The 6/25 show included a number of Pride-related pieces, ranging from an uproarious gay iconography lesson by Rob Anderson (Impress These Apes) to a provocative essay about the gay movement’s path from camp to moral seriousness by Sharon Greene (The Neo-Futurists).

This week’s Radio Magazine also includes Zach Wahls (University of Iowa student best know for his speech to the Iowa House of Representatives) with the “Expert Expat” report on the Iowa caucuses; Dr. Bill Savage (PhD. Northwestern) on Al Capone’s legend and cultural stereotypes; Caitlin Parrish (playwright, A Twist of Water) on Catfish Day and Reagan’s AIDS record; and high school teacher Jacob Steward (also Zack’s speech coach) with our “This Day in History” segment, about the 1,758th anniversary of the beheading of Pope Cornelius (and a whole lot more . . . just you wait). We top it all off with some fiddling by Machete house musician Jonas Friddle.

Table of Contents (mm:ss)

00:00 – Christopher Piatt’s Intro (recorded later)
00:23 – Rob Anderson
9:30 – Bill Savage
17:22 – Jacob Steward
25:48 – “Smoke That Cigarette” interlude
26:24 – Caitlin Parrish
34:08 – Sharon Greene
46: 36 – Zack Wahls
50:35 – Jonas Friddle

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:05 — 52.3MB)

We’re proud to present the second installment of The Paper Machete Radio Magazine, featuring selections* from the 6/18/11 show, our inaugural gig at the Horseshoe. We’ve got Kate James of Schadenfreude, with her story of unintentional viral video stardom; slam poet Emily Rose with a piece imagining Sally Ride’s message to Amelia Earhart; music from Jon Langford with Tawny Newsome and Jim Elkington, as well as a capella group Faces for Radio; a message about privacy from Steve Waltien and Katie Rich; writer Steve Heisler‘s take on Comic-Con; and Nancy Friedrich and Amy Speckien with a piece from their show at The Annoyance, Waiting for Drew Peterson.

Table of Contents (mm:ss)

00:00 – Christopher Piatt’s Intro
2:26 – Steve Heisler
9:18 – Nancy Friedrich and Amy Speckien
18:09 – Kate James
31:01 – Faces for Radio
34:06 – Emily Rose
40:55 – Steve Waltien and Katie Rich
51:19 – Jon Langford with Tawny Newsome and Jim Elkington

Recorded at the Horseshow on 6/18/11 by Ali Weiss. Photos by Evan Hanover.

*Why selections and not the whole show? The usual reasons, including: Some pieces just work better live, on occasion our recordings don’t come out as nicely as we’d like and sometimes we don’t have permission to post certain pieces.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:57 — 58.5MB)

In a first here at the Machete, we present you with an entire show in one podcast. We call it The Paper Machete Radio Magazine, Issue Date 6/11/11.

This show will always hold a place in our hearts, as it was our last regular Saturday afternoon performance at Ricochet’s. We welcomed our own 47th Ward alderman Ameya Pawar, who discussed disaster preparedness and the interconnected infrastructure of Chicago’s neighborhoods. We were honored to host award-winning author and journalist Alex Kotlowitz, who told a moving story about the eviction of an urban family. We saw brilliant Machete debuts from writer Shannon Cason, who shed light on recent cuts in the Detroit Public Schools, and Clare Zulkey, who contemplated Jennifer Anniston’s Spike TV “Decade of Hotness” award.

We also relished the usual wit of a few Machete regulars. Writer and digital media strategist Scott Smith took on Chicago’s “flash mob” hysteria, while writer Kim Bellware read between the lines of a controversial Real Housewives quip. Host Christopher Piatt weighed Anthony Weiner’s problems against Thomas Jefferson’s, and comedian Ricardo Gamboa drew parallels between the X-Men and disenfranchised Americans. Our musical guest was funnyman Matt Baron of Baron Von Something. The show also features rare musical accompaniment for Piatt’s traditional Act I closer and, of course, a heartfelt farewell to Ricochet’s, our original home.

Table of Contents (hr:mm:ss)

00:00 Christopher Piatt’s Intro
01:29 Scott Smith
10:36 Clare Zulkey
19:48 Shannon Cason
30:26 Alex Kotlowitz
38:44 Christopher Piatt sings his traditional intermission song “Smoke That Cigarette,” this time accompanied by John Szymanski and John Bliss on vocals & guitar and Mike Przygoda on drums.
42:21 Kim Bellware
51:16 Christopher Piatt
57:07 Ricky Gamboa
01:06:25 Ameya Pawar
01:20:47 Musical Guest Matt Baron
01:27:05 Christopher’s Farewell & Thank You to Ricochet’s

Recorded at Ricochet’s on 6/11/11 by Kurt Heintz. Photos by Evan Hanover.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32:48 — 85.0MB)