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Joe Frank FAQ


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Joe Frank v7.54
Frequently Asked Questions 2/03

See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
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The Joe Frank FAQ is posted sporadically to alt.radio.networks.npr, 
alt.answers, and news.answers. 
This document was created by Richard Looney with assistance from many 
nameless online Joe Frank fans. The latest version is also available on 
the web at http://wfmu.org/JF/joe_fran.html .

Additional information is welcome - please send to richard@wunderland.com .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contents:

   1. Who is Joe Frank? -> Biography

   2. What has he done? -> Chronological Listing of Radio Programs

   3. How about CDs, video, writings and Internet?

   4. Is he still on the radio?  

   5. Are tapes or CDs of the radio programs available?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Who is Joe Frank? 

Joe Frank is *not* the host of a long-running New York talk show, and a 
different Joe Frank (Carollo) was responsible for those top-40 hits from 
the early 1970s.  Joe Frank is best known for the weekly radio show he 
created in the studios of KCRW, Santa Monica between 1986 and 2001.  His 
program is picked up by some of the more progressive public radio 
stations, since KCRW makes it available 'on the satellite' via SASS. 

The following biography from KCRW was dated April 1990:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Joe Frank was born in Strasbourg, France of a Viennese mother and 
a Polish father. His family immigrated to New York City where Frank was 
raised and educated. Frank, who received a B.A. from Hofstra University, 
attended the Iowa Writers Workshop and subsequently taught at the Dalton 
School in Manhattan.

     In the mid 70's Frank joined WBAI, the New York Pacifica station,
as a volunteer. By 1977 he was the host of "In The Dark," a late night
entertainment program that featured Frank's monologues, improvised 
sketches,
and live music. In 1978 Frank moved to Washington D.C., to anchor the 
weekend
edition of "All Things Considered" on National Public Radio (NPR). From 
1979
to 1985 he wrote, performed in, and produced 18 dramas for NPR Playhouse,
garnering many broadcasting honors, including the 1982 Broadcast Media 
Award,
the 1983 Radio Program Award from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting,
two consecutive Gold Awards at the International Radio Festival of New York
(1983 & 1984), the American Nomination to the 1984 Prix Italia and a 
Special
Commendation from the Berlin Prix Futura (1985).

     In 1986, at the invitation of Ruth Hirschman, general manager of
KCRW, Frank moved to Los Angeles where he created his own weekly one-hour
program, "Joe Frank: Work In Progress" at the Santa Monica-based NPR 
station.
In 1988 Frank won both the prestigious Major Armstrong Award and the
Corporation For Public Broadcasting Program Award for his three-part series
"Rent A Family."

     In February 1989 "Rent A Family" was adapted and directed by Paul
Verdier at Stages Trilingual Theater. In March of 1989 Frank gave his first
one-man show ("Joe Frank: In Performance") at the Museum Of Contemporary
Art's Ahmanson Theater.

     Frank has published two plays, "The Decline Of Spengler" (New
Directions 48, New York) and "A Tour Of The City" (Tanim Press, New York). 
A volume of fiction, "The Queen Of Puerto Rico And Other Stories" will be
published by William Morrow (New York) next winter.

     Montreal's Theater Anima will present Frank's award-winning "A Tour
Of The City" at Hangar Number 9 of the Old Port of Montreal in June 1990.
This drama, featuring a cast including performers from Cirque du Soleil, 
will
be under the direction of Jordan Dietcher.

     Michael Mann, creator of the television series "Miami Vice" and
"Crime Story," has purchased the rights to Frank's radio monologue, "Night"
and plans to adapt it for a feature film.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starting in 1993, Joe changed the title of his weekly show to In The 
Dark.  In early 1995 it was announced that Joe Frank would be 'taking a 
break' from In The Dark, and the program was removed from the 
KCRW schedule. Joe Frank began a new program called Somewhere Out 
There on KCRW in January 1996. The shows that year were all monologues, 
but afterwards, unlike previously, recycling of his old material became 
common. In August 1997 Joe announced his departure from radio. In 1999 
he returned with a new series, The Other Side, which was more 
reality-based, more confessional, a window into Joe's life (as well 
as others). A cornerstone of this series was "Karma" -- its story 
spills over into many other programs.  About the time of "Karma," The 
Other Side programs began containing excerpts from the lectures of 
Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield. The Other Side seems to have ceased 
production in early 2002, and since Joe is no longer associated with 
KCRW, his page on their website has gone dark -- but now he has one 
of his own at www.joefrank.com .


