Radiolab – "Space Capsules"

Episode Date: November 20, 2007
Hosts: Jad Abumrad
Podcast: Radiolab (WNYC Studios)

Overview

This episode of Radiolab, titled "Space Capsules," springs from the iconic Golden Record launched aboard the Voyager space probe—a message in a bottle meant for extraterrestrial listeners, curated by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. Host Jad Abumrad invites various creative luminaries—a chef, a composer, a novelist, a comedian, and a writer—to imagine what they themselves would place in a modern "space capsule" as a portrait of humanity. The results are personal, poignant, stirring, and witty, reflecting both the universality and the diversity of human experience.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Introduction: The Voyager Golden Record

• [01:43] Jad Abumrad recounts the original Voyager record and its mission:
  • Included a "mixtape of the human experience"—sounds, music, heartbeats, and more—intended for eventual discovery by aliens.
  • Ponders the "cool, somewhat naive, but amazing idea" of sending human culture into the cosmos.
• Radiolab then asks contemporary figures: What would YOU send into space?

Five Modern "Space Capsules"

1. Alice Waters – The Transformative Power of the Table

[03:17 – 06:03]

• Alice Waters (chef, Chez Panisse):
  • Would send the experience of sharing a meal:
    • A "table" in the broadest sense, as a universal place people gather to eat and communicate.
    • Describes a meal symbolic of connection:
      • "Salad made with all these little young shoots of scallions and little radishes scattered with mustard flowers... fish soup with fennel and some grilled toasts... a little white wine to begin... red wine with cheese at the end."
  • Emphasizes the sensory and communal aspects of eating:
    • Quote: "It's not simply about the food. Yes, I think the food should be delicious, but it's really about communicating, sharing that moment in time." ([05:18])
    • Food as education of the senses, engaging "smell and... touch and taste," making life a "beautiful experience."

2. Philip Glass – Two Sides of Music, and the Salt March

[06:25 – 09:10]

• Philip Glass (composer):
  • Would choose to send Bach and music from many world traditions.
  • Praises Bach's genius:
    • Quote: "He had the ability to do two things at once... with one part of his brain, he was able to create music that we empathize with." ([06:29])
    • Music as a guide: "He takes you by the hand, as it were, and walks you into states of being that you didn't even know existed." ([06:40])
  • Argues for inclusion of global musical traditions—"throat singing in Siberia," "flute playing... in South India."
  • Shares a personal story:
    • Watching Gandhi's Salt March on film in the Himalayas; deeply moved by the sight of "this tiny little man... surrounded by thousands upon thousands of people leading this march." ([08:36])
    • The Salt March as a symbol of social change: "How people that appear to be powerless and insignificant can bring about huge changes." ([09:04])

3. Michael Cunningham – The Power of Music, Film, and Speeches

[09:16 – 13:12]

• Michael Cunningham (author, The Hours):
  • Would send:
    • A Chopin nocturne—envies the expressiveness of music compared to writing.
    • "Joni Mitchell’s Blue" as a love song that remains meaningful both at 15 and 50.
    • "Bernard Herrmann’s soundtrack from Vertigo," and "great Hollywood music," which stirs us because "we want to be swept away."
  • Cites Hollywood stories as mirrors to "passions that we harbor in our tiny little breasts" ([11:14]).
  • Recalls iconic lines and moments—from Faye Dunaway in Chinatown to MLK's mountaintop speech:
    • The King speech as an exemplar of faith amidst adversity:
      • Quote: "It has always seemed to me one of the most remarkable human instances of faith and love and belief in the face of the worst that can happen." ([12:14–12:34])

4. Margaret Cho – The Beautiful, the Everyday, and the Affirming

[13:34 – 16:27]

• Margaret Cho (comedian, author, activist):
  • Would send:
    • Cultural icons: "Elvis Costello and Björk, who's also somewhat of an alien."
    • Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde"—her favorite opera.
    • The unique sound of dogs imitating sirens: "We almost never see the dogs on our planet make that o shape with their mouths. I love that sound."
    • A photograph of the first lesbian couple married in San Francisco:
      • Quote: "The image of these two women... finally getting [acceptance] for a moment is just so spectacular and heartbreaking and heart exploding at the same time." ([15:33])
    • "Mandarin oranges canned in heavy syrup... almost like a kiss. I would never, ever want any alien to be deprived of the joy of a geisha canned mandarin orange in heavy syrup."

5. Neil Gaiman – Strangeness, Stories, and Humanity’s Range

[16:27 – 19:10]

• Neil Gaiman (writer, storyteller):
  • Would send:
    • "The Wizard of Oz" film:
      • Calls it "an incredibly peculiar movie," rich with "strangeness and a hope and an oddness," with "really cool songs." ([17:04])
      • Imagines alien social scientists puzzling over "The Office" (UK TV series):
        • "Some people never quite notice that it’s a comedy... I'd love to see what the aliens make of it." ([17:35–17:54])
    • Lou Reed’s "Street Hassle," for its depiction of "horrible urban grunge and death and prostitution" ([18:16]).
    • The Arabian Nights ("giant 2000 page Arabian Nights")—giving a skewed but rich perspective on storytelling and world history.
    • Shakespeare, if reduced to a single line:
      • Quote: "We are such stuff as dreams are made of." ([19:07])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Alice Waters [05:18]:

  "It's not simply about the food. Yes, I think the food should be delicious, but it's really about communicating, sharing that moment in time."

• Philip Glass [06:29]:

  "He had the ability to do two things at once... with one part of his brain, he was able to create music that we empathize with."

• Philip Glass [09:04]:

  "It articulates in this very simple act how societies change, how people that appear to be powerless and insignificant can bring about huge changes."

• Michael Cunningham [12:14 – 12:34]:

  "It has always seemed to me one of the most remarkable human instances of faith and love and belief in the face of the worst that can happen." (on MLK's final speech)

• Margaret Cho [15:33]:

  "[Their] image... is just so spectacular and heartbreaking and heart exploding at the same time." (On the first married lesbian couple in San Francisco)

• Neil Gaiman [19:07]:

  "We are such stuff as dreams are made of." (Quoting Shakespeare from "The Tempest")

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction and Voyager Golden Record – [01:43 – 03:13]
• Alice Waters (Food & Connection) – [03:17 – 06:03]
• Philip Glass (Bach, Salt March) – [06:25 – 09:10]
• Michael Cunningham (Music, Films, Speeches) – [09:16 – 13:12]
• Margaret Cho (Icons, Oranges, Affirmation) – [13:34 – 16:27]
• Neil Gaiman (Oz, The Office, Arabian Nights, Shakespeare) – [16:27 – 19:10]

Conclusion

Radiolab’s "Space Capsules" episode is a reflective, inspiring collage of what makes us human—our desire for connection, our passion for art, our assertion of justice and love, and our sense of humor and strangeness. It’s a time capsule for aliens and ourselves, showcasing not only distinctive choices, but also the ever-present hope that our best selves might be understood—even light years away.