the memory palace (Nate DiMeo)

While you wait until June 21st for the Season of the Memory Palace, here's a new version of an old favorite.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm

SPOILERS BELOW

Notes * Much of what I read about Florence was pulled from old newspaper articles. * The biography in Notable American Women: Volume 5 does a nice, thorough job with Florence story. * I first stumbled on Florence Chadwick in a photo in a restaurant in Santa Barbara and was struck by, as the photo suggested, she went on a world tour, swimming local channels.

Music * First up is Solitude, from (delightfully named) Janis Crunch. * Then we’ve got Like a Bell to a Southerly Wind, by Chequerboard. * Modular Body #7 by Machinefabriek. * After Catalunya by Ephemetry and Richard J. Birkin. * Finishing up on The Old Favourite by The Gloaming.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Music

• Memory as Mist by C. Diab
• Low Sudden by Daniel Lanois and Rocco DaLuca
• Beyond Romance by Lubomyr Melnyk

Notes

• By far the most comprehensive resource I found was Florida's Hurricane History by Jay Barnes. If you're looking to learn more, I'd definitely start there.

This piece was originally released a few days after the shooting deaths of 49 people at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It is re-released here on the second anniversary of the event. 

If you are so moved, please donate to any of these charities:

Equality Florida.

Human Rights Campaign.

Everytown for Gun Safety.

Trans Lifeline

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

Something to listen to while you wait for the new season of The Memory Palace, launching June 21st with weekly episodes through the whole summer.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• Musica Seqenza play Schreza Infida
• Frederico Durand plas Lluvia de Estrellas
• The Martin Hayes Quintet plays The Boy in the Gap
• East Forest by Provenance
• There's a bit of Madame Ovary from Bensi and Jurriaans and Christine
• It finishes on Three Dances: II. Pavane from Chromo Tuba Quartet

Notes

• Thanksgiving: The Biography of an American Holiday by James W. Baker and Peter J. Gomes sent me first down a Charlotte Mitchell rabbit hole.
• History of Plymouth, Norfolk, and Barnstable Counties, Massachusetts by Elroy S. Thompson
• History of the Town of Lakeville, 1852-1952 by Gladys De Maranville (which you probably own all ready but, here it is anyway).
• Indian History, Genealogy, Pertaining to the Good Sachem, Massasoit and his Descendants by Ebenezer Weaver Pierce.
• The great, The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity, by Jill Lepore.
• Massasoit of the Wamponoags: With Commentary on the Indian Character, by Alvin Gardner Weeks
• "Baby Pilgrims, Sturdy Forefathers, and One Hundred Percent Americanism: the Mayflower Tercentenary of 1920," by Christine Arnold-Lourie in the Massachusetts Historical Review.
• "The Daughter of a King," by Mike Maddigan in Southcoast Today.
• "The Last of the Wamponoags," by Charles T. Scott in New England Magazine, vol. 33.
• I also looked at a number of news paper articles, most found at Newspapers.com through the expected search terms.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

This piece was originally commissioned by Slate.com.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace.

Thank you kindly.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. 

Music

• Max Och's Ain't Nobody High Raga.
• Frog's Eyes by Evan Ziporyn
• Cooped up at Home with a Fever and a Tape Loop, by Lullatone
• Medieval Waters, from Carter Burwell's score to In Bruges.
• Frost Trees, from Lalo Schifrin's score to The Fox

Notes

• By far my favorite and the most thorough examination of the Pow Wow I came across was actually Disney Historian Todd James Pierce's three (!) part series about the incident on his podcast Disney History Institute.

Music

* Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth’s Modesty Blaise score. * The opening loop is from Mr. Knight from Coltrane Plays the Blues, which you should own. * The violin piece is Occam II for Violin, a piece by Silvia Tarozzi, played by Pauline Oliveros. * Next up is Mikuro’s Blues from the mighty David S. Ware’ mighty Go See the World. * The amazing orchestral pieces is Triumph by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Nino from Fill the Heart- Shaped Cup * Finally, there’s 13 Ghosts II by Nine Inch Nails from Ghosts I-IV

White Heat, White Lights

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Music* Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth's Modesty Blaise score.* First up is "Adultere bourgeoise," a piece from Paul Misraki's score to A Double tour.* Then we've got a piece called "Night Time Talk" by Stephen J. Anderson. * We hit For the Trees by Matmos a couple of times (the bit after: "the facts were these," or whatever I say)* Frank Durr's theme is P from that first LaBradford album, all those years ago. * The score for the House of Butterflies is called Fragment II by Library Tapes. It comes back again toward the end.* We also hear Invidia, by Deadmaus. That's the one we finish on.