2. What has he done?   Chronological List of Joe Frank's radio programs

This listing began as the Work In Progress Program List received from 
KCRW in 1987. That list was then augmented by the author of this FAQ 
as new shows were broadcast. The productions were originally listed by 
KCRW as either monologues (M), dramas (D), or both (MD). This FAQ continues 
that tradition, but simplifies it such that programs with a single vocalist 
are listed as monologues (performed by Joe Frank unless noted otherwise)
and programs featuring multiple performers are marked as dramas.

Additional information augments this listing: 

[ musical artist and title is noted between square brackets ]
   Some sources of background music used in selected programs are 
identified. 

{ Comments are enclosed in curly brackets }
   The author of this FAQ has annotated the listing with a few comments.


             >>> various NPR Productions <<<

1978
-----

The 80 Yard Run 
    monologue - one hour


1979
-----

A Call in the Night 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Beth Dixon, Eric Sears, Arthur Miller, Bernie Mantell, Irene
    Wagner & Joe Frank 

Arena 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Annalee Jefferies, Arthur Miller, Bernie Mantell, Rosemary
    Foley, Eric Sears, Joe & Tim Jerome 

The Death of Trotsky 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Miles Davis, "Solea", from "Sketches of Spain" ]
    { the 'nada poem' can also be found in Ernest Hemingway's
      "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" } 

'Til You're Gone 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Arthur Miller, Robin Bartlette, Tim Jerome, Bernie Mantell,
    Irene Wagner, Eric Sears, Rosemary Foley, David St. James, Marcel
    Rosenblatt & Joe Frank 

Summer Notes 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Tim Jerome, Beth Dixon, Arthur Miller, Lester Nafzger,
    Rosemary Foley, Bernie Mantell, Fran Dorn, David St. James & Joe
    Frank 

1980
-----

The Rare Recording 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Bernie Mantell, Eric Sears, Arthur Miller, Irene Wagner, F.
    Murray Abraham, Christina Moore & Joe Frank 

Joe Frank in Concert 

    monolog - half hour 
    { live segments recorded at Bushido, a gallery in NYC } 


1982
-----

The Decline of Spengler 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Barbara Sohmers, Joseph Palmieri, Lester Nafzger,
    Irene Wagner, Tim Jerome, Leslie Katz (or Cass), David Rapkin,
    Rosemary Foley, Charles Potter, Arthur Miller & Brother Theodore 
    [ Steve Reich, from "Music for Eighteen Musicians" ]

Lies 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Mark Hammer, F. Murray Abraham, Barbara
    Sohmers, Christina Moore, Tim Jerome, Arthur Miller & Jane Hunt 
    [ Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company, "Ceres Motion" ]
    [ Philip Glass, "Part One" from "Music In Twelve Parts" ]
    [ Mantovani, "I Will Wait For You" ]
    [ Steve Reich, from "Music for Eighteen Musicians" ] 
    { contains "The Night Watchman", which concluded All
      Things Considered on Halloween, 1979 }


1983
-----

The End 

    drama - half hour 
    cast - Paul Mantell, Robin Goodman, Arthur Miller, 
    Annalee Jefferies, Irene Wagner, Brother Theodore, 
    Joe Frank & Tim Jerome 


Pilot 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Barbara Sohmers, Clark Gordon, Paul Mantell, Larry Block,
    Irene Wagner, Joe, Arthur Miller & Tim Jerome 

The Queen of Puerto Rico 

    monolog - half hour 

Sales 

    monolog - half hour 
    [ Steve Tibbetts, "Walking" from "Northern Song" ]

Warheads 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Lester Nafzger, Paul Mantell, Arthur Miller, Mark Hammer,
    Irene Wagner & Joe Frank 

Questions 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Tim Jerome, Mark Hammer, Arthur Miller, Paul Mantell, Eric
    Sears, Irene Wagner & Joe Frank 


1984
-----

A Tour of the City 

    drama - part 1 one hour, part 2 half hour 
    cast: Alan Hunter, Marilyn Casky, Barbara Sohmers, Arthur Miller,
    Richard Bower, Tim Jerome, Mark Hammer, Joseph Palmieri, Larry
    Block & Joe Frank 
    [ Steve Reich, from "Six Marimbas" ]
    [ Harold Budd, "Flowered Knife Shadows" from "Lovely Thunder" ]
    [ Brian Eno, from "On Land" ]
    [ Tangerine Dream, "Remote Viewing", from "Exit" ] 
    [ Popol Vuh, "Brothers of Darkness - Sons of Light" from the 
      soundtrack of Herzog's "Nosferatu" ]

