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Portrait of the Artist at the Side of the Road, Route 40 Indiana August 1953 — **Ed Epstein, A Life in Art** Mar 02, 2015
Show notes

Ed Epstein is a portrait artist of some renown in these parts. But painting has comprised only a fraction of Ed’s artistic life. As a kid in the fifties he hitch hiked across the country with only a banjo and a few bucks. He fell in love with the Bach cello suites and spent the next twenty years mastering the cello so he could play them. Ed has designed and built woodstoves, houses, and when his son showed interest in fishing, Ed built a boat so they could get out to that stand of reeds…where the bass are. Ed Epstein’s whole life has been an art project.

In this hour, we talk about the mysterious process of portrait painting…it’s difficulties and occasional satisfactions. But mostly in this hour, we talk about boats. Building them, sailing them for years, and what became of Ed’s beloved thirty foot schooner, Ruby.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/193910049″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

The beautiful photograph of Ed Epstein was taken by photographer **Andrew Kline**. More of his work can be seen here.

More of Ed Epstein’s work can be seen here.

Music this hour: The Cello Suites, by J.S. Bach, performed by Jan Vogler.

**Unedited audio from the interview**

There is a whole section of our interview that is not in this show, but well worth listening to, particularly if you’re interested in folk music. In it, Ed talks about his first forays out of New York City, and hitchhiking across the country in the early fifties with his banjo and I realized if I want my kid to have any sort of musical interests, my kid needs that, to see a few real live music legends himself, in person. Here it is:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/193900956?secret_token=s-haoca” params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

Self portrait from a picture taken of Ed in the early fifties.

The Sally Rubin

Jimmy the Iceman De Piro

Pan Trio

The Juniper Island, an 18′ standing lug yawl

Ed and Aryeh on the Sally Rubin, @1988

**Ed Epstein, A Life in Art** Mar 02, 2015
Show notes

Ed Epstein is a portrait artist of some renown in these parts. But painting has comprised only a fraction of Ed’s artistic life. As a kid in the fifties he hitch hiked across the country with only a banjo and a few bucks. He fell in love with the Bach cello suites and spent the next twenty years mastering the cello so he could play them. Ed has designed and built woodstoves, houses, and when his son showed interest in fishing, Ed built a boat so they could get out to that stand of reeds…where the bass are. Ed Epstein’s whole life has been an art project.

In this hour, we talk about the mysterious process of portrait painting…it’s difficulties and occasional satisfactions. But mostly in this hour, we talk about boats. Building them, sailing them for years, and what became of Ed’s beloved thirty foot schooner, Ruby.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/193910049″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

The beautiful photograph of Ed Epstein was taken by photographer **Andrew Kline**. More of his work can be seen here.

More of Ed Epstein’s work can be seen here.

Music this hour: The Cello Suites, by J.S. Bach, performed by Jan Vogler.

**Unedited audio from the interview**

There is a whole section of our interview that is not in this show, but well worth listening to, particularly if you’re interested in folk music. In it, Ed talks about his first forays out of New York City, and hitchhiking across the country in the early fifties with his banjo and I realized if I want my kid to have any sort of musical interests, my kid needs that, to see a few real live music legends himself, in person. Here it is:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/193900956?secret_token=s-haoca” params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

Self portrait from a picture taken of Ed in the early fifties.

The Sally Rubin

Jimmy the Iceman De Piro

Pan Trio

The Juniper Island, an 18′ standing lug yawl

Ed and Aryeh on the Sally Rubin, @1988

Here’s a Song For You Mar 02, 2015

Show notes

Tonight I was driving home from Montpelier with my son, and we were both happy because today really did feel like maybe spring will come this year, and we were listening to Miriam Bernardo sing. It was a recording I made of a house show a couple years ago. There’s something so beautiful to me about this live recording, and I figured I’d share one of the songs with you. Here’s Miriam, and Michael Chorney on guitar and Rob Morse on bass. This is Love Came Here, by Lhasa de Sela.