Notes* Several essays were very helpful in researching this. Among those were: -http://pittmed.health.pitt.edu/jan_2001/butterflies.pdf-http://www.thenation.com/article/secret-history-lead/-http://www.wired.com/2013/01/looney-gas-and-lead-poisoning-a-short-sad-history/* I found William J. Kovarik's Dissertation, The Ethyl Controversy:How the News Media Set the Agenda for a Public Health Controversy over the use of Leaded Gasoline, 1924-1926, completely fascinating. * I relied on a number of papers from the W.H.O. when researching the health effects of lead and ozone depletion.* Here's the New York Times original expose about the House of Butterflies.* Finally, Thomas Midgely, IV's biography of his grandfather, From the Periodic Table to Production: The Life of Thomas Midgely, Jr., inventor of Leaded Gasoline and Freon Refrigerants, is, while unsurprisingly hagiographic, both well-researched and highly readable.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Notes

• I relied most heavily on The Crusades of Cesar Chavez by Miriam Pawell.
• Enjoyed Jaques Levy's oral history, Cesar Chavez: Autobiography of La Causa
• I read a lot of the local accounts on Newspapers.com and was informed particularly by the coverage in the Fresno Bee.

Music

• Starts with Affinity by Gavin Luke.
• Moves into Little Dume by Christian Naujoks.
• Finish of with Call from Julianna Barwick.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Music

* Up top, looped, is the first bit of the great, Foreign Fields, by Kacy Hill. * Then we hear some of Sun Will Set, by Zoe Keating. * The song on the radio is Sonny Thompson’s Long Gone, as heard on the Mellow Blues album.

Notes * You can read all of the 1948 Green Book (and the rest of the Green Books) at the New York Public Library’s fantastic digital collection.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Do you live in Toronto? Chicago? Milwaukee? Minneapolis? How about L.A.? Come see the Memory Palace live this May.

SPOILERS BELOW

Music * We hear Portrait Gallery from Luke Howard. * A smidgen of Julia Kent's lovely Dorval. * The incomparable Moondog's Gloving It pops up a couple times (as it tends to do around these parts). * Denmark by the Portland Cello Project rolls out for quite awhile. * John Lewis and Sacha Distel play the title track from their Afternoon in Paris album. * We hear To, from Zach Cooper's Styles Upon Styles. * There's a bit of Eine Kleine Gamelan Music from The Gamelan Son of Lion (seriously). * Ends on P, by Labradford.

NOTES * The classic text on Charlie Faust is Lawrence Ritter's The Glory of Their Times:the Story of the Early Days of Baseball as Told by the Men Who Played It, one of the key texts of early baseball history, first published in 1966. * The definitive resource on Faust is Gabriel Schecter, who's written his biography for SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, and a monograph called Victory Faust: The Rube Who Saved McGraw's Giants. * I also want to point you to Rob Neyer's lovely piece on visiting Faust's grave.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• Sad Seine by Lambert.
• Titan's Island by Ancient Ocean
• Flowering Jasmine as performed by Georgs Pelicis and Gidon Kremer
• Malpensa by Julia Kent

Notes

• I first came upon the Calhoun bit while re-reading Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism by Barbara Weisberg.
• Which us, among other places to J.H. Fowler's New Testament "miracles" and Modern "miracles" 
• And to the delightfully named, The Ordeal of Life: Graphically Illustrated in the Experiences of Fifteen Hundred Individuals Promiscuously Drawn from All Nations, Religions, Classes, & Conditions of Men Alphabetically Arranged and Given Psychometrically, Through the Mediumship of John C. Grinnell, In the Presence of the Compiler, Thomas R. Hazard. 

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

Nate DiMeo is the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Artist in Residence for 2016/2017. He is producing ten pieces inspired by the collection and by the museum itself. This is the sixth episode of that residency.

This residency is made possible by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Chester Dale Fund.

This episode is written and produced and stuff by Nate DiMeo with engineering assistance from Elizabeth Aubert. Its Executive Producer is Limor Tomer, General Manager Live Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Special thanks to Jimmy LaValle and Mark Kozelek.

The Art Discussed

• Gallery 719, the Alexandria Ballroom.

Music 

• The piece features excerpts of two, instrumental outtakes from Ceiling Gazing from Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle's album, Perils from the Sea.
• California Dawn and Mountain Path from WMD.
• An instrumental version of Retune by The Range.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

Episode 4 of the 2015 Summer Season. 

Music

* Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth's Modesty Blaise score.

* Charlie on the ladder is scored with the Prologue to the fantastic score to the film Birth, by Alexandre Desplat

* It ends with Opus 30, by Dustin O'Hallaran.  

* The upbeat, fair music is a piece called Love on Matthew Herbert's contribution to the Life in a Day soundtrack. 

* Don Stewart surveys the damage to 01 Ghosts I by NIN

Did a pilot for Fox Digital Studios some time ago. Didn't actually go anywhere (except for a film festival or two). 