Across the River 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Arthur Miller, Paul Mantell, Lester Nafzger, Avery Hart & Joe 
Frank 


1985
-----

Dreams Of The River 

    monolog - one hour 

Dear Annie 

    monolog - one hour 

A Pact With God 

    monolog - one hour 

Pretender 

    monolog - one hour 

When She's Asleep, She Looks Like an Angel 

    monolog - one hour 


             >>> Work In Progress <<<

1986
-----

Photography 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Tim Jerome, Nick Aulette, Sandy Fazin, David Rapkin, Lester
    Nafzger, Arthur Miller & Joe Frank 

Rain 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Angel, Shawn, Dinah, Chantell, Lester Nafzger, Larry Massett,
    Scott Carrier & Joe Frank 

Talking About Love 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Dennis, Doug, Danny, Bobby & Craig 

Another Country 

    monolog - three hours 
    [ Philip Glass, "Facades", from "Glassworks" ]
    [ Eno/Byrne, "Qu'ran" from "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" ]

A Landing Strip in the Jungle 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Joe Frank with Lester Nafzger, Fred Coffin and Arthur Miller 
    [ Eno/Byrne, "Regiment" from "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" ]

No Show 

    monolog - two hours 
    { subsequently edited and broadcast as a one-hour version } 
    [ Gavin Bryars, from "Hommages" ]

Let Me Not Dream 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Brian Eno, from "Thursday Afternoon" ]

Case Studies 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Arthur Miller, Nick Aulette, Tim Jerome & Joe Frank 

Cocktails Before Dinner 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Jon Hassell, "Power Spot" and "Wing Melodies" from "Power Spot" ] 

Dreamland 

    monolog - one hour 

An American Flower 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Ry Cooder, from the soundtrack of "Paris, Texas" ]
    { also broadcast as "Rose" } 

Why I Don't Love You Anymore 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Popul Vuh, "Woe Be To Khorazin" from the soundtrack 
      of "Fitzcarraldo" ] 

Tell Me What To Do 

    monolog - one hour 

Highways West 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Fred Simon, "Time and the River" from "Usually/Always" ]
    [ Brian Eno, "Always Returning", from "Apollo" ]

Night Ride 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Tim Jerome, Mark Hammer, Joseph Palmieri, Alan Hunter,
    Lester Nafzger, Annalee Jefferies, F. Murray Abraham, Arthur Miller
    & Joe Frank 
    [ Steve Reich, from "Six Marimbas" ]
    [ Gavin Bryars, from "The Sinking of the Titanic" ]
    [ Harold Budd, "Flowered Knife Shadows" from "Lovely Thunder" ]
    { continuation of A Tour of the City" } 


1987
-----

Rent A Family 

    drama - three hours 
    cast: Barbara Sohmers, Mark Hammer, Arthur Miller, Tim Jerome,
    Nick Aulette, Carolyn Swift, Larry Block, Lynn, Sarah, Carmen,
    Thomas, Timo, Sharon, & Christa 
    [ Harold Budd, "Gypsy Violin", from "Lovely Thunder" ]

In the Middle of Nowhere 

    drama - three hours 
    cast: Tim Jerome, Larry Block, Arthur Miller, Laura Esterman &
    Ryan Cutrona 
    [ Andreas Vollenwieder, "The Stone" from "White Winds" ]

The Policemen's Ball 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Tim Jerome, Arthur Miller, Nick Aulette, Larry Block, Barbara
    Sohmers, Steve Friedman, Denny Partridge & Joe Frank 
    [ Rossini's "William Tell Overture" performed by the
      Portsmouth Sinfonia ]

He Hesitated 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Eno/Moebius/Roedelius, "Foreign Affairs", from "After The Heat" ]
    [ Frank Sinatra, "All My Tomorrows", from the soundtrack
      of "A Hole in the Head" ] 

At The Border 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Popol Vuh, "A Different World" from the soundtrack of 
      "Cobra Verde" ] 

Thank You, You're Beautiful 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Laura Esterman & Joe Frank 
    [ Popol Vuh, "Brothers of Darkness - Sons of Light" from the 
      soundtrack of Herzog's "Nosferatu" ]
    [ Harvey Sachs: "What the World Needs Now" ]
 


To The Bar Life 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block & Ryan Cutrona 
    [ Penguin Cafe Orchestra, "Rosasolis" from "Signs Of Life" ]


1988
-----

The Emergency Room 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Arthur Miller, Tim Jerome, Larry Block, Paul Mantell, Lester
    Nafzger & Joe Frank 

