Snap Judgment

Latest Episodes:

The Hot Dog King of New York Nov 23, 2023

Show notes

This dog has everything: mustard, onions, a scrap with Giuliani, Vietnam Vets, and The Met. Everyone is coming for the Throne of the Hot Dog King of New York… Dan Rossi. And a camp for kids with dermatological issues reveals that some summer romances are more than skin deep.

STORIES

The Hot Dog King of New York

This dog has everything: mustard, onions, a scrap with Giuliani, Vietnam Vets, and The Met. Everyone is coming for the Throne of the Hot Dog King of New York… Dan Rossi.

This story contains strong language - sensitive listeners please be advised.

A huge thank you to Dan Rossi for sharing his story with Snap! There is so much that we were not able to share with you about Dan’s experience. To find out more check out his new memoir The New York Hot Dog King: From Rags to Riches to Less Than Rags. You can also follow Dan on social media.

Additional thanks to our friends at VICE, whose series MUNCHIES featured Dan back in 2019 and was a big inspiration for this story.

Listen to the King’s tribute song featured in this episode recorded by The Burner Band.

Produced by Bo Walsh, original score by Clay Xavier, artwork by Teo Ducot.

Skin Deep

It's days before the big dance at Camp Discovery — and there's a problem. A few problems. But the kids at this camp are more used to problems than your average camper.

Thanks to everyone in this episode! Learn more about Camp Discovery at aad.org.

Produced by Sarah Harris with help from Anna Sussman. Sound design by Renzo Gorrio.

Season 14 - Episode 49

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Seeking Shizuko Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

A young girl was lost to her family. Torn away from them during their time in the Japanese-American prison camps, she was institutionalized and thought to be gone. But now, somehow she is rumored to be alive.

STORIES

Seeking Shizuko

A very big thank you to David “Mas” Masumoto for sharing his story. Mas wrote about Shizuko in his book, Secret Harvests.

This story is part of Lisa’s podcast California Foodways. It gets support from California Humanities and the Food and Environment Reporting Network.

Produced by Lisa Morehouse, original score by Dirk Schwarzhoff, artwork by Teo Ducot

Nellie’s Pond

When Peter Aguero got picked on as a kid, but it wasn’t the other kids he had to worry about.

Hear more stories, and find where Peter’s performing next on his website, www.peteraguero.com

Produced by Ana Adlerstein & Joe Rosenberg, sound design by Leon Morimoto

Season 14 - Episode 48

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Rooty The Pig - Snap Classic Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Rooty isn’t like most farm pigs, she’s a city pig. This 300-pound Vietnamese pot-bellied pig is a New Orleans girl. But when Hurricane Katrina hits, everything in Rooty’s world is threatened.

BIG thanks to Jim & Connie for sharing their story with us! Thanks as well to Jeffery Tam & Dr. Alison Barca.

Produced by Annie Nguyen, original score by Cheflee, artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 14 - Episode 47 - Snap Classic

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The Real Fleetwood Mac Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Elmer Gantry gets an offer to join a notoriously unstable rock n’ roll band on a tour of the US. What could possibly go wrong? And the infamous Pine Tar Game of baseball superstar George Brett... told by the bat boy.

STORIES

The Real Fleetwood Mac

Elmer Gantry gets an offer to join a notoriously unstable rock n’ roll band on a tour of the US. What could possibly go wrong?

Thanks, Elmer, for sharing your story with us! Learn more about Elmer Gantry’s music in this blog post that producer John Fecile wrote for Aquarium Drunkard.

Kirby Gregory still performs with the band Curved Air.

Read an extensive history of Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera from the magazine Ugly Things.

Listen to a 10-song Spotify playlist that we put together of Elmer’s songs and other tunes from the story.

Special thanks to Mike Stax, Anja Stax, and David Prest.

Original score by Dirk Schwarzhoff, produced by John Fecile

The Bat Boy And The Pine Tar Bat

Every baseball fan has heard of the superstar hitter George Brett and his infamous Pine Tar Game…but have you heard of the bat boy’s version?

For more info, check out Daniel Barbarisi’s story in the Wall Street Journal.

