365 DAYS PROJECT

2007   APRIL 26   #116

Nubbin

MP3:
Nubbin (15:04)

In 1997 I created a CD called "Lucas & Friends Discover A World Of Sounds," which consisted of found audio collaged in funny, interesting, and poignant ways. Shortly after the CD came out, I received a cassette in the mail from someone named Jim Doherty from Chicago. It was a copy of a tape he had, which his typewritten letter described to me thusly:

"You mentioned in your interview people using tapes as recorded letters. Well here's one that was passed on to me by someone who found it on the floor of a commuter train. It was one of those little 3 inch reels that came in a box with the "to" and "from" spaces printed on the back so you could mail it. Although the opening is quite mundane, please persevere for a satisfying conclusion. Recording date unknown."

Now, my best guess as to the date would be 1964, not only because of the 3" reel format, but also because at the end of the tape the speaker refers to a trip she wants to take to "Expo," which I think was most likely Expo '64 in New York. I'm also guessing from her reference to a drive she took to Whistler Mountain that she's from somewhere in British Columbia.

I've never gotten in touch with Jim about this, to see if the tape actually had the "to" and "from" filled out on the box. I ended up just calling it "Nubbin." It's been posted on the Lucas & Friends MySpace page for awhile, but I figured it might get a few more appreciative ears here.

- Contributed by: Pea Hix

Media: 3-inch reel tape
Date: circa 1964?

 

•  Visit WFMU's Beware Of The Blog to view this post and comment  •