The New Yorker Radio Hour – Episode 20

Date: March 4, 2016
Host: David Remnick, WNYC Studios & The New Yorker

Overview

This episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour weaves together a variety of powerful stories: a satirical guide to navigating the city while inebriated, a musical portrait of an undocumented immigrant living in Texas, an in-depth conversation about the realities of sexual assault through the lens of the play "Slut", a colorfully recounted journey to reclaim a family mansion in Serbia, an explainer on the economics of cheap oil, and, finally, a crash course in electronic dance music. The episode balances humor, cultural critique, and deeply affecting testimony, always with an eye on the personal stories behind headline issues.

Segment 1: "G.P.S. for Drunks"

[00:06–02:42]

• Content & Tone:
  A witty, performative skit written by Hallie Kanter, voiced with the dulcet, robotic tones of the real Siri (Susan Bennett), lampooning the experience of navigating New York City after a night of drinking.

• Highlights:

  • Humorous and relatable step-by-step "navigation," e.g., "carry your jacket because you are warm from alcohol and too lazy to do all that complicated stuff with your arms."
  • Social observations: “You're all just sailors on the sea of—oh, one of them is throwing up to the right.”
  • Touch of melancholy under the humor: “Vaguely wonder if you did anything embarrassing at the party. Enter an endless loop of anxiety in one minute. Hail a cab. Keep the windows open.”

• Notable Quote:

  • “If your head is down, you are invisible and therefore not rude.” — Hallie Kanter ([00:14])

Segment 2: Michael Friedman’s "Undocumented" Song-Project

[02:42–10:12]

• Content:
  Composer Michael Friedman visits Texas during the presidential campaign to turn real interviews with locals into song—this time, focusing on Ramiro, an undocumented immigrant with a compelling and tumultuous life story.

• Key Points:

  • Ramiro’s background: separated from his mom for over 20 years, father deported, left to his own devices as a teenager.
  • Impact of Trump-era rhetoric and tangible fears within the immigrant community.
  • Internal dissent among Latino and Tejano Democrats in Texas.
  • Ramiro’s activism journey: from disillusionment to radical activism, including hunger strikes and political theater.
  • Dark humor and wisdom from years “fighting” the system.

• Memorable Moments:

  • Ramiro evades a police officer in Arizona by showing a Sam’s Club card instead of a license:
    • “Luckily in my wallet I had a Sam’s card... I showed him my Sam’s card, and it had my picture. The picture was blurry. And he took it and said, okay.” — Ramiro ([09:24])
  • Levity in the face of peril:
    • “If you buy in bulk, you must be American. You must be American.” — Ramiro ([09:48])

• Notable Quote:

  • “If Trump wins, I see like gestapo style raids, crazy stuff... If you're under attack, you can either run or fight.” — Ramiro ([08:18])

Segment 3: "Slut, The Play" and Sexual Assault Testimony

[12:27–28:06]

• Content:
  David Remnick hosts playwright Katie Cappiello and actress Mary Miller for an honest, emotional discussion of the play "Slut", which confronts sexual assault, survivorhood, and community complicity.

• Key Discussion Points:

  • The play's structure: one side of the stage, Joey (the main character) gives her testimony; the other side, the community (gossip, judgement, rationalization).
  • Cappiello’s dedication to bringing authentic girls’ voices to the center—“Who better to speak this truth than those who face it day in and day out?” ([18:59])
  • The impact on young actresses: empowerment despite emotional exhaustion.
  • Mary Miller’s personal journey, playing a character similar to herself, offering hope and support to other survivors.
  • The ripple effect: many girls approaching Mary after performances, sharing their own stories, creating a rare sense of solidarity.

