Mystery Show: Case #4 Vanity Plate
June 15, 2015 7:44 PM - Subscribe
Starlee and her friend Miranda get stopped at a red light and see something shocking.
I'm still not sure how I feel about this podcast. I love Starlee, I love the music, I love the idea. I don't like the execution. It feels a little too twee for me? And usually (I think) I have a lot of tolerance for that. I'll definitely keep listening because I like hearing the final outcome of each mystery, but I don't think it's going to be at the top of my queue. I'm trying to figure out where I think it ranks compared to the others, but I found them all to be pretty much the same. Honestly I might have liked the Britney Spears one best? Followed by Belt Buckle than the first episode about the movie store? But to me they are kind of all on par. We'll see how the show evolves I guess.
posted by lucy.jakobs at 6:10 AM on June 16, 2015
posted by lucy.jakobs at 6:10 AM on June 16, 2015
It feels a little too twee for me?
It's the twee that sells it for me. But, then, that's sort of my bag.
But, aside from Starlee not managing to actually record the final interview, this was more apiece to the first two than the now legendary toaster episode, in that it's the little discussions she has along the way that make the story.
In this case, the standout for me was the German Shepherd driving the car.
posted by maxsparber at 8:11 AM on June 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's the twee that sells it for me. But, then, that's sort of my bag.
But, aside from Starlee not managing to actually record the final interview, this was more apiece to the first two than the now legendary toaster episode, in that it's the little discussions she has along the way that make the story.
In this case, the standout for me was the German Shepherd driving the car.
posted by maxsparber at 8:11 AM on June 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
I really appreciated Miranda's insight at the end about how there is no accuracy in communication. It left me with something to really think about.
posted by dry white toast at 9:38 AM on June 16, 2015
posted by dry white toast at 9:38 AM on June 16, 2015
The title of this episode shows on my app as "ILUV911" and I immediately thought of emergency services. I never made the 9/11 connection until Kine brings it up. Listening to the beginning of the podcast was a little infuriating for that.
I was legitimately surprised when it actually turned out to refer to the September 11th attacks.
This wasn't as good as the belt buckle episode, but if they can maintain this level of quality, I'll definitely stick around.
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 9:56 AM on June 16, 2015
I was legitimately surprised when it actually turned out to refer to the September 11th attacks.
This wasn't as good as the belt buckle episode, but if they can maintain this level of quality, I'll definitely stick around.
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 9:56 AM on June 16, 2015
I think your personal tolerance for twee is going to determine your overall feelings about this show, i definitely understand people not liking it, but for me it's just about the maximum amount of twee I can handle, if they added in just one Belle and Sebastian song in the background, it would be too much.
posted by skewed at 11:19 AM on June 16, 2015
posted by skewed at 11:19 AM on June 16, 2015
How do you feel about a Cat Stevens song here or there?
posted by maxsparber at 11:48 AM on June 16, 2015
posted by maxsparber at 11:48 AM on June 16, 2015
the tweeness is the only thing keeping it from being a podcast about stalking
posted by roger ackroyd at 1:54 PM on June 16, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by roger ackroyd at 1:54 PM on June 16, 2015 [10 favorites]
Oh! That also describes the music of Belle and Sebastian!
posted by maxsparber at 1:56 PM on June 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by maxsparber at 1:56 PM on June 16, 2015 [4 favorites]
I don't find Starlee twee at all, really enjoying this podcast. That said, I want to know more about "Margaret", why so mysterious!
posted by ellieBOA at 5:35 AM on June 17, 2015
posted by ellieBOA at 5:35 AM on June 17, 2015
Soon to be developed into a TV series starring Zoey Deschanel
posted by bq at 6:37 PM on June 17, 2015
posted by bq at 6:37 PM on June 17, 2015
Can we just name the fact that this whole episode is based on an anecdote about driving around with your friend while super duper high?
posted by latkes at 7:13 AM on June 19, 2015
posted by latkes at 7:13 AM on June 19, 2015
And that friend is almost certainly Miranda July.
posted by maxsparber at 8:12 AM on June 19, 2015
posted by maxsparber at 8:12 AM on June 19, 2015
And that looking up some random person's address and confronting them at home crosses a line and is possibly illegal. (My insurance agent recently told me that they couldn't help me with a minor car accident because they couldn't run a check on license plates under CA law.)
posted by roger ackroyd at 12:30 PM on June 19, 2015
posted by roger ackroyd at 12:30 PM on June 19, 2015
And that looking up some random person's address and confronting them at home crosses a line and is possibly illegal.
What line is that? Journalists track down subjects all the time and contact them at home.
posted by maxsparber at 12:44 PM on June 19, 2015
What line is that? Journalists track down subjects all the time and contact them at home.
posted by maxsparber at 12:44 PM on June 19, 2015
maxsparber - it's definitely Miranda July.
posted by radioamy at 2:07 PM on June 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by radioamy at 2:07 PM on June 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
What line is that? Journalists track down subjects all the time and contact them at home.
