The first podcast analyzed was from station This American Life. The category the podcast could be considered for is society and culture. The podcast is called Random Acts of History, with the segment listened to called, The Miseducation of Castlemont High. From this episode, it appears Random Acts of History follows a narrative structure, interspersed with bits of interview from specific characters and people from the event each segment is about for further context and drama as well as appropriate audio that relates to the story. Each segment from the podcast are called, Acts, with the one analyzed called Act 1. Each segment has a different host, with B.A Baker being the host of Act 1: The Miseducation of Castlemont High. In terms of target audience, it would possibly be those interested in history as well as social issues. This is due to the podcast concept being people who learn unsettling facts about history in “setting meant to teach them history”. This was episode 644 from This American Life and is 38 minutes long. It originally aired on April 27, 2018. In this episode of Random Acts of History, it follows an educational field trip of 70 African American and Latin American students who go to see Schindler’s List and the varying reactions and ramifications from them seeing the film that fateful day.
In terms of rundown of segments, the podcast began with the host setting up the story of the event and what it represents. This is followed by the story itself, split in between segments. Each segment usually begins with the host talking about what occurred, such as when the students in the movie theater began to act “unruly” and follows that with one interview or several, sometimes with a tidbit of information here or there from the host herself. This is followed by another segment that follows a similar path, with the host telling the story and creating the mood, with interviews to back it up. As well, there was also audio examples used as evidence for a segment such as when the president of the student council goes off script and asks Governor Wilson a question about his harsh legislation that hurts black and brown communities. There is occasionally a musical interlude or interval that’s separates segment and usually follows once the climax of a segment hits or when the final point has been made and its time to move on. The end is B.A Baker reiterating what had occurred, and why it was important not only to the students at the field trip, to the students of Castleton High School overall, but also herself before cutting to music to play the podcast segment out into the main producer.
The writing of the podcasts episode was clear and easy to follow throughout. Each segment was built well and well enough to make sense going into the next segment, as well as all the interviews and audio references used making sense and adding to the overall narrative being presented. The content showcased was well structured and made narrative sense and the way each segment was edited and presented was appropriate and did not take away from the story itself. The parts that feature the host B.A Baker were scripted. This is because the parts that do not feature her were interviews with people of note and audio segments regarding the event. The parts with her were scripted because they were the glue that held to story together. What she provided to the episode was the story itself; the backstory, the setting, the attitudes, setting up or reiterating what was said in interviews, the characters, the introduction, as well as the ending that summarized what occurred and why it matters along various means. The script she followed was a script because it makes the episode a cohesive story. The interviews provided add context and power to the story she creates through her script, as well as the audio examples from things such as visit to the school by Spielberg and governor and students asking them questions. Without her parts, it falls apart. As well, the elements that were not scripted were the interviews and the audio examples. The interviews were not scripted because they were first hand accounts from people other than Baker sharing their story. The audio reference segments used as examples were also not scripted because there are legitimate records and not something the host says.
The hosts voice was very engaging and helped keep the story moving as well as interesting. Her voice was clear, vibrant, and emotive without sounding completely biased. This allowed the story she was telling too flow and be heard clearly and easily, while not doing too much to take away from the narrative being constructed in the episode. Music was prevalent throughout Miseducation of Castlemont High School. While not truly used at the start of the episode segment, it does end it. As well, throughout different moments in the episode, music can be heard, either adding a sense of propulsion to it or an undercurrent. It’s almost like a film score, adding a sense of mood to what is being discussed. In the part where, different interview subjects are discussing what occurred in the movie theater and how the audience outside the students was beginning becoming dismayed, the music is violin based and sounds tense. At the part where the students have been kicked out and are not allowed to wait outside the movie theater, there is a gentle but stern guitar plucking that adds a tense but also more serious tone that leads right into a musical transition. Though there are many more examples, there was also the moment where B.A Baker herself was talking about how there was now a backlash and the people inside the school refer to what had happened as the “incident”, there is soft electronic sounding percussion, which sounds slightly sinister.
As well, there are different musical intermissions or intervals throughout the episode, bridging segments and interviews together, which allows for each element to breathe and stand on its own without overwhelming the listener with to much information to process. The musical elements used were mostly. Once used in a segment, it might last 15 seconds, though a few last nearly the entirety of the segment. Though the musical styles used tended to be different, each fit the segment they were layered under and did not take way from what was being said by the host, the interview, or by the audio example.