This piece was originally commissioned by 99% Invisible.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

Notes Research for this story was largely culled from contemporary newspaper accounts. Check back for a list.

Music * We start off (and end) with You by Nils Frahm. * We’ve got Krolock on the Sledge from Komeda’s great, great score to The Fearless Vampire Hunters. * Jett Rink Theme from Dimitri Tiomkin’s score to Giant. * A little loop of Bandstand, from Thomas Newman’s Little Children score. * And Opening, the vibes pieces, by Nathan Bartlett (making a return appearance). * Oh! And Meet the Neighbors from Marcelo Zarvo’s score to the lovely, Please Give. Which has become the go to soundtrack for “Some borderline scam artist has a crazy idea,” here on the Memory Palace.

Show Notes

Nate DiMeo is the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Artist in Residence for 2016/2017. He is producing ten pieces inspired by the collection and by the museum itself. This is the sixth episode of that residency.

This residency is made possible by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Chester Dale Fund.

This episode is written and produced and stuff by Nate DiMeo with engineering assistance from Elizabeth Aubert. Its Executive Producer is Limor Tomer, General Manager Live Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Special thanks to Jimmy LaValle and Mark Kozelek.

The Art Discussed

• Gallery 719, the Alexandria Ballroom.

Music 

• The piece features excerpts of two, instrumental outtakes from Ceiling Gazing from Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle's album, Perils from the Sea.
• California Dawn and Mountain Path from WMD.
• An instrumental version of Retune by The Range.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more and donate to help keep this show and the other Radiotopia shows thrive at Radiotopia.fm

Notes * There are a gajillion things that you can and should read about this period. I'm almost loathe to tell you where to begin. So: some of the details for this story were found in this remarkable article by Claude Sitton.

Music * We hear a segment of Holding Pattern, by Loscii. * Secrets you Could Sift, by Mr. Maps. * And Requiem on Frankfort Ave, by Eluvium.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

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.

Music* Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth's Modesty Blaise score.* First up is one of my very favorite recordings of all time: Andromeda from Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath. One of the finest bands ever assembled. * The sailors get grumpy to Sito from Pierre Favre and the European Chamber Ensemble. (The end drum loop comes from that piece too). * The guys run off to save the day to Edgar Meyer and Mark O'Connor doing the Green Groves of Erin.* That turns into, In Threes by Loscil.

Notes* Some of the details in here originate from a fine piece that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in May of 1944. You can read it here.* Other solid write ups: From The Book of New York The U.S.C.G. The Fire-fighter's Museum

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• We hear Valentine My Funny by Nils Frahm and F.S. Blumm from the album Tag Eins Tag Zwei.

Notes

• This idea came to me a long time ago while researching an old episode. I read an extraordinary article from the 1890s that hung with me, particularly the notion of folks writing in to try to become sideshow attractions.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• We start and end with Daniel Berenboim playing Lizt's 6 Consolations, S. 172: No. 3 in D flat minor.
• We hit up Yes But, from Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriens' score to Christine.
• We return to the official Memory Palace love theme of William Henry Harrison, The Gentle Softness, Lalo Schiffrin's score to The Last Dragon
• We cruise on the U.S.S. Princeton to Dispute by Yann Tiersen.
• Twist comes to Missing Pieces from the Broken City score.

Notes

• I read quite a bit about the Tylers, but really, one needs only to read "and Tyler Too," by Robert Seager II.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm

Notes and Reading: * I came to this story the old fashioned way (for me): I saw Su Lin at the Field Museum and needed to know more. That led me inevitably to Vicki Croke’s The Lady and the Panda from 2006. It’s a terrific read. If you have any interest at all in learning more about Ruth Harkness, that’s the place to go. I’ve got a few quibbles here and there, but, for real, it’s delightful. * Quentin Young’s (slightly strange and contested) version of events is told inChasing the Panda by Michael Kiefer. * If you’ve got a few hundred bucks (or a library with more liberal lending policies with old books than mine), why not read Ruth’s own book, The Baby Giant Panda? * If you’re interested in zoos writ large, I’m a fan of Animal Attractions: Nature on Display in American Zoos by Elizabeth Hansen.

Music: * We start with Hush-Maker by Moon Ate the Dark. * Roll on with Freudian Slippers by Chilly Gonzales. * Hear Bibio’s Cherry Blossom Road a couple of times. * Hit up Nice Dream by radio.string.quartet.vienna * Hear Don Redman and his Orchestra play Blue Eyed Baby from Memphis. * The centerpiece of the middle section is Snow Again by Lambert. * We hear a couple of pieces by Dan Romer: An Old Fashioned Man and End of the World. * We finish up on Lullatone’s Falling Asleep With a Book on Your Chest.

