THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Program 03-07-13-B Listen!

To The Best of Our Knowledge
from Wisconsin Public Radio

Worried about your kids spending too much time in front of the television, what do you do? Tell them to turn off the TV. Unless you're Mark and Nancy Jacobson. They packed up their three children and took them around the world for three months. The Jacobsons visited the burial pyres in the ancient city of Varanasi and a genocide museum in Cambodia. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, memories from an unusual family vacation. And we'll ride the rails as we explore a documentary about tramps.

 

SEGMENT 1:

Mark Jacobson and his wife took their three children on a 90-day trip around the world. They've written a book called "12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time: A Semi-Dysfunctional Family Circumnavigates the Globe." Mark and his daughter Rae Jacobson tell Anne Strainchamps about the Burning Ghats they saw in India and the Cambodian Genocide Museum. They also tell a funny story about dining out in a foreign language. Also, British comedian Ross Noble hosts a show for the BBC. The premise is to go to remote places in the world and try to do stand-up. Noble tells Anne stories from his travels, and we hear clips of the act.

SEGMENT 2:

Tony Perrottet specialized in exotic travel until he decided to go to Rome, then travel the sites of the ancient world using classical Roman tour guides. He says tourists still flock to the same places the Roman did, describes how sex played a part in early tourism,and concludes that ancient travelers had many of the same complaints we do. Perrottet's book about Roman travel is called "Pagan Holiday."

SEGMENT 3:

Jack Cahill and David Eberhardt collaborated on a documentary film called "Long Gone." The film won Best Documentary at this year's Slamdance Festival. It's about the contemporary hobos who still ride the rails. Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan wrote songs for the film and Waits performs them. Jim Fleming talks with the film-makers, and we hear clips from the film and some of Waits' songs.

Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 03-07-13-B.

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Books:

  • Mark Jacobson, 12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time: a Semi-Dysfunctional Family Circumnavigates the Globe (Atlantic Monthly Press)
  • Tony Perrottet, Pagan Holiday: on the trail of Ancient Roman Tourists (Random House)

Music:

  • -"Kismet"/ Bond/ Born/ Decca
  • -"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)/ They Might Be Giants/ Dial-a- Song: 20 Years of They Might be Giants/ Rhino
  • -"Roam"/ The B-52s/ Cosmic Thing/ Warner Brothers
  • -"Hoo Doo Lovin'"/ Steve Ferguson/ Mama U- Seapa/ Schoolkids' Records
  • - "Fight Like You Talk"/ Steve Ferguson/ Mam U-Seapa/ Schoolkids' Records

Distribution dates:

week of 07/18/2004 - hour 1
week of 07/13/2003 - hour 2
Listen!

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