Stories For Nothing 

    monolog - one hour 

Building A Church 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Tim Jerome, Tess, Arthur Miller, Richard Eisner & Joe Frank 
    [ Bill Nelson, "West Deep" and "The Spirit Cannot Fail" from
      "Chance Encounters in the Garden of Lights" ]

The Street 

    drama - one hour 
    { vocalists unidentified }
    { This program is so popular at KPFA they use dubs for premiums
      during the pledge drive. ) 

Lines 

    drama - one hour 

Words 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Evelyn, Henry Dennis and Joe Frank

Five Part Dissonance 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Eric Sears, Arthur Miller, Avery Hart, Paul Mantell, F. Murray
    Abraham, Annalee Jefferies & Joe Frank 
    { contains excerpts from "Joe Frank in Concert" and "The Rare 
Recording" }

Emerald Isle 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Fionualla Flannigan, Larry Block & Joe Frank 

Home 

    monolog by Grace Zabriskie - one hour 

Islands 

    monolog - one hour 

Sleep 

    monolog - one hour 


1989
-----

Performer 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Lester Nafzger, Julie Renick & Joe Frank 
    [ Enya, "Watermark" and "River", from "Watermark" ]

The More I Know You 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: A. Lorey, Antony Becker & Grace Zabriskie 

Road To Hell 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Country Joe McDonald, "Hold On, It's Coming" ]

Nausea 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Yello, "The Race" from "Flag" ]

Bad 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Tim Jerome, Tess Steincolk, Arthur Miller, Larry Block, Paul
    Mantell & Joe Frank 
    { essentially the same program as "Building A Church" } 

Great Lives 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Arthur Miller, Ryan Kitrona, Tim Jerome, Julie Renick & Joe Frank 

Night 

    monolog - two hours 
    [ Meredith Monk, "Turtle Dreams (Waltz)", from "Turtle Dreams" ]


1990
-----

The Truth About Women 

    drama - two hours 
    cast: ? 

I'm Not Crazy 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ Andreas Vollenwieder, "Flight Feet & Root Hands" from "White Winds" ]

Iceland 

    monolog - three hours 
    [ Eno, Moebius & Roedelius, "Tzima N'arki" from "After The Heat" ]


1991
-----

The Dictator 

    monolog - three hours 
 
    [ Enigma, "Principle of Lust", from "MCMXC" ] 
    [ David Van Tieghem, "They Drive By Night", from "Strange Cargo" ]

On The Edge 

    monolog - one hour 


1992
-----

Redneck Rounder 

    monolog by J. B. Allison - one hour 

El Cholo (The Beginning) 

    monolog - one hour 
    { vocalist unidentifed }
    [ "Spanish Reggae" by The Durutti Column from "Obey The Time" ] 

The Best 

    monolog - one hour 

In The Dark 

    monolog - two hours 
    { with Theo Mondell & Debbie Devine }
    [ Thomas Newman, from the soundtrack of "The Player" ]
    [ Dave Grusin, from the soundtrack of "The Bonfire of the Vanities" ]

Two Babes 

    drama - two hours 
    cast: Nancy Condy & Mimi Calpestory 


             >>> In The Dark <<<

1993
-----

God 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Grace Zabriskie, Ryan Kitrona, Harvey Per & Helen
    Wilson 

Problems 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Grace Zabriskie, Ryan Cutrona, Phil Procter & Alan
    Arbus 

Pilgrim 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Arthur Miller, Grace Zabriskie, Helen Wilson,
    Florina Federescou & Douglas Johnson 

Smile 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Farley Ziegler, Larry Block, Arthur Miller, Grace
    Zabriskie, Bob Gordon, Naomi Schwarz & Mike Mallone 
    [ Mark Isham Sextet, from the soundtrack of "Little Man Tate" ] 

Green Cadillac 

    monolog - half hour 

When I'm Calling You 

    monolog - half hour 

The Loved One 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Grace Zabriskie, Arthur Miller, Laura Esterman,
    Lester Nafzger, Farley Ziegler, Heidi Nordberg & Harvey Per 

Coma 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Grace Zabriskie, Patrick Buche & Larry Block 
    [ Harold Budd/Brian Eno, "The Silver Bell" from "The Pearl" ]

Just A Closer Walk With Thee 

    monolog - half hour 

A Special Family 

    monolog - half hour 
    [ Brian Eno, from "Thursday Afternoon" ]


1994
-----

Tomorrow 

    monolog - half hour 

The Cruise 

    monolog - half hour 

Hit Man 

    monolog - half hour 

A Natural Disaster 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Arthur Miller, Ryan Kitrona & Larry Block 
    [ William Orbit, "Atom Dream" from "Strange Cargo 2" ]

Joe Frank's America 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: ? 