• Memorable Quotes & Moments:

  • “We so rarely get to hear that girl’s voice and her side of the story... and we wanted that girl's voice to be front and center.” — Katie Cappiello ([15:13])
  • “I wanted them to have what I didn’t get. I wanted that for them a lot.” — Mary Miller on supporting other survivors ([27:17])
  • “The girls will tell you this show has empowered them. It allows them to be at a house party on a Friday night and intervene...” — Katie Cappiello ([19:24])
  • “It's not like the only time I ever deal with rape is when I'm in the show... I'm kind of good at crying about it for a minute and then getting it together. You kind of have to be. That's how it goes.” — Mary Miller ([22:49])

Segment 4: Coming Home to Serbia – The Odyssey of Bob Bozik

[28:06–41:22]

• Content:
  Nick Paumgarten profiles Bob Bozik, an iconoclastic, larger-than-life former bartender/boxer/bank robber, as he travels to Belgrade to reclaim a mansion expropriated from his family after WWII.

• Key Story Beats:

  • Bob’s tumultuous youth: foster care, homelessness, boxing career, brushes with crime.
  • The family mansion's saga: generations lost, communism, restitution, and bureaucracy.
  • Personal and psychological undertones: seeking a home and a legacy for his daughter Vesna.
  • The emotional and comic spectacle (showing off the massive, ceremonial "key", prepping to camp in the empty house, joking about a secret envelope and “the diamonds”).
  • Tense, unresolved conclusion as Bozik arrives to find himself without heat or electricity, waiting for the state’s final moves.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “Everything was just a preparation for the final fight. And this is my final fight.” — Bob Bozik ([35:09])
  • “I can't make sense of this life, so I’d like somebody’s interpretation.” — Bob Bozik ([40:01])

• Memorable Closing:

  • “So it begins. I got the decision last week... and now they've decided that, you know what, this guy, New York, we took the house in 1946, another few weeks in the dark and cold isn't going to hurt him.” — Bob Bozik in Belgrade ([40:45])

Segment 5: Oil Economics with James Surowiecki

[43:03–48:20]

• Content & Insights:
  James Surowiecki, with guest Daniel Yergin, explains why cheap oil isn’t providing the expected economic boom. They break down the convergence of increased supply (notably from US shale), weaker global demand, and OPEC’s refusal to cut output, leading to a price collapse.

• Highlights:

  • US oil production nearly doubled (2008–2015) due to fracking.
  • OPEC’s strategic choice not to cut supply—a response to a changing geopolitical and economic landscape, especially growing production from Iran.
  • Cheaper prices cause job and investment losses in the U.S. shale industry, offsetting consumer savings.
  • The boom-and-bust cycle of the oil market is expected to continue, shaped by unpredictable geopolitical forces.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “The increase, the surplus in the oil market today is less than 2%, but it's been enough to drive oil prices down 70%.” — Daniel Yergin ([43:52])
  • “It's a story that has no ending in sight.” — Daniel Yergin ([48:20])

Segment 6: Dance Music Politics & Kygo

[48:59–54:17]

• Content:
  Kelefa Sanneh introduces host David Remnick to the world of contemporary EDM, focusing on Norwegian DJ Kygo, whose “tropical house” sound has led him to a billion Spotify streams.

• Key Points:

  • Kygo’s tracks are slower than mainstream EDM and are described as “chilled out.”
  • The democratization/remixing of hits: Kygo gained fame through unauthorized remixes posted online.
  • EDM as “the new disco”—scorned by critics but beloved by fans.
  • The evolving genre landscape, with UK’s PC Music and other producers taking dance-pop in new directions.

• Memorable Moments:

  • David Remnick on the driving pulse of Kygo's music: “This is spinning class heaven here.” ([52:01])
  • Kelefa Sanneh: “Any song is always ripe for remixing or reconsideration and these categories really are unstable.” ([54:11])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:06] G.P.S. for Drunks (Hallie Kanter, Susan Bennett)
• [02:42] Michael Friedman's Song Project – Ramiro’s Story
• [12:27] “Slut, The Play” – Sexual Assault, Testimony, and Community
• [28:06] The Bozik Mansion – Bob’s Serbian Adventure
• [43:03] Economics 101: The Oil Glut (James Surowiecki & Daniel Yergin)
• [48:59] Dance Music Politics – Kygo and EDM (Kelefa Sanneh)

Concluding Notes

This episode is notable for its wide thematic range, yet a constant through-line of individual experience—be it in the face of prejudice, assault, economic systems, or personal legacy. Stories are delivered with The New Yorker’s characteristic intelligence, wit, and humanism.

End of summary.