On Demand
The Next Big Thing
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From the Department of Transportation
It’s an hour of our favorite subway stories. We’ve got writer Jonathan Ames investigating that urban legend about hooking up on the “first car.” We’ve got interviews with former students of renowned social psychologist Stanley Milgram who participated in his little known “Subway Experiment” in the 1970s. We’ve got subway comedy. And we’ve got “True Loves,” a subway drama from former Poet Laureate Mark Strand. This week’s Subway Hour was produced by Curtis Fox.
Subway Strip
It's not unusual to see someone on the subway applying some lipstick or tying their necktie. But a complete transformation? According to Michelle Rosen, it's been done.
Pardon Me, May I Have Your Seat?
You may be familiar with Stanley Milgram's controversial Obedience Experiment. Performed in the 1960s, it measured people's willingness to inflict pain on a stranger, if told to do so by someone in a position of authority. Less known is another unusual experiment Milgram conducted, on the New York City subway. Next Big Thing producer Curtis Fox talks to former Milgram students about the unexpected results of Milgram's Subway Experiment.
True Loves
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Mark Strand is best known for his absurdist-tinged verse. Here he applies that sensibility to our topic of the hour – the subway. Performed by Danton Stone.
Subway Scenario
Now that more and more New York City subways are equipped with automated announcements, some passengers bemoan the absence of the real live conductor’s voice. But maybe those automated voices have more personality than we give them credit for… Written by Steve O’Donnell, and featuring Miki Yamashita and Ralph Martin.
The Singles Car
It’s a well-circulated urban legend: they say the first car on every New York City subway line is the “pick up” car. Not in a position to find out for yourself? Don’t worry. The Next Big Thing’s Department of Transportation offers this investigative report by author Jonathan Ames. What it lacks in scientific method it makes up for in - well, you’ll see.
Studies Show
One day, in the mid-eighties, Brad Klein made a decision as he left his house: he would confront injustice wherever he saw it. Little did he know how soon the opportunity would arise.
End of the Line
Straphangers get rattled when their subway routine is affected by service changes, but some changes are more disruptive than others. Next Big Thing contributor Steve Zeitlin introduces us to a dedicated subway rider who has long used a subway platform in Brooklyn as his living room. Now the platform’s gone, and with it, one of his favorite pastimes. Steve Zeitlin documents the lives of people in New York as director of CityLore.
