Summary: Six hours in Krautsand, a German town of 200 souls that sponsors the World Championships of Lawnmower Racing and wishes to secede from the Federal Republic of Germany.
I can't express enough how much I like this piece. It is probably one of the funniest radio pieces I've ever heard. The main premise is ride-on lawnmower racing, but the not-so-subtle subtext is Brendan's love for Germans, which shines through at every moment. {see pull quote} It thus nicely combines an expose on a strange/quirky/profile worthy town & event, and an endearing personal narrative. We care, because Brendan cares. There are strange little tricks in the writing, small non-sequitors, (including a constant update on how many beers they've had to drink), which alone are not significant but which make the piece that much more plesant to listen to. The sound includes grainy recordings made in Germany, Germans signing, and Brendan's well-read narration.
There is not an adjective that means milk-spitting-funny but if there were I'd use it. Having some experience with Germans and Northern European insanity myself, I know Brendan Greeley's affection for lawnmower racing in freedom loving "cabbagesand". It's frightening to see that the American evolution of a druken cowboy is related to the modern equivalent in the helmet wearing low-powered four wheeling of the one-day inanity of fatherhood (or boys who just want to have fun)!
I laughed so hard, I had to keep my mouth covered so that I could hear the story as the coo-koo clock was loosing its spring! Thanks for the gfaw!
Slick. A story (attending a wacky festival) wrapped within a story (independence of Krautsand). Informative and fun. Plenty of beer references. Well-written and sound-rich. Feels like a summertime or Octoberfest story.
Cute and gentle conclusion about German national character - I was just thinking how absurd it all was when he points it out. He keeps track of time measuring the number of beers. I'm still a little curious--why lawnmowers? The dog's not important . . .
This story reminded me of when I participated in a race in Munich called "Sauf und Lauf", or "Drink and Run", in which contestants race around a track while charged with finishing an entire case of beer between 2 partners. I miss living in Germany a great deal and this story really tapping into those nostalgic feelings. For all the stereotypes that get pinned to the Germans, they are nothing if not fun-loving yet extremely earnest.
Production-wise, I am sorry, but the extremely rough recordings started to bother me. I could have let it go to highlight an act hear and there but to carry a 13 minute story it was a stretch.
Furthermore, the producer did a masterful job narrating the piece, but I wonder if he could have hit all of the important story elements and bits of fun "German-ness" while shorting the whole thing maybe 3-4 minutes.
This is what radio is all about: informative, amusing, entertaining, engaging listening. The reporter tells his tale with a dry humor that does not corrode his respect and love for the subject. Even the poor sound quality of his clips somehow adds to the color of the story.
As for the Germans having a sense of humor...hell...they're funnier than the Dutch.
Great story, VERY entertaining! Being a Swede, I enjoyed the Swedish connection, but even more so the image of "big brother" Germany. I was laughing out loud watching the power point presentation, but since I started it a little late, and it was a little out of sync with the audio, I got lost in the many amusing details. I would love it to air in Sweden as well!
I like the tone of this piece -- the narration is very entertaining as is the background music. You don't have to have lived in Germany to appreciate this. It makes it seem as if the Germans almost have a sense of humor! It's the right mix of bizarre, funny and entertaining -the best part is that the humor exposes the humanity of these people in Krautsand. I hope someone airs this!
What a masterfully understated piece! This is one of my favorite Transom finds and its good to see it offered here. From the first sentence, the listener is aware that they are in for some keen humor. The piece mixes a subtle narrative with occasional pauses to savor a scene, or point out something human, yet unexpected. The piece moves along well, returning every minute or two to an ongoing count of the number of (alcoholic) beverages consumed during the visit to Krautsand. Its comedy isn't obvious, which works for and against the piece (it's easy to lose some of the jokes because the production is so smooth--it would be nice to change up the pacing every once in a while to give the listener a chance to laugh without missing something). This piece would make a nice unexpected surprise for a magazine program.
Greeley daftly highlights the absurd humor in the people of Krautsand without making fun of them, which is an achievement in itself.
Buried in here is a great lesson, that democracy and freedom are not things you can take for granted. They require nurturing and care. If you truly value them, you need to sometimes do some apparently ridiculous things--simply because you can.
This is a smart, engaging and delightful piece that is at once incredibly parochial and yet wonderfully worldly-wise as well. A refreshing story that PDs would do well to find time for -- say, after 9 mins of hammering the listener with pledge, these 13 mins will win your audience back.
Comments for The Most German Day Ever
Produced by Brendan Greeley
Other pieces by Brendan Greeley
Rating Summary
10 comments
Robin Amer
Posted on December 07, 2004 at 08:05 PM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
I can't express enough how much I like this piece. It is probably one of the funniest radio pieces I've ever heard. The main premise is ride-on lawnmower racing, but the not-so-subtle subtext is Brendan's love for Germans, which shines through at every moment. {see pull quote} It thus nicely combines an expose on a strange/quirky/profile worthy town & event, and an endearing personal narrative. We care, because Brendan cares. There are strange little tricks in the writing, small non-sequitors, (including a constant update on how many beers they've had to drink), which alone are not significant but which make the piece that much more plesant to listen to. The sound includes grainy recordings made in Germany, Germans signing, and Brendan's well-read narration.
