A cabinet of auditory wonders for the 21st century. If you would like to support this project you can donate to my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RandomTape Our logo was drawn by James Braithwaite whose lovely work can be found at thebathwater.com
All the Pretty Horses

This Mike West cover was performed by Walt McClement on banjo and Mary Go Round (the one time holder of the world record for spinning the most hoola hoops at once: 76 if my memory serves me correctly) on accordion and vocals.

The song All the Pretty Horses is about the Great Mississippi flood of 1927 and the Army Corps of Engineers decision to dynamite the levee at Caernarvon, Louisiana to save New Orleans. The breach caused a flood that displaced thousands and was later deemed unnecessary. Check out the book Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America 

I recorded this late one evening in the upstairs of Mimi’s in the Marigny in New Orleans.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-All_the_Pretty_Horses.mp3
Category:Music -- posted at: 1:51pm EDT
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Larry's First Beer

I was walking my dog the other night when I came across Larry Boutan sitting on a concrete wall drinking a beer. I bought some beers and joined him. This is the story of Larry’s very first beer.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-Larrys_First_Beer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:56pm EDT
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A Single Moment

Wilbert Rawlins Jr. is the band director at O Perry Walker High school in New Orleans. He runs one of the best marching bands in the state along with a concert band and a Jazz ensemble. Rawlins doesn’t just teach kids to play an instrument though, he provides discipline for a lot of kids who live in a chaotic environment. He teaches them about commitment and the benefits of hard work and education. He puts in a tremendous amount of work at O Perry Walker. When you ask him what the reward is for the countless hours he puts into teaching he says it’s a single moment that lasts for one maybe two seconds.

This is an excerpt form a story I did a few years ago which you can listen to here. Wilburt Rawlins Jr. is also featured in the book Nine Lives by Dan Baum.

Photo by:

Direct download: RT_Podcast-Single_Moment.mp3
Category:Interview -- posted at: 4:42pm EDT
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Chewie's Apnea

The Sound of Suffocation.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-Chewies_Apnea.mp3
Category:Sound -- posted at: 7:28pm EDT
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At Klipsan Beach

James Arthur’s poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, Poetry, Ploughshares, The Southern Review, New England Review, and Narrative. He has received the Amy Lowell Traveling Poetry Scholarship, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Poetry, and a Discovery/The Nation Prize. Charms Against Lightning, his debut poetry collection, is forthcoming from Copper Canyon Press. During 2012 he will be in residence at the Amy Clampitt House in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Photo by: Sean Hill

Direct download: At_Klipsan_Beach.mp3
Category:Poetry -- posted at: 7:06pm EDT
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Where We're Going

I came across this piece of found tape today. I know nothing about it.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-Where_Were_Going.mp3
Category:Found Tape -- posted at: 7:34pm EDT
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Spotless

A deleted scene from a story I produced for Marketplace Morning Report.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-Spotless.mp3
Category:Interview -- posted at: 2:44pm EDT
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Socks!

They get fucked up in strange ways in Sweden.

Direct download: RT_Podcst-Socks.mp3
Category:Interview -- posted at: 1:08am EDT
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A recording of a tornado siren in a park in St. Louis, MO.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-Tornado_Siren.mp3
Category:Sound -- posted at: 12:59am EDT
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Invite to the Pestulent

Thaddeus Conti reading an excerpt from his poem Invite to the Pestilent with live musical accompaniment by Josh Wexler and Sunny Metha. You can purchase Thaddeus’ book here:

http://www.amazon.com/%C3%A6poetics-Thaddeus-Conti/dp/1935084011.

And you can hear the full version of this piece here:

http://www.prx.org/pieces/47733-invite-to-the-pestilent

Photo by: Craig Morse

Direct download: RT_Podcast-Invite_to_the_Pestulent.mp3
Category:Poetry -- posted at: 2:40pm EDT
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Christmas Bike

I can only assume Garrett was moved by the Christmas spirit when he left me this message. Or perhaps he was wasted on egg nog.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-Christmas_Bike.mp3
Category:Voice Message -- posted at: 6:57pm EDT
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The Threesome

Ever wondered how a couple of straights can satisfy a lesbian? Look no further. A friend of mine sent me a CD of old radio porn that included this track titled The Threesome.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-The_Threesome.mp3
Category:Audio Smut -- posted at: 4:25pm EDT
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Radio

This poem appears in the October, 2011 issue of SOFTBLOW    

Alec Hershman lives in St. Louis where he teaches at St. Louis Community College and at the Center for Humanities at Washington University. His poems can be found in upcoming issues of Denver Quarterly, The Journal, The Burnside Review, Sycamore Review, Juked, and online at Transom, Anti-, Sixth Finch and The Fiddlehead. He is currently poetry editor for The White Whale Review.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-Radio.mp3
Category:Poetry -- posted at: 5:38pm EDT
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Category:Interview -- posted at: 3:13pm EDT
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Train Station Thingy

I’m not exactly sure what the purpose of this device is but it makes cool sounds. It was attached to the outside of a train station in a small town in northern Italy.

Direct download: RT-Italian_Train_Station_Bell.mp3
Category:Sound -- posted at: 8:06pm EDT
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One for the Commandant

Edgar spends most of his days sitting on a five gallon bucket in downtown Seattle. One night I hung out with Edgar and his friends and recorded their arguments songs and pushup competition. This piece was the first place winner of the Big Shed Verite+1 audio competition.

Direct download: RT_Podcast-One_for_the_Commandant.mp3
Category:Interview -- posted at: 5:14pm EDT
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Mongolian Street Musicians

I recorded this a few years ago outside the Pompidou in Paris.

Direct download: RT-Chinese_Street_Musicians_in_Paris.mp3
Category:Music -- posted at: 8:50pm EDT
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