Transmissions
Limbo Calling: Ep.1 ~ Fear Swim
Pete Hazel (UK 2024)
Pete Hazell (UK 2024)
20min
In this new series from Limbo Tapes, mysterious recordings from the Radio Limbo archives have been carefully restored. They reveal a curious world of voices, sounds and music through the dispatches of a solitary, unnamed radio operator.
Episode 1. Controversial water-based event “Fear Swim” is something of a nightlife myth. Founder & promoter Shirley Eelsworth reveals in an interview some of the backstory to this famous nightmare swimming party.
The Operator also reflects on a troubling visitation experience (see prologue) and enjoys a piece of music about a Crocodile's daughter.
Produced by Pete Hazell
Theme music by Alex Lupo. "Please Mr Crocodile" by Titus 12. with contributions from Sean Lee and Karen Dews.
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The Battle of Lewisham
Skevos Loizou (UK 2018)
Skevos Loizou (UK 2018)
18 min
On August 13th 1977 The Battle of Lewisham played a major part in the start of the fall of the National Front in the UK. During the 1970s the NF had made major gains in elections and were building a racist movement. The NF organised a march through Lewisham is South London, they were physically confronted by the local comunity, trade unionists, and anti racisits. Even with Police protection the march capitulated. Set with the backdrop of the music of the time here are Stories from the Battle of Lewisham.
Producer - Skevos Loizou
Remembering Stonewall
David Isay (US 1989)
David Isay (US 1989)
29 min
On Friday, June 27, 1969, eight officers from the public morals section of the first division New York City Police Department pulled up in front of the Stonewall Inn, one of the city’s largest and most popular gay bars.
At the time, the vice squad routinely raided gay bars. Patrons always complied with the police, frightened by the prospect of being identified in the newspaper. But this particular Friday night was different. It sparked a revolution, and a hidden subculture was transformed into a vibrant political movement. What began with a drag queen clobbering her arresting officer soon escalated into a full-fledged riot, and modern gay activism was born.
This documentary, broadcast on the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, is the first documentary — in any medium — about the riots. It weaves together the perspectives of the participants, from Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine, who marshaled the raid, to Sylvia Rivera, one of the drag queens who battled most fiercely that night. The revolutionary impact of the riot is better understood by looking at life for gay men and lesbians in the era before Stonewall, seen through the eyes of people like Bruce Merrow and Geanne Harwood, a gay couple who have been together for 60 years, and Jheri Faire, an 80-year-old lesbian. Remembering Stonewall also examines how Stonewall affected gay politics through the voices of people like Randy Wicker, the first openly gay person to appear on television and radio; Joan Nestle, founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives; and yippie leader Jim Fouratt, who helped found the Gay Liberation Front on the third night of the Stonewall Riots.
This documentary comes from Sound Portraits Productions created by Dave Isay in 1994. Sound Portraits was the predecessor to StoryCorps and was dedicated to telling stories that brought neglected American voices to a national audience. This was David Isay’s first radio documentary.
Producer - David Isay
Narrator -Michael Schirker
The Solitude Trilogy: The Idea of North
Glenn Gould (CA 1967)
Glenn Gould (CA 1967)
56min Episode 1 of 1
A visit to the archives with Canadian pianist Glenn Gould's landmark radio documentary, The Idea of North, first aired on CBC Radio in 1967.
In his boldly experimental program about the Canadian north, the pianist used a technique he called "contrapuntal radio," layering speaking voices on top of each other to create a unique sonic environment situated in the space between conversation and music.
The North provided Gould with an ideal subject matter for exploring the condition of solitude.
"hybrids of music, drama, and several other strains, including essay, journalism, anthropology, ethics, social commentary, and contemporary history."
The densely layered radio pieces presented a real challenge to audiences at the time, and they still do. Yet their enduring cultural impact — a rare feat for radio programming — speaks to the inspired balance of music and meaning that Gould was able to achieve.
Composed by Glenn Gould
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CBS Mystery Theatre: Ep 14 The Girl Who Found Things
Created by Himan Brown for CBS (US 1977)
Created by Himan Brown for CBS (US 1974)
41 min / Episode 14 of 1399
Forget true crime, these mystery dramas were reintroduced in 1974 on CBS Radio as a nostalgic hark back to old time radio. These dramas proved so popular that the series kept going for a decade.
IA young girl with criminal tendencies is taken by a couple who discover her peculiar talent for retrieving lost things - including corpses
Written by Henry Slesar
Featuring Norman Rose, Martha Greenhouse, Bryna Raeburn, Robert Dryden, Barbara Caruso, Anna Costello
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Suspense : The Hitch-Hiker
Suspense The Hitch-Hiker (US 1942)
Mercury Theater (US 1942)
29 min Episode 45 of 52
The Audio equivalent of a black and white matinée film, narrated by a young Orson Welles. (Citizen Kane) We are pulled in with the question; Who doesn't like a good ghost story? No blood or gore, just a shocker, a thriller, a real Orson Wells story. Sometimes you want your heart to be warmed and sometime you want your spine to tingle.
Wells plays the protagonist Ronald Adams who comes across a mysterious hitchhiker as he drives across the States in his Buick. This radio play takes the listener to another era but the production is so good - and to think this was all done live!
There’s even a Patreon style plea at the end to Mrs and Mrs American working man and woman to lend Uncle Sam a dime to help win the war against the Nazis. It’s revelatory.
And if you’e never heard the original War of the Worlds by H G Wells, it’s really worth a listen (Also produced by the Mercury Theatre)
Produced and Directed by William Sphere
Scored by Bernard Herman
Narrated by Orson Welles
Produced for The Mercury Thearter
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CBS Mystery Theatre: Ep 706 The Woman In The Green Dress
CBS Theatre (US 1974)
Created by Himan Brown for CBS (US 1977)
45 min / Episode 706 of 1399
Forget true crime, these mystery dramas were reintroduced in 1974 on CBS Radio as a nostalgic hark back to old time radio. These dramas proved so popular that the series kept going for a decade.
In this episode, an apparition of a lady in a green dress haunts a visitor in his friend's residence. Things get interesting when he finds her mentioned in a coat of arms in the architecture of a derelict, local church. Further enquiry with the old church sexton reveals a strange murder committed nearly eighty years back. Can he solve the mystery now? And what happened to Andrew Scott?