That Night 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Joe Frank, Grace Zabriskie, Ryan Kitrona, Harvey Per, Carol
    Katz, Helen Wilson, Donna Hardy, Mark Henning & Douglas Johnson 

Just Hold Me 

    monolog - half hour 
    [ William Orbit, "Water From a Vine Leaf" from "Strange Cargo III" ] 

Hawaii 

    monolog by Tim Jerome - half hour 
    { also broadcast as "A Trip to Hawaii" }

Soul Mate 

    monolog by Laura Esterman - half hour 

Either/Or 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Arthur Miller, Joe Frank & Maude Davis 

Anthology of Love 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: Part 1 - Tim Jerome & Beth Dixon, Part 2 - Tim Jerome &
    Arthur Miller 

Jerry's World 

    drama - 1.5 hours 
    cast: Jerry Klein, Mannie Klein, and Meryl 
    { During a KPFA fundraiser telephone interview Joe was asked who
      Jerry was, and what it was all about. His response was "Jerry was a
      man who lived in New York City. He lived in an apartment, alone
      and was very depressed; and what he did was record his phone
      conversations, with everybody, for years. and when people came
      over to visit at his apartment he'd record them, too. He became so
      depressed he couldn't leave his apartment. His brother Mannie (who
      you also hear in that show) would come to his place with food, to
      keep him alive; and ultimately he died, a relatively young man in his
      early forties, of a brain aneurysm. After he died, his brother had 
      all these tapes, hundreds of tapes of these phone conversations and 
      he knew that his brother Jerry had been a fan of my program and he
      thought 'Well, maybe Joe can use some of this material maybe he'll
      put it on the air.' So he sent me a excerpts ... and I found this 
      material very compelling and decided to make a radio series based on 
      those recordings. So what you hear in 'Jerry's World' is Jerry, who 
      is now dead, and his brother Mannie who very much admired him... and 
      this girlfriend earlier of Jerry and then of Mannie and now she was 
      going out on her own, and her name was Meryl, and there was another
      woman involved, but these were all tapes of real conversations and
      real life being played out from various times in the life of a man 
      who died rather tragically." }

Loner 

    drama - half hour 
    { vocalists unidentified }

The Last Run 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: David Cross, Ryan Cutrona & Joe Frank 

Prayer 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Grace Zabriskie & ? 
    { contains material first heard in "A Natural Disaster" } 

Haiti 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Rick Overton, Paul & Sonya Verdiya, Tucker Smallwood,
    Irving Gelman, David Rapkin & Joe Frank 

A Hearing 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Marty Castor & Joe Frank 


1995
-----

Raymond 

    monolog - half hour 

Insomnia 

    monolgue by Dana Gould - half hour 

Third World Country 

    monolog - half hour 

Hotline 

    drama - half hour 
    cast: Davis Black 

In A Lonely Place 

    monolog by Julia Sweeney - half hour 

Lilla and the Professor 

    monolog - half hour 
    { excerpts from "Iceland" } 

Streetwise 

    monolog - half hour 
    cast: William Reinart & J. P. Fenyo 


             >>> Somewhere Out There <<<

1996
-----

Eye In The Sky 

    monolog - one hour 

Three Shingles 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ "Isa Lei" by Ry Cooder and V. M. Bhatt from "A Meeting By The River" 
]

Obsessions 

    monolog - one hour 

Bible Salesman 

    monolog - one hour 

The Sacred 

    monolog - one hour 

The Road To Cavalry 

    monolog - one hour 

God Only Knows 

    drama - one hour 

Just Get Me Out of Here 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ "The Lower We Fly" by Outside from "The Rough And The Smooth" ]

The River 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ "The Veldt" by Combustible Edison from "I, Swinger" ]

Justine 

    monolog - one hour 

White Moon 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ "Freestyle Linguistique" by The Mighty Bop from "La Vague 
Sensorielle" ]

Red Sea 

    monolog - one hour 
    [ "Go Faster" by the Propellerheads from the "Dive" EP ]

An Enterprising Man 

    monolog - one hour 

Lost Soul 

    monolog - one hour 

Mountain Rain 

    monolog - one hour 

Escape From Paradise 

    monolog - one hour 

Great Lives 

    drama - one hour 
    { originally broadcast as a Work In Progress show }


1997
-----

Philosophy 

    monolog - one hour 
    { contains retellings of Work In Progress material from "At
      The Border" and "Case Studies" 

