the memory palace

From public radio producer, Nate DiMeo, comes The Memory Palace, a finalist for the 2016 Peabody Award and one of iTunes Best Podcast of 2015. Short, surprising stories of the past, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hysterical, often a little bit of both. "The most potent pieces of audio being produced today." - The AvClub <a href="http://thememorypalace.us">thememorypalace.us</a> The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at <a href="http://radiotopia.fm">radiotopia.fm</a>

Episode 216: Awake

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Music A synth stab from As if it Would Have a Universal and Memorable Ending by Shane Carruth's score to his film, Upstream Color, a movie I love deeply.  Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by the Platters The Girl Who was Frightened of Ashtrays by Charlie Megira Sambolero by Luiz Bonfa.  Water by So Percussion Divertimiento Fur Tenorsaxophon Und Kleines Ensemble (Part 4) from Carl Oesterhelt and Johannes Ender. Ball by Duval Timothy Piece 3 by the great Warren Ellis. Chora tua Tristeza from Lalo Schiffrin Growing Up from Ben Sollee's score to Maidentrip (Vibraphone, Marimbaphone, Malletted Wood, Two Synthesizers) and (Two Bells) by Josiah Steinbrick Main et lee from Michel Portal

04-18
17:15

Episode 215: An Eighth Wonder

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Music Momento Ritmico and Papete aru by Piero Umiliani Opus 13 from Sven Libaek's score to The Set French Doll by Larry Ashmore and David Francis The wonderful Sewentuwa by Hailu Meriga Wave I by Elor Saxl Green by Hiroshi Yoshimura NotesI originally learned about the Elephantine Colossus years ago in David McCullough's Brooklyn... and How it Got That Way, which still holds up.

04-04
11:06

Episode 214: Newsboy

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Music Un geant dans la mer and Triste soiree III from the score to Marie et les naufrages by the genius, Sebastian Tellier.  Love is Blue by Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors. Rocky Passage by Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer Morris Visits Dr. Pratt from John Barry's score to The Wrong Box Adios Muchachos from Andre Popp Moonlight in Vermont from the great Dorothy Ashby.  Midnight Moon by The Portland Cello Project Dance PM by Hiroshi Yoshimura And we hear Blind Andy Jenkins' "Floyd Collins in Sand Cave" followed by Vernon Dalhart doing the same song under the name, "The Death of Floyd Collins." We also hear Jimmy Osbourne do Andy's, "The Death of Little Kathy Fiscus." Notes I have a note in my years-long running list of possible story ideas that says, "event songs," but I could never remember why. Then I was reading Charles Hirschberg and Mark Zwonitzer's, Will You Miss me When I'm Gone?: The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music and was reminded of Andy's story (that book is great). I also recommend the always-useful, Country Music USA, by Bill C. Malone for more on Andy and his era as well as Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity by Richard A. Peterson. If you want more about poor Floyd Collins, you could turn to Robert K. Murray and Roger W. Bruckner's, Trapped!: The Story of Floyd Collins.

03-21
15:50

Episode 213: The Light and the Spirits

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Music Abisme by Shida Shahadi Ellen’s Image from Lalo Schiffiren’s genius score to The Fox Circulation by H. Takahasi Liquid Spear Waltz from Michael Andrews’ score to Donnie Darko A8 from a terrific record called NuNu by Clever Austin NotesI found a lot of insight in a terrific book called Extraordinary Beliefs by Peter Lamont. In it, there’s a smart historical, psychological exploration of why spiritualism was able to flourish despite all sorts of evidence opposing it. 

03-07
09:55

Episode 212: David Mills

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music Una Bravata from Carlo Rustichelli’s score to Amici Miei. Sunshine on Fish Skin by Girls in Airports. The Vienna Glass Armonica Duo performs Mozart’s Adagio for Glass Harmonium. The Fellowship by John Shabason Notes The best read on Mills is a 2022 article by Nate Hopper in The New Yorker about the challenges of keeping time on the internet.

