So, cool. Here we go. Let's start. Let's do it. Let's do it. So, cool. Hey, dad. Hi, Dana. Nice to see you. It's the the age of silent. It's okay. It's a hard one. It's a hard one. It's a hard one. Okay. Hi, thank you so much. I'm glad you could sit down and talk about your latest album, Ona. Am I pronouncing that right? Yep, Ona. Fabulous. So, I had a chance to listen to the album and I was really impressed, really excited by it. And I obviously have some questions about how you made it, but I just wanted to ask why you made it, because it seems like you've got a lot of powerful messages in there. I did. Well, first of all, thank you for listening. It really means a lot, especially since T.C. Helicon was a big part of putting this record together in terms of the effects and things that I was using all throughout the album. So, I'm so glad that you had a chance to check it out. The album came together in a very organic way. Back in 2017, I went to the Women's March in Washington, D.C., and stood in the nation's capital with hundreds of thousands of people marching for women's rights and human rights. And it was something that really changed my life. It was an experience that I was a part of that just ignited this fire inside of me. And when I came back from that little trip to D.C., I immediately wrote the song The Resistance, which is the single that I released ahead of the album featuring a spoken word artist and poet Stacey N. Chin. And basically from that point onward, all throughout 2017, I started to write a bunch of music, not realizing until I was about three or four songs in that they all had this common theme. And the common theme was women, women's empowerment. And it was more focused on the successes and the triumphs of women rather than pointing of the finger and being angry and, you know, look at what you did, depressing me all of these years. It was more about a celebration of women and how women are like water. We always find our way through the cracks. I think celebration is a great way to describe it, especially going with the very first song, Ona. Is it all right if I put that on in the background here? Yeah, absolutely. Some really powerful bits in there. Thank you. So Ona means she in Croatian, and I'm half Croatian. And the idea behind this song was to also pay tribute to the women in my life who experienced things across different generations, different cultures. You know, I come from an immigrant family that came to the United States after, you know, escaping communism. And so the idea of having this tune with Croatian lyrics sung by a Balkan choir and English lyrics sung by a bunch of women singing in English from the States, it was just basically bringing my two worlds together and showing Ona is basically that all women is one woman.  Oh, powerful. It's nice to hear kind of that shared cultural background on it as well, because I didn't realize that there was that kind of Croatian element to it. But yeah, all the whole kind of fire going in there just sounds so powerful and I don't know. Thank you. Sounds great. And you've also got, can you tell me a little bit about Pacha Mama? Yeah, so Pacha Mama came about after I took a trip to Peru to visit my best friend who was getting married and she happens to be with her husband, their eco-conservationists. So I was thrown into basically almost two weeks of this incredible nature experience and being so close to mother nature and seeing how in Peru this idea of connection between tourism and nature and being connected with the earth is just such a big part of the culture. And it really moved me and being in these beautiful surroundings, seeing how rejuvenating nature can be actually, it was really, really a moving experience. And Pacha Mama is the Quechua word for mother nature, the ancient Incan Quechua word. And so this idea of Pacha Mama was like a theme throughout our entire trip and it just made me think when I came back to New York and was surrounded by concrete and this is our normal life, it was even more prevalent to me how far we have all come as human beings from being connected to nature and how we are so involved with ourselves as a human race that we don't understand that what we do to the earth we actually do to ourselves and mother nature will survive far beyond the years that we will be able to survive.  Absolutely I mean listening to it you know it comes from a personal experience for you but for me listening to it I know the parts about the fires and burning and all that just makes me think of like the fires in Brazil and all sorts of you know just global environmental catastrophes. Absolutely I mean it's just mother nature has been giving us signs and signals for years. I mean even this is something that hasn't even been on really the global news but Croatia where I'm from last Sunday experienced an almost six on the Richter scale devastating earthquake and it leveled it leveled the center of the city where my entire family lives so in the midst of the virus and all these things that are happening you know the earth is shifting things are things are moving and we have to respond to it. Yeah I mean it's it's a pretty chaotic time right now you're in New York City so what can you just for a moment detour from Valo and just what's it like in New York City with the quarantine. It's very scary I mean it's my husband and I live in Queens which is actually the epicenter of the virus in New York City right now so Elmhurst Hospital which is about a 10-15 minute walk from our house is just inundated with people waiting outside in lines all day all night all morning trying to get in because they're sick it's a very you know it's a working-class neighborhood which is also showing the you know economic differences between groups of people that are also affected by this virus it's it's very it's very scary and we've obviously had a lack of guidance from our federal government in terms of how to handle all of this and we were very late as a country in getting on board with how to prevent the spread of the virus and it's you know we're not at the point of where Italy got to yet but it's it's getting there and it's very scary yeah I mean we're on the other side of the coast but we're very close to Washington and and they're having a similar outbreak there but I think New York right now is probably the worst in the nation so that's it's brightening place to be and I hope you guys can stay safe and healthy yeah I hope so too I mean we're we're doing our best I think this is also one of those rare instances in history where my personal decisions directly impact your health and so it's a different thing to think about that you know what I choose to do in my daily life is not so much about my own health and my own safety but I have to be worried about the safety of my neighbors the safety of the people that are around me that I don't even know I can impact their health without even being aware of it so that's something that I don't think has really sunk in yet for a lot of people yeah I mean I've got a neighbor who's a nurse and another neighbor with a one month or three month old baby you know it's kind of you just want to make sure that you're not infecting other people or yeah I like that but well I'm glad you guys are able to stay safe even though you're likely quarantined up the in your apartment yes we're quarantined but um but you know I've spent actually the majority of my quarantine very very busy um with another TC Helicon artist Serentip who's an incredible um singer songwriter loop expert and uh and we've basically teamed up with another friend of ours a saxophonist Owen Broder here in New York and we created an online music festival and fundraiser uh for to raise money to give grants to New York City musicians who have lost all of their work in the wake of the virus so from it's great to hear I mean so many musicians right now all tours and everything has been canceled yeah I mean all of my work until middle of August has been canceled wow amazing so you know we have to find a way to continue making music I mean this is going to be a very interesting shed experience so to speak I think a lot of artists are going to be forced to just work on their craft develop their craft to brighten your music create new forms of expression and I think around this time next year we're going to have a lot like an outburst of art which will be pretty powerful well that's something exciting to look forward to I hadn't thought about that way but yeah I mean you know in in times of crisis it's always art and culture that makes a generation remembered by something so when you think of any artistic historical event you know it's usually connected to some sort of societal political environmental change that artists are trying to wrap their heads around and and express in some way so I think this is going to be a really big opportunity for a lot of people to just dig deep and and find things that they didn't know existed before absolutely and I mean you're kind of at the epicenter of it so you're going to be just in the where all the art and culture is coming from I guess yeah yeah which puts you in a great spot I mean your album's being very well received and you know working it's just you were talking a little bit about the the live in the living room is that what it's called yes it's live from our living rooms and that one you said you had a couple write-ups about that as well yeah it's it's unbelievable I mean we put this together in less than two weeks and got some of the biggest names in our you know jazz world to be on board which was also