Raymond / Third World Country 

    monologs - one hour 
    originally broadcast as two In The Dark programs 

The Street 

    drama - one hour 
    { originally broadcast as a Work In Progress show }

Journal 1 

    monolog - one hour 

Performer 

    drama - one hour 
    { originally broadcast as a Work In Progress show }

The Other Side 

    drama - one hour 
    { contains stuff from Works In Progress: "Warheads", "Across
      the River", "Lines", etc. } 

Rent A Family 

    drama - one hour 
    { editted-down version of the original three-hour Work In
      Progress show }

Soul Mate 

    drama - one hour 
    { originally broadcast as a half-hour In The Dark program,
      this version has additional material from a Work In Progress show }

Blacklight 

    drama - one hour 
    { contains portions of Works In Progress: "A Tour of the
      City", "Photography", "The Truth About Women", and the phone calls
      from "No Show" and "Let Me Not Dream". } 

Policemen's Ball Remix 

    drama - one hour 
    { remix of a Work In Progress program }

Summer Notes 

    drama - one hour 
    { remix?? of a Work In Progress program }

Fat Man Down 

    drama - one hour 
    { retelling of a Work In Progress: "Dreams Of The River" } 

Talk To Me 

    drama - one hour 
    { contains material from an In The Dark program }

Blues Singer 

    monolog - one hour 

Pathology 

    monologs - one hour 
    { First segment by Tim Jerome?, then the 'invisible man' sequence 
      from the beginning of "White Moon" followed by the 'K2 climb' from 
      "Mountain Rain". } 

Bible Stories 

    drama - one hour 
    { contains the "Joseph's POV" sequence from "God Only
      Knows" as well as that 'phone-preacher' business from In The Dark 
      programs "A Natural Disaster" and "Prayer" }

Therapy 

    drama - one hour 
    { contains material from at least one In The Dark show }

Reprise 

    one hour 
    { a selection of old material }

Last Show 

    one hour 
    { retrospective, narrated by Joe }


1998
-----

The Dark End of the Bar 

    monolog/drama - one hour 
    cast: Joe Frank 
    { subjective retelling of "The Queen of Puerto Rico" } 

The OJ Chronicles 

    drama - one hour 
    cast: David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Marty Castor & Joe Frank 
    { just "The Last Run" followed by "A Hearing" } 


             >>> The Other Side <<<

1999
-----

Windows 

    monolog - one hour 

Jam 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: David Cross, Larry Block and Joe Frank 

No Angel 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, ? 

Prison Songs 

     monolog - one hour 

Holy Land 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank and ? 
     { contains "Prayer" material once again: "Louder
       brother I can barely hear you" (like "Bible Stories", only
       different) } 

The Box 

     monolog - one hour 
     { stories first heard in "Nausea" and "Islands" }

Predator 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block 

The Lover Man 

     one hour 
     Joe Frank, ? 
     { Some new stuff; later, older repeats; including that
       dialog with the lowered-frequency voices from "Words" } 

Clement at Christmas 

     one hour 
     { Interesting new monologs by an unidentified
       British actor and Joe Frank, plus the tiresome old "Thank
       You, You're Beautiful"/"Soulmate" whining by Laura Esterman. }


2000
-----

Mercy 

     monolog - one hour 

At Last 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Larry Block, Joe Frank and Debi Mae West 
     { pre-Karma, Larry describes troubles with
       Zachery }

Zen 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Milton Schindler, Milio Brodski, Tamar Braut, Laura
     Esterman, Arthur Miller, Grace Zabriskie, Larry Block, Kiei
     Talbot, Helen Wilson, Buddhist Teacher Jack Kornfield of
     Spirit Rock, and Joe Frank. 

The Wire 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, and Jack Kornfield 
     { pre-Karma, Joe flashes back, Larry describes the
       play he's doing } 

Karma 

     drama - seven hours 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Jack Kornfield; Zachery
     Block (parts 3 & 4), Kristine McKenna (parts 5 & 7), Debi
     Mae West (part 7) 

Bad Karma 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Jack Kornfield, and Joe Frank in phone dialog with
     Larry Block and others including Ruth Seymour and the guy
     having heart surgery 

Karma, Don't Deny Me 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Jack Kornfield, Kristine
     McKenna, Debi Mae West, Mike Malone 
     { contains retelling of Pretender material, and some
       other segments from Work in Progress }

Karma Redux 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Jack Kornfield, Kristine
     McKenna, Debi Mae West 

Small World Karma 

     one hour 
     { contains a retelling of the "He Hesitated" telling of
       "The Incredible Shrinking Man" story }

