Podblast! Vinyl Cafe Stories

Deep down I think most people would agree that a great experience is to have someone tell them a story.  I know that we all have televisions, video games, and the Internet, but when an actual, living being is simply telling you a story and letting your imagination fill in the blanks, it's a great experience.

There are so many different ways it can be done, too.  One version I'm sure everybody has seen either live or recorded is a stand-up comedian.  Sure, sometimes they're just telling one-liners or small set-ups with a quick payoff, but you also have comedians who build these huge stories, letting their words, inflections, and occasional gesture help your imagination picture extreme and outrageous situations.  For a great example of this, I recommend finding some of Bill Cosby's early works.

Another common way to find classic storytelling is in audiobooks.  I'm personally torn about audiobooks, because one thing I love doing is curling up and reading a good book, but having listened to a few biographies read aloud by the actual author (Tina Fey and Steve Martin are great examples), it does add a new level of comprehension, since you pick up which words the author was trying to emphasize.

Then, of course, there's the news.  Not the evening news on TV, which relies more often on describing pictures you're viewing, but radio news, such as on National Public Radio.  I know it's often parodied as slow and meandering, but when you listen to a story from a program like This American Life or an overseas reporter describing an event on The World, it does feel like you're being transported there.  The words paint a vivid enough picture in your mind that your imagination fills in all the holes.

Now, there's one NPR program I love to listen to when I'm able, and that's The Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean.  The show is almost pure storytelling, with occasional musical interludes from Canadian artists he enjoys.  But Stuart McLean has a voice that draws people in, and you find yourself wanting to sit in a comfy chair, close your eyes, and envision what he describes.

 

The show tends to follow a rather basic format.  Stuart starts each show with news and upcoming events he'll be at, and then leads in to a short story, usually about one of his own experiences somewhere he traveled to or an experience from his own life.  They're sweet, sometimes sad, and more often than not make you want to visit wherever he's talking about.

Next up is the story exchange, which I'll admit for me is hit or miss.  This is when he reads a story submitted by a reader, and the range of topics people want to write about are long and varied.  Any given week you might have a recollection of going fishing with a now-deceased father, or perhaps the story of buying a first car.  You could simply hear someone talk about a walk in the woods revitalizing their love of life, or simply remembering the world's worst cup of coffee.

Next us is the music section of the show, spotlighting a (usually) talented artist, famous or not, who maybe just does something unique with music but is still trying to find their voice, or is going back to some favorites they once performed to breathe new life into them.

Then there's "Dave and Morley" and that's where the postcasts start.

Now, it would be quite simply to simply link to the Wikipedia page that details how the stories work and who the characters are.  And I'm nothing if not a fan of convenience.  But what Wikipedia won't tell you is the subtle things about the stories that are absolutely wonderful.

To start with, many of the stories are read live.  This allows for brief moments where an audience member is laughing and Stuart addresses them kindly, frequently with a "don't get ahead of me" or "you know where this is going, right?"  The audience reactions encourage and support your own, as these are people listening for the same reason you are: to be entertained.

Stuart McLean's voice is warm, and never sharp.  Even when a character is angry beyond words, Stuart manages to speak for them in a way that doesn't push away the audience, but instead twists the anger around until it becomes an exaggeration of itself, helping you realize the futility of reacting that way.  The stories are often funny, but there's also a real sadness to some of them, and when you've listened to enough stories and you've heard of all the details from Dave and Morley's lives, when one of these characters is in pain, you feel like you're in pain.  You want to contact this imaginary character and let them know "it'll be okay."

Now, the podcasts are available from multiple sources (I use iTunes), and they are free.  Stories are also collected in book form and on CDs if that's more your thing.

If you want a taste, though, you can find one of the most famous stories told here, where Dave, in charge of preparing the Thanksgiving turkey, realizes the night before it's not even thawed.  Every time I hear it, I laugh.