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Slow Burn

Decoder Ring: Mailbag - The Recorder, Limos, and “Baby on Board” Signs

Slow Burn

Slate Podcasts

News, Society & Culture, History, Documentary, Politics

4.625.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 November 2023

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We receive a lot of fantastic show ideas from our listeners—and we’re grateful for each and every one. For our latest mailbag episode, we’re tackling five of your questions, including “Why the hell do we teach kids to play the recorder?” (We’re paraphrasing a bit.) Also: We’ll explore the rise and fall of the stretch limo, the incredible versatility of the word “like,” the meaning of the “Baby on Board” sign, and why it took so long to develop luggage with wheels. Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. This episode was also produced by Rosemary Belson. Derek John is executive producer. Joel Meyer is senior editor/producer. Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. Thank you to every listener who has submitted a suggestion for an episode. We truly appreciate your ideas. We read them all, even if we don’t always respond. Thanks for being a listener and for thinking creatively about this show. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends. If you’re a fan of the show, we’d love for you to sign up for Slate Plus. Members get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads. Their support is also crucial to our work. So please go to Slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Alex met Sam at nursery. They were first loves. They built forts together, shared sandwiches in high school and were each other's first kiss.

0:12.0

They were the dream couple until Sam got into EDM music.

0:18.0

While Alex enjoyed folk, first loves are kind of like your current account. If they aren't working for you anymore,

0:26.5

maybe it's time to switch with the current account switch service.

0:30.5

All right, I'm Jack Greenlich. I think you can listen to music from relaxing, to celebrating, to getting yourself prepared.

0:38.5

I like all sorts, honestly. I like hip-hop, R&B, and then house music as well. So yeah, there's no guilty places around here.

0:45.5

Jack wears the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra headphones, enjoying his favourite music, with more immersive sounds than ever before.

0:53.5

The music's so savoury, isn't it?

0:55.5

Get yours at Bose.co.chk.

0:57.5

Bose, the sound is power.

1:05.5

Liz Devinson grew up in a suburb outside of Boston. And at her elementary school, you always did this one thing come third grade.

1:12.5

You always learned the recorder.

1:15.5

You know, this recorder.

1:24.5

I learned to play the recorder in fourth grade. And learning to do so is a common elementary school experience.

1:30.5

Even if it is not always a Malif Lewis one.

1:34.5

Instead of going to the regular music classroom, we would do this in what was called the multi-purpose room.

1:40.5

This big open room where they would put in like risers. I do remember thinking we sound bad.

1:45.5

If you played the recorder or know someone who did, you can probably imagine the sounds emanating from the multi-purpose room.

1:54.5

All I remember learning is hot cross buns. And like, camp-town races.

1:59.5

I think the only one that I mastered was hot cross buns.

2:05.5

I think it's fair to say that Liz's childhood experience did not leave her with any lasting knowledge of the recorder as a musical instrument.

2:14.5

I don't even remember how many holes there are.

...

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