Howdy – No Man is an Island features Jonathan Goldstein interviewing Patri Friedman (son of famed economist Milton Friedman) about seasteading. Unlike some of the crazies that Jonathan Goldstein interviews, Friedman is, indeed absolutely serious. In fact, I’ve actually heard of this before Wiretap. Unsurprisingly, a lot of business big wigs are very interested in the concept. I think it has something to do with Ayn Rand. Anyway, check out the blurb and listen to the mp3 after reading the summary of No Man is an Island
Howard starts his very own country within the borders of his apartment: the first nation with wall-to-wall carpeting. Plus, Gregor makes Jonathan a personalized mix-tape to help him seduce the ladies, and Patri Friedman discusses his latest project, the Seasteading Institute.
Sorry if this spoils the plot (it won’t) for you but in the end of the bit with Howard Chackowicz where Jonathan Goldstein claims that he “doesn’t beatbox” – well, that’s a damn lie! HumV Chackowicz (that’s Howard’s rapper name, in case you were wondering) makes his debut in the episode “The First Thing That Comes to Mind” way back from Season One. Jonathan Goldstein provides the backbeat for HumV’s freestylin’ in that episode as well. In fact, I think he uses the exact same beat…
Also, the monologue that opens this episode appeared in the National Post way back in May 2009. Here it is in its original form:
Thursday. I’m at a local book store doing a reading. When it’s over, I mill around. “I fall asleep listening to your radio show,” a woman says and, in case the point has been lost on me, she adds: “Your voice puts me to sleep.” People approach, either asking me to sign their books or sharing with me their thoughts. Their ruthless, brutal thoughts. “You have a face for radio,” another woman gleefully tells me. When I try to change the subject, asking her if she has a book she’d like me to sign, she tells me no, that she’s waiting to buy a used copy. When she walks away, an intense-looking mustachioed man takes her place. “Some of what you say on your show is what I would say,” he says. “But then there are other things you say that I would never say. That’s when you’re at your weakest.” “So let me get this straight,” I say. “I’m at my strongest when I’m sounding the most like you?” “Yes,” he says. The main difference between talking to the radio and talking to the person on the radio is that the person has feelings, feelings that will keep him up at night. The person on the radio will stay up worrying about the next time he’ll have to appear in public and be exposed to the casual cruelty of well-meaning strangers.
Thursday. I’m at a local book store doing a reading. When it’s over, I mill around.
“I fall asleep listening to your radio show,” a woman says and, in case the point has been lost on me, she adds: “Your voice puts me to sleep.”
People approach, either asking me to sign their books or sharing with me their thoughts. Their ruthless, brutal thoughts.
“You have a face for radio,” another woman gleefully tells me. When I try to change the subject, asking her if she has a book she’d like me to sign, she tells me no, that she’s waiting to buy a used copy.
When she walks away, an intense-looking mustachioed man takes her place.
“Some of what you say on your show is what I would say,” he says. “But then there are other things you say that I would never say. That’s when you’re at your weakest.”
“So let me get this straight,” I say. “I’m at my strongest when I’m sounding the most like you?”
“Yes,” he says.
The main difference between talking to the radio and talking to the person on the radio is that the person has feelings, feelings that will keep him up at night. The person on the radio will stay up worrying about the next time he’ll have to appear in public and be exposed to the casual cruelty of well-meaning strangers.
Hey – which season is Do It Yourself Fun Time from? I don’t have it on my list but apparently I wrote the summary. It’s the episode where Howard becomes a professional party animal. Also, I found a summary of a Fresh New Voice – the episode where Jonathan gets a little EQ on his voice and sings Shaft with Gregor.
Hello – this week we had a best of season five roundup, featuring picks from 100 False Messiahs, Adam and Eve, The Hangover and How to Say Goodbye. Check it out.
Hi, pals. I’ve got summaries for you: Why We Mistakes and Adam and Eve.
These episodes are quite the treat. Adam and Eve had a performance by John K Samson of The Weakerthans, Christine Fellows, and Leanne Zacharias. The trio appeared on Ms. Fellows albums Paper Anniversary and The Last One. Also, Why We Mistakes has a funny bit with Howard and Wiretap newcomer Natalie Karneef. Also, there’s an interview with Joe Hallinan, author of Why We Make Mistakes. More details inside.
Guess who missed out on a chance to ply Jonathan Goldstein with nerdy questions? It was me. Check out the CBC Book Club Liveblog with JGold2000 HERE . Here are some highlights:
Jonathan: something in my office smells bad. Jonathan: I edit out all my laughter [on Wiretap recordings] Jonathan: I modeled [Noah] on my friend Howard’s dad, who was hot on art, used the word dummy a lot. Jonathan: not to get too existential on your ass, but i really do feel like things only have the meaning that you give them. Jonathan: Woody allen is such a part of childhood. I had his book “side effects” and I used to make my dad (who has a similar brooklyn accent) read the stories into a recorder.
re: his parents acting Jonathan: I think they are great actors… and these are people with no training… never in the hi schol drama club even… and they nail themselves… which isn’t easy… and often times, we’ll do line readings over and over. i’ve played tape of the directing process at conferences and people find it pretty funny. Jonathan: alot of it is candid, too.
Okay, so this week’s episode was a repeat of David and Goliath. It featured Jonathan Goldstein talking to his parents, Buzz and Dina Goldstein and a performance by Vancouver-based band The Awkward Stage.
