On Demand
The Next Big Thing
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Something to Believe In
Baseball fans explain their allegiances. Maira Kalman sketches her way through the streets of Manhattan. Audio artist and filmmaker Miranda July tells both sides of three stories. And Orson Welles stumbles over "a can of peas." Also in the show, tales of a phone-sex operator, by fiction writer David Cale.
White Card
In the 1960s, the next big thing in Amsterdam was white bikes, left unlocked on the street, for anyone to use and then leave for the next rider. More recently, a few lucky New York City subway riders were treated to a similar social experiment with a “use it and pass it on” Metrocard. It was the brainchild of Brooklyn musician John Keith, who took White Bike organizer Luud Schimmelpennink's vision to a whole new level.
Sunny Side Up
Writer David Cale has introduced us to many people through his short stories. This week, we meet Hayley Collins, a young woman who’s found a unique way to benefit from some men’s preference for a woman with a British accent. "Sunny Side Up" was performed by Cara Seymour. Produced by Emily Botein.
The Sound of a Blog
It seems blogs have taken a new turn towards more (and more interesting) audio. Here’s a particularly entertaining example, from the "365 Days Project," curated by Otis Fodder. It’s titled "Orson Welles - Frozen Peas Spot."
» For more audio gems, go to ubu.com
A Meditation on Fandom
A considerable number of ardent Boston Red Sox fans live, of all places, in New York City -- the belly of the beast - which made author Nicholas Dawidoff wonder: what do fans get from all the hours they spend watching and listening to ballgames? Something, perhaps, not directly related to the score on the board? Dawidoff talks to fans at one of the Red Sox "bars" in New York City as well as literary scholar/Yankees fan Harold Bloom and Dean of Yale Law School/Red Sox fan Harold Koh. Produced by Emily Botein.
Walkman Buster
A guy walks up to you on the street and asks you what's playing on your Walkman. You tell him. But wait - now he says he wants to listen, too. Before you know it, he's plugged his recorder into your player and he’s taping your music. That's right, Gideon D'Arcangelo is at it again with his "Walkman Busting."
Illustrating Grammar
Artist and designer Maira Kalman is perhaps best known for her children’s books chronicling the adventures of Max the Dog. She’s also drawn New Yorker covers and designed watches. Most recently Kalman set to illustrating Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. Illustrating a grammar book? She does it by watching people on the street. Today Dean Olsher joins Maira as she does some sidewalk research. Produced by Jamie York.
» Maira Kalman's website
Dialogues I, II and III
Scenes from a strange, familiar yet unfamiliar movie that you'll never
see - created by Miranda July for The Next Big Thing. July's debut
feature film, "Me and You and Everyone We Know," will be out this
summer.
» Find more of her work on Miranda July's website