This is of a guy who is explaining the man hug and why it isn't right between friend and that guys just need to buck up and hug correctly, not in those exact words though. He explains that real friends don't hug like that, that real men hug correctly. The story was, though weird, pretty well written and I would listen to another like it.
Wow! I had never thought about hugs so deeply until know, there's not a school day that goes by were I don't receive hug. Hugs mean a lot to me. They can cheer you up, let you know that some one cares, or even show that someone is trying to show you some affection.
I would consider my friends and I manly men, we eat meat that is cooked over an open flame, like man was meant to eat. Yet we still share big hugs and deep intimate conversations together all the time.
Steven did a great job at writing this piece. I really enjoyed the parts where it was written somewhat mockingly to keep it funny, but it still had a joking/serious point to it as well. Also to point out how society and mainstream media view and mock a male-to-male "heartfelt hug" was absolutely great.
I would love to hear this piece get played on the air around here, but the community is a slightly anti-gay community so I don’t know that it would sit so well with a lot of people.
I think this piece is great the way that it is. It got me to think about the topic and made me smile, so nothin' but kudos from this male-to-male "heartfelt hug" fan.
This is an interesting essay, although I do think that Steven Tagle over-interprets male body-language. Yes, men often growl when they hug, but so do ladies when they go chest-to-chest. (Though, of course, it could be purring.)
By the way, the real male huggers in this world are not necessarily New Age or gay at all: they are merely Portuguese. Watch carefully: as Portuguese men (businessmen, politicians, everyone) extend their right hands for a shake, with their left hands they grasp each other tight around the back, and hug, and hug, and hug--turning even the most formal first encounter into a full-body grapple.
Back to radio: I think this essay would make a wonderful feature sound-piece, with the Steven's narration interspersed with real, live, you-are-there hug recordings. I can hear them now:
"Oh, John!...
"Oh, James!...
(Sound of male hug: "Grrrrr!" +pat-pat-pat)
Followed, of course, by:
"Oh, Latanya!......
"Oh, Trixie!!!..."
(Sound of female hug: "MMMMMmmm!...Purrrr!" + pat-pat-pat)
Unfortunately, I suspect that actual hug field recordings will turn out to be far less dramatic than the above, and sound more like:
(Traffic ambience. Then
"OK, so, like, I'll see you..."
"OK, like, whatever..."
Traffic fades...)
Thus, the radio hug will have to be cued in some way, perhaps with music provided by a convenient orchestra or, these days, cell-phone signal.
There are infinite possibilities. And I hereby give Steven Tagle an encouraging male...I mean, email...hug. (Grrr...pat-pat-pat...Music soars.)
Not bad. Not bad at all! In fact, this piece has provoked me to think about the different ways I hug different men.
Now I could tell you about what is running through my mind specifically, but I’ll just leave it at this—This piece made started me thinking about how I hug other gay men, straight men I know well, if I hug Metrosexuals differently. Hell it even got me thinking about how I hug male members of my family and would I hug Thom differently from Jai if I met the two cuties from Queer Eye. (Trust me, Thom would never forget that hug—after all, we’re both Italian.)
In other words, this piece did what is supposed to do. Make the listener think—fantasize even!
A few notes:
Try cutting this 5 min piece down to 3 mins. Forced editing, as is my rule, can usually make a strong piece stronger. This is a strong piece.
We know the producer is young by virtue of his picture on the piece and the station it was aired on. Watch your pacing and, as noted in other reviews, your honesty. Honesty is public radio core value and listeners can sense less-than-honest story telling very quickly. If you’re going to do a commentary on male hugging and allude to your own sexuality, you have own up to it honestly and appropriately for the piece you’re working on. That honesty doesn’t come through. It would have made a bigger impact to think about your hugging practices at 22, 32, 42 (yikes! My Age!).
Sure the writing and the pacing and the cadence needs some work. But this is the kind of stuff that learn with experience. This producer has talent and potential! I would consider this piece, as is or reworked, for an appropriate program for my station.
My initial and main complaint about this piece is the voice of our narrator. I didn't feel that he was honestly sharing his thoughts with the listener. There is something forced about his voice, as if he was trying to produce a "radio voice," but without the equalization and reverb (procedures both this piece could stand to benefit from). It's not that I disagreed with the narrator's insights and argument, I simply felt untrusting of him. I felt that he tried to get a rise out of the listener by exaggerating, both vocally and verbally, the description of the hugs he shares with his best friend, while simultaneously arguing against that same rise he tries to elicit. I will reiterate: some of this is tonal, some verbal. It is problematic, however. I was distanced from the piece when I needed to be sucked into it effortlessly.
Additionally, I would like to see the piece shortened by about 1/3 to 1/2 its current length. This could be accomplished by actually quickening the pace of speech, but should be accompanied by streamlining the argument. There are several false endings. I desired a cleaner piece with fewer tangents.
I did, however, like the idea of the piece. I found it accessible and amusing: the idea. Its presentation was unfortunately lacking.
This essay has potential. The description and comments about man hugs were very good, but I still don't understand the relationship with Jason. A history of the relationship would be helpful.
Comments for To Hug or Not to Hug?
Produced by Steven Tagle
Other pieces by Steven Tagle
Rating Summary
6 comments
Michael Eddy
Posted on December 14, 2005 at 05:36 AM | Permalink
Review of To Hug or Not to Hug?
This is of a guy who is explaining the man hug and why it isn't right between friend and that guys just need to buck up and hug correctly, not in those exact words though. He explains that real friends don't hug like that, that real men hug correctly. The story was, though weird, pretty well written and I would listen to another like it.
