I’ve gone ahead and posted a summary for “The High Cost of Living” though it’s far beyond it’s broadcast date. Which reminds me – does Canada use dates like, DD/MM/YY like the rest of the world? Or do they do the U.S. thing with MM/DD/YY? As demonstrated by Gregor in The Measure of A Man, we States-siders have trouble falling in step with what the majority of the world has figured out works best as far as measurements and dates go.
Anyway, in this episode, we have Alex Blumberg from Planet Money showing up for an awkward interview. Mr. Blumberg is the first, and likely last, guest to appear on PennyWise, the radio show on the global economy with Howard Chackowicz and co-co-host Jonathan Goldstein. After that, we get a monologue about Jonathan’s last days living high on the hog during his book tour which rolls right into some hard hitting advice from Gregor about being rich and famous the proper way. Lastly, Jonthan gives his own business advice to his goddaughters, the two children who were reprimanded for rubbing their feet in Uncle Johnny’s beard as he read them stories from his book, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible! If you missed the video, check out BibleTap from MiraBW.
“Comedy is a wide shot, misery is a close up…”
Also, if you wanted to see Tucker’s apartment, you could check out the latest vid: “The Gang’s All Here.”
I can’t help noticing how uncharacteristicaly brooding Josh is in this video. Usually he’s much more bombastic…anyway, still nice to see Desmond getting some camera time.
On another note, it’s totally Jon Tucker and not John Tucker. Thank god for the “Search and Replace” Wordpress plugin. Plus, this will help me filter out all the John Tucker Must Die Google hits.
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. Summary of Splendours of the Small Screen up. You may remember Jordan Morris from How to Build a Bomb Shelter, where he helps Jonathan be a bit funnier on the show. Also, keep an ear out for a Prince parody sample from Indo G.
While you could argue that the first Wiretap episode ever was “Buddy Picture” with Josh Karpati on This American Life (maybe more like a pilot, given that Josh’s voice is much less shrill in this), according to CBC, “It’s Over” was the first:
Saturday, on the premiere episode of Wire Tap with Jonathan Goldstein, the heartbreak of breaking up and the delicate hope of new beginnings. Devastatingly intimate phone calls. How can you not listen in? That’s Wire Tap, Saturday morning at 11:30 (noon NT) on CBC Radio One.
In this episode, we hear Melissa Kent, Starlee Kine, Howard Chackowciz, Burt Covit, James Hurst and Juliette Water(s?). Tonsofun. Anyway, I’ve written a summary here.
This week’s episode, “Time to Face the World” is a big fat rerun, featuring the genesis of the (fictional) Jonathan Goldstein videos (or are they?), the Howard Chackowicz fan club and the next wave of fashion: shaving cream. I posted extensively on this issue previously. Ch Ch Check it for some deets.
Meanwhile, have you noticed some trends lately? Such as:
I’m pretty sad about Josh not hanging out anymore. What do you think he’s up to? If anyone else misses Josh, I recommend giving “The New Josh,” “A Fresh New Voice” and “Selling Out” a listen. The latter two episodes both feature Gregor doing a Ray Romano impression.
On the Mira Burt-Wintonick front, here’s something she’s been doing:
In this roadmovie about movies, veteran documentary filmmaker Peter Wintonick takes a film-trip across the world with Mira, his 20-year-old media-making daughter. They journey through film history and media’s future, questioning how different generations view, use or make their own film, images, sound and media. From Fellini’s hometown in Italy to Nuremberg where Leni Riefenstahl shot Triumph of the Will; from Chaplin’s grave to Jean-Luc Godard’s Swiss village; from blogging theorists in Vienna to next media artists at the Venice Biennale. pilgrIMAGE playfully mixes contemporary and historical cinematic sites with personal encounters and film-life lessons. pilgrIMAGE is a trans-generational meditation on film and media. Mixing film clips with critical musings, equal parts verité film-journal, digital-diary and ciné-blog, the filmmakers meet several significant film ‘pilgrims’ and media practitioners along their way. Through a series of father-daughter dialogues, the goal is to transfer a bit of crazy wisdom between generations. Between a distinguished filmmaker father from cinema’s Generation Y (as in Why?) to a daughter of our current next-wave, now-media Generation D (as in Digital) era.
You can see it at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam 2008.
In other news…
This week’s National Post article has more Starlee Kine in it:
My friend Starlee Kine has just come in to visit from New York. She’s still supercharged about Obama’s victory. “I finally feel like we might actually be becoming a respectable country again,” she says. “I’m feeling so much pride. Here in Canada, are you able to feel any of the pride?” “I feel adjacent to the pride,” I say uncertainly. “That’s not the same,” she says. “I’m bursting with pride; you’re merely seeping it.”
My friend Starlee Kine has just come in to visit from New York. She’s still supercharged about Obama’s victory.
“I finally feel like we might actually be becoming a respectable country again,” she says. “I’m feeling so much pride. Here in Canada, are you able to feel any of the pride?”
“I feel adjacent to the pride,” I say uncertainly.
“That’s not the same,” she says. “I’m bursting with pride; you’re merely seeping it.”
Hello!
Paul Tough is on this week’s free This American Life episode talking about his piece that Howard tried to interview him about in the episode “Canadian Content.”
Also, just wrote up the summary for “The New Josh.”
Enjoy.
update: Looks like Paul Tough wrote a book about Geoffrey Canada Check it out:
Hi All
Sorry for the lack of updates (it’s almost Tuesday!). This week’s episode was a re-run, however, so you can hear it at SuperNintendoChalmers, as usual. It’s called “The New Josh,” and if my memory serves me correctly, it features Josh Karpati, Steve Waltien and some backwards speech guy. It also revisits the hilarious “Prized Possessions” episode.
I’ll have more later. This weekend was a bit busy for me – participated in a 24 Hour Short Story Contest. (I entered last year with a tribute to Howard’s pug, Desmond and got honorable mention. You can’t read it though, because it isn’t even loosely based on Howard or Desmond, as the pug in my story has a less-than-loving relationship with his owner, which is in stark contrast to the relationship twixt Howard and Desmond.)
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.
“Manarchy” – just dudes hanging out. i.e. Josh, Tucker, Jonathan, et al. enjoying a night of scotch, pizza and stout beer. See: Man Is a Rope Between Ordinary and Extraordinary.
“Phone-abler” – akin to an enabler, one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior via the telelphone. See: Man Versus Himself
I thought I had more. I guess I don’t. I’ll get back to you.
(Note, I had originally uploaded Life is Lovely, but SupernintendoChalmers has it up now so I’m going to take down my link. If you don’t already, I encourage you to subscribe to his feed. You can do so by clicking the RSS icon on the right.)
Hello
I’ve updated with the following summaries:
I added the last one because about 66 percent of our hits lately have been people googling Starlee Kine and this episode has her playing an unhelpful customer service rep who won’t let Jonathan return his shrunken pants. Also tune in if you’d like to hear Jonathan and Gregor singing “Shaft.”
