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the memory palace

Latest episodes

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Sep 19, 2024 • 14min

Episode 222: Ferminia Sarras

Pre-order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House.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, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate. I have recently launched a newsletter. You can subscribe to it at thememorypalacepodcast.substack.com. Music Riverside by Ann Annie Walking to Town by Lullatone Alice Lake by North Americans Gone for a Wander by Domenique Dumont NotesThe definitive source on Ferminia Sarras (as far as definitive can be in her case) A Mine of Her Own: Women Prospectors in the American West, 1850-1950 by Sally Zanjani. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
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Sep 5, 2024 • 23min

Episode 221: Ken Allen

Pre-order The Memory Palace book now, pal. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House.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. I have recently launched a newsletter. You can subscribe to it at thememorypalacepodcast.substack.com. Music Pure (Ride the World) by (the extraordinary) Brendan Eder Ensemble Violette... from Philippe Sarde's score to Violette et Francois Merry-go-Round and People on Sunday by Domenique Dumont Dane by Nils Frahm Two different versions of Debussy's Passepied, the piano one is performed by Seong-Jin Cho, the synth one by Isao Tomita Love from Matthew Herbert Memorial Park from Bernard Herrmann's score to Obsession. Phantom Signals by Tvarvargen NotesThere's plenty written about Ken Allen, but I particularly appreciated Jason Hribal's book Fear of the Animal Planet: The Hidden History of Animal Resistance. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
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Aug 15, 2024 • 14min

Episode 220: The Zipper

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. I have recently launched a newsletter. You can subscribe to it at thememorypalacepodcast.substack.com. Music Swiming by Explosions in the Sky Walking Song by Kevin Volans and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble I Walk on Guilded Splinters by Johnny Jenkins Seduction by the Balanescu Quartet Lunette by Les Baxter and Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman Running Around by Buddy Ross September by Giles Lamb NotesThis episode was pieced together from a ton of little fragments but I wanted to steer folks to a couple of resources in particular: this excellent article from a few years back in the Toronto Star by Katie Daubs, and this documentary from filmmaker, Amy Nicholson, that primarily uses the Zipper as a way to talk about changes at Coney Island but has some great details from Harold Chance and his sons.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
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Jul 3, 2024 • 11min

Episode 219: Lost Jobs

The podcast discusses the removal of certain jobs from a disability claims list, showcasing unique professions like processing microfilm and cutting press clippings. It reflects on obsolete jobs lost to technological advancements and societal changes, highlighting the decline of roles like dance hall hosts and telegraph agents.
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Jun 12, 2024 • 14min

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.  I have recently launched a newsletter. You can subscribe to it at thememorypalacepodcast.substack.com. 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 Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
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Jun 6, 2024 • 20min

Episode 218: Olga

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.A Note on Notes:I always prefer that the listener goes into each episode cold, not knowing what it's going to be about. So, you might want to tread carefully, as there are spoilers in the notes below. Music L'espagne pour memoire by Michel Portal Find me Tomorrow from Christophe Beck's score to Charlie Countryman The old Soviet philharmonic plays some Shostakovich. The London Symphony Orchestra plays The Blue Danube Waltz. We hear Walt by Mother Falcon. Sombolero by Luiz Bonfa Notes Like a lot of people below, say, 55, I first heard about Olga Fikotova-Connolly when reading her obituary in the New York Times. By far the best thing you can do if you want to know more about her is track down her out-of-print memoir, The Rings of Destiny, which, despite its rather puffed-up title, is so warm and detailed and intimate. It's a delight.  You might also enjoy this late-in-life interview with Olga as well.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
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May 2, 2024 • 13min

Hazel, Mark, and a One-Time Juliet

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Music Traffico from Carlo Rustichelli's score to Divorzio All'Italiana and Una Braveta, from his score to Amici Miei. Tema Grottesco from Giovanni Fusco's score to L'avventura.  Gloving it from Moondog. Musica Bionda from the score to The Sweet Body of Deborah The Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra plays Natascha from the score to The Perfect Marriage.  Waltz from the Brendan Eder Ensemble Christa Schonfeldinger plays Grieg's Smarthold - der Kobold, on the glass armonica. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
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Apr 18, 2024 • 20min

Episode 216: Awake

Exploring the craze of sleeplessness and endurance feats in mid-20th century America, the podcast dives into the haunting effects of sleep deprivation on a DJ attempting a world record. The chapter discusses the consequences of extreme sleep deprivation studies and teases upcoming events and promotions in the podcast.
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Apr 4, 2024 • 13min

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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
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Mar 21, 2024 • 17min

Episode 214: Newsboy

Explore the captivating life of Floyd Collins, a cave explorer trapped underground, and the national spotlight on his rescue. Dive into the tragic stories of Collins and Lee Bible. Follow the inspiring musical journey of blind songwriter Andy Jenkins, creating event songs based on real tragedies.

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