very heartwarming to see how musicians who are considered the top tier in our field how quickly they jumped on the opportunity to help the community which was it's been really wonderful to see how willing everybody has been to help but because of our stellar lineup we immediately got a write-up and Rolling Stone we got a story all of our own we've been written up in Broadway world and jazz times and jazz is all about jazz we have a Wall Street Journal article coming out this week so and we you know also have something coming out in the Financial Times probably so we're really exploding somehow which is wonderful because the the purpose of this festival which is happening from April 1st to 7th is that it's going to bring attention to our fundraiser and the fundraiser is going to help us give these relief grants to artists who apply for aid absolutely and so many people could use it right now yes yeah I mean a lot of people don't think of musicians as kind of their own entrepreneurs and freelancers but in a lot of ways they really are I mean you're always looking for yeah and we're and we're really really happy to be working with a wonderful nonprofit as well called Music Talks which is a great organization here in New York City and they have agreed to be our fiscal sponsors so that we can receive tax deductible donations which is attracting institutional support and and larger grants from individuals so it's it's been a really really amazing group effort let's say fantastic and do you see this is something that you want to continue on in the future or does that depend on kind of where the virus takes I mean we'll we'll see you know what we we've set ourselves up to potentially be an ongoing thing we've actually gotten so many inquiries from fellow musicians in New York who now want to perform for the festival because we have we basically scheduled a one week a one week festival with four events a day four live streamed events a day an 11 30 a.m. children's show because children are home from school and we want them to be educated and have music in their lives then we have a 3 p.m. and this is all New York New York East Coast time it's 3 p.m. master class for interdisciplinary show and then two evening performances so it's a very ambitious project but we only scheduled one week and now it looks like we may actually open it up for a second week of the festival so wow congratulations thank you you you also are on the cover of downbeat I was I was it's unbelievable so many things have happened that it just you know it's it's a huge complex bag of emotions and events but yes I came out on the cover of downbeat which will which has just gone to print you know at the end of March but it's for the May 2020 issue and it's I was on the cover with my husband drummer and composer Antonio Sanchez and it's basically talking about our musical collaborations as a couple but also our individual projects and our records and you know the things that we're doing in parallel with each other but as strong independent artists and it was it was a huge a huge deal to be on the cover of that magazine that's fantastic to hear well congratulations we're really excited for all these fantastic things happening this month thank you thank you yeah it's it's it's great and you know of course every chance I get I'm mentioning TC Helicon and all the things that this company has you know given me in the way of figuring out what I was saying before before it broke up is that in you know I've been doing so many interviews recently related to the record and of course now related to this festival and it's been it's been an amazing opportunity to kind of explain everybody's been very interested in my setup as an artist what I do live and how I'm actually you know my record is very produced and the question is always you know how do you do this live and then they see these videos of me looping and doing effects and things like that and so it's been it's been amazing to also share the information about TC Helicon and I've been you know starting to give lessons online to people all around the world who want to use the voice live touch too and it's it's really I've been doing master classes and people are starting to know you know associate me with the live touch too and all the looping and effects that I incorporate in my music so it's been uh it's been able to do that as well I should hope so because you you use it amazingly well which is a great segue to talk about teardrop you've got a cover on your your latest album that it's got a lot of acapella elements to it is that right and it seems like it uses the voice live touch it does yes um can you talk a little bit just about how you use the voice live touch too on this this specific song yes absolutely so you know one thing that I really love about the touch too is in the most basic sense just being able to control my own reverb I feel like I am whether I'm recording or performing live I have the control over you know I'm a self-sustaining entity because I come with a package I know exactly how I want my voice to sound and the voice touch too the live touch too helps me achieve that so um you know I have this complex programming of different kinds of reverbs and delays and and you know granular delays and all of these different things based on which part of the song I'm in so in the beginning it starts with this acapella loop of this line that I created and then it just loops round and round and I add a little bit of a beatbox but it's almost like a beatbox with you know that isn't a true groove yet it's really just more of sounds and you know the the touch too has this incredible ability to make your voice almost sound like a synthesizer when you when you combine a couple of different kinds of effects um and that's something that I have discovered actually using it live and then recording with the touch too and then doing post production afterwards it's just this unbelievable perfect storm of effects that's great to hear and do you do you use it with the voice that touched you do you use it with your computer with a DAW or mostly do you just record like a performance and then edit it in post yeah I mean basically what when I was in the studio I was recording it um into Pro Tools and then I would mess with it afterwards if it you know if I needed to add something but most of the post production was done in terms of like keyboards and and that kind of stuff but I really got so much out of just the pure effects on on the touch too which was incredible and speaking of just kind of making those sounds of your voice you said you know you're able to make your voice sound almost like a synthesizer a lot of songs of this album have that kind of depth and layer just I apologize I'm not the most all the the scatting and both harmonies and everything that you're kind of pulling together and just creating this really these layers mix it's really impressive and from what I can tell it sounds like a lot of that is just made exclusively from your voice yes yeah I mean that was that was kind of the idea and that's you know it all kind of ties into the theme of Ona so Ona is one woman me Ona is all women and it comes basically the sound comes from the source and you know and basically the the effects from the TC Helicon have just like helped me achieve that philosophical idea musically you know speaking of effects so you mentioned you use a lot of like reverb and teardrop but in the resistance it sounds like you're using more of like some megaphone effects what yeah megaphone effects yeah definitely there's a lot of distortion I really wanted this idea like a call to action you know I wrote this song after I attended the women's march in 2017 and so I had this image of me and Stacey and Chin the the poet who recites her poem just literally standing in front of thousands and thousands of people with a megaphone and screaming into the crowd just a call to action and so the various distortions and like ring modulators and all of these things that the touch to allows it just kind of we put it all together we did a lot of layering of the same thing using different effects and then pulling those different tracks in and out and so that that gave just this kind of three-dimensional aspect to some of those sections and so are you planning to take this album on tour absolutely I mean unfortunately the tours were all canceled until I'm trying to reschedule I had an you know like a US an east coast US tour in April and I'm trying to reschedule that for September there are a few things in Europe in July that still haven't been completely canceled but they've been put on hold until we figure out the global situation so you know the big questions for musicians you know the question is going to be even when the virus stops spreading how quickly will people become comfortable with gathering in large groups you know again and it's I think it's going to probably take a year yeah there's definitely going to be kind of a freeze period where people are a little hesitant to just jump back into everyday life but hopefully with proper quarantining we can nip that in the bud yeah you know back to concerts soon yes hopefully I mean you know it's it's it's it's a strange time because as musicians I mean you know we do spend so much time in the shed writing music producing music but at the end of the day we do it so that we can perform it live with other human beings so the the lack of that live performance aspect of what we do is so it's a strange spot to be in so I know that myself and all musicians that I know are itching to get back