Not From Space
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not From Space (2003) was a radio play broadcast on XM Satellite Radio which satirized the real world with fictional news reports, commercials and talk shows. It was the first national broadcast to be recorded exclusively through the Internet with each voice actor using MP3 compression technology to record lines from their own homes.
Contents |
[edit] Broadcast
Not From Space was broadcast on XM Satellite Radio a total of 15 times throughout the years 2003 - 2006 generally as a special Halloween program on the Sonic Theater channel with host Steve Karesh. It was also broadcast on the W0ki Satellite Network in 2003 to low-power FM stations, as well as KFAI - 90.3FM Minneapolis and 106.7FM St. Paul Sound Affects with host Jerry Stearns. In 2003, it was featured in the radio broadcast Harddisken, a technology show on Danish National Radio in Denmark.
[edit] Outline
In this mockumentary / radio drama the listener is pulled into what seems to be a live radio broadcast in two-hours of commercials, news, and call-in shows. Not From Space starts out like every morning radio show – the male and female hosts pick a topic and invite listeners to call in. This particular day it’s about a controversial decision which a fictional Microsoft has made: to give away free computers to foreigners who have achieved citizenship status in the United States. This news outrages many Americans who want the free computers themselves. Before long there are threats on Bill Gates’ life, he is shot during a speech and rushed to the hospital in Seattle, Washington. The question on all the talk shows becomes – who shot Bill Gates?
At the same time strange objects have shown up in orbit around Earth, just as ancient computer technology has been discovered near an outpost in Antarctica. It slowly becomes clear that Bill Gates is somehow involved as he escapes the hospital and makes a sudden appearance at the South Pole declaring his plans to control the Earth.
Meanwhile the owner and manager of the radio station you’ve been listening to begins to reveal his role in the alien conspiracy. It becomes a standoff between two of the largest corporate giants of Earth – each with their own ties to the aliens from the planet Borgus.
[edit] Themes
Not From Space satirically exposes the effects of corporate influence on journalism, and mimics a 24-hour cable news channel. Two separate events unfold with strikingly different ways of reporting the facts. The first event - the shooting of Bill Gates - is reported with an excess of sponsorship inserts and a focus on stock markets and sports. In the second event - an alien invasion - the news anchors report without sponsors and there is a new focus on facts and analysis.
In its fictional world, Not From Space paints a culture where advertising is more important than anything else. A memorable spoof is the fictional product Dairy Cola which is advertised as a "unique combination of milk and carbonated water." One of the radio hosts tastes the drink for the first time on his show and spits it out in disgust, resulting in the sales manager firing him for insulting a sponsor.
Another broad theme that is alluded to several times in the play is the military industrial complex. This is a theory quoted by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in which corporate and military powers form an economic relationship. Not From Space plays out the dangers of this relationship in an exaggerated context, in which which Mars and Earth are at war.
Not From Space is divided into four parts labeled: Self, Paranoid, Boundaries, and Control.
[edit] List of notable Characters
Many characters are fiction, but some are based on real public figures.
- Jim Thomas - Representing the all-American corporate media mogul, similar to Rupert Murdoch. The Jim Thomas voice (performed by Jeff Bays) is patterned after Lou Dobbs from CNN.
- Bill Gates - A caricature of the real person, portrayed as a computer software mogul who discovers alien technology at the South Pole and begins plans to take over the Earth using mind control.
- Jay Charles and Sammye - Representing the common radio morning show hosts.
- Steve Zigper - Morning traffic reporter with ties to the conspiracy, very unhappy with his job.
- Bill Clinton - A caricature of the real U.S. President.
[edit] Awards
- Silver Mark Time Award 2003
- Communicator Award of Excellence 2003