Notes * I first came the story of Ross, North Dakota, while reading Muslims in America: A Short History, by Edward E. Curtis. * The full WPA interview with Mary Juma (and another member of the Ross community) can be found in Curtis’ The Columbia Sourcebook of Muslims in the United States. * A contemporary account of the Ross community can be found here.

Music *The first bit is a loop from the opening of a song called I. Permafrost by a long-defunct band called Jerseyturnpike made up of a husband/wife duo from San Francisco. Years ago, I went to their wedding in New Jersey. There was a bounce house. It was beautiful. * The piece finishes up with the on-the-nose, This is Home, from Joel P. West’s soundtrack to the terrific film, Short Term 12.

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.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

Episode 5 of the 2015 Summer Season.

Music

* Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth's Modesty Blaise score.

* The main mountain theme is Mort D'Eurydice, by Pierre Favre as played by the European Chamber Ensemble.

* There's a second string-y snippet of another by them called, Sito.

* We learn about beavers to Stereo Music for Acoustic Guitar, Buchla Music Box 100 (etc.)...Pt. 2 from Keith Fullerton Whitman's old Multiples album.

* The soft men are embodied by 3-Sized PF by Takahiro Kido from his Fairy Tale album.

* I roll out some more Miguel Atwood-Ferguson with Arioso from Red Hot & Bach to track the tall tales of the west.  

This episode was originally released in August of 2015. It was re-released upon hearing that the city of New Orleans has begun the process of removing four monuments to the confederacy and post-civil war era, starting with an obelisk erected in 1891 honoring members of the Crescent City White League who suppressed the African American vote through violence and intimidation and who launched a failed military overthrow of the city’s elected government and integrated police force in 1874.

Music * First up (and returning at the end) is Sandra's Theme, from Heather McIntosh's fantastic score to Compliance, a very good, very disturbing movie. * We hit Frank Glazer leading Charles Ives' Largo for Clarinet, Violin and Piano a couple of times, framing... * Runaway from Olafur Arnalds.

Notes: *The key to researching this episode turned out to be an article in The Journal of Southern History from 2001 by Court Carnay called, "The Contested Image of Nathan Bedford Forrest.". * Also particularly useful was Nathan Bedford Forrest: a Biography, by Jack Hurst. * As was Lynching in America: A History in Documents, compiled by Christopher Waldrep. * Much of my information about the contents of the ceremony and speeches was gathered from this, the digitized journal and scrapbook of Charles Henry Niehaus, the sculptor of the monument. It's an extraordinary resource. * And let us all read Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All its Phases, by Ida B. Wells. And let's put her on the $10 while we're at it.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

As counter-programming to the clamor and nonsense of these last days before the American Presidential election, here is Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" in its entirety. Really.

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

New episode next week.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• We open with Mary Lattimore's Jimmy V. I love Mary Lattimore.
• We hit Hatian guitarist Frantz Casseus' Lullaby from 1954 a few times.
• We hear Drifting, by Matthew Robert Cooper.
• And A Fool Persists by Infinite Body.
• The two piano things are Open Window - For Piano by Yuichiro Fujimoto, and Pale by Akira Kosemura.
• We also hear Gareth Dickson's Friday Night Fever for a bit.

Notes

• I learned about Ynes while flipping idly through the 1974 edition of Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary (volume II, G-O, incidentally), "prepared under the Auspices of Radcliffe College," as it says on the frontispiece.
• By far the most comprehensive thing I read was biography for young readers called Ynes Mexia: Botanist and Adventurer by Durlynn Anema.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia.

Music

• Drunken Aviator by Ida.
• Back to Paris by Cyril Morin.

Notes 

• There's a great resource of old ads and articles, including the one referenced in the piece here.
• The definitive work on this subject is Help Me to Find My People by Heather Andrea Williams.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia.

Music

• We start with Penguins from Michael Hurley.
• Hit Lullaby (the 1st) by the legendary, Lauren Connors, twice.
• Hear Gentle Threat, from Chilly Gonzalez.
• Equality Under the Law from John Williams' Lincoln score.
• Start talking Philadelphia with Sun Ra's Arkestra doing The Lady with the Golden Stockings.
• Maggi's Flute - Lifting Off, by Joanna Brouk
• In an 18th Century Drawing Room from Raymond Scott.
• And Evelop from Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm

SPOILERS BELOW

Notes * Much of what I read about Florence was pulled from old newspaper articles. * The biography in Notable American Women: Volume 5 does a nice, thorough job with Florence story. * I first stumbled on Florence Chadwick in a photo in a restaurant in Santa Barbara and was struck by, as the photo suggested, she went on a world tour, swimming local channels.

Music * First up is Solitude, from (delightfully named) Janis Crunch. * Then we’ve got Like a Bell to a Southerly Wind, by Chequerboard. * Modular Body #7 by Machinefabriek. * After Catalunya by Ephemetry and Richard J. Birkin. * Finishing up on The Old Favourite by The Gloaming.

