“I discovered that when you take anything out of the daily newspapers and put it on the screen, people go into a fit of laughter… People never notice the outrageous humour until something is removed from its form. Because it’s environmental and invisible. The moment you translate it into another medium it becomes visible – and hilarious.” Marshall McLuhan 1967

SCHERZOPHOBIA: A RADIOPHONIC SOAP OPERA PART 1
The first episode of Scherzophobia: A Radiophonic Soap Opera is now up and Stream-able care of the delightful people at Jam Radio. Composer Susan Frykberg has also been supportive by playing an excerpt on the UPBEAT show @ RNZ.
This ongoing saga was intended to be a bit of light relief from the rigors of academia. Having always been fascinated by the ability of anonymous broadcast media to be able to colonise ones personal space, drifting between casual and focused perception, it becomes a generative form by unintentionally creating a dialogue with the ambient environment – this situation often employed by RadioArts practice is something I really enjoy: every member of the audience has a unique listening experience (1). This work is an exploration of humour (something sadly lacking in the world of Sonic Art) using the human voice free from the mechanisms of word-play and the coding of language (2). The medium of Bricolage and Detournment will be employed here! Much of it makes me laugh (and usually I haven’t a clue why) While I think it’s rather funny, others tell me it’s twisted!

SCHERZOPHOBIA: A RADIOPHONIC SOAP OPERA PART 2
Episode 2 is up and listenable. I seem to have taken a more flippant, tongue-in-cheek approach this time, being a big fan of “light entertainment” And we can certainly do with a little bit of that these days! Not that I’m one to don the political mantle but thought it rather appropriate to kick off with the opening fanfare from that rather ancient and obscure film “A Yank in Libya” before we get to hear “Hills” promise the impossible. I must say I actually rather like her so it’s not intended as a character slur … I do seem to have a fascination with the vocalisations of the fairer sex – particularly when there is no language attached and all the coding and symbolism removed. A reference to our prehistoric past when vocal sounding communicated emotional complexity (1)….. Are those girls crying, laughing, having an orgasm or in need of addressing serious mental health issues – or all of the above…. And the first toe dipping into mediated Westernised sound colonising the space of non westernised aboriginal cultures – what sort of collisions can this create(2)

SCHERZOPHOBIA: A RADIOPHONIC SOAP OPERA PART 3
Wandering through Mt. Maunganui last summer whilst negotiating tourists in feeding frenzy shop mode, I was delighted to note that the Princess Cruises Line still flourished after SO many years – the “ Pacific Princess (or whichever one)” gracing the docks of Tauranga Harbour! I immediately found myself transported back to the mid 70’s humming loudly The Love Boat theme tune. Surely Judy McCoy should appear at any moment with clipboard in hand! And while we’re on the subject of 1970’s, who can date themselves by identifying Ray Woolf and the pole dancer from the Banana commercial..? It was most interesting to note after almost 40 years of not having had the pleasure of listening to Ray’s dulcet tones, that I realised he’s actually an Eastender!!! And I Love, Love, Love Hanna-Barbera /Warner Bros. Cartoon Foley: one of the earliest forms of sound design – true sound art! OH!…The Magic Roundabout. Childrens shows such as this and Batman are responsible for a generation of twisted deviants… Thank Goodness!! EPISODE 3

SCHERZOPHOBIA: A RADIOPHONIC SOAP OPERA PART 4
A German friend of mine working in the sex industry did a stint on the phone-in-fantasy lines. This particular switchboard took calls from all over the Euro zone. She said that it was always the British men who would be the most frighteningly aggressive and want to enact the most violent sexual fantasies…
jam radio

SCHERZOPHOBIA: A RADIOPHONIC SOAP OPERA PART 5
“We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the
world can know that we are your allies. As one people, united, we acknowledge
the reality…” Declaration of the Occupation of New York City

SCHERZOPHOBIA: A RADIOPHONIC SOAP OPERA THE END
The last one of this series.
I went back and looked at my thoughts on this when first it began and I felt they still hold true. Yet I think it is something of greater simplicity than that – all I’ve been doing is trying to create the sort of radio that I would like to listen to should I switch that knob on! Recently I picked up my transistor radio (yes I still actually have one of those things, in fact I have a few!) and I did a tuning sweep of the entire FM band range within my region and was shocked at the homogenised congestion of mindlessness that confronted me – I found it rather grim, is this really what we need in our aural landscape?!?!. Anyway, I hope these 6 recordings go some way towards taking the piss out of all of that…
For reasons I’m at a lose to explain it has been placed between Episode 4 and 5. Hope u enjoy nontheless!