Russell Wright
Posted on April 26, 2005 at 03:10 PM | Permalink
Review of To Hug or Not to Hug?
Wow! I had never thought about hugs so deeply until know, there's not a school day that goes by were I don't receive hug. Hugs mean a lot to me. They can cheer you up, let you know that some one cares, or even show that someone is trying to show you some affection.
I would consider my friends and I manly men, we eat meat that is cooked over an open flame, like man was meant to eat. Yet we still share big hugs and deep intimate conversations together all the time.
Steven did a great job at writing this piece. I really enjoyed the parts where it was written somewhat mockingly to keep it funny, but it still had a joking/serious point to it as well. Also to point out how society and mainstream media view and mock a male-to-male "heartfelt hug" was absolutely great.
I would love to hear this piece get played on the air around here, but the community is a slightly anti-gay community so I don’t know that it would sit so well with a lot of people.
I think this piece is great the way that it is. It got me to think about the topic and made me smile, so nothin' but kudos from this male-to-male "heartfelt hug" fan.
Alex van Oss
Posted on February 27, 2005 at 11:35 PM | Permalink
Review of To Hug or Not to Hug?
This is an interesting essay, although I do think that Steven Tagle over-interprets male body-language. Yes, men often growl when they hug, but so do ladies when they go chest-to-chest. (Though, of course, it could be purring.)
By the way, the real male huggers in this world are not necessarily New Age or gay at all: they are merely Portuguese. Watch carefully: as Portuguese men (businessmen, politicians, everyone) extend their right hands for a shake, with their left hands they grasp each other tight around the back, and hug, and hug, and hug--turning even the most formal first encounter into a full-body grapple.
Back to radio: I think this essay would make a wonderful feature sound-piece, with the Steven's narration interspersed with real, live, you-are-there hug recordings. I can hear them now:
"Oh, John!...
"Oh, James!...
(Sound of male hug: "Grrrrr!" +pat-pat-pat)
Followed, of course, by:
"Oh, Latanya!......
"Oh, Trixie!!!..."
(Sound of female hug: "MMMMMmmm!...Purrrr!" + pat-pat-pat)
Unfortunately, I suspect that actual hug field recordings will turn out to be far less dramatic than the above, and sound more like:
(Traffic ambience. Then
"OK, so, like, I'll see you..."
"OK, like, whatever..."
Traffic fades...)
Thus, the radio hug will have to be cued in some way, perhaps with music provided by a convenient orchestra or, these days, cell-phone signal.
There are infinite possibilities. And I hereby give Steven Tagle an encouraging male...I mean, email...hug. (Grrr...pat-pat-pat...Music soars.)
Steve Yasko
Posted on February 20, 2005 at 12:34 PM | Permalink
Embrace, Pat The Back, Release, Air the Piece
Now I could tell you about what is running through my mind specifically, but I’ll just leave it at this—This piece made started me thinking about how I hug other gay men, straight men I know well, if I hug Metrosexuals differently. Hell it even got me thinking about how I hug male members of my family and would I hug Thom differently from Jai if I met the two cuties from Queer Eye. (Trust me, Thom would never forget that hug—after all, we’re both Italian.)
In other words, this piece did what is supposed to do. Make the listener think—fantasize even!
A few notes: Try cutting this 5 min piece down to 3 mins. Forced editing, as is my rule, can usually make a strong piece stronger. This is a strong piece.
We know the producer is young by virtue of his picture on the piece and the station it was aired on. Watch your pacing and, as noted in other reviews, your honesty. Honesty is public radio core value and listeners can sense less-than-honest story telling very quickly. If you’re going to do a commentary on male hugging and allude to your own sexuality, you have own up to it honestly and appropriately for the piece you’re working on. That honesty doesn’t come through. It would have made a bigger impact to think about your hugging practices at 22, 32, 42 (yikes! My Age!).
Sure the writing and the pacing and the cadence needs some work. But this is the kind of stuff that learn with experience. This producer has talent and potential! I would consider this piece, as is or reworked, for an appropriate program for my station.
Will Cervarich
Posted on January 23, 2005 at 06:42 PM | Permalink
Review of To Hug or Not to Hug?
My initial and main complaint about this piece is the voice of our narrator. I didn't feel that he was honestly sharing his thoughts with the listener. There is something forced about his voice, as if he was trying to produce a "radio voice," but without the equalization and reverb (procedures both this piece could stand to benefit from). It's not that I disagreed with the narrator's insights and argument, I simply felt untrusting of him. I felt that he tried to get a rise out of the listener by exaggerating, both vocally and verbally, the description of the hugs he shares with his best friend, while simultaneously arguing against that same rise he tries to elicit. I will reiterate: some of this is tonal, some verbal. It is problematic, however. I was distanced from the piece when I needed to be sucked into it effortlessly.
Additionally, I would like to see the piece shortened by about 1/3 to 1/2 its current length. This could be accomplished by actually quickening the pace of speech, but should be accompanied by streamlining the argument. There are several false endings. I desired a cleaner piece with fewer tangents.
I did, however, like the idea of the piece. I found it accessible and amusing: the idea. Its presentation was unfortunately lacking.
Timothy Kimble
Posted on January 21, 2005 at 04:19 AM | Permalink
Review of To Hug or Not to Hug?
This essay has potential. The description and comments about man hugs were very good, but I still don't understand the relationship with Jason. A history of the relationship would be helpful.