out on the road as soon as it's safe and to bring this music around the world and so with this uh this album you're talking about how kind of a lot of the stuff you did in that the studio people are asking how are you going to do it live so yeah can you talk a little bit about um what plans or preparations you've made to kind of convert this album into a live performance absolutely I mean I have um every song that I perform live from the album I mean every song on the album I have either like between one to three programmed channels on the live touch too and basically throughout the song depending on what section I'm in I go back and forth between these preset channels and I have different harmony layers you know with with these semitones I have different kinds of reverbs different kinds of delays different loop settings I mean basically I have preset everything so that it makes it much easier and quicker to do live because a lot of times what happens with live looping is that you spend a lot of time setting things up and then you just kind of lose you lose a little bit of that in the moment magic let's say I know what you're talking about yeah yeah so I I've spent countless hours aside from the recording just figuring out how to do this live and thankfully I did have a couple of tour they were like trial run tours even before the record came out I toured this in Italy I toured it a couple times not touring but I did a few gigs in the States just individual runs just as trial runs to see how how the music flowed together what I could do effects wise and and it's it's really close to the record I mean I'm very proud of how how it came out and do you have to bring many people with you to perform songs likeona or you know with the ones with the choir or anything like that no so the the choir I actually loop all of that live okay yeah so I unfortunately can't afford to have you know 13 piece band with all the singers and everything on the road with me so that's basically what I've figured out how to do how to recreate those sounds those moments in the tracks just doing it myself wow that's awesome I would love to hear the library oh I hope you get to as well I have to bring it to Canada yeah absolutely let's know when you're when you're all the way to the west coast yes um so uh let's see I had another question I wanted to ask you see these songs here did you want to talk a little bit about your partner he did a lot of the drums on this album is that right yeah he did he did all the drums yeah yeah yeah yeah he's he's an incredible musician composer in his own right five-time Grammy award winner golden globe nominee he wrote the drum score for the oscar winning film bird man I don't know if you saw that really I had no idea yeah Antonio Sanchez he's an incredible musician and it's a very new york film as well it is a very new york film it's true but uh but he um you know he and I have been together for now going on 11 years and so obviously our work together and as individuals has just kind of gone on this really wonderful path together we trust each other's ears so much and we have this kind of co-producer relationship where we we workshop the tunes and figure out how to make them the best that they can sound and so he not only played drums on the whole thing but he co-produced the whole thing with me did a lot of the post-production with me and um and you know he just has these golden ears and he hears things and um you know we we we play off each other very very well just from our compatibility as a couple but also as musicians we really we really respect what the other one hears and so I think it it yields at an incredible product oh that's that's awesome to hear and I basically answered my other question if we looked at like you know working with your your husband on tour and in the studio and that just sounds like you guys yeah I mean we it is it's a great it's a great relationship working and personal relationship uh I also sing full-time in his group which is called Antonio Sanchez in Migration and it was actually in his group you know because we've been um touring his records and his group for the last three or four years you know while my album was in production so actually a lot of the things that I discovered on The Touch Two came from doing things live with his band and then applying them to my music so so in his band I really am more of a more of a an experimental instrument you know we do much more you know kind of crossover modern jazz where I'm singing a lot of wordless melodies there's a saxophonist who also plays the iwi electronic wind instrument and so he and I do a lot of doubling counter points but also these crazy electronic sections where the band doesn't know whether it came from the iwi or whether it came from me and The Touch Two so it's really incredible how the you know the use of the effects has made my sound in that band also it's exciting to hear because the voice is such a versatile instrument it's what we always say and hearing you use it as you know a voice and an instrument together sometimes at the same time yeah is really impressive um what let's see what's the next question I wanted to ask you on this album there's just so many things to talk about about it I'm so glad so you this album is a lot about empowerment of women and you know you talk a lot about like some modern things like the resistance is tied to to you know the women's march and protest and Cassandra seems to be a tide a little bit to the me too would you say absolutely yeah was that inspired by any particular events uh or any events in particular or just kind of the movie I mean it was a little bit of both you know as a young female musician coming up in New York it's you know you experience a lot of things a lot of unfortunate things thankfully nothing uh nothing has happened to me that has been life changing in terms of violence or aggression but there have been countless episodes of inappropriate touching inappropriate comments um not taking mysteriously because I'm a woman because I'm a singer you know and just trying to basically sexualize my job as a vocalist and so that has been difficult to overcome which I think most young female musicians have to go through not have to they shouldn't have to but they do and when all of the things started to happen with Harvey Weinstein and the me too movement I started to think about just the idea of women being heard and listened to and believed and you know Cassandra is a famous figure in Greek mythology she was seduced by the god Apollo and in his seduction he offered her the ability to see the future and when she refused his sexual advances he cursed her with the ability to see the future but that nobody would ever believe her prophecies and so when people call you know sometimes climate change you know climates supporters are called Cassandra's of the world or people that see something that's happening in the future but they're not believed or in the case of the me too movement you know people that have had horrific things happen to them and have either been silenced or not believed and it would just just made me think about that and that was that was what is it was really for all of the Cassandra's of the world who have something to say and who may not be heard yeah that's a lot deeper than I I realize and I can kind of see some ties to Pater Mama and that one as well absolutely speaking you talked a little bit about kind of you know people wanting to sexualize in New York and all that kind of up-and-coming artists you have a song in here that you kind of claim your sexuality back yeah animal instinct absolutely that's a that's an exciting song what can you talk a little bit about that one yeah absolutely um you know I mean again the the album itself as a whole all of the tunes basically describe what it feels like from my perspective to be a woman so it's my femininity unapologetically explained in each tune and animal instinct is a part of being a woman it's it's a part of being any human being but for some reason historically female sexuality has been become a commodity almost it's you know our sexuality exists for the purpose of satisfying others as opposed to us having our own needs our own desires our own dreams our own feelings about all of that and I happen to be in a very happy marriage and a wonderful relationship that has let me be free in how I feel about my own sexuality and and this song explains that explains that without any filter and explains how proud I am that I feel like a sexual being comfortable in my own relationship well that's awesome to hear and yeah it sounds like again it sounds like you have a great relationship with your husband we'll see after the quarantine I think that's one thing that I really appreciate about this album is that you know so much of it is very personal and it seems like there's like a lot of messages and a lot of stories like every song almost feels like a ballad and I know like rock ballad and all that has connotations with it but with this one I mean it and that's like every song is a story has a little kind of story tied to it and yeah I mean like I really love set free and you taught me which is more about your relationships with two men in your lives your brother and your father set free is a very sad song but really powerful yeah yeah no I mean it's uh it's like I said it's it's about the the way that I feel like I am a woman in my life so I do happen to be a sister I do happen to be a daughter and I have have relationships with those two men unfortunately my brother passed away almost 10 years