02-11
10:36

Episode 211: Cutting and Ned

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music Je ne pas si c’est tout le monde - Theme Comedie from Vincent Delerm’s score to the film of the same, long name. Forbin’s Hi Fi from Michel Colombier’s score to Colossus: The Forbin Project Boo’s Lullaby by Maria Chiara Agriro and Jamie Leeming Helle (Ballade) from the great Phillipe Sarde score to that picture. L’Espagne pour memoire from Michel Portal’s score to Un et a la garoupe The Rain Never Stops on Venus by Michael Wollney Je t’ai meme pas dit by Vincent Delerm. From a Dream by Oregon A version of Narcisus for Clarinet and Electronics as played by Thea Musgrave. Notes Good sources if you want to know more are Peter Manseau’s book about spirit photography and the spiritualist age (Cutting intersects interestingly with that crea), The Apparitionists, as well as this article by Jerry Ryan about the history of aquariums in Boston.

01-14
15:15

Smoky and Bill, a Holiday Card

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. This is a special holiday bonus episode, a sequel to Episode 210. You’ll want to listen to that one first. Music The Parisienne by the Henri Crolla Ensemble Violette… by Philippe Sarde Gift by Makasuta Takagi The Sammy Herman Sextet plays The Bells of St. Mary’s

12-23
07:00

Episode 210: Smoky and Bill

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music I Believe in the Night by Keith Kenniff Improvisations sur les folies d’Espagne (extraits) from Marin Marais and Jordi Savall Finally by Lambert Voltige by Marin Lizotte Violin Solo no. 1 by Peter Broderick Fratres fur violin und klavier by Avro Part as played by Ursula Schloch and Marcel Worms Dungen by Henrik Lindstom Notes There are plenty of places to go to read about Smoky and Bill but why would want to go anywhere else than his book, Yorkie Doodle Dandy?

12-01
15:54

Episode 120: The Prairie Chicken in Wisconsin: Highlights of a Study of Counts, Behavior, Turnover, Movement, and Habitat

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music We move between three different pieces from Camille Saint-Saens': Suite, Op. 90: II Menuet, and two from Carnival of the Animals:Aviary and the Cuckoo in the Heart of the Woods. We hit Juneau from Danny Bensi and Sander Jurriaans' score to Wildlike. And The Waltz from their score to 5 to 7. And there's a total gem from George Mukabi called Dila Ni Dila in there too. Notes Do yourself a favor and read Frances Hamerstrom's autobiography, My Double Life: Memoirs of a Naturalist. Do your kids a favor and Jeannine Atkins take on Frances in her book Girls Who Looked Under Rocks. And then watch Frances teach David Letterman how to cook a snake.

11-17
19:47

Episode 209: Wake

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music Dave Pajo/Aerial M does Plastic Energy Man Patricia Rossborough played To a Wild Rose Mal Waldron plays Warm Canto We hear Muff Gets a Share from Joel P. West’s score to Band of Robbers We hear another song I absolutely love, Turned Out I Was Everyone, by Sasami We finish on Popcorn and Life from Ben Sollee’s lovely score to Maidentrip.

10-07
14:21

Episode 208: In the Gallery

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music The Theory by Clem Leek Hiddensee by Caeys The Clock Tower by Hampshire and Foat Notes If you want to know more about Gardner, I’d suggest Witness to an Era: the Life and Photographs of Alexander Gardner, by Mark Katz. On Brady, Matthew Brady: Portraits of a Nation, by Robert Wilson. I’d also suggest reading the New York Times’ review of the exhibit. It’s pretty stunning.

09-21
09:45

Episode 207: The Six Triple Eight

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music Inception by radio.string.quintet.vienna Julie With by Group Listening Nice Breeze Isn’t It? by friend of the show, Simon Rackham Wet by Taylor Deupree Times Like This II by Jean Kopperud and Stephen Gosling Broad Channel by Bing and Ruth Cradle (with Akira) by ghost and tape Lithosphere by Caoimhin O Raghellagh and by Caoimhin O Raghelagh and Thomas Bartlett Notes You can find the website I mentioned here; it’s a one-stop shop, really, for information on the 6888t. .