Welcome to spring everyone.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/197716442″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

Upcoming Miriam shows:

April 4, Steady Betty at the lamp shop, Burlington. 9pm
April 17, Magic City at the Haybarn. 8-10pm
May 1, Waking Windows music festival in Winooski. Steady Betty 7:30pm
May 9, Betty Brew fest at the big picture in Waitsfield. 10pm steady b.
June 4,6,7, Soloing with the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra. Unitarian Church. 7pm.

Police Log, March 2015 Mar 01, 2015

Show notes

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/195178661″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

The sock went missing in November, was encased in ice in someone’s driveway, and yesterday it was released. The end of winter is nigh everyone. This is for real.

It’s time again for a sampling from the Barre and Montpelier police logs, as reported in the Times Argus. This month saw a disproportionate number of shovel incidents. There were keys lost and found. A juvenile was out of control on Crest Street. Come listen.

The police log is read by radio producer Scott Carrier. Scott’s new podcast, Home of the Brave, has LAUNCHED, and I highly recommend you subscribe to it. He’s one of the most interesting radio producers anywhere. I’ve spent whole days binge-listening to his shows. It’s time well spent.

Music by Hayvanlar Alemi. The song is titled Crossroad Metamorphosis

Marianne Banner — **More Poopy Old People** Feb 23, 2015
Show notes

A couple months ago I ran a commentary by Marc Estrin called Poopy Old Man. In this commentary, he talks about feeling increasingly invisible to the people around him as he gets older. It’s a rather dark perspective on aging.

This is a response to that commentary, and offers a somewhat different perspective on getting older. Here’s a conversation between Larry Massett and Marianne Ross of Washington DC.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/191968300?secret_token=s-k0Tt1″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

**Who are they?**

**Larry Massett** is one of the world’s most interesting radio producers. He lives in Cabin John, MD.

**Marianne Ross** is the director of a multimedia company called Concerts in the Country, in Washington DC. She spends much of each summer in the Northeast Kingdom, working with Bread and Puppet Theater. Here’s Marianne:

Clare and her donkey, Nikolai. — **Object of My Affection** Feb 15, 2015
Show notes

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/191291077″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

This is a conversation about love and objects. It’s from a late night conversation with my friend Clare Dolan. In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, we sat on my couch and talked about a special kind of love that exists between people and objects. The conversation starts with Clare’s first friend in childhood…a small stuffed creature called Binny.

Clare is the curator at The Museum of Everyday Life in Glover, Vermont. It is a self-service museum located in her barn, and it ‘dedicates itself to deteriorating objects of no monetary value, but of immense ordinary-life consequence.’ The current exhibit is called *Toothbrush from Twig to Bristle In All Its Expedient Beauty*. Clare recently got so mad at her broken snowblower that she was moved to create a small, impromptu exhibit called *Broken and Useless Snow Removal Devices of the Northeast Kingdom*. I am including a couple pictures of the exhibit here, and some other pictures I like. If you have not been to the museum, do not dally. Do not wait. Put it on your bucket list. It will make you happy. Directions and more exhibit pictures are on her website.

Clare and her donkey, Nikolai

Raggedy Ann and Binny

One of my favorite exhibits in the toothbrush show.

A large, stabbed bear in the museum

MOEL February1 — **Object of My Affection** Feb 15, 2015
Show notes

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/191291077″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

This is a conversation about love and objects. It’s from a late night conversation with my friend Clare Dolan. In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, we sat on my couch and talked about a special kind of love that exists between people and objects. The conversation starts with Clare’s first friend in childhood…a small stuffed creature called Binny.

