I have been a radio producer since 1976, when I joined WBAI-FM in New York. I did interviews, news reporting, announcing and engineering, and some radio dramas best forgotten. From 1978 to 1979 I had a weekly live show, “Closing the Gap Between Postal Rates and Philosophy.” Finding that form too ephemeral, I became an independent producer of my own recorded radio dramas.
The final production in these selected works, a suite of promos for public radio, has been broadcast once, on WMPG in Portland, Maine. If you have a radio station and would like to use it, please write to me at jessica@jraimi.com.
All the selections below are available (in better quality) on CD. For information, please write to me
OUR LIFE TOGETHER AMONG THE WORKS OF ART
A story of the years of struggle artists go through before they make it big or give up. Phoebe’s unfocused ambitions land her in a crowded apartment on New York’s Upper Left Side with five roommates and their friends. George is a film critic paralyzed by deadlines, and his wife, Marceline, is tired of telling his editors he’s not home. Julian writes poetry inspired by unattainable men, while Red toils over the definitive science fiction novel. Jay spends his days in dark theaters, claiming that movies are as real as real life. Cecily, an actress on the soaps, must choose between Butch, a novelist whose radical sentiments are being eroded by his job at a mailing house, and the Narrator, whose voice of authority conceals a soul all too human.
In 28 episodes. First broadcast in 1980 on WBAI-FM New York.
The listeners write:
“I find myself hopelessly addicted.”
“It opened my eyes to the creative possibilities of radio drama.”
“It would be nice if Phoebe didn’t have to suffer so much.”
“Wonderfully funny, sexy and true.”
1. A Letter to the Landlord (9:11)
2. A Conversation About Love (14:24)
3. Red Tells a Story (14:31)
4. George’s Mother (12:04)
5. Sex Scene (14:37)
6. The Heat Goes Off (12:21)
7. Left Out (12:05)
8. Jay’s Birthday (14:55)
9. Out for a Walk (14:06)
10. Deadlines and Breadlines (14:03)
11. Scavullo Knows Best (14:21)
12. America the Beautiful (14:36)
13. Gossip (13:45)
14. Later That Evening (14:40)
15. Sisters Under the Skin (14:30)
16. Broken Glass (14:22)
17. Ticket to Ride (14:22)
18. In the Cards (14:44)
19. The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (14:02)
20. L’Histoire de la petite vendeuse (14:28)
21. Just Between Us Boys (13:37)
22. A Future Without Men (13:57)
23. A Poetry Contest (13:04)
24. Just Good Friends (13:40)
25. Words of Love (15:07)
26. A Kiss Goodbye (12:39)
27. The Ghost in the Human Machine (13:33)
28. The Last Scene (11:54)
FABLES FOR POLITICAL ANIMALS
Four short plays on conservative themes. First broadcast in 1984 on WBAI-FM New York.
• The Grasshopper and the Ant. A retelling of Aesop’s tale, with a new ending. (9:54)
• The Lion and the Canaries. The canaries discover the downside of the minimum wage. (9:02)
• The Canaries and the Vultures. The canaries, now out of work, are enrolled in a jobs program. (10:37)
• The Fox and the Beavers. Mrs. Beaver tries to persuade the other animals to embrace art and culture. (11:13)
THE STORY OF THE HUMAN BEINGS
On a remote Pacific island in 1944, the native people encounter the white man and his technology, which the autochthons can only interpret as magic. Tragedy ensues. First broadcast in 1986 on National Public Radio. (27:00)
FIVE PROMOS FOR PUBLIC RADIO
A miniature drama in five acts. First broadcast in 2011 on WMPG in Portland, Maine.
Act I (0:58)
Act II (1:15)
Act III (1:03)
Act IV (1:20)
Act V (1:23)
All productions copyright by Jessica Raimi.