Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: The Friendliest Sound in the World, with Olympic medalist Molly Seidel
Wed, 27 Nov 2024
This week on How To Do Everything, a listener calls in asking how to avoid startling innocent pedestrians when she goes on runs. So Mike and Ian recruit the help of an Olympic marathoner and one of Hollywood's most iconic composers. Plus, an update from you (party people) on the "you guys" fast.You can email your burning questions to [email protected] To Do Everything won't live in this feed forever. If you like what you hear, scoot on over to their very own feed and give them a follow.Both How To Do Everything and Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! are available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! featuring exclusive games, behind-the-scenes content, and more. Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org.How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag. It is produced by Heena Srivastava. Technical direction from Lorna White.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What is the issue faced by runners?
So I'm calling about a question that I've been plagued with for many years now. I've been a runner since my teenage years. And regardless of where I run, I run into this similar issue of if I'm coming behind someone who's either walking or running fast, more slowly than I am, I get a little bit nervous about passing them without scaring them.
And sometimes I'll stop my feet really loudly or try to clear my throat a little bit to see if they can hear me, but I would say at least half the time they don't. And then when I pass them, they act a little bit upset as if it were my fault. I don't like that.
Is there a time you remember startling somebody that stands out in your memory?
There was a time that I was running on a trail and which I feel like on a trail you should be especially aware of your surroundings. And I did a lot of throat clearing and trying to make some noise and ended up going around this person and just got – they kind of jumped and then acted as if they were very, very scared.
And then I thought maybe there was a bear or something because the shock that they exhibited was much higher than I would have expected for just seeing another human being.
Yeah. Yeah. Have you ever had it, Sam, where you're running and someone passes you and they indicate they're coming in a clever way?
Oh, never.
Never.
No, because people don't pass me.
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Chapter 2: How can runners avoid startling pedestrians?
Yeah, but on the other hand, that's not so friendly when you're passing somebody.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me ask you this question. My understanding is that is a song. That sound effect or sound, that little five-second bit is actually a song. Is that right?
Well, it's not a song, but it is a piece of music. And if you're asking do I get paid a royalty every time any piece of music plays, yeah, every time any piece of my music is played, even one second of it, There's a small little royalty that's paid through a performing rights organization. I happen to be a BMI writer, so yes.
Fantastic.
There is a royalty, yes.
So Mike, does that then, that five-minute piece, does it have a name that's registered at BMI?
Yes, we call it a card stand.
Oh, that's kind of boring. It doesn't have like a cool name?
No, it has a cool name on a T-shirt. It has a cool name when people, you know, talk to me about it. Yeah. Or Ching Ching, because I'm making a little money on it.
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Chapter 3: What is the friendliest sound for approaching someone?
We consider you a true compatriot.
Thank you.
So we're going to keep trying. Let us know if you're doing this. Let us know when you fail. We'll let you know when we fail.
Hina, is your mic open? Hina, how have you done?
Um, I've done pretty bad. Really? Yeah, I've done a lot of, I go back to my texts and edit it, and then I would say, edit it underneath, and everyone knows that it used to be you guys, and now it's just like, you all, and I think that I'm making my life a little harder.
It's possible in those edited texts, Hina called us something worse, that she then edited to you all, and she's covering it up. As if it was part of the you guys fast, when really it was something very offensive.
She's on a, yeah, what is the opposite of a fast?
Rampage.
Yeah, she's on a you rampage. Well, that does it for today's show. What did we learn today, Mike? Well, I learned that that sound, the dun-dun sound from Law & Order, is actually a bunch of sounds smashed together.
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