ago and so set free is really from the perspective of a sister and a sibling setting free the intimacies of that kind of relationship that have to do with your entire family history so there are certain things that you share with your sibling or siblings that nobody else can understand no matter how close of a friend you have or how close of a spouse or life partner you have you know or even with your parents there are just certain things that you share with a sibling that stay with a sibling and so a part of that had to be set free when I lost my brother and then similarly to the song you taught me you know I have an amazing father who um really showed me what it means to be a man who respects women respects their choices may not always agree with you but doesn't stand in your way in terms of not allowing you to achieve what you feel you need to achieve and um and you know my father and I have disagreed on many many things and had you know ups and downs in our relationship just like any other relationship but the whole point is that I feel that I've been able to create a work like this because of the people in my life and that includes the women in my life but it also includes the men in my life that's a really big part of it absolutely I mean this album feels like it's comprised of a lot of components of you made out of all these different aspects and really you can feel it all pulled together there thank you I just wanted to return to the voice I've touched you for a moment yeah you said that a lot of things for this album oh you said that some of the elements was uh album you learned while touring um what do you feel like you still have more things you could learn with the voice I've touched you have you oh yeah I mean the touch to is such an in-depth complex instrument I really feel like even though I've become very good at the things that I've become good at I am only getting my toes wet in this incredible effects pool you know I have so much that I still want to learn how to do and I'm sure so many things that I have yet to discover I mean for example Sorrentip and I we actually did a duo session last year where we got together with all of our individual effects and we did a we did a little kind of improv exchange for a couple of hours and she showed me some things you know like for example um connecting like some kind of MIDI controller and using the mic to you know have different harmonies and crazy things that you can do and I you know I haven't even started I haven't even like opened that can of worms yet so there are so many things um that I also feel really um grateful to be in this kind of relationship with other vocalists who are using the same um uh products because we're learning from each other and we're you know having this creative exchange about how we can use these products and it's just it's amazing it's really amazing well that's great to hear I mean Sorrentip is actually uh I believe how I first heard about you was yes it's thanks to her this thing sir but uh for people who aren't familiar Sorrentip is another vocalist and also electronic artist who uses the perform be and uh both of those allow you to kind of modulate and modify your voice um but uh voice live touch too is I would say probably a little bit more of a powerhouse uh on that I mean it's just it's such a it's really I mean it can do everything it can really do everything um let's see were there any other things you want to talk about on this album uh in terms of using the voice live touch too or uh any experiences tied to the album that you really want to share I mean I think the most exciting recent experience I've had uh which actually gave way to my newest project which is a duo with my husband a vocal and effects duo with drums is that this past this this past NAM show in January 2020 we were invited to perform for Yamaha because my husband is a Yamaha artist and we were obviously traveling together we had come from our uh you know we had been performing and then we went on vacation for holiday and then we went to LA for NAM and I of course had all of my gear with me as I usually do because we were performing before the holidays and he emailed Yamaha and said look you know Tana is with me and so can we just do a duo improvisation and we had kind of been threatening to do a duo project for for a couple of years just because you know we live under the same roof we do so much stuff together and and we are both getting more and more interested in electronics he's also using a bunch of electronics with his drums and you know triggers and things like that and so they wanted him to come and perform on this new kit that they were um promoting for Yamaha and they said sure you know I mean I don't know what Tana's going to do but you know go ahead and we had no plan for what we were going to do I was terrified because I usually like to get on stage knowing at least how I'm going to start and finish this song if I only have that as a jazz musician that that's great but Antonio was like you know we'll be fine let's just start you know let's start and see where it ends up and we'll land together because we always we always do and that's a lot of trust that's nice what what ended up happening two days in a row were two completely different performances electronically charged with you know all of the effects and not only did I use effects on my voice but I used effects on his drums so I would trigger different delays and and distortion and things like that and I would bring my mic to his drums while he was playing you know different parts of the cymbal under the cymbal on top and so it was really interesting and then I would loop his stuff that I was basically picking up through my mic and then I would play with it after the fact with all of the effects and the sliding and so it was just it was a really really cool experience and and the video that we shared online actually went viral in the first two days I mean it was shared like you know reviewed like more than 30 000 times in two days or something yeah which for a jazz musician is going viral jazz jazz is definitely a little bit of a subgenre there it's a tone genre and it's all right population wise but I mean in terms of the the jazz world uh as an improvised vocalist like you really use the voice I've touched you so so well and I think I mean I don't know in your experience but it seems like the voice I've touched you does allow you to really improvise a little bit um oh yeah how your voice comes out sounds and shape it and hold it absolutely I mean it also allows me to like create blankets of sound to to just fill up the space it basically allows me to float on top of something you know that that's obviously the the the the amazing thing about looping in general but just being able to do that kind of thing with added effects that's what's so cool about it and then obviously changing the sound of the voice with the different effects and then just seeing all of the different possibilities of how you can change then the loop you can change the dry vocal on top you can change um you know what's going in what's coming out it's it's really the the it's endless the the possibilities well I think the possibilities for what you're going to create is endless as well because we're very excited to see what else you create coming out with the voice I've touched to and at tc helicon we're really excited about this album thank you think that what you're doing is really awesome and fantastic and we really just love seeing artists who take our products and push them to the max and really experiment and push them to the next level and we think that you did that so thank you so much well if you want to see it in action for the live from our living rooms dot com music festival and fundraiser Antonio and I are going to be doing a live stream video on April 7th at 7 p.m so April 7th at 7 p.m that's right we're going to be streaming right from our home studio in the basement and I'll be using my effects and and he's going to be maybe using some of his effects but he'll definitely be playing drums and we're just going to do the same thing that we did at NAMM just a an open-ended crazy concert duo fantastic and will you be performing that in your living room we will be performing it I mean it's our living room it's like our it's our studio living room yeah yeah and sarin tip and her boyfriend who is also an incredible drummer they they also have a duo performance coming up for the festival vocalists and drummers they're just getting together these days we're taking over the world man um and then so the festival uh starts April 1st is that right April it starts tomorrow fantastic yeah so great well and then uh let's see and then in May you've got the magazine dropping and yeah I mean the digital edition is already out so we're very happy about that and you know depending on what happens with the virus we're not sure when we'll get the physical copies but the digital edition is already available online at downbeat.com great so people can read the article about oh yeah your work with the Voice Life Tech Studio your new album and absolutely catch the new album on Spotify and iTunes and all all the music venues or music streaming platforms music downloading buying platform also if you would like to support artists during this crazy COVID-19 pandemic also the album is the album is available on Bandcamp for purchase excellent yeah perfect all the opportunities all the opportunities well I don't have any further questions but uh did you want to have any final words you'd like to share with the audience I'm just uh you know I'm just very grateful to be able to do what I do especially in a time like this you know this is a crazy crazy time in the history of our world and to be able to be an artist and express what you know it you can be kind of like a filter for what's happening around you and how you're perceiving everything and it comes out in the form of music and expression and the fact that I have these incredible um instruments to work with in the way of looping and effects it's just uh it adds to the whole realm of possibilities and allows me to create even more than I could have ever thought possible so I'm really thankful to TC helicon and for you guys for supporting me and for you know seeing what I'm doing and and showing that support and I really just appreciate you guys well you all of that comes from your incredible voice which is its own instrument and its own right so thank you you need to be thinking anyway you should thank yourself and your fantastic abilities we're just we can we can thank each other awesome all right all right well I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me today uh Tana and um I just hope that everyone goes out there and listens to your record because it's it's just an amazing powerful uh beautiful album thank you so much tat I really appreciate it and thanks to everybody at TC helicon yes thank you


