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Valet
Who enjoys watching debauchery, immaturity, violence, and corruption? You do, and we do, too! But valets are a different story. Every night they see humanity at its lowest and, after the initial thrill, it gets a little tiring. Three Chicago valets tell all.
Listen here (35:11 minutes, 17.2 megs. )
Answering Machine
Over ten years ago, a brave and enraptured woman left a message on Mike's answering machine. Today, seven Peanut Gallery contributors weigh in on the message, its implications, possible outcomes, and repercussions. They also wonder, quietly and off the record, how their own recordings will come back to bite them, a decade from now.
Listen here (52:25 minutes, 24.0 megs. )
The Group
Many people have had their friendships tested in unusual ways. Maybe your favorite college roommate made a point of ruining your sleep by drunkenly jumping rope to Judas Priest at unusual hours. Maybe your girlfriend called you out on every self-promotional lie you told in public. Or, maybe, your best friend ran off with your wife... and sold her to a glue factory. But, often, friendships have a way of overcoming such obstacles. Today, we have a story about a group of friends, some unusual obstacles, and what it was like to be in Riyadh as the Gulf War erupted.
Listen here (21:12 minutes, 9.7 megs. )
Jonah
After being locked in the trunk of his car for a day, Jonah had a religious experience and was born again... out of his trunk. His gospel: salvation through sensory depravation.
Listen here (31:42 minutes, 14.6 megs. )
The Mullah of Madison
Four months ago, Gary Olafsson, the self-proclaimed "Mullah of Madison" made regional headlines by issuing fatwas against several Wisconsin residents. Dane county law-enforcement agencies found Gary to be harmless, but his fatwas created enough enemies that he went into hiding... until a few weeks ago, when somebody murdered his cat. Reporter Albert Waffleman has more.
Listen here (14:16 minutes, 6.5 megs. )
Sweeney
He's run for office eleven times—as a Democrat, a Republican, a Libertarian, and a Lunatic—and he's lost every time. His campaign platform is simple: illegal immigrants are "wild monkeys" out to destroy America. Like most other residents of southern Arizona, David Anderson thought Joe Sweeney was insane, but harmless... until the 2004 election.
Listen here (10:48 minutes, 5 megs. )
Roxanne
Maybe you saw a rock star harassed outside of a seemingly obscure Icelandic bed and breakfast, or maybe you approached a famous football player in a mall and received a barrage of verbal abuse instead of an autograph. Whatever the circumstances, you've probably brushed with a celebrity at some point and noticed how human behavior gets suddenly distorted in the presence of fame. In today's story, Nick Lantz describes Sting's visit to his creative writing program.
Listen here (32:29 minutes, 15.1 megs. )
The Three Months
During the summer after their highschool graduation, Uri Palmer Gai and Andy Jarms experienced the usual chaos that accompanies a major life change: interactions with black, Muslim, Nazi submariners, awkward conversations with suicidal poets, and adulterous puppy-love.
Listen here (37:12 minutes, 17.1 megs. )
The Door
It seems to be a theme in life that some of the coolest living situations are accompanied by a major drawback: windows that have been cemented shut, tuba-playing crack-dealers next door, or a toilet that flushes the wrong way. Sometimes, the drawbacks take a little while to surface, as Nick Lantz is about to discover...
Listen here (42:50 minutes, 19.7 megabytes)