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One of the most viral memes in popular culture came way before the invention of the internet. Ever since the iconic opening bars of the Ronettes’ hit “Be My Baby” first blasted from a hi-fi back in 1963, the same drum beat has been used in songs by everyone from The Beatles to Lady Gaga.

Join me for the inaugural episode of Sounds Familiar as I trace the beat, and its influences, through the decades, and find out what happens when a somewhat obsessive person like myself attempts to ask the most difficult question of all… why?

Sounds Familiar #1: The Drums from "Be My Baby" and the Life of a Meme

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We all know a bad translation when we see one… or do we? Translations of all sorts can, at best, ensure our shared survival. And at worst, mistranslations have had varied, far-reaching and often disastrous effects, as basic as “all your base are belong to us” or as serious as botched postwar food aid.

This time it’s all about translation. What is it? Is it an art or a science? What does it mean to translate something correctly— and, more importantly, what happens when translation goes wrong? I spoke to Jay Rubin, translator of bestselling author Haruki Murakami, among others, to find out.

Next week: “Loudness Wars”

Sounds Familiar #2: Bad Translations

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The Loudness War is the pejorative name given to the decades-long struggle to try and make the loudest record, to have that one song that’ll stand out above the flood of other sounds we hear, musical and non-musical, on a daily basis. Of course, with everybody competing for the next loudest record, all this has done is made that flood much, much louder. And people are starting to say enough!

Why is loudness bad? Is loudness bad? How loud is too loud? What do those shiny little plastic discs we used to pay twenty dollars for have to do with all this? What’s it going to take to end this thing once and for all? The answers to these questions—and some very loud music along the way—this week on Sounds Familiar.

Next week: “The Rule of Threes”

Sounds Familiar #3: The Loudness War

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Is three really the magic number? Sometimes it seems like it. From three blind mice to sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, things that come in threes just seem… right.

This time I’ll speak with Michael Eck, who has tracked down and documented things in threes for decades, about why threes are so common, so relatable, and so powerful.

Next week: “Sex, Death and Morality in the Horror Genre”

Sounds Familiar #4: The Rule of Threes

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In 1980, during a “very special episode” of Siskel & Ebert, Roger Ebert made a provocative claim about the emerging genre of “slasher” horror films: “these films hate women.” 

Whether that’s true—and why—is a little more complicated. Dr. Lisa Wade, founder of the blog Sociological Images, helps me break down the complexity of the role of women in horror movies. We’ll discuss what these films say about our sense of morality and justice. And we’ll travel all the way back to 18th century London, to meet Tom Nero, arguably the horror genre’s original serial villain.

Next Week: “Series in Decline”

Sounds Familiar #5: Sex, Death and Morals in Horror

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It’s happened again. Your favorite TV show (or graphic novels or movie franchise or podcast) is headed down the tubes. The shark has been jumped, and now there’s no looking back. 

What does it mean for a series to be in decline? What does it look like? And why does it happen? I intend to find out, with the help of Arthur Fonzarelli, Steve Urkel and Fast Eddie, creator and administrator at tvtropes.org.

If you enjoy this podcast and have a few minutes to help out, take the listener survey! It will help determine the future of the show: http://www.instant.ly/s/Lqb1sGmA4AA

Sounds Familiar #6: Series in Decline

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We hear a lot about the work that goes into getting the eye-grabbing visuals Hollywood blockbusters… but how much work goes into getting the sounds? You may be surprised to learn that behind, not just the explosions and fight scenes, but behind every door creaking, every clothing rustle, behind every footstep is the careful work of a foley artist, a sound designer whose job it is to make sure you hear the sounds you expect to hear, when you expect to hear them.

How do they do it? What does it take to be the people behind the sounds behind the biggest stars in cinema? Today we’re looking at the performance behind the performance. It’s foley artists, on Sounds Familiar.

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