Clare is the curator at The Museum of Everyday Life in Glover, Vermont. It is a self-service museum located in her barn, and it ‘dedicates itself to deteriorating objects of no monetary value, but of immense ordinary-life consequence.’ The current exhibit is called *Toothbrush from Twig to Bristle In All Its Expedient Beauty*. Clare recently got so mad at her broken snowblower that she was moved to create a small, impromptu exhibit called *Broken and Useless Snow Removal Devices of the Northeast Kingdom*. I am including a couple pictures of the exhibit here, and some other pictures I like. If you have not been to the museum, do not dally. Do not wait. Put it on your bucket list. It will make you happy. Directions and more exhibit pictures are on her website.

Clare and her donkey, Nikolai

Raggedy Ann and Binny

One of my favorite exhibits in the toothbrush show.

A large, stabbed bear in the museum

IMG_6612-2 — **Police Log** Feb 02, 2015
Show notes

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/189626294″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

You can learn a lot about a place from the local police log. A couple weeks ago I was reading the Times Argus, and I read a police log that I was sure held some kind of message for me. There was a lost key, a found wallet, and a woman in yoga pants seen walking down Sumner Street. There was a dead deer missed by a car and a living deer hit. What could it mean?

I’m going to start running periodic police log shows. If you know of small newspapers around the state that run good police logs, leave a message at the bottom of the show page here. I’d love to hear about them.

This police log comes to you from the Barre Police, as published in the Times Argus. It is read by writer and radio producer Scott Carrier. Scott is coming out with a podcast of his own pretty soon, which is very good news. I will let you know when and where you can find it when it starts.

Here is a picture of Scott in sunglasses.

Music by Hayvanlar Alemi. The song is titled Crossroad Metamorphosis

reenactors — **Leland** Jan 27, 2015
Show notes

From my house, if you take a left through the woods, then a right up a dirt road, and then another right up another dirt road, you come to a really old farmhouse. That’s where Leland lives, and where he’s thinking things over. Last week he agreed to talk with me about some of these things. Death, deep space, and Revolutionary War reenactments. Welcome.

The music in this show is from the remarkable **Carla Kihlstedt**. Learn more about her HERE.

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec reenactment. Three generations of Kennedys.

Piano Practice Jan 21, 2015

Show notes

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/187185013″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

Here’s a short story about my son and piano practice and parental rage.

Solidod, An Apache Original Jan 08, 2015

Show notes

This is a show produced by Larry Massett, for NPR’s Hearing Voices. It features remarkable stories from Solidod, the last remaining member of her village of Mescalero Apache who lived on the edge of Death Valley. Here’s Larry’s introduction….

“When I first met Solidod she was living alone in a tiny room in a rather depressing subsidized-income apartment complex in Florida. She herself was anything but depressing, though. A few minutes after we met she showed me the little knife she carries with her in her buckskin purse. “But Solidod,” I said, “that’s kind of a dangerous knife, isn’t it?” I said- meaning, dangerous for an 80-year woman. “Yeah, it’s sharp, it came with a good knife sharpener” she laughed, “but it would be better if it was rusty. So the cut would get infected in case I stab somebody.”

Wow, tough lady. Tough, but also funny, curious, brimming with energy, and a world-class storyteller. As she told me about the adventures of her life I realized she’s been everywhere and done just about everything: horse-trainer, bodyguard, trans-Atlantic sailor, carpenter, gardener, artist, you name it. And she’s busy. She spends her days zipping around town selling the t-shirts she paints and the jewelry she makes, checking on old friends and chatting up new ones. Most people her age seem to be winding down; Solidod’s just getting started…”

Thank you Hearing Voices for allowing me to air this show. It’s a favorite.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/185108606″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

Here is a link to Solidod’s book.

Big Job Dec 26, 2014

Show notes

This week’s episode is about one of life’s hardest and most humbling jobs. Parenting. You’ll hear stories about potty training, power struggles, living with teenagers, character-driven parenting, and negotiating new relationships with grown children. Plus some stories about beaches and dead birds.

The hour features two interviews. Melissa Burroughs is a mother and teacher, and has worked extensively with families. The show also features an interview with a mother of two grown daughters. She talks about how parenting changes when the kids have grown and gone. She prefers to go unnamed.

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