The Moth Radio Hour: “Punks, Blessings, Burlesque and Lotus Flowers”
Air Date: February 3, 2026
Host: Suzanne Rust
Episode Overview
This episode of The Moth Radio Hour weaves together five storytellers whose true, live tales explore discovery, sanctuary, forgiveness, and the unexpected blessings that shape us. From a transformative punk concert, to searching for acceptance on Broadway, through the chaos of childhood faith, surviving family trauma, and finding warmth in unlikely friendships—each story is a window into resilience and connection.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Finding Belonging at a Punk Show
Storyteller: Eddie Laughter
Segment: [02:56]–[09:30]
- Summary:
Eddie, a nervous teenager, attends her first live punk show. She expects an intimidating atmosphere but instead finds acceptance and a sense of community among a crowd of queer women. For the first time, Eddie experiences genuine belonging and realizes she doesn't have to feel small or out of place. - Notable Moments/Quotes:
- “When I listen to them, all of a sudden I feel like I'm big and like I'm powerful and like nothing can touch me when I'm walking down the street, which is really not something I feel at this, like, ever at this point in my life.” – Eddie Laughter [03:29]
- “This is a room full of punk, queer women. And I just. I didn't know that was a thing. And I just need a minute to, like, sit and process that.” – Eddie Laughter [07:49]
- “I started to realize that the small feeling that I'm holding onto, I don't need it anymore and I never needed it.” – Eddie Laughter [08:54]
- Insight:
The story highlights music’s power to create sanctuary and identity, shattering stereotypes of what it means to “fit in.”
2. A Secret Sanctuary at the Gaiety Theater
Storyteller: Christopher Brune Horan
Segment: [13:54]–[20:32]
- Summary:
Christopher, growing up gay in a hostile environment, finds refuge and self-discovery at New York’s Gaiety Theater, an all-male burlesque venue. Despite shame and secrecy, these visits become a formative, liberating part of his adolescence. - Notable Moments/Quotes:
- “I knew that I liked boys the way that most boys liked girls. As early as first grade…” – Christopher Brune Horan [14:30]
- “At the time, my thinking was that if I just became very small and I didn't say anything about it, that maybe it would go away.” — Christopher Brune Horan [15:19]
- “I ended up going back there about 10 more times throughout high school. It was my secret that I told no one about.” – Christopher Brune Horan [17:56]
- Reflecting on adulthood: “I was very proud of that kid who had done that, who had had the courage to find sanctuary and survive.” – Christopher Brune Horan [20:08]
- Insight:
The importance of secret spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and the enduring cost of societal shame; the eventual pride in survival and self-acceptance.
3. Blessings (and Misadventures) with Dodgy Rosary Beads
Storyteller: Louise Newton Keogh
Segment: [22:16]–[29:06]
- Summary:
A candid childhood tale of trying to control chaos through “blessing” rituals, fueled by religious education and the hope that being extra good would heal her troubled family. An electric mishap finally puts an end to the nightly blessings. - Notable Moments/Quotes:
- “I thought I could find a way to control the universe.” – Louise Newton Keogh [22:30]
- “I became a blesser. And I didn't actually know what blessing. I didn't really know what I was doing. So my way of blessing people would be to touch them with the rosary beads and say, ‘You are blessed.’” – Louise Newton Keogh [24:52]
- After her sister is shocked blessing an electric socket:
“We were cured. That was it. We were done. The days of controlling the universe with rosary beads were over.” – Louise Newton Keogh [28:46]
- Insight:
A child’s imaginative attempts at control when faced with family instability—a blend of humor, faith, and the hard limit of childhood powerlessness.
