The Moth Podcast: "School's Out!" Featuring Joanna Courteau & Gabe Mollica

Episode Overview: Released on May 24, 2019, "School's Out!" is an episode of The Moth podcast hosted by Dane Wilburn. This episode delves into transformative school experiences through two compelling stories by Joanna Courteau and Gabe Mollica. Both narrators share personal journeys of overcoming social challenges and finding their paths during their school years.

Host Introduction

Dane Wilburn sets the stage by reflecting on the end of the academic year and the invaluable lessons learned outside the classroom. He shares his own high school experiences humorously, highlighting his struggle with the popular middle school hair trends:

"I got caught in that middle period between neon colored clothes and Jheri curls... by the end of high school, I'd also managed to take that hairdo into the pool and lost most of my hair to chlorine damage." ([01:31])

Wilburn introduces the two storytellers, promising engaging narratives that explore significant personal growth during school years.

Story 1: Joanna Courteau – "From Bashful to Bold"

Joanna Courteau recounts her intense bashfulness during middle and high school and a near-fatal accident that became a turning point in her social life.

Key Themes:

• Shyness and Isolation: Joanna describes her extreme reluctance to engage with peers, often hiding or avoiding conversations to the point of being mean.

• Life-Altering Accident: During a school visit to a military academy, Joanna, overwhelmed by fear influenced by her reading, inadvertently steps into traffic, resulting in a severe car accident. She narrates:

  "I was hit by the car so hard that I flew 40ft in the air... my head landed on the side of the curb, and from what they told me later, it cracked like a watermelon." ([04:15])

• Unanticipated Friendship and Recovery: Contrary to her expectations of isolation post-accident, Joanna wakes from her coma to find her previously distant peers consistently visiting her. They support her through her recovery, leading to unexpected friendships:

  "Unbeknownst to me, all those kids whom I left facing the Gulag archipelago came to visit me every day after school... I love them. It was really amazing." ([07:00])

• Transformation into a Social Activist: The support from her peers inspires Joanna to embrace social interactions and become an active group member committed to positive change:

  "I had become a groupie with a passion and with cause. I was involved in everything. I tried to save the world then and have done so ever since." ([08:10])

Notable Quote:

"You cannot imagine the amount of courage it took." ([02:35]) – Joanna emphasizes the immense bravery required to overcome her deep-seated bashfulness.

Impact: Joanna's story illustrates how a life-threatening experience can catalyze profound personal growth and social integration. Her journey from isolation to active participation serves as an inspiring testament to resilience and the unexpected ways support can emerge during recovery.

Host’s Interlude

After Joanna's heartfelt narrative, Dane Wilburn shares a personal anecdote from his middle school days involving his short stint on a basketball team:

"I pretty much just attacked any girl that came into the paint... I ended up deciding that the only thing I was really good at was, like, enforcement and being dangerous." ([08:36])

Wilburn uses humor to reflect on his attempts to fit in and the challenges of balancing personal interests with social expectations.

Story 2: Gabe Mollica – "The Journey from Quitting to Singing"

Gabe Mollica offers a poignant account of his high school years marked by failed attempts to join the football team, leading to feelings of inadequacy, and ultimately finding solace and identity in the choir.

Key Themes:

• Desire for Acceptance: Gabe's initial motivation to join the football team stems from a desire to be cool, lose weight, and attract a girlfriend:

  "If I joined the football team, football would make me cool... I was a fat kid... this combination would get me a girlfriend." ([10:35])

• Repeated Failures and Self-Doubt: His first and second attempts at joining football end in humiliation and quitting, reinforcing his belief that he’s a quitter:

  "In high school, being thin and cool and having a girlfriend... this is not how you become cool." ([10:55])

• Struggling with Sadness: Gabe describes his emotional decline, feeling constantly sad and unsupported:

  "I'm not depressed, I'm just sad. And in my lowest point, I tell my mom, mom, I just wish we could all be in heaven." ([13:20])

• Redemption through Choir: The pivotal moment arrives when Gabe joins the chamber choir, leading to meaningful friendships and newfound confidence:

  "Suddenly I had friends who were cool and wanted to make music and they had cars and they invited me places... I was cast as Conrad Bertie." ([13:45])

• Achievement and Recognition: His involvement in the choir and subsequent activities culminate in significant accomplishments, including performing in musicals and supporting championship-winning bands:

  "I lost weight so I could fit into my gold lame pants. And that night at the cast party, I had my first kiss and I was on top of the world." ([14:10])

Notable Quote:

"Do I even really need a girlfriend?" ([11:15]) – Gabe questions the underlying motivations behind his initial pursuit of joining the football team.

Impact: Gabe's story highlights the struggles of adolescence, particularly the pressures to conform and the impact of repeated failures on self-esteem. His eventual discovery of passion in music underscores the importance of finding one's true interests and the positive influence of supportive mentors and communities.

Conclusion

Dane Wilburn wraps up the episode by highlighting the transformative power of school experiences and expressing gratitude towards the storytellers. He provides additional context on Joanna and Gabe’s lives post-graduation, emphasizing their continued growth and achievements.

Joanna Courteau's resilience turned her into a passionate social activist, while Gabe Mollica channeled his initial disappointments into a thriving career in music and storytelling. Both stories serve as powerful reminders of how adversity and unexpected friendships during school years can shape one's identity and future.

Final Thoughts: "School's Out!" is a testament to the enduring impact of our formative years and the unexpected paths to self-discovery and fulfillment. Through Joanna and Gabe's narratives, listeners are invited to reflect on their own school experiences and the pivotal moments that defined their journeys.

Additional Resources:

• Photos of Joanna Courteau are available in the extras section of the episode on the Moth's website.
• Gabe Mollica's Performances: Gabe continues to perform stand-up and storytelling across New York and internationally, including his one-man show at the Magnet Theater and upcoming shows at the Edinburgh French Festival.

For more stories and live event information, visit themoth.org.