Edgy. Scarry. I'm a year older than when she began to strip, so this really brought this piece home. The whole topic and view point is so rarely heard that I was completely caught up in the piece. While the audio editing was a little harsh, I think it worked over all. Her voice seemed a little monotoned but once again it worked for the piece because you simply had to take in all the fact. The only thing that didn't flow right was the ending, it seemed to just stop, like she had more to say. Also I'm interested in how she got out of stripping.
By the end of the story I really wanted to get to know this person, to protect her, to ask her how she got through it. I felt that she had so much more to say than she could tell me.
Her casual tone helped to make this an effective piece. You could tell that she had been numbed by the experience.
I would put this on our air, mainly because it's a very particular first-person perspective we don't hear from much. Yes, as other reviewers said, it has some flaws on the radiophonic scale, but if we were doing a call-in show, for instance, on the sex industry with journalists and social workers, this piece would bring it home. The context would be key, but a good programmer could make the right nest for this, by preparing the listener. I would be appreciative to a public radio station that included this perspective, even thought it might not be as well developed as it could be.
This piece doesn't serve its subject well. The experience of the narrator is intense and engaging. However, the story doesn;t have an arc or an emerging theme. It is an incredibly honest and fragile story, it deserves the highest caliber treatment.
Outside of structure, the writing is interesting and somewhat insightful. It brings you close to understanding her experience, but not close enough to feel complete or satisfying. There are several points (such as taking drugs to deal with the difficulties of making through an evening or the debt system--resembling indentured servitude--in place at many clubs) that beg for deeper treatment, but the narrator/writer is too interested in moving on.
The unpolished, unprofessional delivery should be a positive attribute of the piece, but it isn't. Properly coached and produced, the freshness of the narration should add to its authenticity. However, here the woman sounds unnatural and uncomfortable telling her story--as if she is trying to sound like something she's not.
This story could benefit from a retooling. Add some natural sound and music to break up the narration (so it doesn't seemed so rushed), slow down the pace, and edit the script to focus it better.
When producers and stations move out to engage deeper segments of the public, they deserve commendation. However, when handling the stories of others, there is an inherent responsibility to make sure those stories "translate" well to radio.
This sounds like an interesting experiment that's not quite ready for air. I love the idea of having a commentary that sounds like a monologue. But the producer is being much too kind in assessing the quality of the delivery. At times they hit it right on the mark and it sounds like you're hearing an edited piece made from an interview. But most of the time it sounds like someone reading out-loud off a sheet of paper. In terms of content, I would have liked to have heard more about the feelings and emotions of this woman. This could almost have been done in the third person.
Reasons to put this on the radio: 1) The topic is one that affects a lot of people, though most listeners may only have vague notions about it; 2) The tone is unpolished and real, in a way that makes you feel as if you're in one-on-one conversation with the speaker; 3) in just four and a half minutes, the piece paints a remarkeably detailed picture, I think.
Other comments: At first, this sounds like an interview with the questions slightly awkwardly edited out (was it?); then the speaker warms up and moves through it more smoothly. By the end, I was really drawn in. The lead-in (and out) about the newspaper is the awkward part.
Comments for Confessions of Teen Stripper
Produced by New California Media
Other pieces by Holly Kernan
Rating Summary
8 comments
Caitlin Garing
Posted on July 16, 2005 at 02:12 PM | Permalink
Review of Confessions of Teen Stripper
Edgy. Scarry. I'm a year older than when she began to strip, so this really brought this piece home. The whole topic and view point is so rarely heard that I was completely caught up in the piece. While the audio editing was a little harsh, I think it worked over all. Her voice seemed a little monotoned but once again it worked for the piece because you simply had to take in all the fact. The only thing that didn't flow right was the ending, it seemed to just stop, like she had more to say. Also I'm interested in how she got out of stripping.
Mark Kewman
Posted on March 19, 2005 at 09:53 PM | Permalink
Review of Confessions of Teen Stripper
A Short Piece that really talks about the "underbelly of the American Dream" that girls get, when they're after the true american dream.
It left me wanting to hear more. If that was the intent, it was well done.
Leonard Smith
Posted on October 21, 2004 at 08:58 AM | Permalink
Review of Confessions of Teen Stripper
The subject talks about the darker side of stripping. She seems to suggest that there is no other side.
Christopher Edwards
Posted on May 18, 2004 at 12:25 PM | Permalink
Review of Confessions of Teen Stripper
By the end of the story I really wanted to get to know this person, to protect her, to ask her how she got through it. I felt that she had so much more to say than she could tell me.
Her casual tone helped to make this an effective piece. You could tell that she had been numbed by the experience.
I would recommend this program to others.
Jay Allison
Posted on April 14, 2004 at 04:48 PM | Permalink
Review of Confessions of Teen Stripper
I would put this on our air, mainly because it's a very particular first-person perspective we don't hear from much. Yes, as other reviewers said, it has some flaws on the radiophonic scale, but if we were doing a call-in show, for instance, on the sex industry with journalists and social workers, this piece would bring it home. The context would be key, but a good programmer could make the right nest for this, by preparing the listener. I would be appreciative to a public radio station that included this perspective, even thought it might not be as well developed as it could be.
Eric Nuzum
Posted on March 22, 2004 at 05:40 AM | Permalink
Review of Confessions of Teen Stripper
Outside of structure, the writing is interesting and somewhat insightful. It brings you close to understanding her experience, but not close enough to feel complete or satisfying. There are several points (such as taking drugs to deal with the difficulties of making through an evening or the debt system--resembling indentured servitude--in place at many clubs) that beg for deeper treatment, but the narrator/writer is too interested in moving on.
The unpolished, unprofessional delivery should be a positive attribute of the piece, but it isn't. Properly coached and produced, the freshness of the narration should add to its authenticity. However, here the woman sounds unnatural and uncomfortable telling her story--as if she is trying to sound like something she's not.
This story could benefit from a retooling. Add some natural sound and music to break up the narration (so it doesn't seemed so rushed), slow down the pace, and edit the script to focus it better.
When producers and stations move out to engage deeper segments of the public, they deserve commendation. However, when handling the stories of others, there is an inherent responsibility to make sure those stories "translate" well to radio.
Richard Paul
Posted on March 20, 2004 at 11:05 AM | Permalink
Review of Confessions of Teen Stripper
This sounds like an interesting experiment that's not quite ready for air. I love the idea of having a commentary that sounds like a monologue. But the producer is being much too kind in assessing the quality of the delivery. At times they hit it right on the mark and it sounds like you're hearing an edited piece made from an interview. But most of the time it sounds like someone reading out-loud off a sheet of paper. In terms of content, I would have liked to have heard more about the feelings and emotions of this woman. This could almost have been done in the third person.
Noah Miller
Posted on February 22, 2004 at 02:47 PM | Permalink
Review of Confessions of Teen Stripper
Reasons to put this on the radio: 1) The topic is one that affects a lot of people, though most listeners may only have vague notions about it; 2) The tone is unpolished and real, in a way that makes you feel as if you're in one-on-one conversation with the speaker; 3) in just four and a half minutes, the piece paints a remarkeably detailed picture, I think.
Other comments: At first, this sounds like an interview with the questions slightly awkwardly edited out (was it?); then the speaker warms up and moves through it more smoothly. By the end, I was really drawn in. The lead-in (and out) about the newspaper is the awkward part.