I was incredibly entertained by the podcast. Through a variety of elements, a engaging host, appropriate and interesting interviews, nicely placed and varying music, well researched and spliced audio references regarding the event, and a well structured and effective narrative with meaning, this episode kept me interested throughout. As well, I was also informed. I had not heard about this incident before and what it represents, regarding race, culture, education, bias, and even society has a whole, informed me about not just the event being talked about, but also what it presented and what it meant to those effected and why in a social and cultural sense.
There was nothing that didn’t really make sense in terms of the segment itself. The only thing I was confused by was the podcast. This segment given to be analyzed was followed by a Part 2 right after, with this story going into a different one right after on the same run time. This was strange to me. I considered this story to be strong and well crafted to stand on its own and be published in its own right. The prologue that preceded it as a segment makes sense but having another story after this one on the same episode seems odd in terms of podcast presentation.
Overall, there wads nothing I could do to make the podcast better. The episode I analyzed was engaging and made me curious to check out other podcasts on This American Life. It almost made me want to see what else comes out on Random Acts of History and listen to other audio stories B.A Baker has done. Other than publishing this segment has its own podcast episode, there is nothing I would add or take away from this podcast.
The second podcast analyzed was from Disgraceland. Disgraceland is a podcast hosted by Jake Brennan, who writes, produces, scores the music for the show as well as its creator. It is a true crime as well as music podcast in terms of genre. Episodes of Disgraceland seem to typically follow a narrative structure around a specific person or moment in history that regards includes music and crime, offering a showcase of a moment in musical history that also includes a criminal element. The episode analyzed is called Big Lurch: Hip Hop Cannibal and it is the 22nd episode of the podcast. It was published on October 16, 2018. Disgraceland’s target audience are people who are interested in true crime stories, such as those from Serial, as well as musical history. The podcast is focused on specific events of crime and grisly incidents throughout music history such as the one from the episode chosen for listening. For the episode chosen, it follows the life of rapper and horrorcore pioneer Big Lurch, and his story from growing up in Texas projects, pioneering the rap subgenre horrorcore, to becoming addicted to the drug PCP and eventually murdering and eating parts of his roommate Tynisha Tysais.
In terms of rundown, the episode begins with a piece of music Brennan plays for almost dramatic as well as comedic effect. It is followed by Brennan setting up who Big Lurch was and what kind of figure in music he was, where he was from, his dependency on drugs, and eventually his crime. It its then followed by the theme song of the podcast. The segment that follows is him expanding on the points he hinted at in his introduction. Brennan quotes lyrics from Lurch before telling viewers about the rappers life growing up in East Dallas, Texas projects that helped shape his morbid outlook on life and his road to becoming a hip hop star. This segment included talking about the culture and political immobility in housing projects that led to lack of resources and an abundance of crime. Brennan then uses this segment to state though there is a lot to love about growing up in projects like those and a certain “pride”, there is also more seedy elements to be discovered such as gangs, and guns, and this is the side of his environment Big Lurch chose to rap about. This was not unlike any other rapper of his day, but that Lurch exploited those elements from his home setting to a deeper, more horror like degrees such as his relentless drug abuse. Throughout certain parts, Brennan also quotes different lyrics of Big Lurches to emphasis points and add drama.
A musical interval follows and then the host talks about Lurch making a name for himself as an underground rapper before heading West and rising through the hip hop ranks in Oakland. This occurred at a time in the mid 90’s when gangsta rap was having a paradigm shift after Tupac died. As well, it follows a segment that traces Eminem, another horrorcore pioneer, as he released his first album and became a star, something that established another shift in the genre of hip hop overall and popping style that Lurch began dabbling in as he also began dabbling in drugs more. After an ad break, there is a segment that details not only along a Lurch’s further descent into drug fueled paranoia, but also his increased interest in horror films such as Silence of the Lambs. This section also detailed how Lurch began disregarding typical west coast rap lyrics and using a style draped in horror film and serial killer-based imagery. This is followed by a section about Lurch driving his mothers’ casket and swerving over the road while strung out on PCP and eventually crashing the car as he ogled the young woman in his passenger seat. A sonic collage of sorts take place to give the impression of Lurch in the hospital after the car accident, filled strange music and echoes of voices to give a disorientating effect that signified Lurch’s true decent into madness and paranoia as PCP took control of him completely.
