Stories of people's last words before death. Their one last shot at figuring things out, summing things up. One last moment of asserting the fact of our existence, at the moment of our annihilation.
Actions Speak Louder
Sarah Vowell tells the story of Page Smith and Eloise Pickard Smith. They were married for over five decades, and died a day apart. It's a story of people attempting to surround death in a web of words, of very eloquent people and their last words, and of what last words can and cannot accomplish. (13 minutes)
The Unknown Soldier
Forty-five people read Luc Sante's story The Unknown Soldier, in which we hear about people's final moments, final thoughts. (7 minutes)
Song:
“Who By Fire” by Leonard Cohen, performed by House of Love
How The Living Use The Dead
Writer Greil Marcus explains what rock fans use dead rock stars for. (4 minutes)
Song:
“L'Anarchie Pour le U.K” by The Sex Pistols, performed on the accordion
Black Box
We go through transcripts from those black box flight recorders recovered from airplane crashes to see what people say. One pilot declares "I love you" to someone, another is doing his job like always and suddenly says, "uh-oh." It's an interview with Malcolm McPherson, author of The Black Box: All-New Cockpit Voice Recorder Accounts of In-Flight Accidents. (13 minutes)
What Goes Through Your Head
Writer Tobias Wolff reads his story "Bullet in the Brain" from his collection of stories The Night in Question, about a bank robbery and a man who's shot, and what he thinks about before he dies. (13 minutes)
Related
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these
Act One: Book Of Job
Reporter Scott Carrier does a story about Harvey "Job" Matusow.
Act Four: The Cinema Of Upward Mobility
Home movies usually don't have much of a plot—one of the many ways they differ from Hollywood movies.
Act One
The first part of Josh Seftel and Rich Robinson's documentary about South Africa.
Staff Recommendations
One Last Thing Before I Go
Stories in which ordinary people make last ditch efforts to get through to their loved ones.
Simulated Worlds
Civil War reenactments, wax museums, simulated coal mines, fake ethnic restaurants, an ersatz Medieval castle, and other re-created worlds that thrive all across America.