4. Reconciling With a Complex Father
Storyteller: Pauline Wynne
Segment: [32:51]–[48:18]
- Summary:
Pauline recalls her family’s harrowing journey from wartime Vietnam to Australia, marked by her father’s heroism and subsequent anger. Through writing a memoir, she confronts family pain and ultimately receives her father’s unconventional acknowledgment. - Notable Moments/Quotes:
- “My father is a very determined man….He would rather die trying than risk imprisonment or to suffer a fate far worse.” – Pauline Wynne [33:19]
- “If someone were to ask me now what it is that I remember most about my childhood, it would be the overwhelming stench of fear.” – Pauline Wynne [35:39]
- Her father’s powerful metaphor:
“Do you know why Buddha sits on a lotus flower? …There is nothing as beautiful as A lotus flower. Out of watery chaos, it grows... My children are lotus flowers. You have grown out of the aftermath of war. ...I am mud. I am dead. I am shit. I am very lucky to have you all.” – Pauline Wynne [46:06] - “He never gave me an apology. He gave me acknowledgement, acknowledgment of the harm that he had inflicted.” – Pauline Wynne [47:42]
- Insight:
Survival, generational trauma, and the elusive grace of forgiveness; the healing that comes from being acknowledged, even if an apology never comes.
5. The Power of a Jewish Mother and a Used Refrigerator
Storyteller: Denise Bledsoe Slaughter
Segment: [49:05]–[54:14]
- Summary:
Denise struggles to care for her young, gay brother while attending grad school. Help comes from Pearl, her “Jewish mother,” who offers $180 to buy heating oil. Denise repays the debt with a mini fridge, learning the value of bartering and unorthodox family. - Notable Moments/Quotes:
- “Everybody should have a black mother and a Jewish mother, okay? I have been privileged to have had both.” – Denise Bledsoe Slaughter [49:13]
- “She says, ‘What do you need?’ I said, ‘$180.’ She said, ‘Come by the house tonight. I'll give it to you.’ I said, ‘Pearl, I don't know when I'll be able to pay it back.’ And she said, ‘That's okay. That's okay.’” – Denise Bledsoe Slaughter [52:04]
- Reflecting on survival: “He also was then diagnosed with HIV in 1983, and he's still alive... He became a crack addict and an alcoholic and that is what you should be applauding. He survived that.” – Denise Bledsoe Slaughter [53:27]
- Insight:
The profound impact of chosen family, kindness without conditions, and a reminder that sometimes debts are best repaid with gratitude—and appliances.
Notable Episode Quotes
-
On belonging:
“I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, too. And so I just let myself hold onto that.”
—Eddie Laughter [08:02] -
On sanctuary:
“I was very proud of that kid who had done that, who had had the courage to find sanctuary and survive.”
—Christopher Brune Horan [20:08] -
On trauma and hope:
“If someone were to ask me now what things I think about when I think of my father, I would say I think about forgiveness, I think of redemption and I think about hope. But most of all, I think about unfailing courage in the face of any adversity.”
—Pauline Wynne [47:57] -
On gratitude:
"I thank Pearl Wolf for keeping us warm."
—Denise Bledsoe Slaughter [54:01]
Important Story Timestamps
- Eddie Laughter, finding belonging at a punk show: [02:56]–[09:30]
- Christopher Brune Horan, discovery at the Gaiety Theater: [13:54]–[20:32]
- Louise Newton Keogh, blessings and chaos in childhood: [22:16]–[29:06]
- Pauline Wynne, reconciling with her father: [32:51]–[48:18]
- Denise Bledsoe Slaughter, help and bartering with Pearl: [49:05]–[54:14]
Episode Tone & Style
The episode is deeply human, balancing humor and pathos, with storytellers’ authentic voices shining through. From Eddie’s youthful excitement to Denise’s wry gratitude, each tale is marked by honesty and the idiosyncrasies of lived experience.
Conclusion
This episode’s patchwork of stories highlights the unpredictable ways we unearth strength and solace: in music, secret places, childhood rituals, hard-won family reckonings, and acts of everyday generosity. It honors weirdness, survival, and the hope that emerges out of hardship—like a lotus from the mud.