I guess 'newsworthiness'? Imagine if I wanted to know about your screen name and decided to show up at your door to ask you about it.
posted by roger ackroyd at 9:49 PM on June 21, 2015
I guess 'newsworthiness'? Imagine if I wanted to know about your screen name and decided to show up at your door to ask you about it.
posted by roger ackroyd at 9:49 PM on June 21, 2015
Newsworthiness is a consideration when violating someone's right to privacy by publishing their name -- which Kine didn't do. As to whether a journalist can knock at a door to ask a question, they have as much of a right to do so as, say, a traveling salesperson or a prostletizer or a political canvasser. And the person who answers has an equal right to tell them to go away.
posted by maxsparber at 5:01 AM on June 22, 2015
posted by maxsparber at 5:01 AM on June 22, 2015
What line is that?
The "looking up the plate" felt shady as hell to me. The police correctly told her they couldn't do it for her; so the solution to this was her investigative-reporter friend and his willing-to-bend-the-rules-occasionally contact.
That seems a fairly significant invasion of privacy -- and a DPPA violation -- in service of the slightest of stories.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 1:28 PM on July 29, 2015
The "looking up the plate" felt shady as hell to me. The police correctly told her they couldn't do it for her; so the solution to this was her investigative-reporter friend and his willing-to-bend-the-rules-occasionally contact.
That seems a fairly significant invasion of privacy -- and a DPPA violation -- in service of the slightest of stories.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 1:28 PM on July 29, 2015
Well, she didn't violate any journalistic ethics by doing so, and she didn't look up the address, so she didn't break any laws.
Invasion of privacy is the name of the game in journalism. Sorry if it upsets you, but it's what journalists do. We track down addresses all sorts of ways. She didn't publicize the address, and the woman who she contacted didn't complain, so I'm not clear on why people's hackles are getting hackled up.
posted by maxsparber at 1:31 PM on July 29, 2015
Invasion of privacy is the name of the game in journalism. Sorry if it upsets you, but it's what journalists do. We track down addresses all sorts of ways. She didn't publicize the address, and the woman who she contacted didn't complain, so I'm not clear on why people's hackles are getting hackled up.
posted by maxsparber at 1:31 PM on July 29, 2015
she didn't look up the address
Yes they did: they got the name and the P.O. box address ("my secretary gave me your letter, sweetheart") by looking up the plate.
Is Mystery Show journalism? I'm not convinced; it seems to me more whimsical storytelling hanging off an investigative hook. In any case, I don't feel the ends here justified the using of such heavy-duty means.
the woman who she contacted didn't complain
She didn't, but nor was she particularly co-operative. I did wonder if there was a slight undercurrent of "if I tell you will you stop bothering me" about that one phone call, and I also wondered if the "lost" recording was more about "I don't want my voice on the radio."
(And as an aside, It was actually kind of striking how many of the conversations in this were retold rather than recorded -- as well as "Margaret" herself, also the officer at the police station, the florist.)
I'm still on the fence about this show as a concept: it works a lot better when she stumbles into some amazingly incidental conversations along the way than when it plays as a straight and linear investigative procedural.
The "unlicensed" driving dog was great, though.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 10:49 PM on July 29, 2015
Yes they did: they got the name and the P.O. box address ("my secretary gave me your letter, sweetheart") by looking up the plate.
Is Mystery Show journalism? I'm not convinced; it seems to me more whimsical storytelling hanging off an investigative hook. In any case, I don't feel the ends here justified the using of such heavy-duty means.
the woman who she contacted didn't complain
She didn't, but nor was she particularly co-operative. I did wonder if there was a slight undercurrent of "if I tell you will you stop bothering me" about that one phone call, and I also wondered if the "lost" recording was more about "I don't want my voice on the radio."
(And as an aside, It was actually kind of striking how many of the conversations in this were retold rather than recorded -- as well as "Margaret" herself, also the officer at the police station, the florist.)
I'm still on the fence about this show as a concept: it works a lot better when she stumbles into some amazingly incidental conversations along the way than when it plays as a straight and linear investigative procedural.
The "unlicensed" driving dog was great, though.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 10:49 PM on July 29, 2015
The policeman looked up the address.
Yes, it's journalism, although it seems to be on some indefinite hiatus.
posted by maxsparber at 6:12 AM on July 30, 2015
Yes, it's journalism, although it seems to be on some indefinite hiatus.
posted by maxsparber at 6:12 AM on July 30, 2015
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I was very surprised that the "911" in the plate actually represented 9/1/01. I initially assumed it would have something to do with emergency responders. I did love what it represented, though.
Also, they don't mention it in the show (and maybe that's better, because it's really tangential to the case), but her friend Miranda is artist/author/actor/etc Miranda July.
posted by radioamy at 7:48 PM on June 15, 2015 [2 favorites]