I'm Andy Fisher, WNAW News. At 7 minutes past 10, time for the Sears Radio Theater. That's the theme from the Sears Radio Theater. Tonight, a program of love and hate with Cicely Tyson as your hostess. Here's a preview. Who is he? Is he a police officer? For God's sake, get out of here. Don't let him come near me. I don't want him. I don't want anyone near me. Get away from me or I'll jump. I'll jump right now. Everyone get away from me. Marilyn, it's all right. It's all right. No, leave me alone. The Sears Radio Theater will begin after this message from your local station. How would you like to be a part of Easter Sunday with Frank Sinatra in Atlantic City? Now that's class. You might even get to see Frank in Las Vegas. To be eligible, just send your name, address and phone number at home and at work to a WNAW touch of class, Box 1130, New York, 1-0017. Beginning Monday, April 2nd, if we call you and you can correctly complete the title of a Frank Sinatra song we select, you'll win $11.30 in WNAW cash and be eligible to become one of eight couples who'll go to Atlantic City for Sinatra in concert. Courtesy of the Big W and Resorts International. You'll enjoy a fabulous show, a night at resorts and $100 spending money. The eight winners will be selected at random from all those who have qualified on Thursday, April 12th. And on Monday, April 16th, from all entries received, we'll select one lucky couple as our guests for a long weekend in Las Vegas to see Frank at Sears Palace in May. Enter now, a WNAW touch of class, Box 1130, New York, 1-0017. I did not either, you're crazy. Oh man, don't give me that. Hey, who's that guy over there with the dog? Oh, that's Mr. Kessler. Mr. Kessler? Hello, gentlemen. Pugsley, say hello. Mr. Kessler had a heart attack last Christmas. Says that's why he's out with Pugsley every night. What for? He's got exercise. Build his heart back up. How do you know all that? My mom is a volunteer for the Heart Association. She told me. He doesn't look sick to me at all. People are successfully recovering from heart attacks in far greater numbers today than ever before. The American Heart Association has fought long and hard against heart disease, funding important heart research, developing emergency rescue procedures, and establishing guidelines for the rehabilitation of heart attack victims. But the fight is far from over. Supporting the American Heart Association is like a long-term investment in your future. We're fighting for your life. This is Cecilia Tyson. I'm standing at a very famous corner. Tour buses come by on the hour. Cars was out of state plates, crews slowly by, and sometimes the occupants point and exclaim among themselves. Even though you can't hear them, you know what they're saying about this corner. Just beyond the gate is another world, a dream world, a place where elaborate fantasies become real for a time anyway. The movie studio, one of the oldest, an enormous chunk of acreage, but more than that, a huge piece of Hollywood history and legend. Past that guard there, and a few steps further, is where it all begins. The trick is to get by that middle-aged grey uniform Ponchy Lion, who sits with his clipboard that lists the magic few who are allowed to enter.  She's approaching the guard at the gate. Hi, I'm from Mercury Messenger Service. I have an urgent delivery for a Mr. Calvin. It's a little late, ain't it? They caught me just as I was going home. I was the only one left in the office. They said it couldn't wait until tomorrow. Not too bad you wanted to get nailed, honey. Mr. Calvin gone home for the day. You won't get it until tomorrow anyway. But they said that he... You must be new at this. I am. Oh, don't worry about it, honey. That's just his business. Hurry up and wait. Everything's urgent, and nothing is. Is Mr. Calvin's office over there? Yeah, that's right. The big grey building, 8th floor. You can't miss it. Maybe your secretary's still there. Thank you. Marilyn Dowd is now inside the gates. If the guard hadn't turned his back on her so quickly, he might have seen her dropped the Manila envelope, which was supposed to be for Mr. Calvin, into the nearest trash bin. Marilyn doesn't work for a messenger service. The envelope was only an empty prop. Marilyn has other reasons for entering this world. Her own personal reasons. She will be going up to Mr. Calvin's office on the 8th floor shortly. But for the moment, she stopped beside a shining, pure white rose-royce hawked in a space stenciled with the name Lisa Chadwick. Lisa Chadwick is very much a part of this world. She's one of its stars. Marilyn is moving on now toward the building. Before this night has ended, Marilyn Dowd and Lisa Chadwick will meet. And perhaps a life will be saved. And that's only the beginning of our story. Radio Theatre, a new adventure in radio listening. Five nights of exceptional entertainment every week, brought to you in Elliott Lewis' production of The Sears Radio Theatre. Our story, First Star Tonight by Pamela Russell. Our stars, Ann Burr and Ann Gibbon. The Sears Radio Theatre is brought to you by Sears Robot and Company. Sears, where America shops for value.  Sears Dress Department has pin dot dresses in an assortment of nostalgic styles. A scattering of pin dots over trim-wrapped dresses, circle skirts, pleated dresses and more. Find light dots on dark backgrounds, dark dots on light backgrounds in soft polyester. So anyway, you face spring, pin dots win points for sunny dressing. Available in Mrs. Petite and Half Sizes at most larger Sears retail stores. I can't believe they can do it for $19.99. Install the aluminized Sears Muzzler as only $19.99 installed and listen to the Muzzler promise. Sears promises that the Muzzler will last as long as you own your American-made car. Or return it for refund or replacement free. And if Sears installed it, they'll install the new one. Free. Well, you can't beat that. I think that's fantastic. It's a great promise. The Muzzler, just $19.99 installed. Clamps have needed $0.99 each extra. Sizes to fit most American-made cars. Prices may vary in Alaska and Hawaii. At most, Sears Tyron Autos enters. I've been working with furniture for 25 years, so I know about quality. And that's why I recommend a Sears Benchmade Sofa for your family. There's a heavy-duty hardwood frame braced to withstand stress. The coil spring construction gives long-lasting comfort. And you can choose from fabrics and attractive solids or bright prints all treated with Scotch Guard brand fabric protector. Compare the quality of a Sears Benchmade with other fine sofas and you'll be surprised. Styling, durability and comfort. Benchmade, a great place to relax. Now at most Sears retail stores. The big, bright California sun has disappeared, sinking into the vast Pacific Ocean. It's growing dark. But over there, just beyond the building, Marilyn Dowd has entered. A fire burns furiously. You can't go in there. You'll be killed. The whole building's on fire. Oh, I have to go. I have to get to that safe. But those papers are the only proof we have that this is another case of arson to the insurance money. That fire was bought and paid for it. I intend to prove it. You'll have a hard time proving it if you're dead. I have no intention of dying. Do you think you're indestructible? You bet I am. Please don't go in there. I tell you, I have to. I have to get that story. Is that all you care about? What about us? There is no us. There's only you and me, two people who came together for a little while and... And what? And went their separate ways. And right now the way I have to go is into that burning building. Go ahead, then. I won't worry about you anymore. I think you're made of asbestos, Casey Matthews. I know your heart is. Okay, good. Now hold on, Lisa, running. I want a long shot of her against the fire. Good. Good. And cut. We've got it. Hank, you were fine. Just fine. At Lisa, beautiful. Lisa, you were terrific. Oh, sure. I broke this script anyway. I don't believe these lines in asbestos part. Who's the budding genius after your cousin? Maybe your brother-in-law? All right, everybody. Harry will give you the next setup. Lisa, step over here for a moment. Now, Lisa, calm down. You're saying things you don't really mean. Will you stop treating me like an imbecile? I meant exactly what I said. The script is trash. You're just nervous, Lisa. You're always like this the first day of shooting. You're going to love it. Let's wait and see. It'll be one of the best shows we've done yet, I promise you. And I know all about your promises.  