This is an interesting story about a woman's semi-whimsical interest in obtaining sperm from a masseuse she meets on a trip to Hawaii. The only problem is that the piece is too This American Life-esque. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the program, but their style is so defined that anything that sounds like it feels derivative. This piece even employs songs that are regularly used on TAL (for better or worse TAL owns the Yo La Tango track "Green Arrow" - I don't think anyone can really use it at this point). Nevertheless, it's a good narrative and there's great reflective tape.
I admit it...I'm a sucker for produced features that sound like a friend or a buddy just sitting down next to you and opening up about something very personal.
So, this feature by Sean delivers all that and then some. A great story about a women (obviously a friend) who in the absence of MR. RIGHT decides to ask the most beautiful person she has ever seen for his sperm.
It's nothing most people haven't considered during their lifetime..."I wonder what it would be like to have a kid with so-and-so", but following through on that question well...just how do you ask for someone's sperm?
The pace and production of this feature are perfect--great music and great acts. Any time you have an interview subject say things like "at that moment" and "all of a sudden" you know you've struck paydirt.
This piece is quite sensual with a first person narrative that is enjoyable to listen to. The pictures that Jenny paints are imaginative and engaging, as she tells the story of her thought process and decisions about having a baby. The pace is relaxed and comfortable, but it doesn’t drag. The style is very much like that of Ira Glass and “This American Life”, with good use of music and introspective story telling. The story is so good that it needed little editing, and was moved along nicely by the producer. The end of the story takes an interesting twist of self-discovery. More than just a piece about a woman’s biological clock, this narrative is an essay of self-exploration as it relates to a woman’s decision to have a child. I listened to the piece several times and liked it more each time, although the ending isn’t quite as strong as the rest of the work because it lost a bit of focus for me. Production values are high, and the overall quality of the piece is excellent.
Listening to this piece was like sitting around with one of my girlfriends, hearing her story. It's a story about a life-changing moment, a life-changing decision, told in an engaging, irreverent, natural way. You forget the reporter is there; he comes in every once in awhile, but the experience of hearing this piece is what radio is all about: an intimate, immediate connection between the listener and the storyteller.
There's some suspense, and a teasing out to a surprising conclusion. The mood of the piece is languid and soft, like the Hawaiian guitar music that meanders through it. The topic, the lengths a woman will go to respond to the ticking of her biological clock, is timely and of particular interest to 30-and 40-something women.
Comments for Who's Your Daddy?
Produced by Sean Cole (for Hearing Voices)
Other pieces by Sean Cole
Rating Summary
4 comments
[redacted]
Posted on June 15, 2006 at 10:41 AM | Permalink
Review of Who's Your Daddy?
This is an interesting story about a woman's semi-whimsical interest in obtaining sperm from a masseuse she meets on a trip to Hawaii. The only problem is that the piece is too This American Life-esque. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the program, but their style is so defined that anything that sounds like it feels derivative. This piece even employs songs that are regularly used on TAL (for better or worse TAL owns the Yo La Tango track "Green Arrow" - I don't think anyone can really use it at this point). Nevertheless, it's a good narrative and there's great reflective tape.
Adam Allington
Posted on July 06, 2005 at 02:47 PM | Permalink
Review of Who's Your Daddy?
So, this feature by Sean delivers all that and then some. A great story about a women (obviously a friend) who in the absence of MR. RIGHT decides to ask the most beautiful person she has ever seen for his sperm.
It's nothing most people haven't considered during their lifetime..."I wonder what it would be like to have a kid with so-and-so", but following through on that question well...just how do you ask for someone's sperm?
The pace and production of this feature are perfect--great music and great acts. Any time you have an interview subject say things like "at that moment" and "all of a sudden" you know you've struck paydirt.
Phil Corriveau
Posted on June 06, 2005 at 03:54 PM | Permalink
Review of Who's Your Daddy?
This piece is quite sensual with a first person narrative that is enjoyable to listen to. The pictures that Jenny paints are imaginative and engaging, as she tells the story of her thought process and decisions about having a baby. The pace is relaxed and comfortable, but it doesn’t drag. The style is very much like that of Ira Glass and “This American Life”, with good use of music and introspective story telling. The story is so good that it needed little editing, and was moved along nicely by the producer. The end of the story takes an interesting twist of self-discovery. More than just a piece about a woman’s biological clock, this narrative is an essay of self-exploration as it relates to a woman’s decision to have a child. I listened to the piece several times and liked it more each time, although the ending isn’t quite as strong as the rest of the work because it lost a bit of focus for me. Production values are high, and the overall quality of the piece is excellent.
Catherine Girardeau
Posted on June 04, 2005 at 07:49 PM | Permalink
Review of Who's Your Daddy?
Listening to this piece was like sitting around with one of my girlfriends, hearing her story. It's a story about a life-changing moment, a life-changing decision, told in an engaging, irreverent, natural way. You forget the reporter is there; he comes in every once in awhile, but the experience of hearing this piece is what radio is all about: an intimate, immediate connection between the listener and the storyteller.
There's some suspense, and a teasing out to a surprising conclusion. The mood of the piece is languid and soft, like the Hawaiian guitar music that meanders through it. The topic, the lengths a woman will go to respond to the ticking of her biological clock, is timely and of particular interest to 30-and 40-something women.