EPISODE 315 | 20.12.2018

Everything is alive

Louis is a can of common cola. He’s laid on the shelf for a long time, so he’s had some time to think. Go2 is the brand of the store. Louis said that people name it a knockoff. “They called me the best of the worst. Bottom shelf. We can characterize it as the lowest shelf. I am at peace with this, ” says Louis.
“All Alive” is an unrecorded interview with a moderator Yang Chao, in which all objects are lifeless. In every episode, the things tell us the stories of their lives.

This is an existential study of the inhuman state, permeated with history, drollery, and secrets. In the debut episode of the show, the presenter interviews a modest drink. Both the object and the interviewer make side trips, discuss the nature of existence, and discover the beverages on the way.

A high-quality "energy drink" of its kind, Mixower, was a cocktail including radioactive quackery made from thrice-distilled water and radium isotopes. This beverage was called “The Cure for the Living Dead” and “Perpetual Sunshine.” There was one death case as a result of drinking Mixower. The man was buried in a coffin covered with lead. A few decades later he was exhumed and his remains were still extremely radioactive.

Later, on their way to Thailand, listeners will learn how the locals leave Fanta with strawberries for ghosts as a modern substitution for ancient blood sacrifices. So, while speaking about the life of one cola can, you can immerse into the history of sodas, as well as other related topics.

The show is produced by Helen Robertson and Yang Chao. Musical credit for this episode is "Sheets Two" by Mountains, from "Choral" album. Yang Chao lives in New York, NY, and is a famous producer and writer. He has produced NPR’s "Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me" and "Fresh Air" with Mary Cross. He also has worked on various videos for The New York Times, regularly contributing to the literary magazine A Public Area and has recorded five episodes of a podcast about a post-apocalyptic public radio charity event besieged by an epidemic and death that he cannot understand what to do with.