Music * Julia Rovinsky plays Phillip Glass’ Metamorphosis I, from her album Dusk. * There’s an excerpt from Paul Drescher’s “Casa Vecchia,” from the Mirrors: Other Fire album. * There’s a chunk of Jose Gonzalez’ “Instrumental” from his Stay in the ShadeEP. * “Manny Returns Home” from Bernard Hermann’s score to The Wrong Man. * Branka Parlic plays Philip Glass’ “Mad Rush.” Twice. * “Quiet Fan for SK,” by P.G. Six. * Things get heavy to “Particles of the Universe (Heartbeats)” from Dan Romer and Ben Zeitlin’s score to Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Notes There’s a lot written about Robert Smalls, with a lot of contradictory information. I found Edward A. Miller’s Gullah Statesman: Robert Smalls from Slavery to Congress particularly useful to sorting it all out. Some other sources I consulted while researching this piece: * The Negro’s Civil War: How American Blacks Felt and Acted During the War for the Union by the Don, James McPherson * From Slavery to Public Service: Robert Smalls, 1839-1915, by Okon Uya. * And, for what it’s worth, Robert Smalls: The Boat Thief from RFK Jr.’s American Heroes Series is an enjoyable and surprisingly thorough version of the story for young readers, if you’re ever looking for that sort of thing.

Music

* We start off with Wien, by Labradford. * The guys head out to the work site to Piano 3, from Jon Brion's score to Synecdoche, New York. * Then we hear a bit of Metamorphosis by Vladamir Ussachevsky before being bombarded with bits of Fast Pasture by Todd Reynolds. * There's a long stretch of Fog Tropes by Ingram Marshall * Followed by Fragment I by Library Tapes * Before ending on Berceuse, by Alexandra Sileski.

Notes * This is a story I've been wanting to do forever. In fact, falling in love with the story of the Brooklyn Bridge was one of the things that sent me on a path to doing The Memory Palace at all. So, most of this stuff I just kind of already knew. But it was a particular pleasure to go back and read David McCullough's masterful, lovely The Great Bridge. And to read a ton of contemporary accounts of its construction, particularly the New York Time's piece where the reporter heads down into the Brooklyn Caisson.

Episode 6 of the 2015 Summer Season.

Music

* Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth's Modesty Blaise score.

* First up, A Nice Day from a truly wonderful album, The Original Chico Hamilton Quintet Complete Studio Recordings.

* Then there's Ohnono/Kiwembo, Andrew Bird's contribution to Tradi-Mods Vs. Rockers - Alternative Takes on Congotronics, Vol. 1 (which is a great rabbit hole to go down).

* Anita gets introduced to Hay Tantos Muertos, by Marissa Nadler.  

* Then falls in love to Hymn of Silence by Silencio

* Then there're two pieces from Nathan Johnson's score to The Day I Saw Your Heart. 

While you wait until June 21st for the Season of the Memory Palace, here's a new version of an old favorite.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Music

• We start with Moonlight by Masayoshi Fujita.
• We hear a couple from Warren Ellis: Piece 3 and Lala's Theme.
• We hear Paranoid and Credits 2 from the score to Christine.
• And Junkman's Song by Stark Reality.

Notes

• There's a succinct, well-written telling of the ins and outs of Elmer's life and after-life in Christine Quigley's Modern Mummies: The Preservation of the Human Body in the 20th Century.
• I also enjoyed The Career of Elmer McGurdy, Deceased, by Basgall and Arthur.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

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 France 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.

Episode 3 of the Summer Season. 

Music

* Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth's Modesty Blaise score.

* The opening loop is from Mr. Knight from Coltrane Plays the Blues, which you should own. 

* The violin piece is Occam II for Violin, a piece by Silvia Tarozzi, played by Pauline Oliveros.

* Next up is Mikuro's Blues from the mighty David S. Ware' mighty Go See the World.

* The amazing orchestral pieces is Triumph by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Nino from Fill the Heart- Shaped Cup 

* Finally, there's 13 Ghosts II by Nine Inch Nails from Ghosts I-IV

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia.   In Toronto? Chicago? Milwaukee? Minneapolis? Come see a live Memory Palace show.   For Mothers' Day, this episode is a re-mixed version of a story originally released as Episode 10, in 2009. Back with new episodes next time out.   The two piano pieces that bookend the piece are by Max Richter from his “24 Postcards in Full Color” record. The one in the middle is “Maybelle” by Ida. It popped up on shuffle the other day and stunned me. I hadn’t heard it in years. It’s really lovely.

The music:

*Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth's great, ridiculous Modesty Blaise score.