Sound design by Renzo Gorrio, produced by Davey Kim

Season 14 - Episode 46

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Nevermore - Spooked Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

We’re getting spooky again this week with a quirky haunting from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a tale from a girl who escapes a ghostly force through astral projection.

Be afraid… this Halloween special features supernatural stories from our evil twin podcast, Spooked, told by people who can barely believe it happened themselves. You can listen to Spooked for free on any podcast platform! Episodes drop weekly.

STORIES

Night at the Aquarium

On Kevin’s night shift at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, things get wet, wild, and very very weird.

BIG thanks to Kevin Wright and the magical Monterey Bay Aquarium. Thanks also to KAZU Radio in Monterey, California for its assistance.

Original score by Yari Bundy & Renzo Gorrio, produced by Anne Ford

Out of Body

Tiyi just wants to get away from the man in the closet. What happens next changes her life forever.

Thank you, Tiyi Schippers, for sharing your story with us! You can find more of her creepy tales on YouTube.

Original score by Leon Morimoto, produced by Anne Ford

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 14 - Episode 45

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Inside Out - Spooked Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

This week on Snap, a BigFoot story from Pawnee Nation and a tale from a traditional-Filipino-tattoo practitioner who rids people of ancestral spirits. Some spirits move on… others don’t want to leave.

Be afraid… this Halloween special features supernatural stories from our evil twin podcast, Spooked told by people who can barely believe it happened themselves. You can listen to Spooked for free on any podcast platform!

STORIES

Big Man

When the Big Guy shows up, you keep your mouth shut. Be afraid…

Thank you to our storyteller for sharing his experiences.

Original score by Yari Bundy, produced by Anne Ford

Tattoo Exorcism

Traditional-Filipino-tattoo practitioner, Lane Wilcken, is never scared when ancestral spirits visit during tattoo sessions. He knows that those spirits, the ones that are just stopping by, aren’t the ones you have to worry about.

Thank you, Lane Wilcken, for sharing your story with us! Lane wrote the book on traditional Filipino tattooing — Filipino Tattoos: Ancient to Modern. Today, Lane is one of only twenty people in the world who practice Filipino tattooing in its traditional form.

Original score by Lauryn Newson, produced by Zoë Ferrigno

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 14 - Episode 44

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The Promise - Snap Classic Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Promises. Some of them are worthless, some have infinite value, and some you will never know how much they are worth… until you have to cash them in.

STORIES

Birthday

Glynn witnesses a miracle... his daughter's birth.

Produced by Mark Ristich

The Spy’s Son

Bryan Denson was a court reporter for The Oregonian newspaper in Portland. It could be mind-numbing work sitting in the cheap seats of the American justice system. But then one day he got a tip about an espionage case coming in. The defendant was 24-year-old Nathan Nicholson. For Bryan it would turn out to be the story of a lifetime. For Nathan, it was the beginning of the end.

To learn more about Nathan’s story, make sure to grab a copy of Bryan Denson’s book: The Spy’s Son. You can check out his other work on his website. Bryan also wrote a six-part series of Nathan’s story for The Oregonian.

A big thanks to The Oregonian/OregonLive for allowing Snap Judgment to use tape from Bryan Denson’s interview with Nathan Nicholson.

Original score and sound design by Renzo Gorrio, produced by Nancy López, artwork by Teo Ducot

The Admission

Pia's Letter of Acceptance from NYU should have been the best news she heard all day -- but her mother's reaction changed everything.

See the film of Pia's amazing Snap Judgment LIVE in NYC performance. Reach out to Pia via Twitter @PiaGlenn / Insta: @Pia_Glenn

Original score composed by Alex Mandel. Performed by Alex Mandel, Tim Frick, and David Brandt.

Remember The Baby

This radio play is about one of those days that you have that changes you forever. It comes from our friends at The Truth Podcast, and it was commissioned by The Sarah Awards from Sarah Lawrence College.

It was written by Louis Kornfeld, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell. The part of ANN was played by Ann Carr, ADAM was played by Louis Kornfeld, and Amy Warren was the sister. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell

Snap Classic - Season 14 - Episode 43

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Head Games - Snap Classic Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

This week on Snap, two stories about the human mind and how it can play tricks on you. A young man comes to terms with his mother’s profound mental illness. And a father of five and devout Mormon is dragged into a world that upends everything he knows to be true.

