Radiolab Presents: TJ & Dave

            The radio program that I chose to listen to was an interview with TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi on Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Robert Krulwich and Sean Cole interviewed them about their improvisational comedy shows. The interview was talking about how TJ’s and Dave’s improvisational style is so different from most. Their show is a complete guessing game; they themselves don’t know how the show is going to turn out. They start out the show, introducing themselves and talking to the audience, and then all of a sudden the lights turn out. They come back on after a moment, and the two of them stand there staring at each other until one of them speaks and the show is off. I was so interested in their show, that I YouTubed it and found the entire show that they were talking about on the radio program.

            Now, to get into the audio effects and/or techniques that were used in the radio program itself. Through out the radio program the use of music is very present and effective in making an emotional statement. When Robert Krulwich is talking about a moment in the show when the suspense is high, the music reflects the suspense. The music played was a series of bells that sounded like they could be in a haunted church. Next they introduce their guests, TJ and Dave, and when they do so they use a bunch of what sounds like wind chimes. Which gives the radio program a completely different feel to it than it was just a second ago with the mysterious bells.

            Another effect that they used a lot was the use of fading in and out between the interview and the pre-recorded comedy show. It was a very effective tool to use, so we, as the audience can transition easily between listening to the show and the commentary of the show at the same time.

            Robert Krulwich had a rougher voice while Sean Cole had a very soothing voice. The two combined made listening to the radio program very enjoyable because as the listeners we would bounce off one of their voices to another without effort. It’s a strange observation, but it was noticeable right away.

            You don’t notice all these things that go into a radio station, unless you really pay attention and analyze each aspect. But that doesn’t mean if you’re not listening for all these things, that they don’t add to your overall experience.