Title: The 90's, episode 202: HOW WE GET AROUND (AKA THE TAXI SHOW)

Description:

01:06 "New York Cabbie" by Skip Blumberg. Robert Demella, a NYC cab driver, rants about various subjects. On how to avoid getting scammed: "You don't pick up drunks, teenagers or seedy types." On TV: "Only good for news...I'd like to take a sledgehammer and smash the TV...The TV set is the downfall of Western Civilization...People don't read anymore, people don't talk anymore, people don't think anymore...Our generation that grew up on TV is probably the STUPIDEST generation to come down the pike." 06:02 "Los Angeles Cabbies" by Jay April. Various cabbies are interviewed about traffic in L.A. April finally gets in one cab, managing to have chosen a rather crazy person for a driver. This cabbie reports on his discovery of the password to the human mind, the word "isos," which means "equal to." He expounds on his philosophy of life based on the concept of isos. 11:43 More "Los Angeles Cabbie." The cabbie integrates scientific formulas into his description of his philosophy. 13:12 Todd Alcott performance by Skip Blumberg. The 90's regular Todd Alcott rants about whether he should be concerned more about global warming or an ice age. 14:55 "Taxi - Mambo" by Lillian Liberman. Shots of taxis in Mexico City edited rhythmically to mambo music. Very colorful VW bugs and dense traffic. 16:25 More "Los Angeles Cabbie." "L.A. is getting a subway system. It'll alleviate traffic problems." 16:53 William Armento commentary by Nancy Cain. Armento, a L.A. subway designer comments on the growing need for cities to have viable subway systems. "We are running out of fossil fuels...people may not be able to use their automobiles...subways run on electrical power which is more plentiful that fossil fuels...Solar and wind power? Not sufficient for a subway system, but perhaps could power a golf cart..." 18:47 "Solar Cars" by V. Ndolo Dombe and Sergei Franklin. Solar Powered automobiles race in Switzerland. 22:18 More "New York Cabbie. Demella continues to rant: ... "It feels like we're on the verge of a new Dark Ages...the Roman Empire circa 573 AD...instead of the Mongols and the Huns we have the Japanese and Koreans from the east with video cameras, tape decks, camcorders and TVs..." 30:11 "1950s Chevrolet Commercial." 31:30 "Pan Am Flight #11" by Skip Blumberg. On a flight from Frankfurt, Germany to New York, the pilots show us aerial maps and discuss jet lag. 33:48 "Shadow Traffic.? A piece about Shadow Traffic, a Chicago traffic reporting service. A man advises us that "traffic is a variation on a theme...it's the same thing every day." 35:03 Excerpt from "Once a Star" by Tom Weinberg and Joel Cohen. "Once a Star" was a show profiling former professional athletes. This segment focuses on Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, former NBA player who broke the NBA color barrier. Today (in his 60's) he drives a cab in Chicago. He has no pension and no bitterness, claiming only that "the U.S. is a great country." 39:39 More "New York Cabbie." Demella: "I have a Buddhist approach to cab driving...I don't look for fares, fares find me." "You don't let it get to you. If you do, you'll be homicidal in two months on this job..." 40:26 "Hobo" by Tom Finerty. Excerpt from the Emmy Award winning documentary that examines the quickly vanishing vagabond culture in the United States. The song "Big Rock Candy Mountain" plays from radio HOBO over close-ups of various hobos and passing landscapes. 45:47 "Cars and Owners" by Chip Lord. Lord interviews Skip Blumberg about his new 1978 Plymouth Valiant. Skip: "I like this car because it looks very normal and regular...I don't care too much for cars, really...As long as it works and I don't hate it, it's fine." He talks about how he decided to buy the car and has us listen to the engine. At the end, he has us look in the trunk - "You know what I keep around here - my real set of wheels!" and rolls away on his roller skates. y 42:26 "The Motorist" by Chip Lord. A man recounts his earliest memories about cars over dream-like images. 49:37 "1960 Edsel Commercial" 50:33 "1960 Presidential Campaign Ad: Nixon. Nixon talks to us onscreen about his abilities to defend America. "America's defenses should be strong enough to keep us out of the war, powerful enough so that Communists know that we can't be pushed around." "Vote for Nixon and Lodge - they understand what peace demands." 51:55 "Washington DC Cabbie" by Eddie Becker. Becker asks: How do you handle people in taxis? Cabbie: "You agree with whatever they say...there's no tip if you make them mad." 53:08 More "New York Cabbie" (this time the piece is by Esti Marpet). Demella continues: "There's no short term fixes on any problems in New York City...I hate quick fixes, I hate sound bytes, I can smell a fraud a mile away...if a fare is overly friendly...he's got no money." 55:33 More "Los Angeles Cabbie." "Traffic in L. A. is okay weekends, impossible during the week...A cab is a one room schoolhouse...I sell you a ride and we talk."

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