It's Just A Matter of Time Liza Minnelli is downing red wine in her tour bus. The stagehands all together look like a Judas Priest cover band. Coney Island is a Ferris Wheel slowing to a stop. Andy Warhol! Incubated babies! Lawsuits! Lions in flames! It all comes together at a Liza concert in 2005. (Non-fiction)
Direct download: Coney_Island_Final_Cut_Mp3.mp3
Category:Audio Stories -- posted at: 2:34pm EDT

Everyone's got different ways they like to explore new things. Some people hate trails and maps, and just prefer to wander out into the woods (like me) and see what they find, but some people like a little bit of guidance on where to start. So... if this is your first time here and you'd like a little direction, here are my recommendations: My piece "The Rabbi" is definitely my favorite, with "How to Be a Man... (sort of)" and "Stories of Lost & Found #4" coming in second and third. I know other people have others that they like more for this or that reason, but personally I think that those are the best work I've done. So if you're just coming across Phonography, and want to start with the very best, start with those. Otherwise, feel free to venture off into the woods and see what you find out there.
Category:About Phonography -- posted at: 11:59am EDT

For now, while there's still not so many of you fans out there, anyone who wants to write to me and send me their address, I'll burn them a free CD. It won't have fancy artwork, and in fact I might steal the case from another CD in my collection (say Pearl Jam's "Ten"). But on the upside it won't have any of that annoying plastic wrap that's impossible to open. My email address is ryan_scammell@hotmail.com.
Category:Free CDs -- posted at: 12:27am EDT

Yeah. So this is me. Ryan Scammell. This is my podcast.
Category:About Phonography -- posted at: 6:14pm EDT

I used to be a filmmaker. I used to be the lighting designer for a jam band. I used to pick fruit, and make coffee, and pop popcorn, and hustle stereo speakers out of the back of an unmarked white van. I’ve written and produced audio pieces for Weekend America on NPR, Storyscape Literary Journal, Storylifepodcast.org and I used to intern over at WNYC’s Radio Lab. My films have played in Ninth Letter, and have received various grands and awards. I’ve written fiction for Flashquake Magazine and, back in the day, articles for NUComment.
Category:About Phonography -- posted at: 6:13pm EDT

Brooklyn. Why? Are you coming over?
Category:About Phonography -- posted at: 6:12pm EDT

I do live readings of most of the work that appears on this website, where generally I use a combination of live foley and cued sound effects to recreate the piece in a live environment.  Previous places I've been asked to perform include:

New York University ("The Rabbi")

Maryland Institute College of Art ("One Reason When Visiting Sacred Sites..." "How to Be a Man" and clips from "Beneath the Surface" and "Immune")

Brooklyn Historical Society, NY ("And I Have No Idea...")

Cake Shop, NY ("One Reason When Visiting Sacred Sites...")

 

Category:LIVE! -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Phonography literally means “writing in sound” and most of what I’m putting up here are non-fiction audio stories, mostly essays and memoirs, that try to use music and sound effects to bring them to life. But the stuff that appears on this site, can be just about anything, and I kind of think that each piece requires it’s own medium so it’s not surprising to find short films, or written pieces, or photo-journals, or whatever other weird stuff I can come up with to put up here. You can also hear my stuff on www.myspace.com/ryanscammell.
Category:About Phonography -- posted at: 6:10pm EDT

You’re always welcome to email your praise or death threats to: ryan_scammell@hotmail.com.
Category:About Phonography -- posted at: 6:09pm EDT

Any inquiries regarding booking me for a live reading, securing copyrights, publishing my work, sampling my work, comments, whatever, feel free to contact me directly via email at ryan_scammell@hotmail.com.

Category:Contact -- posted at: 12:00am EDT