I was predisposed to like this piece because I really enjoy bad weather. Maybe not floods, blizzards, and hurricanes, but a gray day or a hard rain. I thought the producer did a great job weaving in various themes - a commentary on the media, on our culture, and on our everyday lives, with sound-rich production. Fun without sounding like it's trying too hard.
An upbeat, philosophical alternative to the flood of stories in the aftermath of Katrina. You won't find any tragedy, heroic relief efforts or political posturing in this personal essay about the media's love of meteorological mayhem, as he so aptly puts it. Divine retribution versus scientific study, musical metaphors and Hollywood plot twisters - no one's entirely safe from his subtle humor (like referring to southern California as "a climate on Prozac." A great mix of tv and film clips support an underlying message of hope and faith in nature's mysterious ways. More than enough hurricaine references to make it timely now - but keep it in mind for any future blizzard, heatwave or just another rainy day.
As I was listening to this piece, our program director came out and said, "There's a snow warning for the panhandle of Oklahoma." Of course, I reacted. Living in Tornado Alley, bad weather is big news around here; occasionally it's the only news. Oklahomans sometime take perverse pride in our bad weather, as if we somehow created it. Guy Hand's piece is funny. He talks about how the media portrays humans as being at war with weather. My favorite line was that LA was a climate on prozac. I'm sure with the recent drenchings, that opinion has changed. Hand's piece is a sound collage of news, music and movie clips. It's entertaining and worth a listen.
Comments for In Defense of Bad Weather
Produced by Guy Hand
Other pieces by Guy Hand
Rating Summary
3 comments
Rekha Murthy
Posted on April 08, 2008 at 02:32 PM | Permalink
Review of In Defense of Bad Weather
I was predisposed to like this piece because I really enjoy bad weather. Maybe not floods, blizzards, and hurricanes, but a gray day or a hard rain. I thought the producer did a great job weaving in various themes - a commentary on the media, on our culture, and on our everyday lives, with sound-rich production. Fun without sounding like it's trying too hard.
David Swatling
Posted on September 16, 2005 at 03:03 AM | Permalink
Review of In Defense of Bad Weather
An upbeat, philosophical alternative to the flood of stories in the aftermath of Katrina. You won't find any tragedy, heroic relief efforts or political posturing in this personal essay about the media's love of meteorological mayhem, as he so aptly puts it. Divine retribution versus scientific study, musical metaphors and Hollywood plot twisters - no one's entirely safe from his subtle humor (like referring to southern California as "a climate on Prozac." A great mix of tv and film clips support an underlying message of hope and faith in nature's mysterious ways. More than enough hurricaine references to make it timely now - but keep it in mind for any future blizzard, heatwave or just another rainy day.
Deborah Astley
Posted on March 14, 2005 at 12:11 PM | Permalink
Review of In Defense of Bad Weather
As I was listening to this piece, our program director came out and said, "There's a snow warning for the panhandle of Oklahoma." Of course, I reacted. Living in Tornado Alley, bad weather is big news around here; occasionally it's the only news. Oklahomans sometime take perverse pride in our bad weather, as if we somehow created it. Guy Hand's piece is funny. He talks about how the media portrays humans as being at war with weather. My favorite line was that LA was a climate on prozac. I'm sure with the recent drenchings, that opinion has changed. Hand's piece is a sound collage of news, music and movie clips. It's entertaining and worth a listen.