If you guys play your cards right, you will soon get a new episode.  But until then, this will be the last of the archives being moved to Gomerville.  Thanks for listening.

Here is the second episode of Copy Code Three.  As far as editing, this attempt is light-years ahead of the pilot episode.  But I have to admit though, I spent two days on it.  This is one of the reasons why I simply don’t do this podcast anymore.  And hats off to NRP for what they do.  They make it look easy and I can definitely tell you that it is not.  Tom and I talked for about two and a half hours.  I waded through all that to find all the best bits to serve up for you.  I also learned an incredibly useful technique of which other podcasters should be aware.  Podcasts don’t need to be in stereo.  By the time is gets mixed down to MP3 quality, you really can’t tell the difference between stereo and mono, and it just adds to the file size.  Not having the final product in stereo allows you to do a few tricks during your interview.  When I talked to Tom on Skype I routed him through the left channel while I was isolated on the right.  This caused editing to be a breeze.  Now I was free to talk to Tom in a very conversational sort of tone.  I could say things like “Oh yeah?”  and “Really?” and laugh and guide him in different directions and then go back and completely remove myself from the conversation.  Anyone using Skype and Audacity to record interviews should consider this setup.  It made everything so much easier.

And Tom…what can I say?  I am not inclined to have man crushes, but if I were to have one, it would be on this guy.  His speaking style is just intoxicating.  And it’s not just the accent.  This guy can spin a story like no other which is exactly why I chose him as my next subject.

In 1994 I had the pleasure of spending a semester in London.  I attended the University of London through a partnership program with the University of Texas at Arlington.  For about four months I lived in a little apartment in South Kensington, and it was one of the most memorable times in my life.  I have always been a fan of Public Radio and Public Television which pretty much has as a prerequisite that you be an anglophile.  So I was in heaven the entire time I was over there.  I had saved quite a bit of money and blew it all on the most fantastic cultural experience of my life.  I went to the symphony and the Royal Theater constantly.  In fact I averaged about two shows a week.  I also got to slowly go through the British Museum inch by inch.  The museum closed at 6:30, and they did not feel the need to charge people who showed up after 5:00.  So for about three weeks I showed up everyday at 5.  It was fantastic.  I remember feeling dumbfounded by finding the Rosetta Stone.  There was no fanfare around it.  It was just in a glass case on the floor.  I almost tripped over it.

There is a difference in culture that I very much appreciate.  For one thing, the bible belt religious zealotry is simply non existent.  Politics are actually politics over there.  Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t happy with their govenment either.  But there is actually a difference between political parties in Britain.  The public hasn’t been placated into being automaton consumers after being duped into thinking there is some difference between two identical political parties.  Oops.  Am I showing disgust in our own political system?  Sorry.  I’ll save that rant for another post.

But there were other things about British culture that in many ways make me feel more comfortable than I did in my own country.  Dry, snarky, rough, satirical wit is the norm over there.  So I just fit right in.  In the United States there is this undertone of “you must be complacent” that seems to pervade everything.  Some Republicans I know love to speak of patriotism and foolishly try to end arguments by saying idiotic things like, “America!  Love it or leave it pal!”  When I hear stupidity like that I like to call them out by saying, “Yes…your version or America.  Now there is a black Democrat in the White House so lets hear it for America!…Love it or leave it douchebag!  Don’t let the door hit ya!”  And consequently, I don’t have many friends down here in John Deere tractor land.  But back to Britain.  You are expected to question government and authority.  It is okay to bitch about things.  Consequently I am confused as to why we separated from Britain over issues such as free speech.  Look at what happened.  We self censor now worse than our parent country.  But I felt oddly at home in Britain.  My sensibilities went well over there.  I have tried for years to figure out how to get a job there. 

Tom Reynolds started a blog where he openly bitched and criticized just about everything he could find.  If you want to see an angry man, just look at that Twitter feed.  Before long he was getting interviews and book deals.  That sort of attitude is just not as accepted here in the states.  (Ahem…just speaking from some of the personal messages I have gotten about my blog posts.  No sour grapes here, I just wonder why everyone in America has to be such complacent optimist consumers.)

But a lot of things have happened in London since I have been there.  Come to think of it, that semester was over 15 years ago.  I guess I can’t go home again.  Not that it was ever home, but you know what I mean.  A lot of their current policies mirror our own.  Tony Blair has even been accused of being George W. Bush’s lap dog.  I was upset to hear about this.  Tom discussed some of the changes that have taken place, most alarmingly Britain’s fetish for an Orwellian type of monitoring system.

But enough about my thoughts.  Listen to the show.  Below is the original synopsis.

Tonight we interview Tom Reynolds, author of ‘Blood, Sweat and Tea’ and ‘More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea.’  He is a paramedic with the London Ambulance Service who became famous through his blog called Random Acts of Reality.  Tom is a charming sort who has a wonderful turn of phrase.  Join us while we give him the once over to see what makes him tick.  He emphatically does not want you to buy his new book, but if you must, you can find it here.  Buy it for your mum if it suits you.

