Comments by Justin Grotelueschen

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Review of Travels In Stasis (deleted)

A mix of field recordings, experimental sound, and poetry (mostly from Schuman) make for an interesting ride. It seems Schuman's intent was to focus on the poetry and use the rest of the sounds as a backdrop accentuating the mood. I find myself focusing on the sounds rather than the text (that's what I enjoy), and so words and phrases tend to jump out at me rather than the poetry leading the charge (I imagine most regular listeners of public radio will focus on the text considering most pubradio shows focus on speech, not raw sound). Focusing on the sounds within, with Schuman's gentle voice floating over the top, I find this works well on the whole as a sound art piece and/or experimental radio. Those who delve into poetry will want to explore the validity of the text. I would hear some of the shorter pieces here within any adventurous public radio program. I encourage the whole thing to be aired -- challenging, sound-rich storytelling needs to be supported so its creators see the need to make more and continue to set the bar higher.

Comment for "Patti Smith: Horses 30th Anniversary"

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Review of Patti Smith: Horses 30th Anniversary

I felt like the subject was handled tastefully and it reflected through the editing of the piece -- Smith and her work drove the flow -- not overproduced -- just the right amount and placement of song samples to allow me to get inside the music without forgetting I'm in a documentary piece. Very nice work.

Comment for "Pimp my PC! Portrait of a LAN Party"

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Review of Pimp my PC! Portrait of a LAN Party

I think Aaron's best trait as a producer is to find unique yet not all that funny situations and to flesh them out, in a patient fashion, to a compelling finish. His timing is great, and he has a good sense of how to edit his work down. Here he takes a slice of dweeb culture and allows the story to run with itself. This is an example of the new flexible public radio that would sound at home in variety of programs.

Comment for "Schadenfreude: Twin Arches -- Who Killed Scruffy McMuffin?" (deleted)

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Review of Schadenfreude: Twin Arches -- Who Killed Scruffy McMuffin? (deleted)

Very nice. Humor=good. Campy in the David Lynch sort of way, but not over the top. Love the adaptations of the current "I'm Lovin' It" marketing campaign -- doesn't get old, even though it was reintroduced throughout the half-hour. Excellent production. Garners repeat listens.

Comment for "Martin Espada"

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Review of Martin Espada

Entertaining for both his poetic and storytelling techniques, Espada's work is compiled here with the smooth flow of the New Letters producers. 29 minutes not wasted.

Comment for "OLD AUDIO Asylum" (deleted)

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Review of Asylum (deleted)

Very nice work for any producer, let alone a young one. Good range of voices and perspective, good usage of music. Interesting to hear the discussion about the definition of refugee, as this is a point of contention in media coverage of the tragic flooding of New Orleans.

Comment for "We Were On Duty"

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Review of We Were On Duty

First off, before I speak about the content, I like most of the production quality here. The draw of this piece is the underexposed voices of those victims in the Pentagon phase of the terrorist attack, and hearing what that morning was like and how they are dealing wtih it. That said, in listening to this piece, notably produced before the Iraq started about seven months later, the voices contained within give me a bit of the shivers, partly because the multiple Christian voices here remind me of many people with views that I don't agree with. While that is painful, it's always interesting to hear the other perspective. The piece ends on kind of a rah-rah U.S.A. note, which I don't care for either, but this piece is driven by the voices of the people who were there, and these were the people who were there. Overall a good flow and production, featuring compelling voices, albeit voices that I'm not entirely comfortable with.

Comment for "The Crucible" (deleted)

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Review of The Crucible (deleted)

I aired this yesterday and received more calls than I ever have during one show. Response was VERY positive from both within and outside my station. While some listeners contended this wasn't Miller's best play, no one disagreed when I said the performances were very strong, the story as told by the characters was quite effective, and the overall production quality was exceptionally high. It's amazing to think of how the dialogue in this play had a wholly separate meaning in post-WWII, communism-fearing world; this is a dramatic history lesson on two very different time periods. Don't pass this off as just another rendition of the Salem witch era -- this is just all-around great radio.

Comment for "Hallelujah Nietzche. . . Offramp" (deleted)

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Review of Hallelujah Nietzche (deleted)

Goofy Offramping radio fun. These folks are funny and witty and oftentimes in need of an editor. But as long as they can keep cranking these out on a regular basis, I don't mind sitting though a bit of filler to get my chuckles in for the day.

