Hand-picked from the swelling orchards of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern comes this collection of readings created specifically for eMusic. The first installment of McSweeney's Notes from the Field comes to you in the form of Jonathan Ames, Jessica Anthony, Jack Pendarvis, Claire Light and Keith Pille recounting perilous sagas of phony detectives, a female bullfighter, poisonous snakes, murder in space, and a freshman COBRA recruit
Our methodology for this audiobook's production was a dangerous prospect in itself. Wrapped in a pillowy swallow's nest of bubblewrap, paper bags, and our saliva — a natural binding agent — recorders were shipped to writers across the country. We held our breath and hoped that the good shepherds of the United States Postal Service would deliver our bundles safely. With the recorders successfully dispersed, we placed our eggs in the baskets of writers who terrified us with tales of varying technical proficiency. As it turns out, each of them truly delivered a performance for the ages. Some real tour de force stuff. Plus, they added some surprising twists.
Jessica Anthony, The Death of Mustango Salvaje
Recorded in her husband's newly completed home studio in Portland, Maine, Jessica Anthony presents the story of Mustango Salvaje, the nimblest bullfighter ever born, and a woman to boot. Jonathan Wyman, Jessica's sound engineer husband, provides expertly timed radio-drama style sound effects.
Keith Pille, Journal of a New COBRA Recruit
The only piece from the McSweeney's website, Keith Pille's journal traces the first days of a recent high school graduate enlisted to serve the sworn enemies of the GI Joes. Keith recorded his piece on the Washington Avenue Bridge, overlooking the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He adds: "Actually, it's just downstream from where the 35 W bridge went down, and I was looking down at some park space that the National Transportation Safety Board commandeered to reconstruct the bridge superstructure."
Claire Light, Pigs in Space
Claire Light reports from her Oakland, California home, bringing us the story of two space travelers who have been charged with raising pigs and harvesting fuel from their porcine charges' waste. Equal parts sci-fi thriller and dark comedy, "Pigs in Space" introduces Porkbella, the sinister herd mother, and explores the relationship between two people cohabitating in an orbital pig farm.
Jonathan Ames, Bored to Death
Jonathan Ames explains how ennui and a fake Craigslist posting land his narrator neck-deep in a treacherous search for a girl's missing sister. We chased the author around the country trying to secure this story, and finally we cornered him in his New York apartment, where we forcibly extracted this remarkable piece of detective noir from Jonathan.
Jack Pendarvis, The Big Dud
Unfortunately for Jack, who makes it a policy to never cuss during a reading, "The Big Dud" is replete with colorful four-letter words. Jack graciously agreed to bend his rule for us, and we felt pangs of guilt each time he stopped his reading at Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi, to allow children to wander through before continuing with his barrage of f-bombs. Oh, and yes, those are indeed the dulcet tones of Joey Lauren Adams providing the voice of Farrah.