Music in this episode courtesy of Music Alley from Mevio:

“Ain’t No Reason” by Brett Dennen
“Salt” by Deidre Rodman
“GBHinstrumental” by Catgut
“System Failure” by Cotton Jenny
“Passage to Papeete” by Kahuna Kawentzmann
“One Everything” by Chris Murray

Some of you may have noticed that my other website, copycodethree.com, has disappeared.  With my current schedule, there was simply no way to maintain it.  Producing an episode of that podcast easily took about 20 hours or more.  It’s a shame, because it was easily the most popular and successful thing I have ever done on the web.  But, as is true to form with my life, the things I am good at make absolutely no money.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  Gomerville will never make a dime.  But I don’t make my family all sad by spending 20 hours per post to maintain Gomerville.  So Gomerville stays, and Copy Code Three had to go.

So I thought I would take the episodes that were produced for that project and give them a permanent home here.  There is also the possibility that I may make another episode every now and then.  Want to hear a little secret?  I have a pile of raw audio that was recorded months ago, just waiting to be edited into a new episode.  Somewhere in that pile of audio Chris Montera starts to cry while telling a story.  Priceless!  So, while Copy Code Three will never be published in any regularity, it may raise itself up from the depths of the grave whenever I get a bit of free time and decide to dust off my mixing board.  Keep in mind though that I am a busy guy.  No promises.  (But if anyone wishes me to send them a looped mp3 of Montera crying, simply send me an email.  I will be happy to oblige.)

So here is the first episode of Copy Code Three.  Since this was the pilot, this was the roughest episode from a technical standpoint.  I was still learning the ropes of audio editing in the style of This American Life which was the inspiration of the show.  To be honest, I failed miserably.  But the content of the interview is fantastic, so please excuse my sophomoric editing skills.  (Things improved by about 1000% by the next episode and I hit that one out of the park.  That will be posted later.)

And since this is being re-published I thought I would take a moment to give the reader some more back story as to this episode.  This man’s story is the main reason why I started this project.  What happened to him was simply amazing.  Its one of those things where people say, “Hey, you need to write that down,” or “somebody should do a story about that guy.”  So strong was my urge to document this that I actually started a website and a new podcast.  The story was so compelling that instead of simply telling him that he should record this somehow, I put my money where my mouth was and went to great lengths to do it for him.

He came over to my house one afternoon with his fiancé and we recorded the raw audio in my dining room.  It was not much of a studio.  If you listen closely you can hear my wife walking in and out of the room.  His fiancé sat in the next room and sat in shocked silence as he gave up things during that interview that she had never heard before.  During a break I found her misty eyed.  I was surprised that I was able to get him to talk about these things.  He is a very private man.  And I am honored that he allowed me to document this.

Anyway, his story should be required listening for any young person thinking about joining the military or getting into EMS.  It is also an interesting study in the effects of our hawkish military policies and reactions to 9/11.  He is still a conservative and I am of course a rabid liberal.  However, we find a very common ground with this subject and he would be the first to warn his fellow conservatives of the dangers of our foreign policies.  And I would be the first to preach to you about my disappointment and disillusionment at the current administration’s inability to change all of this.  Despite the fact that we come from very different political ideologies, a common ground is reached very quickly which I think is something quite rare nowadays.  If more people from different sides of the aisle were able to communicate like this, I truly believe our nation’s policies would be much more realistic and effective.  Listening to his story will make you think long and hard about what happens to our men and women who go overseas.

But this story goes beyond politics.  This is a very human story from a very human perspective, which is why I pursued it so vigorously.  What happened to him after this interview is also fascinating and I have often thought that I would like to go back and record another session.  He has left EMS and has found much relief and happiness.  This is another theme in Gomerville which continues to dismay some of my readers.  No one is trying to accuse me of undermining EMS yet, but it is only a matter of time before someone makes the claim.  Be warned though, while I continue to find people who were excellent providers and well suited to the field find happiness and release after leaving, I will continue to discuss it here. At any rate, please enjoy this humble offering and forgive my first attempts at editing.  In the end, you get what you paid for.

Here is the original description of the episode:

Episode #1: A Soldier’s Story
by Buck Feris on Jul.12, 2009

The first episode of Copy Code Three tells the story of a paramedic who gave up his patch, and went to the Middle East to avenge the death of four family members. He was left for dead during a mortar attack, woke up three days later, and was told that he would be disabled for the rest of his life. Over the last few years he has confounded his doctors and become a paramedic again.

Music in this episode courtesy of Music Alley from Mevio:

“Ain’t No Reason” by Brett Dennen
“Fading” by Al Stravinski
“Dark Eyes” by Blue Jar
“Bagdad” by Don’t Be a Stranger
“Is That a Riot” by Youngblood Brass Band
“Passage to Papeete” by Kahuna Kawentzmann