Sondra Sneed
Posted on November 25, 2004 at 07:01 AM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
There is not an adjective that means milk-spitting-funny but if there were I'd use it. Having some experience with Germans and Northern European insanity myself, I know Brendan Greeley's affection for lawnmower racing in freedom loving "cabbagesand". It's frightening to see that the American evolution of a druken cowboy is related to the modern equivalent in the helmet wearing low-powered four wheeling of the one-day inanity of fatherhood (or boys who just want to have fun)!
I laughed so hard, I had to keep my mouth covered so that I could hear the story as the coo-koo clock was loosing its spring! Thanks for the gfaw!
Justin Grotelueschen
Posted on August 15, 2004 at 06:28 PM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
Slick. A story (attending a wacky festival) wrapped within a story (independence of Krautsand). Informative and fun. Plenty of beer references. Well-written and sound-rich. Feels like a summertime or Octoberfest story.
Sylvia Maria Gross
Posted on May 26, 2004 at 07:23 AM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
Cute and gentle conclusion about German national character - I was just thinking how absurd it all was when he points it out. He keeps track of time measuring the number of beers. I'm still a little curious--why lawnmowers? The dog's not important . . .
Adam Allington
Posted on March 28, 2004 at 05:29 AM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
This story reminded me of when I participated in a race in Munich called "Sauf und Lauf", or "Drink and Run", in which contestants race around a track while charged with finishing an entire case of beer between 2 partners. I miss living in Germany a great deal and this story really tapping into those nostalgic feelings. For all the stereotypes that get pinned to the Germans, they are nothing if not fun-loving yet extremely earnest.
Production-wise, I am sorry, but the extremely rough recordings started to bother me. I could have let it go to highlight an act hear and there but to carry a 13 minute story it was a stretch.
Furthermore, the producer did a masterful job narrating the piece, but I wonder if he could have hit all of the important story elements and bits of fun "German-ness" while shorting the whole thing maybe 3-4 minutes.
A fun and informative piece none-the-less
Prost!
Jonathan Groubert
Posted on March 26, 2004 at 05:21 AM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
This is what radio is all about: informative, amusing, entertaining, engaging listening. The reporter tells his tale with a dry humor that does not corrode his respect and love for the subject. Even the poor sound quality of his clips somehow adds to the color of the story.
As for the Germans having a sense of humor...hell...they're funnier than the Dutch.
Claes Andreasson
Posted on March 25, 2004 at 09:41 PM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
Great story, VERY entertaining! Being a Swede, I enjoyed the Swedish connection, but even more so the image of "big brother" Germany. I was laughing out loud watching the power point presentation, but since I started it a little late, and it was a little out of sync with the audio, I got lost in the many amusing details. I would love it to air in Sweden as well!
Melissa Waldron Lehner
Posted on March 25, 2004 at 04:40 PM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
I like the tone of this piece -- the narration is very entertaining as is the background music. You don't have to have lived in Germany to appreciate this. It makes it seem as if the Germans almost have a sense of humor! It's the right mix of bizarre, funny and entertaining -the best part is that the humor exposes the humanity of these people in Krautsand. I hope someone airs this!
Eric Nuzum
Posted on March 20, 2004 at 02:23 PM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
What a masterfully understated piece! This is one of my favorite Transom finds and its good to see it offered here. From the first sentence, the listener is aware that they are in for some keen humor. The piece mixes a subtle narrative with occasional pauses to savor a scene, or point out something human, yet unexpected. The piece moves along well, returning every minute or two to an ongoing count of the number of (alcoholic) beverages consumed during the visit to Krautsand. Its comedy isn't obvious, which works for and against the piece (it's easy to lose some of the jokes because the production is so smooth--it would be nice to change up the pacing every once in a while to give the listener a chance to laugh without missing something). This piece would make a nice unexpected surprise for a magazine program.
Greeley daftly highlights the absurd humor in the people of Krautsand without making fun of them, which is an achievement in itself.
Buried in here is a great lesson, that democracy and freedom are not things you can take for granted. They require nurturing and care. If you truly value them, you need to sometimes do some apparently ridiculous things--simply because you can.
Jackson Braider
Posted on March 12, 2004 at 11:54 AM | Permalink
Review of The Most German Day Ever
This is a smart, engaging and delightful piece that is at once incredibly parochial and yet wonderfully worldly-wise as well. A refreshing story that PDs would do well to find time for -- say, after 9 mins of hammering the listener with pledge, these 13 mins will win your audience back.