*The recurring piano theme is Les Marionettes by Zbigniew Preisner from his score to La Double Vie de Veronique (And, have you seen The Double Life of Veronique? Man, that's good)

*Eugenia's dreamy little theme is Just Saying by Jamie XX off of In Colour

*That organ track is called Organ Track by Nicolai Dunger from The Cloud is Learning

*Al Davis' dance theme is Watusi Bounce from Bo Diddly's Ride On/The Chess Masters 

*Helen watches Eugenia on the lawn at the Grand Hotel to the tune of To a Wild Rose by Patricia Rossborough from the collection Dainty Debutantes: Female Novelty Pianists of the 1930's (And, ugh. Dismissive much?)

*The Judge drones over one of Scott Watson's Six Solos for the Beginning Tuba Player from his 2008 album, Stepping Stones for Tuba, vol. 1 (like I need to tell you that)

*The ending piece is Mike Andrews lovely Library Chant from his score to Miranda July's lovely Me and You and Everyone we Know

Notes:

I first stumbled across this story in my torn up copy of New York: Confidential! Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer's truly mucky, muck-raking guide to the city's underbelly from 1951. I read a ton of old news paper articles about the case (the New York Times covered it extensively, if you want to go back and read those).

The two most useful books I came across in the process were Joshua Zeitz' Flapper and Lewis Erenberg's Steppin' Out: New York Nightlife and the Transformation of American Culture, 1890-1930

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

The music in this one: "An Ending, A Beginning" by Dustin O'Halloran. "I am Piano" by Peter Broderick. Two songs from the soundtrack to "With a Song in my Heart": American Medley, and That Old Feeling. The one at the end is "I'll Never be the Same." My version's on a collection called "Can't get out of this Mood." There are also a couple of other Jane things that I found on You Tube. The plane crash stuff is scored by a piece of Claudia Serne and Leopold Ross' soundtrack for "Broken City," called "Missing Pieces." Then there's a song by The Caretaker called "Stairway to the Stars."

I read a lot about Jane for this but nothing was as useful as Ilene Stone's lovely book,"Jane Froman: Missouri's First Lady of Song."

Show Notes

Nate DiMeo was the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Artist in Residence for 2016/2017. He produced 8 episodes inspired by the collection and by the museum itself. This is the eigth episode of that residency.

This residency is made possible by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Chester Dale Fund.

This episode is written and produced and stuff by Nate DiMeo with engineering assistance from Elizabeth Aubert. Its Executive Producer is Limor Tomer, General Manager Live Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Artwork Discussed

• Hiawatha, Edmonia Lewis, 1868.
• Minnehaha, Edmonia Lewis, 1868.

Music

• L'oree Du Bois, by Sylvain Chauvau.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia.

Music

• We start with Waveland by Norm Pikelny.
• Then a smidge of N.Y.C. from the original Broadway cast recording of Annie.
• The Stars vs. Creatures by Colleen.
• Wiese by Roedelius & Arnold Kasar.
• Then there's some chaos built out of Missing Piece from the score to Broken City, Fog Tropes by Ingram Marshall, Spindrift by Colin Stetson, and Longing for a Frozen Sky by Ernst Reijseger.
• That heads into Wake by Aaron Martin & Machinfabriek.
• Galaxies Like Grains of Sand by Hampshire & Foat.
• Finishing on Minuet for Cheap Piano by Winged Victory for the Sullen

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

 Thank you kindly.

There are two pieces of music in this: one is a tweaked loop from "To Here Knows When" by MBV. The other is "Stereo Music for Acoustic Guitar, Bucla Music Box 100, HP Model 236 Oscillator, Electric Guitars, and Computer - Part One" by Keith Fullerton Whitman. 

A quick update and a brief little bonus episode. 

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

SPOILERS BELOW

Notes

• I first heard about Hazel Scott while reading Rad American Women from A to Z to my daughter. It's a wonderful book. You should buy it for any kid in your life.
• I read a lot about Hazel, but Karen Chilton's biography, Hazel Scott: A Pioneering Jazz Pianist from Cafe Society to HUAC was essential.

Music

• Starts with Christope Beck and DeadMono's theme to Charlie Countryman.
• Prelude for HS by Hakon Stene.
• Tezeta (Nostalgia) from Malatu Astatke, from Ethiopiques vol. 4, one of my favorite pieces of music in the world.
• Marian Lapansky plays Camille Saint-Saens "Le Sygne."
• Which fights with Piero Umiliani's Danza Primitiva.
• Warren Ellis rounds it out with his Lale's Theme from his terrific score to Mustang (which you should totally see).
• The Hazel Scott pieces can be found here and here.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• Sunrise Through the Dusty Nebula by Hannah Peel
• Keep by Nils Frahm
• Horizon Variations by Max Richter
• She cycles through: Where or When by Hal Kemp & His Orchestra, Smarty (You Know it All) by Fats Waller, Dear Mr. Gable: You Made Me Love You by Judy Garland, Hellhounds on My Trail by Robert Johnson, and The Big Apple by Tommy Dorsey and his Clambake Seven.
• Future Waves by Uther Moads.
• And Vapour Trail by Ride, forever.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• We start with (and later return to) And Grace by David Darling.
• Robert Farnon and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra play Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. Suite II: The Wind which turns into Niggun for Solo Bassoon by Philippe Hersant.
• Then we hit Neon Lights by Kraftwerk from The Man Machine.
• And The Gentle Softness, the love theme to Enter The Dragon from Lalo Schifrin’s score.
• And hit up our friends Lullatone at the end with Origami Tulips.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• We hear three pieces of Matthew Robert Cooper's score to Some Days Are Better Than Others: Expectation, Drifting, and Katrina Outtake.

