vibrant life of a biracial asian/african american woman, and the challenges her family and her Japanese mother faced living near Ft. Riley Kansas.
While its certainly quite interesting and engaging, it is rather downbeat, and I hate to say it, but it does seem to have that whole "Amy Tan Asian Women have troubled lives" aura, which I know is a gross oversimplification, but is also the only shorthand way to summarize it.
I would very much like to find out more about the subject of the piece - Velina Hasu Houston - and hope that she'll be the subject of another public radio piece.
Comments by Matt Kaufman
Comment for "My Future Self, Age 30"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 12, 2004 at 02:25 PM | Permalink
Review of My Future Self, Age 30
I wish the word "poignant" were in the dropdown, because that word sums this one up. An 18 year old envisioning a letter (email, I'd bet) from a busy new mom and a phone call from a long separated friend with promises to "keep in touch" pretty much hit it on the head for me, and I'm 36.
The phone call includes vague answers to "so what are you doing these days" question that is the bane of most people at age 30, who often wished for more than they'd achieved by that age.
Wish I'd guessed as much about being 30 when I was 18 as these guys seem to sense already. Nice stuff.
Comment for "Fiat 500 Fan"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 12, 2004 at 02:14 PM | Permalink
Review of Fiat 500 Fan
Like another reviewer, I found that I just didn't understand what the car looked like - why it was supposed to cause a reaction in those that saw it. So I did a Google Image searh, saw what a Fiat 500 looks like and ~instantly~ understood.
Seems like a nice "weekend" piece - but will require an intro that describes the Fiat 500 to those unfamiliar iwth it.
Comment for "GUNSMOKE on Father's Day"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 11, 2004 at 12:47 PM | Permalink
Review of GUNSMOKE on Father's Day
While the author speaks v-e-r-y---s-l-o-w-l-y, this is a great one to listen to, and says a lot about fathers, daughters, childhood and TV Stars. Love it.
Comment for "The Mascot"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 11, 2004 at 12:37 PM | Permalink
Review of The Mascot
A nice look into the life and thoughts of a man who wears a "funny costume" for a living. Starts out funny and interesting and by the end of it you're really engaged in the guy's story and what he plans to do for a living by the time the story ends. Good piece.
Comment for "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 11, 2004 at 12:26 PM | Permalink
Review of Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!
Nice piece on the old days of the political convention. At least one thing hasn't changed - you can still listen to stump speeches and get drunk for free - perfect supplement piece for the upcoming convention.
Comment for "Housekeeping: Behind the Scenes"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 11, 2004 at 12:18 PM | Permalink
Review of Housekeeping: Behind the Scenes
This is GREAT!!!!!!!! Who hasn't stayed in a hotel and wondered about how clean it really was? Get the straight word from the Head of Housekeeping at a major hotel in Seattle. Secrets about the life of any hotel and the lifestyles of the guests.
Behind the scenes at the hotel - great for any travel program.
Comment for "50 States in 5 Minutes"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 11, 2004 at 12:11 PM | Permalink
Review of 50 States in 5 Minutes
The big weakness of this piece is that there's no intro, transitory or v.o. commentary - just snippets of each song. Would be better if a narrator compared contrasted song styles/regions etc. Without that I can't imagine someone listening through the whole thing, particularly if they tuned in in the middle of it...
Comment for "Illinois"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 11, 2004 at 12:08 PM | Permalink
Review of Illinois
Hey - this is pretty good. The song itself is sung in chorus and a bit hard to hear all the words to, but quite suitable for State anniversaries and patriotic occasions (and sardonic comment).
Comment for "Different Worlds - Moving From NY to San Fran"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 11, 2004 at 12:03 PM | Permalink
Review of Different Worlds - Moving From NY to San Fran
Listening from Chicago about the difference in lifestyles between SF and NYC, I found this piece really well thought out and engaging. Very professionally done - I'd think that any station could use this piece, and be glad of it.
Comment for "Office Artist"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 11, 2004 at 11:50 AM | Permalink
Office Artist - great topic, could use some editing
Overall, I like the piece and the concept a lot, but it feels a bit "loose" and could be a little sharper. No need for new recording, just tightening. Would certainly be appropriate for Morning Edition/All things considered.
Comment for "5 Song EP" (deleted)
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 09, 2004 at 02:23 PM
Review of 5 Song EP (deleted)
Overproduced - too much noise, not enough light. A lot of opinion, and somewhat uninformed. Striking comment from piece - "Seeking revenge for 9/11 won't bring the victims back." Overlooks the need to seek justice.
Response to post 9/11 Hate Crimes answered by --- A series of concerts? How many hate crimes were there? Underlying theme seems to be "if you're white, you're just not right". Waving the flag seems to be equated with shallow patriotism - but one ~can~ wave the flag and be a sincere patriot.
Comment for "Japanese American World War II Draft Resisters"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 09, 2004 at 02:08 PM | Permalink
Review of Japanese American World War II Draft Resisters
While the story of the Japanese-American Internment camps has been told fairly often, and the tale of the "Go for Broke" Nisei soldiers reported fairly frequently, one doesn't hear so often about the story of Draft Resistors, and why they resisted.
A good story that should be told and heard.
Comment for "Don't Take The Colors Apart"
Matt Kaufman
Posted on August 09, 2004 at 01:46 PM | Permalink
Review of Don't Take The Colors Apart
I listened to the audio piece without realizing that it was over 10 years old. Created in 1994, it sounds quite current, and is as affecting as ever.
The program describes the difficult but vibrant life of a biracial asian/african american woman, and the challenges her family and her Japanese mother faced living near Ft. Riley Kansas.
While its certainly quite interesting and engaging, it is rather downbeat, and I hate to say it, but it does seem to have that whole "Amy Tan Asian Women have troubled lives" aura, which I know is a gross oversimplification, but is also the only shorthand way to summarize it.
I would very much like to find out more about the subject of the piece - Velina Hasu Houston - and hope that she'll be the subject of another public radio piece.