Waiting For Karma 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Jack Kornfield, Zachery
     Block (offstage), Debi Mae West 

Karma Memories 

     one hour 
     { the story of Freddie covers "A Pact With God" territory }

Karma Crash 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, and buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield 

Silent Sea 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Debi Mae West, Larry Block, David Rapkin, and Joe Frank. 
     { Poetry by T.S. Elliot (more Karma) }

Mystery 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Roy Eisenstein, rabi Niles Goldstien, Jack Kornfield and
     Joe Frank with excerpts from a speech by Kolid Mohammed 

Brothers 

     drama - one hour 
     { Jerry's World edited down to an hour }

Bitter Pill 

     one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Gaines 

The Sunday Morning Service 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Debi Mae West, Larry Block, Officer Joe, Maude
     Gains, Kelley Kidnigh 

Caged Heart 

     one hour 


Two Women 

     one hour 


2001
-----

Karma 4 Dollars 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block and Jack Kornfield 


Always 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank & the dog guy, Larry and Zachery Block 
     { more Karma } 

Where will it End? 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Jack Kornfield, Debi Mae
     West, Everton Sylvester 
     { more Karma }

Fire and Ice 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Debi Mae West, Joe Frank, Larry Block and Kristine McKenna 

The Angina Dialogues 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Larry Block, Jack Kornfield and Joe Frank 

Love Prisoner 

     one hour 


A Death in the Family 

     monolog - one hour 
     { retelling of "A Pact With God" }

Waiting for the Bell 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Laura Esterman, Arthur Miller, Grace Zabriskie, Keith
     Talbot, Larry Block, Helen Wilson, Walica Fuller, Lester
     Nafzger, Farley Ziegler, Heidi Nordberg, Harvey Per, Jack
     Kornfied & Joe 
     { Initial monolog from "Lover Man" then excerpts
       from "Zen" and "Obsessions" interrupted by that tiresome
       "Thank You, You're Beautiful"/"Soulmate" whining. } 

Woman And Bull In Paint Factory 

     one hour 
     { a collage of segments from old programs }

What Women Want 

     one hour 


4 Part Dissonance 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Gregory Poe and Buddhist
     teacher Jack Kornfield 

Emptiness 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Jack Kornfield, Debi Mae West 

Summer Hill 

     one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Gregory Poe, David Rapkin
     and Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield 

Evening Sky 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Gregory Poe, David Rapkin
     and Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield 

Don't Know Mind 

     one hour 

The Future 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Debi Mae West, Larry Block, Henry Dennis, Kelley
     Kidnigh, buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield, and Joe Frank 

Margarita 

     one hour 

Stoner

     drama - one hour
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block, Debi Mae West, David
     Rapkin and Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield 

The Nature of Things 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Joe Frank, Larry Block (and Zachery), Michael
     Mallone, Kristine McKenna, Buddhist teacher Jack
     Kornfield and Joe Frank 
     { new intro, then excerpts from Karma (3, ?) }

Endings 

     drama - one hour 
     cast: Larry Block, Kristine McKenna, Buddhist teacher
     Jack Kornfield and Joe Frank 
     { comment: more Karmic selections }

Higher Learning 

     drama - one hour 
     { some new material, with retellings of stuff from
     "Pretender" and "A Tour of the City" (from 1996?) }

Cave Dreamer 

     drama - one hour 
     { excerpts from The Dictator }


A Kiss is Just a Kiss

     { retelling of "To The Bar Life" }


3. How about CDs, video, writing and Internet?   Listing of non-radio work 

Joe Frank on screen:
-----------------------------------------
A short video was presented at the Santa Monica Public Library 
in 1988. It showed Joe speaking in the KCRW studio, a woman driving up to a 
pay phone and making the calls heard in "Thank You, You're Beautiful",
and material from "Pretender", including the scene of Joe with the 
pillows stuffed up his shirt. 

Jerry Summers, one of Joe Frank's cohorts in the studio, says that "... Joe 
did a short for CBS for a late-night summer-replacement show called 'The 
Midnight Hour'.  The piece was 'Memories', a re-working of a WIP story. 
It aired (as I recall) late August or early September 1990, on the final 
night of 'Midnight Hour'."

A short film has been aired as filler on the Los Angeles PBS station, 
KCET, showing a montage of urban images (among which is Joe at the 
microphone) accompanying the first segment from "Islands".

