Episode 01: Beauty

For the next several months we’ll be restoring the B-Side online archives, starting with our very first episode.  This show first aired on KALX in September 2001.  Yup 2001!  These early shows were produced with a flurry of creativity and enthusiasm and you can certainly hear it coming through.  B-Side was hatched in the summer of 2001 right after the original B-Side crew members graduated from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.  There were lengthy brainstorming sessions at cafes and Thai restaurants, late nights with wine and ideas flowing.

We hope you enjoy this jaunt down memory lane.

Liner Notes:

Praying Off the Pounds: Katy Shrout
Visit New Generation Church in Richmond where participants have added God to their diet regimen.

Portrait of a Nail Worker: Aryn Baker
Like many women in the nail biz, manicurist Jan Bwee is a Vietnamese immigrant.  In this personal reflection, She says helping others beautify their nails is helping her live out an American dream.

Roller Setting: Lyssa Mudd
As the days of bouffants and behives grow more distant, it’s become increasingly difficult for older women to find stylists who even know what hair setting is.  Meet one woman who’s been roller setting hair since the 1950s.

Hair Braiding: Mia Lobel
Hair braiding, in the intricate styles often worn by African American women can take as many as 12 hours.  We visit African Traditions, a salon where braiding is the style of choice.

Curly Haired Essayist Goes Straight: Claudine Zap
Not long ago, Claudine Zap visited the hair salon for a trim.  She was shocked, shocked, when her stylist asked her if she wanted to blow dry her hair straight.  From that experience, we get this personal essay.

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