I want it rewritten. There simply isn't time, Lisa.  And another thing, you had me much too close to the fire. I was nearly cooked. I think my eyelashes were singed. Well, they're fake anyway. Oh, very funny.  Lisa, what's happened to you? You used to have a great sense of humor. We used to have good times, the best times on this set. Things have changed. Oh, they sure have. Why is that, Lisa?  Does that make everything different? That's right. I am the star of this show, and don't you forget it. Oh, there's not much chance of that. You won't let me or anyone else forget it.  I'm not coming back on this set until there are some changes made. Lisa, wait. For what? I've had about all I can take of these displays of temperament. Oh, have you? Have you really? Well, I've had about all I can take of your arrogance, your lack of talent, and your insensitivity. Lisa, I hate to see you doing this to yourself. Now, please, let's just finish this scene, and then we'll sit down together and talk. You need to talk, don't you, Lisa? Not to you, I don't. I know how you operate. I know all your cheap tricks by now. You'll do anything, promise anything to squeeze one more scene out of me, well, not this time. I won't read another of those lousy, rotten lines, not one more. I don't think you know what you're risking, what you stand to lose, Lisa. Oh, you're the one who's running all the risks, sweetie, not me. This show would get along fine without you. But without me? Without Lisa Chadwick, there's no show. Oh, I'm sure you're right about me, but you're wrong about you. There are hundreds of girls in this town who could replace you tomorrow, and if these outbursts continue and the show keeps running over budget, the company will find one of those girls, Lisa, and you'll be out. Don't you try to threaten me. I'm not threatening you. I'm giving you the facts. Well, let me give you some facts. This show was never out of the top ten last year, and I won the Emmy for Best Actress in the series. I know, Lisa, I was there. Remember, I picked up one of those little statues, too, for Best Director. But that was last year, and now it's this year. It's this week, and you know as well as I do that the network boys are short on memory and even shorter on guts. Low numbers panic them. You might just be setting yourself up as the perfect scapegoat. Maybe they'll decide a new face will attract new viewers. A prettier face, maybe a younger one. There's no limit to how low you'll go to get a show done, is there? Oh, come on. Let's finish the scene, Lisa. This script is junk, and you know it. I'm Lisa Chadwick, and no one, but Lisa Chadwick can play Casey Matthews. To the public, I am Casey Matthews. And maybe to yourself, too. I'm going to my dressing room. Dressing room? You mean that Taj Mahal on wheels that you demanded for yourself this year? That's an interesting choice of words. You know that Taj Mahal is a mausoleum. Yeah, I know. I thought the significance might be lost on you. And that was your subtle way of telling me that I'm killing myself or my career, is that right? Exactly. I forget sometimes how smart you are, Lisa. Be smart now. Don't walk out. I'm not asking for Shakespeare. I'm not even asking for Emmy-winning lines. You just bring me something I won't be ashamed to read. Spring, when a kid's thoughts turn to fancy and a mom's thoughts turn to Winnie the Pooh and Sears. Dressy dresses and vested suits. Soft, easy-care fabrics in lots of spring colors and styles. Kid's size is 3 to 6 X at most Sears retail stores. Sure quality, pure delight from Winnie the Pooh and Sears. Who else? Effective fencing demands style and endurance. That includes fencing around your home. Sears Armadillo chain link fencing has both.  How? For starters, Sears Armadillo Framework has three protective coatings that work together for a lustrous, highly rust resistant frame. The gates even match the fencing design for uniformity. So call your local Sears soon for your free home estimate. Armadillo chain link fencing at most larger Sears retail stores. Oh, here I go again. It's time to rent one of those steam type carpet cleaners. Why rent? Now Sears puts power in the carpet cleaner you can own yourself. The power spray from Sears for easy home carpet cleaning.  You can see the dirt you get out. I didn't even know was there. The power spray carpet cleaner, a convenient carpet cleaner you can own yourself. Available at most Sears retail stores. Ken Moore. Solid as Sears. Is somebody in here? Mr. Calvin? Jane? What's that window doing over there? Hey! What are you doing out there on that ledge? Are they shooting something here tonight? Nobody told me. Somebody should have told me about this. What show are you with? I'm not with any show. Aren't you an actress? Are they shooting in here? Do you see any cameras? No. You mean this is for real? Yes, it's for real. Oh. You mean you're going to... Jump? Yes. Don't come any closer, please. No, no, no. I won't. I won't. How'd you get in here? It wasn't hard. I pretended I was a messenger. It wasn't hard at all. Hey, listen. You seem like a nice kid. I'm sure you got your problems. We all do, but you don't want to do this. Yes, I do. No, no, no. You don't. Come on. Don't come any closer. All right. I won't. Look, we just stay put, okay? I'm serious about this. You don't know anything about it. You don't know anything about me. Would you like to tell me about it? I mean, what's bothering you? You wouldn't understand. No one understands. No one cares. They do. What about your folks? Nobody knows. Nobody cares. But Miss... Don't.  It won't work. I'll jump. I swear I will if you take one more step. Don't you be sneaking up on me. I see you. I know what you're trying to do. All right. Okay. I'm not moving. Don't you move either? What's that fire down there? Is there a building burning? No, no, no. It's not for real. It's a set for a television show. Which one? Casey Matthews. You ever watch it? Yes, I've watched it. I've watched every one. I've never missed. Is Lisa Chadwick down there? Well, sure she is. You a fan of hers? Maybe I am. Boy, I sure am. I think she is terrific. Do you think she's beautiful? I sure do. She must have everything in the world she wants. Well, I guess so. She's a big star. Have you ever spoken to her? Sure. I always say hello to her when I share on the lot. And does she say hello back? Sure she does. And she smiles at me too.  You don't want to jump? Yes, I do. You want to die? You really do? I don't think so. A nice pretty girl like you. You think I'm pretty? Well, sure. As pretty as Lisa Chadwick? Well, sure I do. No, you don't. I'm not as pretty as she is. Nobody is. Well, I don't know about that. Do you think she would talk to me? Lisa Chadwick? Yes. What's she, do you think? Would you talk to her? Yes. I'm just going to step over to the desk now. I'm going to make a phone call. Will you stay put? Yes. Okay. You sit tight. And I'm going to see if I can't locate Miss Chadwick. All right. Miss Chadwick, secretary. This is Miss Chadwick. Oh, I had no idea I was going to get you. I didn't think you'd answer yourself, Miss Chadwick. This is my dressing room. Who's this? Miss Chadwick, I'm sorry. This is the guard from the executive building. I'm Ray Owens. Why are you calling me? Is there some problem? Yes. You see, there's a girl on the ledge outside Mr. Calvin's office. So what? There's a girl on the ledge outside Mr. Calvin's office. And she says she's going to jump. Jump? Yes, Miss Chadwick. Please, will you open this door and let me in? Have you rewritten the script already? Just open the door, please. Go away.  I beg your pardon, Miss Chadwick. Oh, I wasn't speaking to you about Ray. I don't understand why you've called me about this girl. What has she to do with me? She says she'll talk to you. She's a big fan of yours. I think maybe you could get her to come in off the ledge. Oh, I'm sure I couldn't do that. You should call the police. Well, I will, Miss Chadwick, but I really think that you could help her if you just would. Will the police know how to handle this sort of thing, what to do? I don't. Lisa, who are you talking to? Will you stop listening at my door and get away from me? Well, I've made some calls myself. The producer and the head of the studio are both on their way over to talk to you. I'm not talking to them or anyone else. You won't talk to the girl then? What? No, wait. Yes. I'll talk to her if you really think it would help. I think you can save her life, Miss Chadwick. I think that you're everything that she wants to be. God help her then. We'll return after this message from your local station. Here's an important tax tip from the Internal Revenue Service. If you're 65 or older, there are some special tax breaks that you can claim, like a double personal exemption. That's right, an extra $750 for yourself and still another if your spouse also is 65 or older. And there are advantages if you decide to sell your home and move to a smaller place. There's also a tax credit for the elderly. They're all spelled out in one of IRS's free publications, number 554, Tax Benefits for Older Americans. You can get copies by calling the IRS toll-free number listed in your telephone directory, or you can order by mail. There's even an order form