STORIES

“Tracy: My Ride-or-Die“

When Adult ISH host Nyge Turner turned 17, he became the caretaker for his ride-or-die: Tracy. His mom.

This story was produced by YR Media‘s Adult ISH podcast (Mom ISH episode). Adult ISH is a culture, advice, and storytelling show about #adulting, that is produced entirely by folks who are “almost adults.” It’s distributed by PRX’s Radiotopia. Be sure to subscribe and listen here.

Sound Designer: DJ Clay Xavier

“A Short Stay in Hell”

A father of five and devout Mormon is dragged into a world that upends everything he knows to be true.

This story comes to us from Believable, a new podcast from Narratively about how our stories define who we are. Each episode dives into a personal, eye-opening story where narratives conflict and different perspectives about the truth collide.

Steve Peck works at Brigham Young University and tells this story to a microbiology class every year. Check out his novel, “A Short Stay in Hell“ which inspired this story.

Listen and subscribe to Believable wherever you get your podcasts.

Producer: Ash Sanders
Lead Producer & Sound Designer: Ryan Sweikert
Host & Executive Producer, Narratively Podcasts: Noah Rosenberg
Production Assistant: Emily Rostek
Story Consultant: Brendan Spiegel
Art Direction: Vinnie Neuberg
Believable Episode Art: Zoe Van Dijk
Additional Support: Ula Kulpa and Russell Gragg
Special Thanks: Made in New York Media Center and Brigham Young University

“Head Games” episode artwork: Teo Ducot

Season 14 - Episode 42 - Snap Classic

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Quagmire Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

Your kids love her, your in-laws fear her, but you can't do Friday date night without QANanny. The ice is cracking on Lake Huron... will it break the bond between two ice fishermen? And Dr. Ray Christian gets stuck in the mud at Burning Man. This week on Snap, stories of people trying to escape a mess of their own making.

STORIES

My Beloved QANanny

Your kids love her, your in-laws fear her, but you can't do Friday date night without QANanny.

Thank you, Josh Healey, for sharing your story with Snap!

Produced by David Exumé, original score by Dirk Schwarzhoff

No Ice Is Safe Ice

The ice is cracking on Lake Huron... will it break the bond between two ice fishermen?

Thank you Steve, Jeremy, and Telaine for sharing your story with us.

This episode was originally aired on Points North, podcast from Interlochen Public Radio. Go listen now for more stories about land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes!

Produced by Dan Wanschura, original score by Clay Xavier, edited by Nancy Lopez and John Fecile

Mud Burn

Dr. Ray Christian gets stuck in the mud… at Burning Man.

Thanks, Ray, for telling us this tale. Go check out Ray’s podcast, What’s Ray Saying, for a deeper view into Black life in America and all things Ray.

Produced by John Fecile, original score by Dirk Schwarzhoff

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 14 - Episode 41

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Blood Oath - Snap Classic Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

Some commitments go way beyond words.

STORIES

True Friends

Glynn discovers the true meaning of friendship.

The Belfast Project

It’s not always easy to deal with the past, especially if it’s a troubled one. Do you hold on to it or do you let it go? For Anthony McIntyre the answer was easy.

Anthony McIntyre is a journalist and you can check out his writings on his website: The Pensive Quill.

Thank you to Ed Moloney for sharing the archival tape of the Brendan Hughes interviews from the Belfast Project that were featured in his book, Voices from the Grave.

Sound design by Renzo Gorrio, Produced by Nancy Lopez

Love Me

Two best friends have never met in person ... and one of them insists they keep it that way.

That was Allison Williams, and that piece was produced by Mira Burt-Wintonick and Cristal Duhaime for CBC's Love Me. You can hear more at cbc.ca/loveme or subscribe on iTunes.

13 Ways To Destroy A Painting

How far would you go to save the person you love? This radio play was adapted from Amber Sparks’s story, 13 Ways of Destroying a Painting, from her short story collection The Unfinished World. You can find more of her work at www.ambernoellesparks.com

Narrator: Thao Nguyen of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down

Sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller, produced by Eliza Smith

Season 14 - Episode 40

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