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)
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Act Two: The Good Son
A story about a mother who wants to commit suicide and a son who dutifully helps her do it—even though his mother is a happy, healthy, independent person.
Act Three: Mom Music
Beau O'Reilly and his mother Winifred, who had 14 children, discuss her secret feelings about Johnny Cash and other matters on Mother's Day.
Act Three: Iron Man
Mark O'Brien is a writer in California, who lives most of each day in an iron lung, thanks to a childhood case of polio.
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