What We Talk About When We Talk About Good Radio

Roman posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 | Uncategorized

This is what PRX is all about. Marjorie Leet Ford and David Litwin produced this radio piece featuring Raymond Carver in 1983. It is the only recording of Raymond Carver reading his signature story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” I’m going to use all caps now to convey my emotional urgency: It is the ONLY RECORDING of the amazing RAYMOND CARVER reading WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LOVE and it was LEAST HEARD in 1983! I can’t all caps the date, so I’ll spell it out: NINETEEN-EIGHTY-THREE. Thanks to two fine producers who had the good sense to post this on PRX so we can all enjoy this gem again. You rule, guys!

The New York Times Book Review calls Carver “…surely the most influential writer of American short stories in the second half of the 20th century…” I call him “the best there ever was.”

It’s been uploaded to the PRX: Remix Radio stream on XM 136, so keep your ears open, but you can listen, rate and review the piece right now at PRX.

Full disclosure: One of my young, twin boys (Happy 3rd Birthday, Monkeys!) is named Carver.

1 Comment to What We Talk About When We Talk About Good Radio

Marjorie Leet Ford
August 16, 2010

Hello, Roman Mars

I was really happy to find out that you’d chosen our Raymond Carver show for REMIX. Back when you did I listened to some other good REMIX programs but didn’t see your website. I only just found it today! What you had to say about what Ray meant to you meant a lot to me.

The 1983 version of this program — in a different, more primitive production style) — first aired on KALW. Since you and I are both in the Bay Area, I hope we’ll meet one day. I’ll probably have a lot of questions for you.

Meanwhile, thanks — Marjorie Leet Ford