“New Fiction” is a New Twist on Old Time Radio
February 9, 2009
Once upon a time there was no television. I know it may be hard to imagine it today, but at one point it was the norm for people to gather in groups around a radio. Shows like "Amos and Andy," "Our Miss Brooks" and "Mystery Theater" were all the rage and people could not get enough of them. What these Old Time Radio shows shared in common was the imagination of the listener. Not only would you hear the voices of the main characters, but you would hear the background noises and develop an image in your mind of how each person looked as their adventures unfolded. When television was invented and released to the masses, radio dramas gradually transformed into television series or faded away entirely. You could see the actors themselves now and with the advent of special effects, our imaginations were no longer necessary as the impossible was routinely on display. At one point, we had to listen and imagine Superman flying, gasp when a Detective was surrounded by hoodlums and twinge over the very notion of Martians taking over the world from mammoth space ships. All of this was something made more horrifying when only described with a frantic voice and a soundtrack; now it is simply a matter of computer generated effects with technology that is easily acquired. We lost something with our advancing scientific strides, but we are on the verge of regaining it by taking a step back into the future.
New Fiction is a company using today’s technology to reintroduce an Old Time Radio style of entertainment. They call their foray into the future "iSoaps." An iSoap is a portion of a book (or series) that has been dramatized with actors, sound effects and musical scores. Once you subscribe to an iSoap, you can hear an episode via your web browser, on your computer, iPhone or iPod (or any other MP3 player). You also have the option of downloading a text version of the iSoap as well.
I completed experiencing one of their iSoap’s over the weekend - "I Betcha." In "I Betcha," David is a burned out stock broker who sparks a bi-coastal music war when he records a rap album on a bet. In an attempt to exploit his good luck, Daivd must figure out a way to survive the cuthroat world of Gansta’ rappers and unscrupulos Record Executives who would do anything to exploit his project. "I Betcha" has the type of characters that Elmore Leonard would be proud of, anti-heroes so self-absorbed with their personal issues that can not see the series of missteps that are certain to doom them. David is the protagonist of the iSoap, but he is not a "good" guy (at least, not in the traditional sense) as his drug habit attests. When he confronts the seedier side of the record business, he is motivated by greed and vanity to see his adventure to the end. On several occassions he could have confessed his true involvement with the "Hermit of Flatbush" and saved himself a lot of trouble, but he relied instead on his cockiness and uncanny luck that (for better or worse) served him well throughout the series. Although David had his foibles, he had certain redemptive qualities as well. David was a man that did have the future of his children at heart. He was loyal to his best friend and partner - Brad and did not desert his love interest - Chloe when it would have been convenient to do so.
I felt that "I Betcha" was well cast. I really appreciated how the actors worked as both the characters and the narrators of their actions. I could clearly "see" David, Fresh, Chloe, The Assassin and "Five Cars Long" in my head. I could imagine their actions and better yet, I could postulate what they would do in a given situation. If I saw them in "real life" as actors, I would wonder if I would be disappointed if they did not match up with the images in my mind. The language was coarse in some areas and I was caught off guard by a certain love scene, yet strangely intrigued as well. I thought that the story moved a bit slow initially, but once it caught its stride, I could not get off of the ride. I am a sucker for good crime story and this felt like a good piece of pulp fiction.
New Fiction has a series of stories that can (perhaps) be best classified as unique. Here is a list taken from their website:
- WORD LOTTO - In the world of limited words, Tom Brennan grudgingly handles appeals from citizens who claim that their WordMeters are malfunctioning. When assigned a string of bizarre clients, the Word Representative’s life spins out of control.
- JAKE AND THE JAMOKIES - After getting out of prison, Jake goes to LA to escape the Don and his three hit men. Jake is anxious to savor the world of Southern California with its movies, beautiful women and easy money, but the Three Jamokies’ arrival in Hollywood force him to change his plans.
- VENUS DE MILO MURDERS - When another body of a beautiful woman is cut up like Venus de Milo, the police are left clueless. Ex-cop Tommy Fallon is offered $2 million to conduct an international manhunt to find the elusive serial killer.
- FAT COWBOY - Fueled by the capitalist spirit and testosterone, the Fat Cowboy leads his gang of misfits to capture the million dollar pelts of the elusive Aristito. All the while, he must navigate around psychedelic cannibals, cross-dressing Marxists and renegade corporate mercenaries.
- SENATE PARKING - Skeeze Whitlow and his fellow parking attendants must negotiate the luxury cars and bloated-egos of the Capitol Hill elite. By exploiting their weaknesses, the attendants try to find ways to move up the Congressional food chain.
If you are open to a new twist on Old Time Radio, give New Fiction a chance. Trust me, its like something you’ve never heard before.
-Jim
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