Having come across the groundbreaking 60s audio pranksters Coyle and Sharpe some 20 years ago, I've always been surprised and saddened at the limited availability of their material.
This solo piece by Mal Sharpe is given a different edge by having an overall theme and by having the "Man on the Street" interviews linked by music, however, this works extremely well and creates what for me was a very engaging piece. Despite the often surreal suggestions that Sharpe proposes to his interviewees there's never the sense that he's out to make them look foolish or to humiliate them. Bizarre but gentle humour.
I couldn't get very far past the adults in diapers, the dead guy in the baseball stadium, and the pimp. I guess this is just not my type of humor. Of course, I was silly enough to expect that somebody was REALLY interested in exploring the meanings that various people place on human life.
It didn't seem to me that the interviewer had a lot of respect for the interviewees. I'm probably too sensitive about that.
I feel bad knocking this piece. Let me again emphasize that it just doesn't fit MY sense of humor.
This album has always been one of my favorite eBay finds. No one's ever had a better way with folks on the street than Mal Sharpe. This segment should be aired as a special episode of This American Life or some other NPR show. It's simply brilliant.
The Man-On-The-Street is On The Street Again -- Mal Sharpe has been doing hysterical Man-On-The-Street interviews for decades. This show strings together dozens of recent interviews, roughly hovering around the big question: What's the Meaning of Life? Of course, he finally gets the definitive answer from his mother -- where else?
Just so you know, Mal has been a friend and colleague for nearly twenty years, so I'm used to his humor. That didn't keep me from breaking out in laughter several times. This is a great program that simply fascinates the listener. What will he say next? Where did these people (the interviewees) come from? It's amazing the way people get completely into the absurd question at hand.
The show is fast moving and peppered with great jazz tunes that in some way relate to the topic at hand. Some of these numbers are pretty obscure, but then Mal has a great collection.
Bay Area people can catch his humor when his band, "Big Money In Jazz" (the Grateful Dead of Dixieland) performs. Great stuff.
Comments for What is The Meaning of Life?
Produced by Mal Sharpe and Alisa Clancy
Other pieces by mal sharpe
Rating Summary
4 comments
Toby Whitty
Posted on August 24, 2008 at 07:45 AM | Permalink
Review of What is The Meaning of Life?
Having come across the groundbreaking 60s audio pranksters Coyle and Sharpe some 20 years ago, I've always been surprised and saddened at the limited availability of their material.
This solo piece by Mal Sharpe is given a different edge by having an overall theme and by having the "Man on the Street" interviews linked by music, however, this works extremely well and creates what for me was a very engaging piece. Despite the often surreal suggestions that Sharpe proposes to his interviewees there's never the sense that he's out to make them look foolish or to humiliate them. Bizarre but gentle humour.
Paul Blanchard
Posted on November 28, 2006 at 08:38 AM | Permalink
Review of What is The Meaning of Life?
I couldn't get very far past the adults in diapers, the dead guy in the baseball stadium, and the pimp. I guess this is just not my type of humor. Of course, I was silly enough to expect that somebody was REALLY interested in exploring the meanings that various people place on human life.
It didn't seem to me that the interviewer had a lot of respect for the interviewees. I'm probably too sensitive about that.
I feel bad knocking this piece. Let me again emphasize that it just doesn't fit MY sense of humor.
Brian Beatty
Posted on August 04, 2006 at 11:06 AM | Permalink
Review of What is The Meaning of Life?
This album has always been one of my favorite eBay finds. No one's ever had a better way with folks on the street than Mal Sharpe. This segment should be aired as a special episode of This American Life or some other NPR show. It's simply brilliant.
Russ Jennings
Posted on June 12, 2006 at 03:05 PM | Permalink
Review of What is The Meaning of Life?
The Man-On-The-Street is On The Street Again -- Mal Sharpe has been doing hysterical Man-On-The-Street interviews for decades. This show strings together dozens of recent interviews, roughly hovering around the big question: What's the Meaning of Life? Of course, he finally gets the definitive answer from his mother -- where else?
Just so you know, Mal has been a friend and colleague for nearly twenty years, so I'm used to his humor. That didn't keep me from breaking out in laughter several times. This is a great program that simply fascinates the listener. What will he say next? Where did these people (the interviewees) come from? It's amazing the way people get completely into the absurd question at hand.
The show is fast moving and peppered with great jazz tunes that in some way relate to the topic at hand. Some of these numbers are pretty obscure, but then Mal has a great collection.
Bay Area people can catch his humor when his band, "Big Money In Jazz" (the Grateful Dead of Dixieland) performs. Great stuff.