Podcast Summary: "The startling confessions left on vanishing pay phones"

Apple News Today — December 30, 2025
Narrated article by Scott Turner Schofield, written by Todd Martens (Los Angeles Times)
Host: Shumita Basu
Main Theme:
A look at “The Goodbye Line,” a unique art project where payphones across Los Angeles invite strangers to call a toll-free number and leave heartfelt goodbye messages, illustrating themes of grief, memory, and community in an era where payphones — and anonymous connection — are vanishing.

Overview

This episode departs from daily news, presenting a moving feature on an art project that transforms LA’s rare payphones into portals of poignant, anonymous farewell. Through snippets of real messages and in-depth reflection by the project’s creators, listeners explore the communal nature of grief and the evolving ways we seek connection and closure.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to the Goodbye Line (00:46–03:20)

• The Goodbye Line is an art project by Alexis Wood and Adam Trunnell.
• Stickers on select payphones read:
  “Yes, this payphone works. Someday these will be gone, like you, me and everyone else. Leave a message before it's too late.”
• Passersby dial a toll-free number, prompted to “say goodbye to a loved one, a pet, or maybe a part of themselves.”

Quote (02:15)

“I thought this was a free call from my mother, but never mind. Anyway, I'd like to apologize to my family and I hope that you all make it to heaven. I'm sorry I didn't make it. I love you. Bye.”
— Anonymous caller

• Wood describes being “paralyzed” and moved to tears by the authenticity of such confessions.

The Power of Goodbye & Community (03:20–06:45)

• Trunnell explains the universality of saying goodbye:

  “Goodbye is such a part of life...It’s all us coming and going, coming and going. We all share that, and it makes it less lonely, less scary. Not that it makes it easier.” (03:40)

• The calls are varied in tone — from heartfelt farewells to loved ones, nostalgic odes to the fading era of payphones, and even impromptu songs encouraging listeners to reach out before it’s too late.
• Messages are curated and shared on social media (unless privacy is requested), becoming “audio logs of loneliness,” yet highlighting shared experience.
• Trunnell emphasizes public mourning and community:

  “We learned that loss and grief is a process, and mourning isn’t something that's purely private...it’s deeply communal. When you see the likes, the comments and the shares...you hear yourself in the goodbye.” (05:30)

The Dwindling World of Payphones (06:45–08:00)

• Payphones are rapidly disappearing in Los Angeles — only 149 remain citywide (2025).
• Project’s magic lies in spontaneity, anonymity, and the distinct experience of using a payphone compared to a cell phone.
• Payphone calls “hold a special place” for the creators; they are shorter, more in-the-moment, and often come from people in need or at emotional crossroads.

Most Memorable Goodbyes (08:00–12:00)

Notable Quote (08:19)

“I didn't get the chance to say anything to you the morning you passed...You thought I might kind of squander my education, things like that. But I think you'd be pretty proud...This has been a long overdue goodbye. I hope you’re doing well.”
— Anonymous caller saying goodbye to their mother

• The creators often describe being unexpectedly affected by the depth and vulnerability in calls, prompting reflection on their own lives and relationships.

The Range of Goodbye: From Heartfelt to Lighthearted (12:00–17:00)

• Messages can be deeply personal, nostalgic, humorous or even mundane.
• Each payphone seems to have a unique “personality” shaped by its location:
  • Hollywood, Westlake, Skid Row: Deeper, more vulnerable calls.
  • Chaney Trail: Calls about self-actualization, lighter in tone.
• Notable moments include a caller saying goodbye to their “former heavier self,” and “drunk dials” from late-night revelers.
• Reflection from public artist S.C. Miro:

  “This is such a reminder that everyone walking by is going through something and going through things similar to what you’re going through.” (14:30)

Profound Impact and Real-World Change (17:00–22:00)

• Unhoused former caller Britney Khalifa describes leaving a message as an “ear” during her struggle with addiction:

  “I felt like at that time I was looking for an ear, a listener...When I left that message, I was looking for that low.” (18:30)

• Khalifa’s message was a rare instance where Trunnell could reach out afterward (she left her Instagram ID), and he reflects on the subtle, often unintentional, impact these messages can have on both caller and listener.
• Khalifa:

  “Not many people get that side of me. My therapist, maybe.” (21:05)

Navigating Responsibility and Boundaries (22:00–26:00)

• The creators consider the ethics and responsibility in handling such vulnerable content.
• Some messages are withheld because of their intensely personal or potentially dangerous content, such as a possible suicide note:

  “You need to text him...It sounded like a kid, and it was a super brief message. You don't know if it's serious or not. ...I just said, did you leave a message? I'm leaving the door open. He never heard back.” (24:30)

• Editing and curating are done with care, adding a nostalgic touch by running audio through a vintage oscilloscope.

The Project’s Evolution and Reflection (26:00–end)

• Over 100 calls have been received; the creators actively search for working payphones and have even extended the project to other cities (“one in Santa Fe, New Mexico”).
• Trunnell describes the project as a response to the curated, text-heavy social media world:

  “I wanted a place where we would get to hear people saying things. ...It was like forums online, but we can do that with voices.” (28:20)

• Romantic drama is rarely posted: farewells to exes often feel “trivial,” and energy is focused on goodbyes of real finality.
• Underlying message:

  “Its existence is a reminder of life’s impermanence. As much as it encourages us to say goodbye, it’s also a nudge to never stop picking up the phone to say hello.” (29:40)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• The first emotionally raw call:

  “I apologize to my family...I'm sorry I didn’t make it. I love you. Bye.” (02:15)

• On the project’s universality:

  “We all share that [coming and going], and it makes it less lonely.” — Trunnell (03:45)

• On grieving collectively:

  “Mourning isn’t something that’s purely private. It’s deeply communal.” — Trunnell (05:30)

• A daughter’s overdue goodbye:

  “I think you’d be pretty proud...I did something with my life. So I love you and I miss you.” (08:20)

• On the shared, silent struggles of strangers:

  “Everyone walking by is going through something similar to what you're going through.” — S.C. Miro (14:30)

• Caller finding a moment of hope through a payphone:

  “I was looking for an ear...Not that many people know what it’s like to be hooked on a drug.” — Britney Khalifa (18:30)

• The existential nudge:

  “Its existence is a reminder of life’s impermanence...never stop picking up the phone to say hello.” (29:40)

Important Timestamps

• 00:46 — Introduction to the art project, “The Goodbye Line”
• 02:15 — First featured emotional voicemail
• 03:40 — Trunnell explains the universality of goodbyes
• 05:30 — Communal mourning discussed
• 08:19 — Daughter’s poignant message to her late mother
• 14:30 — S.C. Miro on how the project reveals our shared struggles
• 18:30 — Britney Khalifa’s goodbye to her old self during addiction
• 24:30 — Handling responsibility for vulnerable callers
• 28:20 — Project as antidote to social media’s limitations
• 29:40 — Concluding reflection on the project’s purpose

Tone

The episode maintains a contemplative, empathetic, and hopeful tone. Speakers reflect honestly on vulnerability, memory, mortality, with flashes of wit and warmth, honoring the raw humanity in every anonymous call.

This episode offers a touching, sometimes haunting, look at how technology — even fading relics like payphones — can become vessels for healing, closure, and the recognition that no one’s story of loss is truly solitary.