09-09
11:41

Episode 206: The Thundering Herd, The Vanishing American

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music Halcyon and Photosynteses and Embryo by H. Takehashi Intro by Library Tapes The Florist Wears Knee Breeches by M. Sage Notes I found Andrew Isenberg's book, The Destruction of the Bison, An Environmental History, completely fascinating. If you want to do a deep dive on Madison Grant, I'd recommend Defending the Master Race: Conservation, Eugenics, and the Legacy of Madison Grant by John Peter Spiro. If you want to do a deep dive on the Catalina Buffalo, this site is a fun place to start.

08-17
15:57

Episode 79: Artist in Landscape

This show is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. This episode was originally released in November, 2015. Music * Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth’s Modesty Blaise score. * They first meet to a piece called Brouillard (version 1) from Georges Delaure’s extraordinary score to Jules et Jim. (A second version comes in later when J.J. Audubon is living the high life in England). * We also hear Waltz by Mother Falcon. * I go back to the Marcelo Zarvos/Please Give well when the Scotsman arrives at their store. Note: it’s the go-to soundtrack for “People Arriving at One’s Store With A Life Changing Proposition” here at the Memory Palace. Also: go watch Please Give. * The little piano piece is from Nathan Johnson’s score to The Day I Saw Your Heart. * Lucy and John titter like plovers to Andrew Cyrille’s dope, skittering drums on Nuba 1. * The especially sad bit, right before the end is Dream 3 (in the Midst of my Life), from Max Richter’s giant, From Sleep album. * A couple times, including the ending, we hear “the Lark Ascending” from Ralph Vaughn Willliams. It is beautiful. You should buy it. Notes As per usual, I read a lot about the Audubons and the Bakewells. I relied most upon the charming and smart, On the Road with John James Audubon by Mary Durant, and Carolyn DeLatte’s lovely, thoughtful book, Lucy Audubon: a Biography. * Just a quick note: there’s a very enjoyable PBS/American Masters/Nature documentary about Audubon. It’s a fun and informative watch. But, I’ll say, you come out of that thinking that things were fundamentally swell between Lucy and John in a way that I’m not entirely sure is supported by the facts. Or jibes with, you know, human nature.

07-22
22:40

Episode 90: A White Horse

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show and independent media, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. This episode was originally released in 2016 in the days after the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. It is re-released every year on the anniversary of the incident. A note on notes: We’d much rather you just went into each episode of The Memory Palace cold. And just let the story take you where it well. So, we don’t suggest looking into the show notes first. Notes and Reading: * Most of the specific history of the White Horse was learned from "Sanctuary: the Inside Story of the Nation's Second Oldest Gay Bar" by David Olson, reprinted in its entirety on the White Horse's website. * "Gayola: Police Professionalization and the Politics of San Francisco's Gay Bars, 1950-1968," by Christopher Agee. * June Thomas' series on the past, present, and future of the gay bar from Slate a few years back. * Various articles written on the occasion of the White Horse's 80th anniversary, including this one from SFGATE.Com * Michael Bronski's A Queer History of the United States. * Radically Gay, a collection of Harry Hay's writing. * Incidentally, I watched this interview with Harry Hay from 1996 about gay life in SF in the 30's multiple times because it's amazing. Music * We start with Water in Your Hands by Tommy Guerrero. * Hit Anne Muller's Walzer fur Robert a couple of times. * Gaussian Curve does Talk to the Church. * We get a loop of Updraught from Zoe Keating. * We finish on Transient Life in Twilight by James Blackshaw

06-12
11:23

Episode 205: Alice Ramsay

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music Pollen and Photosynteses by H. Takehashi Ediacaran Moonrise by Barry Walker, Jr. To the Cellar from Krzysztof Komeda’s wonderful score to The Fearless Vampire Killers. Blue Sutura from Piero Piccioni’s score to Il medico della mutua. 3-Sized PF and Let’s Go Crazy!, both by Takahiro Kido Emerald Ash by Golden Brown Merry-Go-Round by Domenique Dumont Aquel Senor by the mighty, Frankie Reyes Tesko Me Ja Zaboravit Tebe by Banko Mataja Notes You can read the article by Katherin Parkin here.

