The Moth Podcast: "Crowd Control"

Release Date: December 12, 2025
Host: Dan Kennedy
Featured Storytellers: Terry Figueres Negrete, Adam Wade

Episode Overview

In this episode, "Crowd Control," The Moth Podcast explores the dynamics of being part of a crowd—how it can be disorienting, unexpectedly uniting, and even life-affirming. Through two compelling stories—one from a stranded Miami commuter, the other from a frustrated New Yorker at the deli counter—the episode delves into moments when being swept up among strangers leads to new connections, self-discovery, and small bursts of humanity.

Key Discussions & Stories

1. Finding Community in Miami’s Fast Lane

Storyteller: Terry Figueres Negrete
Story begins: [02:29]

Summary

Terry recounts an unexpected adventure on Miami-Dade’s public transportation when the train she’s on is stopped during a manhunt for a shoplifter running down the tracks. With tempers flaring and no escape for three hours, a diverse group of strangers is united in their frustration—and eventually, through humor and rallying cries for water, snacks, and even “bus passes for a month.”

Key Moments & Insights

• Train Breakdown Chaos:
  • Terry sets the scene: Public transportation, helicopter searches, police sirens, and babies crying.
    “We are stuck on this train with no power until they catch this guy for three hours. It is dismal hellscape...Why are there so many babies on the train?” [03:36]
• Characters in the Crowd:
  • Tony (the possibly DJ/graphic designer), Danny (paramedic-in-training), and a self-declared “diabetic, claustrophobic and narcoleptic” figure in a Heat jersey become accidental ringleaders.
  • Moments of comic relief arise from the conductor’s useless updates and Danny’s darkly comic suggestion:
    • Danny: “I think we should just turn the power on and just fry that guy.”
    • Terry: “Danny, bro, your shit got dark real fast.” [04:33]
    • Danny’s attempted reference to “Lord of the Rings”—confusing it with “Lord of the Flies”—sparks laughter.
• Crowd Finds a Voice:
  • The Heat jersey man demands: “I need water, snacks and freedom.”
  • The train becomes a makeshift movement, chanting for bus passes and power to the people. [05:39]
• A Momentary Movement:
  • Just as the energy peaks, the train starts moving again. The impromptu camaraderie vanishes as quickly as it formed, but the lesson lingers:
    • “We are no longer strangers on a train. We are a movement...” [06:28]

Notable Quote

“I learned that we are all just speeding along on our own parallel tracks…never intersecting, rarely connecting…But when it all comes to a screeching halt, we are all ultimately bound by three universal but simple [needs]: Water, snacks, freedom.”
— Terry Figueres Negrete [06:46]

2. Boar’s Head, Anger, and Belonging

Storyteller: Adam Wade
Story begins: [10:31]

Summary

Adam shares an account of hitting a personal low while living in Hoboken, New Jersey, and how waiting for roast beef at the deli counter—among patient old ladies and a distracted deli worker—pushes him to his breaking point. In the aftermath of his eruption, Adam finds unexpected empathy, forgiveness, and community.

Key Moments & Insights

• The Wait:
  • Adam is at a low point—unemployed, asthmatic, and living with cats.
  • At ShopRite deli, he’s repeatedly cut in line by elderly Italian ladies while the clerk, John, chitchats about his mother’s dialysis.
  • Adam tries to stay calm: “I got absolutely nowhere to go, but I like to get my roast beef and my roll and get out of here, you know?” [11:43]
• Breaking Point:
  • As Adam’s number is skipped again, he explodes:
    • “Wait a minute. I got 62. I've been waiting here. You let half of Jave Italy crap meat…I want a quarter pound of boar's head roast beef, and I want it rare. Please, John.” [15:17]
• Remorse & Redemption:
  • After his outburst, Adam is shamed by one of the old ladies: “Shame on you. John's mother sick.” [15:54]
  • Back home, guilt compels Adam to call the deli and apologize. John reassures him, offers encouragement, and provides uplifting news about his mother.
    • John: “Don't worry. You seem like such a nice boy. You'll get a job. Don't worry.” [16:11]
• From Stranger to Regular:
  • Adam keeps returning, chatting with John and others, building an unexpected social support network:
    • “For the rest of the summer, I went in three or four nights a week…Some nights I wouldn't even get anything…but I would talk to John, see how he was.” [16:39]
  • Eventually, Adam finds steady work; now, he’s part of the deli’s community, greeted with: “Hey, Adam, want a quarter pound of boar's head roast beef?”

Notable Quote

“I've become one of the old ladies.”
— Adam Wade [17:01]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Crowd Solidarity:
  “He is the William Wallace of the Metro rail system. You, sir, have our attention. And bus passes for a month!”
  — Terry Figueres Negrete [05:23]

• On Self-Discovery:
  “And I make them my sandwich. And I...can't stop thinking about John’s mother...John’s mother, you know, Jesus Christ, this poor guy...So I Google Shoprite, Hoboken. And I get on the phone and I go, please, can I have the deli department? John answers. I go, John, it's Adam Wade. And he's like, who?...And I go, you know, I'm really sorry. And I go through my whole spiel. I'm having a rough summer. And he's just always like, don't worry...”
  — Adam Wade [16:09]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Miami Commuter Story (Terry Figueres Negrete):

  • Story begins: [02:29]
  • The movement on the train: [05:23-06:28]
  • Terry’s closure/lesson: [06:46]

• ShopRite Anger Story (Adam Wade):

  • Story begins: [10:31]
  • Adam loses his patience: [15:17]
  • Apology to John: [16:09]
  • Becoming a regular: [16:39-17:01]

Tone & Style

• True-to-life, humorous, and heartfelt, with plenty of self-deprecating wit.
• Both storytellers expose their vulnerabilities and foibles, painting relatable pictures of public frustration turned into communal catharsis or forgiveness.

In Closing

With warmth and candor, this episode of The Moth Podcast illustrates how the chaos of crowds—whether trapped on a stalled Miami train or at a grocery deli—can be the unlikely setting for connection, revelation, and even redemption. Listeners are left with stories that spark empathy and laughter, inviting reflection on their own moments of crowd control (or, perhaps, surrender).