The podcast Ear Hustle, named after a prison slang term for being nosy, eavesdropping, and hearing things you shouldn’t, takes you inside the San Quentin State Prison and provides a look into the daily realities of life as an inmate. Hosted and produced by visual artist Nigel Poor, and inmate Earlonne Woods, the entirety of the podcast takes place within the media lab of the San Quentin State Prison. Nigel is said to give the podcast a “softer touch” while Earlonne, who at the time was serving a 31-year-to-life sentence (since commuted), dives into the hard knocks details. The team also consists of sound designer Antwan Williams, who is serving his 15 year sentence, and Lieutenant Sam Robertson, the San Quentin Public Information Officer, who must approve every episode before it is released. As interesting as it is, creating a podcast in a prison proves quite challenging as the team has limited hours they can work and visit, no internet access, they cannot talk to each other on the phone, and as you can imagine, prison is never quiet. As they tackle a different topic every episode, the podcast as a whole sheds light on the misconceptions and unknowns of the American prison system.
The podcast is a culmination of interviews, commentary and conversations guided by Earlonne and Nigel, with the occasional banter and talk in the prison picked up by microphones. The aforementioned audio types work in the podcast’s favor as the variation is more engaging for the listener, than if they only used one static method. Earlonne and Nigel sit down with current inmates as well as those on the outside who are trying to reintegrate themselves into society post-incarceration. Together they rehash their most jarring and unforgettable experiences. This can be a big listener attraction as most people are drawn to the outrageous and unimaginable. Consciously or not, it is an attention grabber–and the majority of aspects regarding the American prison system are quite outrages: the crimes committed that resulted in incarceration, sexuality, gang ties, violence, corruption, death row. Taboo topics that are normally brushed under the rug are exposed and discussed in great detail in this podcast. In the first episode, “Cellies,” fellow San Quentin inmate Ron Self shared his rather rough experience with the first cellmate he ever had. Antwan increases the dramatic effect by his strategic use of music and sound effects to aid Ron in his storytelling. When Ron was simply setting the scene, there was no music, but before he divulged the most fascinating details, there was a pause and dramatic music faded in. Once he started describing how vindictive his cellie was, ominous music played in the background. Ron said he slept with his back to the wall and one eye open, and the music portrayed how uncomfortable and unsafe the situation was.
A common theme that can be seen throughout all the episodes and ultimately links them all together is the harsh realities of the prison system. People in prison are often stripped of their individuality and humanity and left for a number. There are certain elements (that are discussed throughout the seasons) within the prison system that perpetuate a cycle of violence and poor behavior. Thus the idea of justice and to what extent one should be punished runs through listeners’ heads while they try to digest what they are hearing. Some might deduce from this podcast treatment of prisoners constitutes as abuse; inhumane. Others would say they deserve it. They committed a crime, did a bad thing, and now they are paying the price. Can there be balance in prison? Should there be? This battle of morality is what keeps listeners coming back.
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Hi Julia!
I am really glad you chose to follow this podcast because it is one of the ones that I was considering and it sounded very interesting. I think that including interviews directly from the inmates and that one of the hosts is an inmate himself is a very important feature that you pointed out. Having an inmate take on a lead role in this podcast adds to the trustworthiness of how prison is described and also challenges some of the perceptions society places on people who end up in prison. I think that the portion of society that has never been in prison makes a lot of assumptions based on how it is portrayed in movies or shows like “Orange is the New Black” which can glamorize the experience or focus on extremes. I think the discussion of taboo topics that you pointed out also helps to create a better understanding of what prison is actually like because those topics are the most likely to be neglected by outsiders and they play a very important role of providing an accurate portrayal of what day to day life is like in prison.
The podcast that I am listening uses music in a very similar way as you have described in your analysis. In “Crimetown” music is used to clue listeners in to important details of murder mysteries, just as you have described music being used to set apart more fascinating parts of the podcast.
I also really appreciate how you explore the morality of the prison system. My podcast features many mob members, and like in your podcast, it becomes apparent that many of them are stuck in a cycle of inescapable violence. I think the firsthand accounts of what prison is like helps create the empathy listeners feel towards the prisoners and that empathy leads to the broader questions that you conclude your analysis with.
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