Notes

• If you want the story of the construction of the actual Washington Monument, you could check out John Steele Gordon's book.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia.

Music

• The music on this one comes from High Aura'd, a project from my old friend, John Kolodij. The main drone piece is All the Spirits that Dance. The beginning and end were composed specifically for this episode.

Notes

• I read a lot of articles from a lot of sources on this one, but the linchpin here is Jeffrey Lockwood's book that, to my mind, convincingly solves the mystery of the vanishing locusts.

This special, bonus episode was commissioned by Freepoint Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It's intended to be listened to while walking around Fresh Pond, across the street from the hotel, though it can be enjoyed anywhere. 

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm

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

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm.

Notes * Like anyone else, I became fascinated by Washington Phillip’s story through the music. So, go buy the music. * I backed into the research on this one when I should’ve just started at the source: Michael Corcoran’s amazing excavation of Phillips’ real story, as originally printed in Texas Monthly. There’s a lot of stuff that links out from his site.

Music * Lots of Washington Phillips. * Starts with As Old Roads, by Goldmund. * Don’t Worry, by (Memory Palace favorite) Zoe Keating. * 1979 by Deru.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia.

Music

• We hear Ferris Wheel by Gabor Szabo from one of his better late sixties records.
• Herman's Malt from Jeff Russo's score to Fargo Season 2.
• David Goes Hunting from Larry Groupe's score to Straw Dogs.
• Double Portrait by Double Edge from the album, U.S. Choice.
• A snippet of Idea of Order at Kyson Point from an album Brian Eno did with Tom Rogerson.
• Bicycles and Flasks by Dan Romer.
• A bit of Il Tamoure dei Bambini from Piero Umiliani's score to Le Isole Dell'amore
• A Naga Swaram-Snake Charmers Melody from Folk Music of India
• Finishes out on Completely Gone from Ludwig Goransson's score to Everything Everything.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace.  

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The music pulled from "Blue Sands" by the Chico Hamilton Trio. 

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm

SPOILERS BELOW

Notes *Great stuff in the Cleveland Plain Dealer from waaaaaay back to fire #1, if you want to dive in. * Found Jonathan Joseph Wlasiuk’s dissertation, Refining Nature (etc.) quite helpful in sorting out the early days of the Rockefeller refineries. * If you want to know more about the complicated relationship of Cleveland and the ’69 fire and the passage of the Clean Water Act, seek out Jonathan H. Adler’s article (and R.E.M. nod), Fables of the Cuyahoga: Reconstructing a History of Environmental Protection. * I also want to shout out The Killer in the Attic, and More True Tales of Crime and Disaster from Cleveland’s Past, by John Stark Bellamy II, which does a great job with the river fires.

Music * Start off with Lacrymae, from Melodium. * Go to a chopped up Fables, by Girls in Airports. * Finish off with the eternal Sunflower River Blues by John Fahey.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• Afkald by Bremer/McCoy
• Peace by Oliver Coates.
• Day One Four by F.S. Blumm and Nils Frahm
• Displacement by Rafael Anton Irisarri

Notes

• Some sources for this one were The Glory and the Dream by William Manchester.
• Herbert Hoover: A Life by Glen Jeansonne
• Herbert Hoover in the White House: The Ordeal of The Presidency, by Charles Rappleye
• The Life of Herbert Hoover, Humanitarian, by George H. Nash

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia.

Music

• The Bundt Diaries from Ludwig Goransson's score to Everything, Everything.
• Kola (Lighthouse Version) by Amiina.
• Snow Canon by Group Listening.
• The Morning After by the Chico Hamilton Quintet. (Man, I just watched The Sweet Smell of Success recently; the Chico Hamilton Quintet makes the best, sustained appearance in a great, great movie).
• Colleen's Geometria del Universo.
• Bug's Walk by Peter Storby Jutbring.
• Touch Me & Die by Kara-Lis Coverdale
• The Last Tears of a Deceased by the inimitable Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Do you live in Toronto? Chicago? Milwaukee? Minneapolis? How about L.A.? Come see the Memory Palace live this May.