06-03
16:15

Episode 204: Wolves

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Music In My Heaven All Faucets Have Fountains by yes/and A snippet of Runaway from Olafur Arnauld’s score to Gimme Shelter Spectral Canon from Conlon Nancarrow from James Tenney The Hourglass by Ben Crosland.

04-10
10:37

episode 76: Mary Walker Would Wear what she Wanted

This episode was originally released in 2015. Proceeds from this episode are being donated to the Transgender Law Center. Music *Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth’s Modesty Blaise score. *The piece opens with Rainfall, by David Darling and Michael Jones. *Her brief love story is scored by Nathan Johnson’s Penelope’s Theme from his score to The Brothers Bloom. *When she lands her first gig, we start Garde a Vue, and roll into Le Roi de coeur, from Chantal Martineau. * The vibraphone piece is “Opening” by Nathaniel Bartlett. * The recurring violin piece is called Geometria del Universo by the one-named Colleen. * It ends on Romain’s First Love, again by Georges Delarue, from his fantastic score to Promise at Dawn. Notes * I read a lot about Mary, but by far the most useful and most thorough works I came upon were: Sharon M. Harris’ Dr. Mary Walker: An American Radical and A Woman of Honor: Dr. Mary E. Walker and the Civil War, in which author Mercedes Graf does a great job walking the reader through Walker’s unpublished memoir. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts.

03-10
13:12

Episode 67: Every Night Ever

This episode was originally released in summer of 2015. Music * Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth’s Modesty Blaise score. * Then, we have the most obvious crickets/summer night song ever: the fantastic, perpetually delightful Green Arrow from Yo La Tengo’s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, which has soundtracked many crickety summer nights for me over the years. * The cops roll in to a loop of the very beginning of the epic Ptah, the El Daoud, the title track to Alice Coltrane’s album from 1970. * Then we have a mix of two improvisations from Charles Cohen’s “Brother I Prove You Wrong”: Cloud Hands and The Boy and the Snake Dance. * There’s a brief dip into Dorian, by Fang Island. * The jaunty accordion, typewriter thing is Biking is Better on Wintergatan’s eponymous album. Notes I researched this one primarily through old newspapers. The easiest place to find a number of them is to read the excellent site, The Museum of Hoaxes’ page on this event. Also: if you’re in the Atlanta area and ever want to have yourself a day, you can see the actual monkey. It’s preserved in a jar at the Georgia Bureau of Investigations museum in Decatur Georgia. The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts.

02-17
10:57

Episode 148: Safe Passage

This episode was originally released in September of 2019. Music We start with the Opening of Craig Armstrong’s score to Far From the Madding Crowd. Glass Houses no. 13 from Ann Southam. Earring from Julia Wolf. Occam II for Violin from Eliane Radigue. Rearranging Furniture from Gabriel Yared’s score to By the Sea. A bit of Movement II from Martynov, “Come in!” by Vladimir Martynov. Notes Plenty written about the Willie D.. I found Roger Branfill-Cook’s Torpedo: the Most Revolutionary Weapon in Naval History to be particularly useful. I also enjoyed stumbling upon this day-by-day breakdown of F.D.R.’s Presidency.

01-28
14:06

Cheri Anderson Phillips

The background music distracted greatly from the story. Almost impossible to hear and concentrate on the words. Don't do that anymore.

03-24 Reply

Chak Olate

the difficulty with a newsletter is that we can't hear your lovely voice in a newsletter. Just saying...

02-11 Reply

Maria Lora

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02-09 Reply

Steven Maurice

6888

12-20 Reply

Denise Nichols

the stories are great!! Unfortunately the commercials take up half the time.Made me craazy. It's a shame bc the narrator has great voice. and I really enjoyed the stories. : (

09-14 Reply

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