Also, the episode where Howard makes himself a sensory deprivation tank is referenced in this. I can’t remember which episode that was in, but Third Coast International Audio Festival website has the clip as well as an interview. Enjoy it.
Update: Sensory deprivation tank is from “A Catalogue of Previous Universes.”
The Heaven and Hell episode from which Ice Cream Man comes from is here.
Also, in the second clip on that interview, he mentions the genesis of Life is Lovely.
Hello,
This week’s episode is a holiday special: The Two Marys, originally aired last December and also appearing on This American Life’s Holiday Spectular the year before. I also imagine that the first bit of this will appear in Goldstein’s forthcoming (exciting!) book: Ladies and Gentleman, the Bible!
You can also visit the oft-linked Wiretap Holiday Special feat. Howard and Desmond Chackowicz.
Also, the National Post article somewhat alludes to the end of last week’s episode, Meet the New Boss (finally have the summary up) and definitely discusses Cookie Crisp and clamping colons. Enjoy it: “Like the say in Plattsburg: Crapola in a box.”
Whoa! I wish I could’ve said that I called it, but I didn’t really call it. I’m more excited to know that there is The Books song with Jonathan Goldstein in it.
Anyway, today’s episode was quite hilarious, with a high degree of hate porn coming from all sides, including the CBC Toronto brass, Mary Clode Palatte (can someone find out how this woman’s name is spelled? I’m pretty sure I get it wrong each time), Gregor and even Jonathan’s own mother.
If you enjoy Mary’s brand of hate, I suggest giving the This American Life episode “What I Should’ve Said” and the Wiretap episode “The Big Shot” a listen. She appears in a couple other episodes, too, but these are the ones that come off the top of my dome, so to speak.
For now, you can hear the episode here. But I’ll update the link in the episode summary when the eminent SupernintendoChalmers uploads.
Oh, also be sure to check out the new ringtone by Tristan True Giallini of DownloadHipHopBeats.com.
CBC’s promoing the next episode with a new ringtone on Wiretap’s MySpace page. It’s a dance/trance remix of some Dina Goldstein quotes and it’s called “I’m Jonathan Goldstein’s Mother.” I highly recommend it. It seems inspired by “The Greatest Phone Message Ever.” Especially since this Sunday’s episode is called:
“I Can’t Find the Books”
Because they must be in La Jolla, right? You really should listen to that This American Life episode. It’s classic, though slightly less shrill, Karpati in it. Here’s the blurb for the next Wiretap episode:
This week on WireTap, Jonathan finds himself double-booked. Having been scheduled to introduce an experimental art band at the CBC, but having also promised to take his 8 year-old goddaughter honey-tasting, find out who he shares the day with and who he leaves high and dry. Plus, Jonathan’s mother makes her debut in the world of avant-garde music.
Sadly, the link for the promo seems to be broken, so I can’t identify any other guests for you.
Guess we’ll just have to stay tuned.
On another note, check out some of these lyrics from the band The Books:
If Not Now, Whenever
Can we talk some more? I don’t know. I don’t either. Monday. January. Independent! I’d like to go home and go to sleep, I’d like to go home and go to sleep. And you’re running down. And you’re running down. And your head is made of clouds, but your feet are made of ground. And you’re running down. You are cursed with a curse. If you work very hard, my boy, some day you may become, uhm… women. (eh he he, bless you, eh hee hee hee ha) Ceçi n’est pas une pipe. Yeah! How are you doing today, I’m not doing ok. I’ve got a cramp in my left arm. Change me, change me (oh oh oh) And I feel like hell. Uh huh, well why don’t you go home to bed, heh eh em. Sssssssssssseven. And you’re running down. Ssssssssss. And you’re running down. (the books) And your head is made of clouds, but your feet are made of ground. Aaaarghhhhhh. And you’re running down. (oioioioi) And crash! The angel of death! I am the angel of death. I am the angel of death. January, our nation is drifting, strange situation, Monday. I wonder if I could? Of course you can. I don’t know. True. I have tried. Will you try still harder now? (the situation there is too confused, what is this, what’s he talking about) I will try to. (What? Me? No. We need you, for a long long long moment all was silent, you make it sound as though I would be a…, it must have been a terrible time, Do not go, is it really you, I have only one passion, yes father, what was his name again, I don’t understand, it is he, thank you, of course, no father, well thank you, very well, the situation there is too confused, what is this, what’s he talking about What? Me? No. We need you, you make it sound as though I would be uhh…, it must have been a terrible time, Do not go, the tears streamed out of my eyes, we have done everything, in every sense of the word, heh, so you’ve said and so you’ve done, there are three… no four books, why not, please, heh heh heh heh, yes I see, you’ve, uh, phrased that very well.) Ahhhhh Books. yes yes that’s true. The books. I can’t find the books, they must be in La Jolla. And your head is made of clouds, but your feet are made of ground. and you’re running down. I had stayed up for 46 hours in a row. Yeah! (ewl zsssh)
Props.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that I updated both the episode summaries (added Where Have All the Spaniards Gone?) and the Running Jokes page (which is sadly, pretty incomplete).
Anyway, this last episode, if you haven’t already heard, features Buzz Goldstein talking about his visit to Barcelona, Howard snuggling his pug, Desmond (as seen on the Wiretap Holiday Special video) and Zouzou discussing Batman vs. Superman.
Enjoy.
