Event Recap: Live Wire Radio at Mission Theater

Saturday’s Live Wire radio show taping featured several writers. Essayist Stacy Bolt, former Simpsons writer Bill Oakley, and author Steve Almond spoke about and/or read from their work in a packed Mission Theater.

The radio show airs weekly on OPB. Every other week the cast tapes two episodes live in front of a studio audience. Host Courtenay Hameister directs the proceedings and interviews guests. The Faces for Radio Theater performs sketch comedy. And a revolving cast of musicians, writers, and notable personalities are showcased on each episode.

Bill Oakley discussed what it’s like to co-write sitcoms. In his stint as head writer for the Simpsons, he said he learned to reject bad ideas with finesse. The Faces for Radio members then pitched him outrageously awful sitcom premises, and sure enough, he showed great finesse while dismissing their ideas.

Stacy Bolt read a funny essay about escaping from Salem to attend the University of Oregon in Eugene. She finished her B.A. degree in six years, in keeping with her college realization that “everything takes longer when you’re stoned.” Her essay described how she managed to almost flunk out of a party school, something she claimed is not easy to do.

Steve Almond read “What Songs Do,” which was either an excerpt or related to his latest book, Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life. This short piece described how music allows the listener to instantly experience a wide range of emotions. He said people are becoming lonelier and less connected to each other as we are “spending all our time in front of screens checking to see if we’re famous yet.”

The next Live Wire taping will be June 3 at the Aladdin Theater. Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Russo will be a guest. For those who prefer more lowbrow culture, Chuck Barris, host of the Gong Show and author of several books, including Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, will also appear.

Image credit Live Wire Radio.