Comment for "Independent Minds: Peter Sellers"

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Review of Independent Minds: Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers! What an amazing guy, an actor of otherwordly presence and flexibility with a sharp comedic mind. But he was a troubled soul and regarded himself as not much more than an empty shell that the well-defined characters he played could manipulate at will. We learn all about him here through a cast of modern celebrities and comedic types who fawn over the late great genius. I would have read this script on a scribbled piece of crumpled notebook paper -- instead, it unfolds in a beautifully paced radio piece that never falters through the hour. Great clips of Sellers, fine narration. Highest marks!

Comment for "Grey Ghost"

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Review of Grey Ghost

"It's the raisin ants" -- oh, I mean "resonance." GG is a listening exercise on a couple of levels. For one, the natural sound here is wickedly cool. Two, the voices on this piece have the Crocodile Dundee sort of accent that make you puzzlingly cock your ear toward the speaker. And that's why this piece works for me, because as I often strain to understand what the speakers are saying, the sound of a cackling bird suddenly shoots out my speaker and my ear takes all of it in. Then the piece unfolds and all of this beautiful resonance follows and wraps around the voices that drive this piece. If the nat. sound was consistently a bit higher in the mix, I would have nothing but praises for this piece. Very nice.

Comment for "A Gambler's Prayer"

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Review of A Gambler's Prayer

Based on this piece, I would call the Little Gray Book Lectures more stand-up comedy than a lecture, an academic vehicle. Martin talks to the crowd like they're a dumbfounded acquaintance sitting on the neighboring barstool, with the drive and wordiness of a filibustering senator. Then the acoustic guitar kicks in, an excessively lame-sounding song that makes me want to stop the piece in its tracks. But the lyrics get a rather humorous with a minute or so to go, bringing the piece to a fitting end. I guess this means I'll be back for class next week.

Comment for "Reconstructing Providence: Adaptive Reuse, Urban Revitalization, & Neighborhood Change"

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Review of Reconstructing Providence: Adaptive Reuse, Urban Revitalizat

A news-y topic that's not treated by one. The score is wonderful but at times abruptly comes in or cuts off. Other than that I like this quite a bit. Another crappy story about artists working to build a community and a city tearing it down in a fit of greed. Plenty of Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt) standing up in community meetings to deplore the rising costs of these new Providence art spaces. More than any producer I've heard in a while, Robin talks to the listener in a conversational tone that doesn't sound canned, just telling a story -- she's learned how to write for her voice. Highly recommended.

Comment for "PART 2: The Son of a Bitchin Bomb Went Off"

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Review of PART 2: The Son of a Bitchin Bomb Went Off

Sheep, and plenty of them. A little bit of somber music. And a good voice, talking about a real story that many listeners either don't know about or have forgotten about. Simple approach, no narrator, and it works well. A nice short piece like this could be a change of pace within a larger news magazine program.

Comment for "Heard: At Once - Bell Buoys"

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Review of Heard: At Once - Bell Buoys

I've heard these buoys are a really amazing listen at night. I did a weekly radio show of found sound and would have played something much like this piece. It works as a musical piece, as sound art, and as a soothing piece to fall asleep by.

Comment for "Naked People"

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Review of Naked People

Is nudity always artistic? Not the first time this question has been asked, but it's the first time I heard a radio story about it that tries to analyze it a bit. And it isn't tacky at all. I could hear this any time of the day, weekday or weekend.

Comment for "Office/Gallery"

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Review of Office/Gallery

I'm sorry to hear this life insurance salesman was fired for trying to inject some art into his mundane surroundings. You wonder how a guy gets away with curating shows in what is obviously a stuffy, corporate atmosphere. Too bad he didn't. I hope he keeps it up at his next job. This piece rolls along well, and the soundbytes are proper, but the audio is WAY too hot -- maybe 33% louder than the other PRX pieces I've played -- and a bit distorted. Hopefully this is easily rectifiable.

Comment for "Office Artist"

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Review of Office Artist

I've tried to make art out of office supplies before, but it doesn't look anywhere near as cool as this stuff. I would like this story more as a Flash presentation. The audio is solid, and the artist isn't stuffy or pretentious, but you really want/need to see how this artist's ideas manifest themselves.

Comment for "Sounds Like Yesterday"

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Review of Sounds Like Yesterday

A great story. Aaron has proved he can successfully produce radio on a variety of subjects. Overall this piece a bit too long for my short attention span, but that's more of a critique of me, not Aaron. This would touch collectors, radio buffs, and anyone who likes interesting stories about interesting people.

Comment for "Giantman"

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Review of Giantman

Fun stuff, well-edited. I like the DIY aspect here. Only critique is that the narrator's voice is too low at times. I like Giantman, just like I like anything that gives me free butterscotch candies. I would see Giantman if he came to my neighborhood. And if Electric Fun Machine wanted to write me a theme song, I would let them.

