Comments for Joey's Phone Call Home

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This piece belongs to the series "Incarcerated Youth Speak Out"

Produced by Blunt and Joey

Other pieces by Blunt Youth Radio Project

Summary: Joey, an incarcerated teen, calls home.
 

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Review of Joey's Phone Call Home

When i was in there, i saw so many guys come out after a phone call and start crying from whatever news they got. These guys im talking about, here are a few examples, one of my buddies has 23 assault charges, another was just a straight BAMF, one of the most feared guys in there, and once you find out your going to Dayone, or Mainstay for a year, or some other placement, it sux. Or that your court date has been postponed, or that you need to stay in lockup for another 3 weeks so i pych evaluation can be done, or because of a brawl you were in at the mess hall caused you to get commited until your 21. Guys there get phone calls like that everyday, and for a facility full of maines worst juvenile criminals, theres alot of hidden emotions all of over the place.

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Review of Joey's Phone Call Home

Joey's Phone Call Home
I love this piece so much because it shows a connection with a family whose going threw a problem. The family problem is that Joey, the speaker, is going to rehab for a unknown reason. But even though he is facing something like this he is still trying to seek support from his family and his family is giving it. This piece shows love and realness. Not a lot of family?s show this bond and love, but this one do and I admire that

-Adomako

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Review of Joey's Phone Call Home

I've been in love with Joey ever since I heard his "Pee in the Pudding" piece on This American Life. This recorded phone call is not all that remarkable in terms of content: there's no drama, no punchline/gut-wrenching moment. It's just a kid calling his mom from jail. That's why it's great. I think it would make a nice addition to a show about incraceration, or perhaps about the telephone.

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Review of Joey's Phone Call Home

There is a quality to this item that draws the listener in and makes one want to flesh out the unmentioned details themselves. Exactly what is Joey incarcerated for? Is the face-to-face relationship between Joey and his mother (and his presumptive sibling) more complicated than things seem from this recording? As a starting point, this is a strong item.

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Review of Joey's Phone Call Home

there is a voyeristic pleasure in listening in on a phone call, which we get in this piece. but there isn't really a story that's unfolding. perhaps if a series of joey's conversations were edited together, so we got a sense of life in rehab, a story could come alive

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Review of Joey's Phone Call Home

The trick to programming this would be the framing. The call itself is not consequential, but the IDEA of the call is. It doesn't resolve or go anywhere particularly, but it opens a window that's worth listening through. If it were contained in a longer piece about Joey, it might feel too long as a "moment." By itself, it would be a challenge to frame, but I think it could be done. Maybe in the context of a series of overheard conversations or verite moments between parents and their kids. The techhnical quality is good, at least over computer speakers, and you at least come away knowing you have heard something real. It would definitely be a break from standard public radio fare, which is something most stations can use.

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Review of Joey's Phone Call Home

I liked this piece and found myself drawn into it. The phone call speaks for itself- there is no need to elaborate with a narrative. It is a refreshingly honest dialogue between a son, his mother and little sister. The power lies not in what is said- but what is not said.