Rumble Strip

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**Rumble Strip**

Good conversation that takes its time, hosted by Erica Heilman.

Latest Episodes:

**Graffiti Photographer** Sep 28, 2018
Show notes

Steve Grody has dedicated his life to his passions. He’s an accomplished swing dance teacher. He’s a self defense instructor. And in the last twenty-eight years, he’s taken tens of thousands of photographs of graffiti in his hometown of Los Angeles. This is a conversation about the decades he’s spent wandering alleyways, climbing under bridges and through tunnels, documenting this ephemeral art.

This program is produced by **Bianca Giaever**. She’s a writer, filmmaker, artist and radio producer, and recently I heard a story she made with Jay Allison that was sublime. It’s called **Two Years with Franz**, about the Pulitzer-winning poet Franz Wright. It’s beautiful and I highly recommend it. Her college film, ***the Scared is scared*** was named Web Video of the Year by *USA Today* but more importantly, it’s awesome.

**More about Steve**

You can see Steve Grody’s photos in his book, **Graffiti L.A., Street Styles and Art**, and he has curated and contributed to graffiti art shows at MOCA LA and the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

**Steve Grody’s blog**

**Ted Talk with Steve**

**Music**

*A Day At The Racetrack*, by the musician **Julian Lynch**

Additional music by **Zubin Hensler** and **Jacob Blumberg**

**Let’s Pull the Damn Woman Card** Sep 11, 2018
Show notes

This is a show about women running for office. It’s not about issues or policies. You won’t learn where these women stand on public education or healthcare. It’s just about being a woman…running for office.

The truth is I’m tired of hearing about women running for office. I think there’s a liberal assumption that I already understand why that’s a good thing. But we’re not really supposed to talk explicitly about how being a woman, and not being a man, can be a value in and of itself.

So I figured it would be interesting to talk explicitly about it with some women running for office in Vermont. And it turns out they had plenty to say. It also turns out they’re all people I’d want to have a beer with…that gold standard of good male political candidates.

In this program you’ll hear from:

**Kathleen James**, running for the Vermont House in the Bennnington-4 District.

**Becca White**, running for the Vermont House in Hartford.

**Christine Hallquist**, the Democratic nominee for governor in Vermont.

**Ruth Hardy**, running for State Senate in Addison County. She is also the executive director of **Emerge Vermont,** which recruits and trains women to run for office in Vermont.

This show is sponsored by **Honey Road**, one of Burlington’s most popular restaurants down on Church and Main. It serves Eastern Mediterranean small plates. And it’s the kind of restaurant where you want everything on the menu. You share, you eat, they take away the finished plates and bring new ones. In other words, it’s episodic and fun. It’s also woman owned, woman run, and Allison and Cara have made a sane and happy work environment. You can even buy the kitchen staff a bucket of beer…

Thank you to my excellent and smart journalist friend **Mark Davis**.

I want to thank **The** **Athanaeum** in St. Johnsbury for allowing me to conduct an interview in their beautiful building.

Music for this show by Blue Dot Sessions from the **Free Music Archive**

Becca and Christine

Kathleen James

Becca White

Amelia Drives Around Aug 10, 2018

Show notes

I picked Amelia up at The Shelburne Museum the other day. It was a few hours before her soundcheck so she had some time to kill and we took a slow drive down by the lake. She drove. She’s a good driver.

Amelia is one half of the band Sylvan Esso. Nick Sanborn is the other half. I’m not great at music genres but I’ve heard their music described as ‘electro-pop’, as ‘glitchy metropolitan folk’ (what??). Anyway, their music is incredibly fun, bent, smart, and they can turn the end of the world into a dance party. Their show moves like a train. Non-stop dancing and a stunning light show.

Last time I talked with Amelia was about a year and a half ago. Since then, Sylvan Esso has entered the drinking water. It’s everywhere. They’ve gotten famous, which I figure must be a really strange thing to be. Amelia and I drove around and I asked her what it’s like to be famous, which is one of those things that you’re not really supposed to talk about, but I wanted to know what it feels like, and how fame affects her life. And also we talked about other things…and she sang a little.

Here’s a show. It’s driving around with Amelia. And lots of great music.

And there’s some swearing.

