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Confidence Tricks
In the midst of thunder storms and soaring temperatures, strange things seem to be happening on the airwaves. We’ve got interference from… Jonathan Katz? Plus a boarding school tale by up-and-coming author Touré.
The Latest Scoop
Mark and Bruce Becker have had their share of celebrity thanks to their creative ice cream making. Now their fame has moved beyond the realm of potato chip fudge in a cone. We check in with Mark about recent developments.
Word Crank
Almost every day, David Shulman makes his way from his nursing home in Brooklyn to the New York Public Library to prove other people wrong, by locating words in texts that predate the words’ earliest known use. Host Dean Olsher goes to the library to meet this self-appointed citation searcher.
Confidence Tricks
Not long after “confidence man” entered the American vernacular, an entire confidence industry was born. Next Big Thing producer Curtis Fox takes a look at the advent of modern advertising.
They’re Playing My Song
It’s annoying when a song gets stuck in your head – the same Bette Midler or ‘N Sync line, over and over. But for an unpopular high school freshman attending “Cricket Academy,” the problem is a little more complicated than that. A new piece of fiction by Touré from his collection “The Portable Promised Land,” read by Mara DeMey for The Next Big Thing.
You’re On the Air, with… Who?
Jonathan Katz always wanted his own radio show. Now he has one, but it seems to be causing some problems on the airwaves, just when host Dean Olsher is finally launching his ground-breaking series on the History of Thread. Guest appearances by H. Jon Benjamin, Tom Leopold, and Al Franken. Thanks to Jay Allison and the Open Studio Project. For more "You're on the Air with Jonathan Katz" visit transom.org.
Happy Birthday, Selma
For many women, Selma Koch is the Town Shop, where she’s been fitting women for bras for many decades. We tip our hats to Mrs. Koch as she celebrates her 95th birthday. For more from Selma Koch, listen to The Next Big Thing’s New York Works series.