Jesse is great with two of my favorite Jonathans, which comes as no surprise as TSOYA is the best-kept-secret of online broadcasting that is long overdue for wider, radio-based exposure.
Informed interviewers with great voices deserve NPR airtime, too.
Comment for
"COMEDY-O-RAMA SHORT #8: "Two Hamburgers, Hold Everything!" with Nancy Cartwright" (deleted)
Review of COMEDY-O-RAMA SHORT #8: "Two Hamburgers, Hold Everything!" with Nancy Cartwright (deleted)
The back-and-forth between these characters gets a bit tedious, but the talent and production values can't be denied. Broad comedy has an audience. Is it a public radio audience? I, for one, don't think so.
This album has always been one of my favorite eBay finds. No one's ever had a better way with folks on the street than Mal Sharpe. This segment should be aired as a special episode of This American Life or some other NPR show. It's simply brilliant.
This great piece really encourages listeners to consider the price we pay when we exercise our American right to shop. Might it not be a right at all, but an addiction? The personal stories of these Chicago shoppers transcend the individual and raise all sorts of larger, more troubling questions. Melby and Richard's careful balance of the personal and the professional (they also provide insights from a host of academic experts) keeps this piece from becoming a simplistic bash at consumerism or the latest big box retailer to capture the nation's imagination. I would love to hear "Consuming Desire" play prior to holiday shopping season, or in conjunction with a series on the different manifestations of depression. This is an intelligent, interesting piece of radio journalism that also manages to entertain.
The music on this piece was great, but the text couldn't compete. Saying we're going back to San Fran circa '67 and actually getting us there are two different things. Joly established an idea with the build of instruments that I expected to sustain me for the remainder of the piece. Instead, I just felt abandoned somewhere in the middle (stuck in eastern Nevada, maybe?), it was over so quickly.
This is an entertaining piece suggesting that our nation's countless coffee shops may be holier places than many of us ever imagined. At least I think that's the idea. It's not perfectly clear.
The abrupt opening took me by surprise, and the speedy narrator (he sounds rushed from the start) was a little difficult to follow, but the mix of sound and story was wonderfully balanced...not so unlike a well-made cappuccino.
With just a bit more attention to writing and delivery, this could be a tasty radio casual.
Its timeliness has passed, but this is an interesting, well-produced piece about the secret side of so-called conservative America.
The subject matter is probably more "adult" than most NPR reports, but the sexual and political themes are treated with the utmost journalistic professionalism and objectivity. There's no attempt made to shock listeners on either side of our country's political divide.
This entertaining little piece featured wonderful audio imagery, making me really feel like I was up to my knees in refuse...and farting pageant hopefuls.
Minimal as it was, the narration did distract from this sensation. Too bad this story couldn't stand on its own as a sound collage.
With guitars making a comeback on music radio, 50 years isn't any too soon to take a look at one of the true originals. Berry's notorious reputation makes this an even more wonderful listen.
Comments by Brian Beatty
Comment for "Jonathans" (deleted)
Brian Beatty
Posted on January 10, 2007 at 08:01 AM
Review of Jonathans (deleted)
Jesse is great with two of my favorite Jonathans, which comes as no surprise as TSOYA is the best-kept-secret of online broadcasting that is long overdue for wider, radio-based exposure.
Informed interviewers with great voices deserve NPR airtime, too.
Comment for "COMEDY-O-RAMA SHORT #8: "Two Hamburgers, Hold Everything!" with Nancy Cartwright" (deleted)
Brian Beatty
Posted on August 04, 2006 at 12:15 PM
Review of COMEDY-O-RAMA SHORT #8: "Two Hamburgers, Hold Everything!" with Nancy Cartwright (deleted)
The back-and-forth between these characters gets a bit tedious, but the talent and production values can't be denied. Broad comedy has an audience. Is it a public radio audience? I, for one, don't think so.
Comment for "What is The Meaning of Life?"
Brian Beatty
Posted on August 04, 2006 at 11:06 AM | Permalink
Review of What is The Meaning of Life?
This album has always been one of my favorite eBay finds. No one's ever had a better way with folks on the street than Mal Sharpe. This segment should be aired as a special episode of This American Life or some other NPR show. It's simply brilliant.
Comment for "Consuming Desire"
Brian Beatty
Posted on August 09, 2005 at 05:25 AM | Permalink
Review of Consuming Desire
This great piece really encourages listeners to consider the price we pay when we exercise our American right to shop. Might it not be a right at all, but an addiction? The personal stories of these Chicago shoppers transcend the individual and raise all sorts of larger, more troubling questions. Melby and Richard's careful balance of the personal and the professional (they also provide insights from a host of academic experts) keeps this piece from becoming a simplistic bash at consumerism or the latest big box retailer to capture the nation's imagination. I would love to hear "Consuming Desire" play prior to holiday shopping season, or in conjunction with a series on the different manifestations of depression. This is an intelligent, interesting piece of radio journalism that also manages to entertain.
Comment for "Time Tunnel SF-67"
Brian Beatty
Posted on March 16, 2005 at 03:29 AM | Permalink
Time Tunnel SF-67 didn't get me there.
The music on this piece was great, but the text couldn't compete. Saying we're going back to San Fran circa '67 and actually getting us there are two different things. Joly established an idea with the build of instruments that I expected to sustain me for the remainder of the piece. Instead, I just felt abandoned somewhere in the middle (stuck in eastern Nevada, maybe?), it was over so quickly.
Comment for "The Zen of Cappuccino"
Brian Beatty
Posted on March 11, 2005 at 03:35 PM | Permalink
Review of The Zen of Cappuccino
This is an entertaining piece suggesting that our nation's countless coffee shops may be holier places than many of us ever imagined. At least I think that's the idea. It's not perfectly clear.
The abrupt opening took me by surprise, and the speedy narrator (he sounds rushed from the start) was a little difficult to follow, but the mix of sound and story was wonderfully balanced...not so unlike a well-made cappuccino.
With just a bit more attention to writing and delivery, this could be a tasty radio casual.
Comment for "Elephants and Sex"
Brian Beatty
Posted on March 06, 2005 at 06:40 AM | Permalink
Review of Elephants and Sex
Its timeliness has passed, but this is an interesting, well-produced piece about the secret side of so-called conservative America.
The subject matter is probably more "adult" than most NPR reports, but the sexual and political themes are treated with the utmost journalistic professionalism and objectivity. There's no attempt made to shock listeners on either side of our country's political divide.
Comment for "Miss Dumpy"
Brian Beatty
Posted on February 15, 2005 at 05:21 PM | Permalink
Review of Miss Dumpy
This entertaining little piece featured wonderful audio imagery, making me really feel like I was up to my knees in refuse...and farting pageant hopefuls.
Minimal as it was, the narration did distract from this sensation. Too bad this story couldn't stand on its own as a sound collage.
Comment for "Chuck Berry and Rock & Roll"
Brian Beatty
Posted on February 15, 2005 at 05:09 PM | Permalink
Not a moment too soon!
With guitars making a comeback on music radio, 50 years isn't any too soon to take a look at one of the true originals. Berry's notorious reputation makes this an even more wonderful listen.