just for that purpose in each tax package. Use it to send for the older American publication or any other IRS publication or form you need. Tax Benefits for Older Americans. Get all the details now so you can take advantage of the benefits on your tax return. Everywhere, each of us can do our share. These are joining hands to improve the lives of the world's needy children. Through care, you can provide the families of these children with the means to grow their own food, to build medical facilities, safer water systems and schools. Tomorrow's world is in our hands. Help make it a better place for all the children. Please send your check room money order to Care, Crusade for Children Overseas, box 576, New York 10016. Mark precariously on the window ledge, wavering between life and death. She waits for Lisa Chadwick, her idol. On the movie Backlot, far below her, she watches the fire slowly die out on the set of Lisa Chadwick's television show. Marilyn waits and wonders if her idol can rescue her, if anything can be said or done to save her, to keep her from jumping from the sledge. I called her. I got right through to her directly to her and she's coming. She's coming here to see you, to talk with you. Lisa Chadwick is coming here? She sure is. I don't believe it. Well, she is. She said she would. Will she? Hello? Hello? Is there anyone here? It's her. Yes, Miss Chadwick. Right in here. Fine. Thank you. I told you she'd come. Are you the guard who called me? Yes, ma'am. Ray Owens. Well, is she outside that window? She sure is. Not too close. Either one of you. Not too close. All right, sweetie. I'll just stand here by the window. Is that okay? Yes. Okay.  Oh, sure thing. You bet. I'll be in the outer office if you need me. I called the police and they're on their way. No, that's good. What's good? What are you two whispering about? Nothing. Nothing at all. Ray is going to leave us. Is that all right with you? Yes. I'll be outside. What's your name? Marilyn Dowd. He wanted to talk with me. I thought I did. Now, I'm not so sure. I don't think I really have anything to say. Not to you, not to anybody. Nobody wants to listen to me. Nobody cares. If I didn't want to listen to you, I wouldn't have come. Maybe I can help. What's wrong, Marilyn? It's not that easy, you know. Only on television shows is it that easy. You're right. I thought you'd be taller than you are. I'm only tall on television. How tall are you? Five-five, but I always say five-seven. Why do you lie? Well, it's not exactly lying. It's what people expect. It's what they want to hear. I just give them what they want. That's all. I'm five-seven. What do you do, Marilyn? For a living, I mean. I'm a part-time receptionist with a big insurance company on Wilshire. But I want to be... You want to be what? What difference does it make? I'll never be what I want. Besides, you don't really care. You're just trying to draw me out. I know. Why did you come up here anyway? What's the real reason? You asked for me, and I thought maybe I could help. You want to save my life? Do you think I could do that, Marilyn? It's not worth saving. But it'd look good in the papers if you could do it. Why are you so angry? What's made you so bitter? Life, I guess. It's hopeless. Well, I know it gets pretty bad sometimes. Well, how would you know that? How would you know anything about bad times? Marilyn, I think you have me confused with Casey Matthews. A lot of people do that. She's the indestructible, infallible one, not me. You know, give good ol' Casey 60 minutes, and she'll solve the problems of the world. That's why everybody loves and admires her. But she's just a character on a television show. She's not real, and she's certainly not me.  I don't think I'm doing any good here, Marilyn. I'm sorry you're so troubled. The guards call the police, and maybe they can help you. Wait, don't go. Are the police really coming? Yeah. Are you scared? No, I'm not. I'll be gone by the time they get here. Marilyn, how old are you? 23. 23 years old, and you want to die? What does age have to do with it? Well, it seems to me that when you're that young, you have a lot of time left, time to make mistakes and learn from them. But if you make this mistake, Marilyn, and it is one, there'll be no coming back. You won't learn a thing. You'll just be dead. And that's forever.  Everything I've ever read about you gives your age as 25. Well, I'm not 25. I'm 33 years old. Another lie. Why? 33 is not old? No, but it's not young anymore, either. Occupational hazard, part of being an actress. Kind of actress I am, anyway. What do you mean? Oh, Casey Matthews will be eternally 25. It's the perfect age. Why don't you give it a chance, Marilyn? Give yourself a chance to be 25. What did you mean about being the kind of actress you are? Uh, I meant that I won't age well. I'm not Catherine Hepburn or Ingrid Bergman playing Casey Matthews. That's been my peak. But you've done other parts. Do you remember any of them? I remember all of them. Especially Mavis, the blind girl in the pledge. You saw that film? Yes. In fact, I did your footsteps in it. You what? I did your footsteps. A friend of mine, an actor, heard about this job. They needed some people to match footsteps to the film while they ran it on this sound stage and recorded. Of course. It's called Foley. Sometimes when they're shooting the background noises cover all the little sounds like footsteps and they add those sounds to the track later on. Yes, Foley. That's the word they used for it. My actor friend and I did the footsteps for the pledge. We worked for three days on it. I did all of yours. For three straight days, hour after hour, I watched every move you made. It was a small screen, a black and white print, and there was no sound, of course. There was just the silent picture up there. I thought you were wonderful. It wasn't bad. I really wasn't, but nobody saw it. I saw it. But then I guess I'm nobody. I didn't mean that, Marilyn. But it's true. I'm nothing, nobody. Marilyn, do you want to be an actress? I wanted to be an actress. How long have you wanted it?  It began with my mother. Look who she named me for, Marilyn Monroe. Looks like that's really going to be appropriate now.  At least Marilyn Monroe got to be a star before she died.  I think it's what kept her living as long as she did. Have you ever acted, Marilyn? Have you had any parts at all? Just one. I didn't have any lines. It was in that Folly's movie they did last year. They ran an ad and all the papers for girls. They needed lots and lots of girls. I was at the studio at five o'clock in the morning, and there were still twenty girls ahead of me in line. By noon, when they finally began to see us, there were nearly a thousand. It caused a traffic jam. All those girls in leotards and bikinis, sat in hot pants, evening dresses, everything imaginable. We had to go up on the stage in groups of five and walk past the director and the producers and whoever else happened to be standing there. They judged us, talked about us. They didn't even bother to whisper or lower their voices, even a little. One girl actually wore an old Folly's costume that she'd found somewhere. It was all sequined and bright blue. And she wore an enormous orange feather headdress. They laughed at her when she went up on the stage. They roared in her face. Maybe they thought it was a joke, but it was no joke to her. She believed in them and in herself. She truly thought they were going to choose her, that she was going to be in their movie. And they laughed at her. They not only rejected her, they destroyed her. She ran out in hysterics. Nobody went after her. They just laughed harder. They picked me out of all those girls and I was flattered that they did. I worked for those cruel, awful people. That's how badly I wanted to be an actress. In that movie, I was on the screen for maybe two seconds. No one, not even me, could see me. But I can still see that girl running, crying in her blue and orange costume. I can still see her. I just wonder where she ran. We all let her run.  To what, I wonder? What did we believe those people on that stage could give us? What were all of us so desperate to get from them? A chance, a break. The break.  That's what this town is all about. I guess you'd know that better than just about anybody else. That's right. I would. I used to go on those cattle calls, Marilyn. They're very quaint, cruel custom here. I probably went on a hundred of them, maybe more. I kept on going back, though, when I got the part, and when I didn't, it made no difference. I kept on going because I really wanted it. I wanted it more than anything. And you think I didn't?  Dying doesn't prove a thing.  Do you have the guts to go for it and not quit until you get it? Like you, you mean. Oh, God, no, not like me. I'm not holding myself up as any shining example. What I wish is that you'd climb in off that ledge and go home. That's what I think you really want to do, Marilyn. Well, you're wrong. Do you know what I have to go home to? No. A single apartment, a Murphy bed that comes out of the wall, a company, the man across the courtyard, who, when he hears me coming up the walk, opens his curtains and stands there at the window in his underwear. That's home. What about your real home? Where you come from? Mom is dead. My father still lives on the ranch. A little place outside a little town in Oklahoma. Dad and I never talked, never. He worked hard all day. He ate a supper at night, and he went to bed. Mom and I were the pair, always scheming and planning. Mom had enough hope and courage for both of us. She should have been the one who had the chance, not me. She could have done it, but she never had any luck except bad. She died when she was 45 years old, and she looks 60. Marilyn, it's not easy, and it's not fair, but that's the way it is. But they said it would be different. They promised. Who promised? Everyone. When I was a kid, the movies and television said life was beautiful. In school, they told us, if you wanted something badly enough and you worked hard for it, you got it. Mom said so too. They all lied. It's not true. Life isn't like that. I'm so tired of trying and never having it turn out right. I am so tired I want to die. You need to rest, Marilyn. You need help. And you need not to be alone. Most of all, you need to believe that you don't want to die. I don't? No. Come on. Won't you take my hand? Won't you come in, Marilyn? Maybe. Maybe I could.  