Sylvan Esso’s latest music video: Parade.

Sylvan Esso official website

Thomas Talks About Coming Out. Twice. Jul 20, 2018

Show notes

Thomas Caswell has autism. Which doesn’t tell you very much about him.

Autism doesn’t describe a person. If you’ve met one person with autism, then you’ve met one person…with autism. But over the last couple years Thomas has been coming out of the closet, in stages. And along with the common difficulties of coming out, there are some special difficulties if you’re a person with a disability. In this show, Thomas talks about growing up with autism, and growing into his life as a gay man.

Credits and Links

Thank you to the amazing Emily Anderson, the advocacy facilitator and Bridging coordinator, at Champlain Community Services, which focuses on career development for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. The Bridging Program helps students negotiate the transition from high school to adulthood. Thomas is working on a Sartac fellowship through Green Mountain Self Advocates. Champlain Voices encourages people to express themselves through self-advocacy.

Music for this show is by Brian Clark and Mike Donofrio.
Also, Blues Arrangement for Toy Piano and Piano Margaret Leng Tan

Reviews
Here’s a lovely review of the show by my favorite podcast reviewer, Ben Cannon.

Problems, Episode 2: Open Mic Jun 07, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to the second episode of Problems, an occasional mini-series of Rumble Strip. Problems. Because no problem is too small to complain about.

Problems stars Pam and Joel, old friends who support each other through their problems. We left off with Joel, who was in the midst of a pretty inconvenient bathroom renovation in his house, and Pam, who’s been dealing with some issues with her daughter River. River’s been biting other kids at school.

Here is a very special addition to the song from listener James Roggenbeck. So many of you don’t understand River and what she goes through as a sensitive child. But James? He does. Here is his tribute.

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Police Log, Gancy’s Cows Edition May 24, 2018

Show notes

It’s almost summer here in central Vermont, and as it gets hotter, it seems to get more dangerous. Law enforcement is working hard behind the scenes to keep people safe. Also to keep cows safe. Here’s the police log, read by Scott Carrier.

Shaggs’ Own Thing: The Story of the Wiggin Sisters May 10, 2018

Show notes

Depending on who you talk to, The Shaggs were either one of the best bands from the ’60s, or one of the worst bands of all time.

Helen, Betty and Dot Wiggin grew up in Fremont, New Hampshire. They had no interest in music, no natural talent for music, and in the late ’60s, their father forced them to drop out of school and start a rock band. In their living room. And then he forced them to record an album.

Decades later, The Shaggs became a cult classic….beloved by the likes of Frank Zappa, Sonic Youth and Kurt Cobain. And the sisters were suddenly in a spotlight they never expected, or desired.

In this show, The New Yorker’s Susan Orlean talks about her reporting on the origins of The Shaggs.

This show was produced for a FANTASTIC series out of KCRW, called Lost Notes. I highly recommend checking it out.

I produced this show with:

Susan Orlean of The New Yorker

Nick White of KCRW

Myke Dodge Weiskopf of KCRW

The present day interview with The Shaggs was by Avishay Artsy

Carl. A Different Breed of Cat Apr 24, 2018

Show notes

Directions to Carl Blaisdell’s house: Go about seven miles down this road. Then there’s a road that kind of goes up to a Jersey farm on the left and then there’s a pond. But there’s no sign to the pond. So after the pond, drive past the pull-off and Carl’s trailer sits way up in a field at the top of that hill. There’s a lot of pipes. And a lot of cars and trucks. And lots and lots of hounds.

But Carl wasn’t home. And so I went back the next day and we sat in his truck and talked. Carl’s trailer looks out over the farm he ran for most of his life, then sold. After farming, Carl seemed to make a smooth transition to being a mountain man, which is how he described himself, and the name pretty much fits. He’s private. He only goes to town to get something he needs. His life is close to the ground, to his dogs, and to the outside.

Larry Massett was inspired by the hounds and made this short piece. It’s called Where’s Carl.

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Credits

This interview was conducted while I was reporting for an episode about the Northeast Kingdom, by Brave Little State, which you can find HERE.

Music for this episode is by Emily Kueppers

And here’s a link to Caplan’s Army Store, where I have bought a LOT of socks.

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