Weekend America for NOVEMBER 24, 2007
Hour 1
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Shoot An Iraqi
Flatfile Galleries in Chicago wouldn't let Wafaa Bilal call his exhibit "Shoot an Iraqi." Instead Bilal, who, this past summer, lived in an art installation that allowed strangers to shoot him with a Web-operated paintball gun, called his piece "Domestic Tension." He is an Iraqi who fled Saddam's regime in 1991. His father and younger brother were killed in the current Iraq war. Weekend America Host Bill Radke spoke with Bilal about what it's like to live under the gun.
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- Music Bridge:
- A Muted Street Song
- Artist: The World On High Downs
- CD: Land Patterns (PLOP)
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Reflections on a Violent Art Project
Chicago Artist Wafaa Bilal spent 31 days, from May to June, of this year locked in a room being shot at by strangers. The strangers were virtual, operating a paintball gun, and Bilal had no idea who they were or why they were shooting. He called his exhibit "Domestic Tension." Bilal is an Iraqi who fled Saddam's regime in 1991. His father and younger brother were killed in the current Iraq war. We talked to him during his stay in the exhibit, and then we caught up with him a month after he was free. We asked Bilal what he learned since being a marked target, and what life is like now.
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One Thing: From Burundi to Phoenix
Last year, some 41,000 refugees resettled in the United States, bringing with them hopes, fears, scars and painful memories. They also brought objects. Weekend America's One Thing series takes a look at newly arrived refugees in towns and cities across America. We'll ask them about their journey and that one thing they've brought from their old home to their new. This story takes place in Phoenix, Ariz., where a large number of Burundians have resettled.
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- Music Bridge:
- She Walks In A Dream
- Artist: Takeshi Nishimoto
- CD: Monologue (Buro)
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Weekend Soundtrack: "My Favorite Coat"
All this year we've been asking the listeners what songs remind them of the weekend. This week we re-visit one of our favorites, Beth Weigel from Juneau, Alaska, spoke with Weekend America host Bill Radke about how the song "My Favorite Coat" by Deb Talan conjures up thoughts of the weekend.
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- Music Bridge:
- In A Secret Garden
- Artist: Steffen Basho-Junghans
- CD: Late Summer Morning (Strange Attractors Audio House)
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In Line with Saturday Night Klein
When there's not a writers' strike, Louis Klein usually arrives at the line for standby seats to "Saturday Night Live" by Friday afternoon. The tickets are given away at 7 am the next morning. And he's pretty used to the all-night sitting. He's been waiting on the line since the show was popular enough to merit a line. At the time of the interview he'd seen 539 out of 622 shows. He saw the first show. And over the years he's gotten pretty famous--and even a little infamous--in SNL fan circles. One night this spring Weekend America's Sean Cole spent the night, on the sidewalk, with Saturday Night Klein.
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- Music Bridge:
- Neon Filler
- Artist: Howe Gelb
- CD: 'Sno Angel Like You (Thrill Jockey)
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But I'm Not a Cheerleader
Independent Producer Lyn Millner isn't the cheerleading type. But, this past spring, in the interest of her devoted Weekend America listeners, she decided to pick up her pompoms and try out for the Miami Dolphins cheerleading squad. Millner shares her experience.
Hour 2
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The (Kind of Gross) Story of Jamestown
All this year, there have been celebrations in Virginia commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English Settlement in the United States: Jamestown. But what exactly happened in Jamestown may not be some of the things being celebrated. Independent Producer Nate DiMeo tells the story of this Anti-Thanksgiving.
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- Music Bridge:
- Little Maggie
- Artist: Sandy Bull
- CD: Re-Inventions (Vanguard)
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Military Tattoos
American soldiers have been getting tattoos since the nineteenth century, but as the war in Iraq continues, the types of tattoos evolve. Reporter Michael May visited some tattoo parlors in Killeen, Texas, home of Fort Hood Army Base, to find out more about the permanent mementos that soldiers carry.
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- Music Bridge:
- A Boat of Courage
- Artist: Michio Kurihara
- CD: Sunset Notes (ba da bing)
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A Weekend History Lesson
This weekend, most of us are eating left-overs, shopping and watching sports. If you've been off since Turkey Day, then you are probably shooting for a four or five day weekend. But where did this idea of the weekend even come from? This past September, Weekend America's Krissy Clark honored Labor Day by taking us through a brief history of how the weekend came to be.
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- Music Bridge:
- All Blues
- Artist: Kenny Burrell
- CD: 75th Birthday Bash Live! (Blue Note)
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Lennon's Leaves
Its the end of November, autumn is full swing and winter is on the horizon. Writer J. Robert Lennon shares part of his short story "Leaves" about warm fall colors in Ithaca, New York during his favorite time of year.
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- Music Bridge:
- Instrumental
- Artist: Tones on Tail
- CD: Tones on Tail (Beggars)
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What Happens in the Middle of the Night
Earlier this year, we asked you what you do in the middle of the night when you're not sleeping. And lots of people took a break from their nocturnal activities to write us. One was an artist/telephone technician who got his best work - both musical and telephonic - done in the wee hours. Another was an emergency room doctor who described the late-night hours in the ER. We asked what goes on when you're not sleeping, here are the answers we received.
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- Music Bridge:
- Ingrain
- Artist: Skallander
- CD: Skallander (Type)
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Song and Memory: The New Christy Minstrels
In this installment of Song and Memory, we hear from acclaimed non-fiction writer Luc Sante. He was born in post-war Belgium, but his parents soon emigrated to New Jersey. It was while living in the suburbs of the Garden State that Luc Sante first discovered folk music. At the time, folk was so big that it had its own television program, "Hootenanny." The show made quite an impression on a boy from a strict Catholic family in post-war Europe. This piece comes to us from the public radio Web site, HearingVoices.com.