This is followed by a segment as Lurch, after the incident and in his home with his roommate, fueled by incredible paranoia and rage while high on his drug of choice, murders his roommate Tynisha Tsais and began eating her body in detailed and nauseating detail. After running throughout the streets of L.A naked and continuing to eat a part of Tsais’ body, Lurch is apprehended by the police howling at imaginary dogs in his head. He is woken up from a two-week PCP induced coma to discover he is in jail and has been placed under arrest for murder and cannibalism. The defense by his lawyer, which tried to claim the insanity plea, said Lurch was in a “psychotic” state due to the PCP but Lurch was sentenced to two life sentences for murder and aggravated mayhem. The episode ends with a segment that says how Lurch’s record label changed the name of his album that came out while he was in jail from the Puppet Master to “Its all Bad” to exploit the chaos for record sales. Then the theme song plays before Brennan talks about the episodes sponsor.
This episode of Disgraceland was very easy to follow as well as incredibly engaging. The way the narrative was structured followed a linear path and nicely set up the road from where Big Lurch began to his eventual heinous crime and punishment. As well, it was also written clear enough to make sense while also being detailed and provocative enough to be engaging and capture a foreboding atmosphere that made a story so dark interesting to follow throughout. The editing was also done well, splicing appropriate and varying music under specific moments to drive the narrative while there also being interesting audio choices such as the sound collage while Lurch is in the hospital to signify his crumbling mental state due to his drug addiction.
The entirety of the episode was heavily scripted. How Brennan presents the material is very emotive and is filled with dense imagery and detailed information that follows a clear narrative path as well as script. There are no interview elements in the story, so the entirety of the episode beyond the intervals and sponsored segments being Brennan telling the story of Big Lurch and nothing else. There is so much said in in the episode and said by a singular individual and in such a foreboding way that it had to be scripted so that everything connected, made sense, and captured the proper atmosphere.
Along with the writing of the episode, the voice of the host Brennan is incredibly engaging and emotive. As the story becomes crazier, the hosts voice began to a match the madcap energy and even attempted to capture. His voice became louder, more shrill, talking faster and looser as he detailed Lurch’s descent into madness and eventual savagery in a emotive way to keep listeners attention. It was almost like the host was almost performing and acting as a audio instrument himself, extending and shifting his voice to capture the mood of the segment. When painting Lurch’s childhood and environment, Brennan sounds nostalgia and winsome. But as Lurch is losing his sanity due to PCP, his voice sounds deranged and off putting to go along with the writing. This was well done and made the whole episode engaging because the host sounded engaged to the material.
Music proved to be a driving force of the episode. The musical accompaniment varied and changed throughout the episode, offering different forms of mood for each segment they followed. In the segment where Big Lurch starts to freestyle and unleash his horrorcore persona, the music underneath is plodding electronic drums and tense piano keys that give the listener the impression that something sinister is occurring. Or during the segment where Lurch is driving his mothers casket in the funeral procession with a girl in the passenger seat, the music sounds like some west coast G-Funk rap, adding environment because that’s where the scene is taking place as well as a almost nervous energy that gives listeners the impression something isn’t quite right, even if the music is energetic. The music used adds audio depth to each segment, creating undercurrents that help drive the narrative material being presented and varying enough to sound unique. As well, there are a few intervals throughout the episode, with the music starting in the segment itself before began turned up and letting ring for several seconds. This is to give listeners a breather and process what had just occurred in the segment while also not be jarring enough for the music to change or cut off completely. This was edited well, with the intervals flowing nicely from segment to segment and start to finish when they come up. The music overall fits the style of the series, adding a musical element to a musical based show that helps establish a tone. Even though the music changes, its varies and drives each specific segment well without taking away from the story itself. All in all, the music scores without holding it down.
Though the story and the material presented was incredibly macabre, it was presented in a engaging and entertaining way that also informed. With no prior knowledge of the case beforehand and not having heard of Big Lurch before, the story was not only presented in clear and effective matter to properly tell his story and represent what occurred, but also interestingly showcased to entertain and engage. The writing is very detailed and rich and the performance by the host along with the varying music proved to be very gripping. Though intrigued by a true crime music podcast at the jump, the podcast itself was interesting enough to do a deeper dive into its episodes. It at least a few other episodes from Disgraceland are as effective and gripping at this one was, then the others would be worth checking out in full.
Also, there was nothing that could be taken away or added to the episode to make sense. It was clear, engaging, and overall effective in the way it presented the subject material. The writing, music, and the host himself all added to a finished podcast that was structured well, scored, well, and performed well. Nothing can be done to make the podcast and the Disgraceland product better.
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