Three shorts are available on Playboy's "Inside Out" anthology series, 
released on videotape in 1992:

 Volume 2 contains "The Hitchhiker" 
                            (which dramatizes the first segment of 
"Nausea")

 Volume 3 contains "The Perfect Woman" 
 (which is similar to part of "Sleep", and also dramatizes part of "The 
End") 

 Volume 4 contains "Jilted Lover"

   Joe Frank stars in these features. 

                          ... and the 1995 Zima commercial
 
Joe provided the voice of the computer in "Galaxy Quest" (1999).

He also had a small role (just a few lines) 
in "The Game" (a 1997 film), and has reportedly 
provided narration for the following 
cable television documentary programs:

"Wild Rescues" on Animal Planet
"Conspiracies" on A&E
"Ends of the Earth" on the Learning Channel 
"Hurricane X" on the Discovery channel 


Joe Frank in print:
---------------------------------------------
An article about Joe called "Radio Noir", by Jamie Diamond, can be found 
in the Los Angeles Times Magazine of Sunday, November 22, 1987. The
Wall Street Journal profiled him in an article in their March 15, 1988 
edition. Another article, by Dick Lochte, called "Frankly, Joe's Branching 
Out", appeared in the March 1989 issue of Los Angeles Magazine. Much more 
verbiage (generally quite favorable) appeared in the wake of the release of 
his book of short stories, _The Queen of Puerto Rico_, which was published 
in 1993 by William Morrow and Company of New York.

 Contents of _The Queen of Puerto Rico_ :

	Tell Me What To Do
	Fat Man
	Night
	Green Cadillac
	Date
	The Queen of Puerto Rico
	Winter         
	The Decline of Spengler

   { Fat Man contains material from "Dreams of the River", and Winter
     has similarities to "When She's Asleep, She Looks like an Angel" }


Joe Frank on disk - commercial recordings:   
---------------------------------------------
Commercial Recordings:

"Strange Cargo Hinterland" is a 1995 William Orbit production.
The track "Montok Point" contains some brief monologues by Joe Frank.

The group Brazzaville released a "2002" CD in 1998 which features Joe 
on the "Ocean" track.

Other Recordings:
Some CDs issued on the European Moonraker label contain pieces of Joe Frank 
programs.

 The "Epilogue" on their First Sampler (Moonraker 050) is a piece from 
"Smile"
 The "Segue" and the "Epilogue" on their Second Sampler (Moonraker 100) are 
  from "A Tour of the City"
 

Joe Frank Online:
------------------------------
http://www.joefrank.com -- his own site.
  
The Joe Frank Network -- mailing list and message archive:
http://www.joefrank.net/

http://www.andromeda.com/people/ddyer/joe/joe-frank-finder.html 
lists on-line sources for almost every Joe Frank program, including 
the mp3 files at http://www.1amsoftware.com/JoeFrank/ .

http://gridley.acns.carleton.edu/~battlee/JoeFrank/joefrank_interview.html
is an interview with Douglas McGowan, dated 1994; 
http://gridley.acns.carleton.edu/~battlee/JoeFrank/JFNoMore.html 
reprints "Joe Frank Is Off The Air" from the LA Weekly, 1997; 
and the online magazine "Salon" featured an article by 
Susan Emerling in March 2000, "Public Radio's Bad Dream":
http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2000/03/07/joe_frank/index.html


4. Is he still on the radio?  

Hear Joe Frank on the following stations:

WFMU 91.1 FM                                          http://wfmu.org
WXHD-FM, 90.1
East Orange, New Jersey 
Thursdays at 6PM

WNYC  820 AM                                          http://www.wnyc.com
New York, NY
Sundays at 11pm


KDVS  90.3 FM                                         http://www.kdvs.org
Davis, California                 
Saturdays at 11PM 
 
KPFA  94.1 FM                                         http://www.kpfa.org
Berkeley, California
Sundays at 9PM
 
KFCF  88.1 FM                                         http://www.kfcf.org
Fresno California 
Sundays at 9PM


5. Are tapes or CDs of the radio programs available?

Joe Frank's programs are available on CD for $14 each 
(plus shipping and maybe sales tax), payable to Joe at  

Joe Frank 
PO Box 6002 
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360   
 
Note:  See joefrank.com for more details. 
KCRW no longer sells recordings of any of his shows.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last-Modified: February 17, 2003
Version: 7.54u
Author: Richard Looney
Disclaimer: The author of this FAQ is not associated with 
WFMU, KCRW or NPR; nor does he know Mr. Frank personally. 
This document is essentially a record of material heard on 
the radio, augmented with information submitted by other 
fans of Joe Frank. Although every effort has been made to 
ensure accuracy, errors may exist. 

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Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:12 PM