SPOILERS BELOW

A Selected Bibliography * Dr. Sam: An American Tragedy by Jack Harrison Pollack * Summer of Shadows: a Murder a Pennant Race and the Twilight of the Best Location in the Nation, by Jonathan Knight, a very readable popular history book that pulls off a maybe-ill-advised trick of balancing the story of the Sheppard case with the Indians 1954 season surprisingly well. * Endure and Conquer, Sam Sheppard and F. Lee Bailey's version of things, written in 1966. Agenda aside, it's a fascinating read. Especially his account of the prison years. * Murder, Culture, and Injustice: Four Sensational Cases in American History, by Walter Hixson. * "Dr. Sam Sheppard The Ex-Convict who Revolutionized Professional Wrestling," from The Wrestler, May, 1970. * The bulk of the details from the last section of story are pulled from contemporary newspaper articles from the Mansfield News-Journal, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, the Dover Daily Reporter, The Escanaba Daily Press, the Detroit Free Press, the Nashville Tennessean, The Tyrone Daily Herald, and The Washington Post

Music * We hear a snippet of Runaway by Ólafur Arnalds up top. * Then Debut by Christopher Ferreira. * A bit of Saturday Evening from Tomasz Bednarczyk * Ralph Van Raat plays John Adams' China Gates. * The recurring flute piece is Wasser-Wunder from Tibor Szemző and Group 180 * Deadmau5 plays Invidia. * Lawrence English plays Watching it Unfold. * The radio snippet is a bit of a cheat. It's from the World Series from that year. Only broadcast I could find from '54.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

SPOILERS BELOW

Music * First up is The Homeless Wanderer from Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou off of the Emahoy (Piano Solo) album, number 21 in the unimpeachable Ethiopiques series. * Then we get some of To the Right the Enemy, to the Left the Sea from Simon Rakham. * We finish with Stellify by Francesco Albanese.

Notes * The bulk of the non-technical details from this one comes from Charles Duke’s highly readable memoir, Moonwalker: The True Story of an Astronaut Who Found That the Moon Wasn’t High Enough to Satisfy his Desire for Success. He’s a wonderful story teller and an amiable literary companion. I’ll also note that the end of the book, the last few chapters or so, are really a wonderful, clear-eyed, deeply felt story of how, first, Dottie’s faith, and then Charles’ set the course of the rest of their lives. If that’s the sort of thing that interests you, I really do recommend the book.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. This episode was produced as part out or "Doing Time" series, where each show across the network tackles the same theme. Go listen to the other contributions  at Radiotopia.fm.

Notes

• The most comprehensive book about Rose has to be Ann Blackman's Wild Rose: The True Story of a Confederate Spy.
• I also found an old book, Rebel Rose: Life of Rose O'Neale Greenhow, Confederate Spy, by Ishbel Ross particularly useful (if pretty rah-rah Confederacy, which gets kind of intense).
• Rose's memoir is very readable, too.

Music

• Marnie, from Bernard Hermann's score
• Don't Worry, by Zoe Keating
• Debut, by Christopher Ferreira
• El cascabel de plata, by Federico Durand
• Technology, by Gareth Dickson
• Longest Road, by Gaussian Curve
• Troubles, by Sylvain Chauvau
• Compesicion en Rojo, by Bernardo Bonezzi

Nate DiMeo is the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Artist in Residence for 2016/2017. He is producing ten pieces inspired by the collection and by the museum itself. This is the second episode of that residency.

This residency is made possible by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Chester Dale Fund.

This episode is written and produced and stuff by Nate DiMeo with engineering assistance from Kathy Tu and research Assistance from Andrea Milne. Its Executive Producer is Limor Tomer, General Manager Live Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Art Discussed * John Vanderlyn's Panoramic View of the Gardens of Versailles.

Music * Falling Asleep with a Book on Your Chest and Brass Practice by Lullatone. * Moonbow by aAirial. * Pauvre Simon, L'approach Du Nuage, and The Tunnel from Sylvain Chauvau's album Nuage. * So Long to Scream from Joshua Moshier's score to Good Enough.

If you enjoy this story, do tell someone about The Memory Palace. 

Thanks.

Nate

Music, Footnotes & Ephemera

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.

Music

• We start out with some of Pound for Pound from The Bad Plus
• Go to Waltz by Mother Falcon
• Into the Light by Marisa Anderson
• With Everything that Breathes by Greg Haines
• Day One Four by F.S. Blum and Nils Frahm
• Andrew Cyrille, Jimmy Lyons, and Jeanne Lee do Nuba
• And then Davis S. Ware does Mikuro’s Blues, which I’ve loved for a long time.

If you enjoy this story, please tell a friend about The Memory Palace. 

Thank you kindly.