The Next Big Thing

Subway dumping (Michael Kavanagh)

Strange Combo

Show #352

Friday, August 22, 2003

We look at what happens when disparate elements collide – when, say, old New York City subway cars are sunk to the bottom of the ocean, or when a fifty-year-old Vermont drive-in movie theater doubles as a motel. Or when writer Meg Wolitzer re-invents the movie trailer as a vehicle for wish-fulfillment. Also this week, a futuristic comedy from the Naked Angels Theater Company about the limits of cryonics technology.

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Traffic Jam

Rush hour entertainment for a captive audience, provided by New York City tap dancers. Produced by Heather Bourbeau.

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Next Stop, the Bottom of the Ocean

In 1964, a fleet of 1,410 subway cars - called "Redbirds" - were introduced to the New York City transit system. Now they're all but extinct, replaced by sleek, silver ones. So where do the red ones go? Next Big Thing producer Michael Kavanagh heads out to sea to find out.
View large pictures of the 'subway dumping"

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800 Jobs

If you work as a cab driver, a dishwasher or a McDonald's cashier, there's a good chance you don't have Labor Day off. Nasser ElGabry has worked as all three - and then some - and he's got lots of stories to tell. "800 Jobs" was produced by Judith Sloan and Warren Lehrer, as part of their multimedia project "Crossing the BLVD". Music remix by Scott Johnson and Sheldon Steiger.
View a large picture of Nasser ElGabry
(Photo credit: photos © Warren Lehrer 2003 from Crossing the BLVD)

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The Mozart Effect

In the 1990s, we were wowed by studies claiming that listening to Mozart will make us smarter. According to new studies, the claims are vastly overstated. And host Dean Olsher is … relieved.

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Rejection Starts Early

And you thought your job interview was scary. Try getting into nursery school. Improv by Mark O'Donnell and David Rakoff. Produced by Curtis Fox.

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Drive-In, Drive Out

Ever wonder what it would be like to spend the whole night at the drive-in? Next Big Thing contributor Matt Power did. So he went to the movies, and to bed, at the Fairlee Motel and Drive-In Theater in Fairlee, VT. Produced by Julie Subrin.

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This Is Your Trailer

Next Big Thing contributor Meg Wolitzer is singularly unimpressed by Hollywood's summer offerings. So she's turned inward, concocting some films of her own - or at least imagining what the previews would be like. Supporting cast: Mary Testa and Jonathan Freeman. Produced by Curtis Fox.

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Frozen

A futuristic comedy about life after cryonics. "The Only Other Option" was written by Patrick Breen, directed by Lizzie Gottlieb, and features Maria Tucci and Timothy Britten Parker of the Naked Angels Theater Company . Produced and directed for radio by Brian Smith, with sound design by John Collucci

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Homemade Instrument Day

Last Saturday, as people slowly recovered from the blackout, city life began to reassert itself. Among the cultural events to choose from in New York City was Homemade Instrument Day at Lincoln Center. Next Big Thing producer Amanda Aronczyk went to check out the “Rodentia Violoncello,” “Lincoln Center in ‘C’,” and other musical inventions.