Comment for "Garbage Man-Short Version"

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Review of Garbage Man-Short Version

Quite nice, this piece and this series. It's a good look at the type of person who is judged only when (s)he does a bad job, or is late or doesn't show up. But this is a real person who ended up in his job in a different way than many of his/her co-workers. You visit a doctor, and you can have a pretty good assumption of what education and training he needed to get there, but what about a "garbageperson"? Or a taxi driver? And why does (s)he continue to do that particular job? I want to know more. Good use of nat.sound as well.

Comment for "Hafid is Free"

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Review of Hafid is Free

This is one of the best PRX pieces I've aired. I wanted it to keep going. The voice is strangely compelling, like it's out of an old French movie, but his content is real and somehow gripping. Highly recommended.

Comment for "Misfire"

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Review of Misfire

I really like the violin music, and that's what drove me to play the piece. As far as it being an audio description of thirst, it's a bit of a stretch, but that doesn't take away from it being well-produced and an interesting listen. I'd like to hear a lot more of this type of "sound art" on my radio.

Comment for "Onstage With No Words Song. . . Offramp"

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Review of Onstage With No Words Song

Corny, but laugh-out-loud funny at times. At first it's hard to tell what's going on (without any prior knowledge of the piece, or of it's name), and while you're trying to figure it out, you get hit with some quick sarcastic comments from Voice #2 ("What..." "That's what you said?"). A great comedy piece for any time of year.

Comment for "An Anatomy of Humanity"

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Review of An Anatomy of Humanity

This is a top-notch audio editorial; you get sucked into his voice. By my 2nd listen I think I realized what the message of the piece was -- it's a lot to take in with one listen because you get taken in by his excellent prose. Is there such a thing as a piece being TOO well-written? Very nicely done.

Comment for "Grad Student Discos for Dollars"

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Review of Grad Student Discos for Dollars

The dancing is a clever idea. But this is a Sound Money piece, so the revenue element is front and center, and that's what gives this piece its depth. Yeah, the dancing is interesting, and the idea of it is funny, but this kitsch wears thin quickly -- what works is the explanation of why he started dancing, how he first felt about this newfound income, and how his entrepreneurial techniques have made an impression on other grad students. Good stuff.

As an aside: It's funny that he models his moves on Saturday Night Fever -- I don't know anything about dancing, but I've been told John Travolta doesn't know anything about it, either.

Comment for "Alimentary, Watson. . . Offramp" (deleted)

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Review of Alimentary, Watson (deleted)

From the other reviews written about this piece I was expecting an amatuerish Comedy Central episode cut for radio. Maybe it is, but it's damn funny at times. I laughed the whole way through the "restaurant for ex-lovers" sketch. Other sketches were good enough to not be annoying. I like improvised music because of the lumps and the unpredictability, and improv comedy can give you the same payoff, and there's plenty of it here. You just have to learn how to listen to improvised works -- keep your expectations low and you'll set yourself up to be pleasantly surprised. I think the loose format of the show makes it charming -- but maybe it makes it harder to work into a weekday program. I could hear this on weekends for sure.

Comment for "Invisible Ink: The Anti-Gambler"

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Review of Invisible Ink: The Anti-Gambler

First off I want to say that I really like Invisible Ink as a concept, and I'm rating the series as much as the show. I'm just excited that people are making stuff like this, taking time to put the work into it. The Invisible Ink episodes I've heard are crafty, honest, interesting -- whatever tones I can think of to describe the kind of radio (and thought process) I like. And I'm down with the theme of this show because I hate gambling, maybe because I'm just too unlucky. Play this for everyone you know.

Comment for "Episode 23 of "Marconi's Adventures in Magic!""

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Review of Episode 23 of "Marconi's Adventures in Magic!"

Very nice -- a dramatic piece with good production, a nice rendition of the old radio theater. A little bit disgusting and creepy, which is a good thing, but not too weird to scare off the kids. The kids may even be trying this stuff at home. I don't know if I'd hear this on public radio as summer tails off -- possibly later at night, perhaps -- but I'd definitely cue this up during the Halloween season.

Comment for "H20"

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Review of H20

Played this on-air as part of a radio drama showcase, next to the "Boston Strangler" from the CBS Suspense series from the 20's. So that was my comparison. H2O is bringing radio production from the '30s to the modern age, and while it didn't quite bring the intensity that makes certain dramatic radio great -- it sometimes was hard for me to visualize a compelling match to the audio, and I wasn't too stimulated for about 15 minutes in the middle of the piece -- it makes up for it with an interesting plot, very good talent, and well-placed sound effects and effects on the vocals. A couple listeners called in and expressed their interest, and overall I'm glad I played it.