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.
Lost Post-it Review with Starlee Kine and Arthur Jones
Hey Kyle, I know you were a big fan of Starlee and Arthur’s bit in Into America, so ch-ch-check this out!
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.
AThis week’s episode has gobs of references, and the debut of Starlee buddy and Post-it Note Stories partner Arthur Jones. Check out the summary and then these links:
Anyway, this episode features 50 fun facts about the United States and some pronunciation lessons from David Rakoff (though no one flagged the unsavory pronunciation of “Ill-eh-noise,” which is really only acceptable when Sufjan Stevens does it). Buzz Goldstein hangs out too and Tucker is mentioned, as usual.
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! Just created an episode summary for this week’s episode: The Fox and the Hedgehog.
Tune in (click on the link to the right) to hear from Starlee Kine, Gregor Ehrlich and Wiretap newcomer (I think) Shaina Feinberg.
Discussed in this Wednesday’s National Post article:
Oh. Well looks like Ruby, Starlee Kine’s intern, is a real person. Sorry about that. I guess I denied it out of jealousy. If I could’ve been Jonathan Goldstein’s intern at 16, I think I could consider myself fulfilled. Although the intern position at Wiretap is perhaps more ill-fated than the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts. (Was that okay? To make a Harry Potter reference? Do Wiretap fans like Harry Potter?)
Anyway, this week’s episode drew heavily from National Post articles. The show kicked off with some diary entries about Tucker spitting in his own coffee, mohawks, souvlaki and Jonathan in a bathing suit.
These thoughts originally appeared in the articles “Get out of my dreams, get into my copy store” on June 11, 2008 and “The Truth about Spats and Dogs” from June 4, 2008.
The monologue rolled right into a conversation where Jonthan quizzes Tucker about his everyday surroundings.
In the next bit, Jonathan mentions MELBA TOAST, stating “After spending an hour eating breadsticks and melba toast over the sink while reading grocery circulars, I come to the conclusion that my life, too, lately has become more than a little stagnant.”
This rolls into a three-way conference call with Starlee and her intern, Ruby. Some material from the July 23, 2008 “How to buy cottage cheese” appears in this bit.
Jonathan re-introduces himself to Ruby as Starlee’s “older gentleman friend.” I’d like to someday introduce myself as that, rather than so-and-so’s “scrappy sidekick.”
Lastly, Gregor eggs Jonathan on to take dance lessons. In case you were wondering, Goldstein’s signature moves are the robot, “stir the pot” and “shuffle from foot to foot” and “throw in some kicks.”
The episode closes out with Jonathan learning the Soulja Boy dance from ZouZou.
As an aside, this is the first episode which I recorded myself. If anyone missed it, I’ll email it to you or something. Because I have nowhere to host it. And SuperNintendoChalmers will have tomorrow, hopefully.
(Psst. Just joking. Check out the summary to listen.)
So, looks like that Ruby Polygon bizness was relevant after all. This Sunday on Wiretap: an all new episode entitled “Life is Lovely,” featuring Starlee Kine and her intern, Ruby Polygon.
Check out the 30 second promo.
If you don’t have real player, download it here.
So, I’m still maintaining that Ruby is not a real person. Even though there is cross talk between Starlee and Ruby. I’m attributing that to radio magic.
On another note, while SuperNintendoChalmers has been doing an excellent job at making Wiretap possible for non-Canadians, I’m going to begin recording episodes myself. Just in case.
So, the new month has started, and, maybe a new season of Wiretap? I don’t know, the schedule hasn’t been posted yet. Color me antsy. Do they have Labor Day in Canada? What up with this.
Anyway.
Since this has practically become the Unofficial Starlee Kine blog, here is something for all you Starlee Googlers:
This is a mention from a May 14, 2008 National Post article by Jonathan Goldstein. You can’t find these online after awhile. Unless you want to pay 2 dollars. The headline was called: “Learning to be our own best friends; And more of life’s little white lies”:
Sunday. Starlee tells me how she met a woman that morning who was cursing a pile of laundry on the street. “She couldn’t carry it all home so I helped her,” Starlee says. When they arrived at her house, the woman told Starlee that she was lonely as she’d only recently moved to the city and had no friends. Before they parted, the woman asked for Starlee’s phone number, which Starlee gave her — correct, all but for the last digit. “Changing just one number made it feel like a smaller lie,” she says. As you get older, making friends becomes more difficult. Even keeping them does. And so you end up having no choice but to start enjoying your own company more than you might otherwise be inclined. I am reminded of John Candy in Spaceballs where he played a Chewbacca-like character named Barf. “I’m half man, half dog,” he said, “I’m my own best friend.” That woman with her laundry, me, Zouzou — perhaps all of us — must all learn to become a little more like Barf.
Sunday. Starlee tells me how she met a woman that morning who was cursing a pile of laundry on the street.
“She couldn’t carry it all home so I helped her,” Starlee says.
When they arrived at her house, the woman told Starlee that she was lonely as she’d only recently moved to the city and had no friends. Before they parted, the woman asked for Starlee’s phone number, which Starlee gave her — correct, all but for the last digit.
“Changing just one number made it feel like a smaller lie,” she says.
As you get older, making friends becomes more difficult. Even keeping them does. And so you end up having no choice but to start enjoying your own company more than you might otherwise be inclined. I am reminded of John Candy in Spaceballs where he played a Chewbacca-like character named Barf.
“I’m half man, half dog,” he said, “I’m my own best friend.”
That woman with her laundry, me, Zouzou — perhaps all of us — must all learn to become a little more like Barf.
