Episode 29: Sensations

Breath in, take a look around – what do you see? What do you hear? What’s that funky taste in your mouth? On this episode of B-side, the senses. Originally aired in April 2004.

Liner Notes

Synesthesia: Erika Kelly
Have you ever thought about what your favorite song looks like? How about the color of the letter ‘A’? These questions may seem pretty nonsensical, but for a select few these questions actually have answers. They experience a phenomenon called synesthesia.

Scent: Lyssa Mudd
Natural perfumer Mandy Aftel has dedicated her life to the craft of pleasing the of nose. B-Side’s Lyssa Mudd wanted to know more about this smelly sense and decided to donate her nose to science, at least for an afternoon, at Aftel’s Berkeley studio.

Taste: Ralph Gaston
So maybe smelling skunk isn’t going to make your mouth water, but what about fresh baked bread? Brownies? Barbeque? For commentator Ralph Gaston, these delectable scents took on a whole new meaning when he lost his sense of taste.

Heat: Ben Temchine
Have you ever felt something so intensely, your normal reaction to it gets reversed – like laughing at a funeral – giggling when you’re absolutely afraid? Ben Temchine experienced something like this when he spent two and a half years in one of the hottest countries in Africa.

Thirst: Sarah Varney and Paul Frey
When it’s hot, when it’s really hot, sometimes, you just want an ice cold soda. We’re all aware that this is probably the worst thing you can drink when you’re truly thirsty, but sometimes it’s just what the doctor ordered. Sarah Varney and Paul Frey produced this piece entitled Misfire, a soundscape about thirst gone awry. This piece was originally produced as a short-doc for the Third Coast International Audio Festival in Chicago.