The Next Big Thing

Making Noise

Show #307

Sunday, October 13, 2002

Whether you are for or against cacophony, this week’s show has something for you. We meet the man who started an anti-honking poetry movement and listen to the collected works of cutting edge audio artists. Also, we hear from men who made noise through their silence, by registering as conscientious objectors during WWII.

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Honku

Aaron Naparstek gets mad when people honk incessantly in his residential Brooklyn neighborhood. Really mad. But how to get even? When egg-throwing proved ineffective, he turned to an ancient Japanese art form. Then the whole neighborhood started doing it.

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Scrambled Ethics

Is egg-throwing wrong? In the realm of wrong-doing, just how wrong is it? Next Big Thing host Dean Olsher is struggling with this question, so he turns to a rabbi for an expert opinion.

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The Good War?

Many people describe World War II as the Good War. But not everyone agrees; there were about eighteen thousand people who refused to serve. This week, as Congress debates a resolution to authorize war with Iraq, host Dean Olsher talks to some of the men whose consciences kept them from taking part.

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Lox in a Cone

At Max and Mina’s in Queens, ice cream comes in the most outlandish flavors – lox is particularly renowned, though horseradish has acquired a good reputation as well. The shop’s founding brothers, Mark and Bruce Becker, give us a taste of their unusual enterprise.

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Let’s Listen. Ready?

Audio art is in. At the 2002 Whitney Biennial, audio artists were more fully represented than in any previous year, with work by Gregor Asch, Steven Vitiello, Miranda July, Tracie Morris, a two-person group known as “Archive,” a band called “Gogol Bordello” and others. In the well-established genre of the Audio Tour, we explore these artists’ work with the help of tour guide Steve Bodow, better known for his work with the performance group Elevator Repair Service.

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Try Not to Breathe

In a small coastal community in eastern Australia, a woman gradually realizes she is being stalked. The local police seem unable to help, so she begins her own investigation. Lea Redfern follows this complex story of fear and determination through to its conclusion, of sorts, in the Australian court system. The piece, written and produced by Redfern, with technical production by Steven Tilley, first aired on Radio Eye, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s features and documentaries program. Thanks to the women who shared their stories for this piece: Therese, Anne, Karen and Maree. You can find more information about Radio Eye on their website.