I couldn't believe when they told me my good little Samaritan. Who is he? Is he a police? For God's sake, get out of here. Don't let him come near me. I don't want him. I don't want anyone near me. Get away from me or I'll jump. I'll jump right now. Everyone get away from me. Marilyn, it's all right. It's all right. No, leave me alone. You brought him here. You called him to come and take me away. No, I didn't. I swear I didn't. I didn't, Marilyn. You're lying. You've been lying to me all along. No, Marilyn, that's not true. Please listen to me. Don't come any closer. Don't you come near me. I want to die.  I'm going to jump. To look the height of fashion wherever I go requires many coats. But for home, I need only one coat fashion surrounding me. Here's best easy living interior paint. One coat of easy living on the walls and every room looks stunning while I entertain or just relax. Choose from 25 decorator colors in easy living latex flat and semi-gloss plus bright white ceiling paint for your home. Because with Sears easy living paint, it's one coat when used as directed at most Sears retail stores. Tell us the one about Robux jeans, old-timer. You mean genuine Robux jeans from Sears? Shacks. The Western way of life begins in a pair of authentic Western Robux jeans. Made out of hard-working denim? Roping calves? Rasslet's tears? Why, that's the kind of action heavy-weight Robux was made for. Hey, how about looks?  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Now, do you see what you've done? She nearly jumped because of you. Look, the police are right outside, Lisa. They know how to handle people who crawl out on window edges. Let them do their job and you come back to the set and do yours. I don't believe you.  Did you see that girl out there? I saw her, Lisa, and I know what you're using her in this situation for. What do you mean by that? I mean this is a great excuse for you not to return to the set with me. That's your reason for being here. We're losing thousands of dollars an hour down there. I'm warning you to come back with me right now or you may not have a job tomorrow. A job? That's right, Lisa. You can go from an Emmy-winning television star to just one more actress on the unemployment line and it's a very short step shorter than you might imagine. Get out of here. I have nothing to say to you. I've got to go and talk to that girl. I don't want to leave her alone.  Get out. All right. Have it your way. Marilyn? Marilyn? What? He's gone. He wasn't the police. That's my director. I heard. Well, I'm sorry. He burst in like that. Would it be all right if I came a little closer now? I'll sit here on the windowsill. No further. Don't come out on the ledge. I heard everything. I think your director's right about you. You're here for selfish reasons.  You wouldn't care if I jumped right now. Yes, I would. I'd care very much. Why? Because I don't think you really want to do this. I think you're troubled and unhappy and very tired. But all that can be changed. The only thing that's totally irreversible is what you want to do. Death is the most final thing there is. What did your director mean when he said you were a fine one to try and talk someone out of killing themselves? Do you really want to know? Yes. He was referring to a drug overdose that I took a few months ago. You? Yes, me. They kept it out of the papers and everyone pretended that it was accidental that I'd been working too hard, that I didn't realize how many sleeping pills I'd taken. None of that was true. Would you want to die? You have everything in the whole world that you want. Do you really believe that? Yes. You're wrong. You couldn't be more wrong, Marilyn. You talked about your apartment, you had a pretty grim picture. But I'll tell you something, my big beautiful redwood and glass house that I had built just for me right on the ocean gets just as empty. Loneliness doesn't make architectural distinctions. How can you say you're lonely? You're in all the magazines, all the time with the menu date. You're always laughing or dancing or something. I go out mostly just so those pictures can be taken. Do you think I have a relationship with any of those men? I don't. We just look well together. We don't talk. We're too busy posing, being seen, projecting an image. It's all images. I go home alone, Marilyn, just like you do. And I'm more tired than you are physically and every other way. Do you know what a Grind to Weekly Television series is? No, I have no idea. But there are millions of people who'd love to have that grind. Some poor guy on an assembly line in a factory works just as hard for a fraction of the money, you know. Well, maybe you're right. But I'll tell you what one of my days consists of. I'm up at five to be at the studio by six. I'm in make-up for over an hour, and it's nothing for a day's shooting to run ten hours. If I'm lucky, I'm home by seven or eight o'clock. I grab a bite to eat, and by nine I'm in bed with my script, studying my lines for the next day. And the next day is the same, and the next, and the next, and the next. The guy on the assembly line doesn't deal with the insecurity, the fears, the intrigue, the back-stabbing envy that I do. Do you still want to be me, Marilyn? I never said I wanted to be you. Didn't you? No, I didn't. All right, maybe you didn't say it, but it is what you want, isn't it? Isn't that what this is all about?  You keep saying that. So do it. What? Do it, Marilyn. Go ahead. Jump. I can't. Then come in off the ledge. I can't do that either. I can't do anything. I can't move. I can't jump. I can't die. I can't come in. I can't live. Yes, you can. You can live. You can, Marilyn. And I want you to.  I don't want to rescue you. Maybe I came up here thinking that I did. Maybe I came up here with my ego in mind, but not now.  You must believe it's worth saving. It is. It is. I believe that. I'll tell you something. I'd change places with you in a moment. You want to know why? Why? Because everything's ahead of you, Marilyn. You have it all to look forward to. The climb is the best part. When you get to the top, the view, the attainment, it's only exhilarating for a moment. You look around and you say, now what? And then you know the best part's over. The best part was the climb up. Miss Chadwick? Yes? Could you come out here for a moment, please? Oh, yeah, all right. Marilyn. Go, go on. All right, I'll be back. Okay. What is it? What do you want? I'm Officer Higgins. The guard here's told us how long you've been with the girl. We appreciate what you're trying to do, Miss Chadwick, but maybe you'd better let us take over now. No. Really, Miss? I think it'd be better this way. Please, Officer, I promised her that I'd be back. Please, just give me a few more minutes. A few more, and then you can go in. All right, Miss Chadwick. Five minutes okay? Yeah, thank you. Marilyn, you came in. Yes. Oh, I'm so glad. Are you really? Of course I am. It's so strange. Suddenly I knew I wasn't going to jump. I was out there, and I looked up at the sky. I started to make a wish on the first star I saw. What did you wish for? If I told you it wouldn't come true. It's enough for me that I'm wishing again. Are the police in that room? Yes. Yeah, they wanted to speak to you, and I talked them into five more minutes with you. Did you think five minutes was going to do it? Well, it was all they'd give me. May I ask you something? Yes. Did you come to this town from as far away as I did? Geographically, much further than a jersey. But that's not the kind of distance you're talking about, is it? No, not really. What you want to know is if I was any better prepared for this place when I first came here than you were. Yes, that's it. No, I wasn't. I had no more talent or beauty than you or a thousand other girls. Then why? Why did you succeed and so many others fail?  You got what you wanted. I guess I did at that, but there's just one thing, Marilyn. You can't depend on desires. They change. What do you mean? Ten years ago, I wanted to be a star. And now you are one. But I don't like who I've become. I'm not even sure I know who I've become. Do you think you might really lose your show like your director said? Maybe. You don't sound like you care. Oh, I care. Well, you shouldn't. What? You shouldn't care. You're much better than that show. You're better than Casey Matthews. I told you, I'll never forget your performance in the pledge. You were wonderful. You should do more things like that. You think so, Marilyn? I do.  It's all right, Officer. Marilyn's come in. Now she's just trying to talk me off the ledge. Aren't you, Marilyn? I'm just telling you what you told me. You're worth more than you think. What's going to happen to me now? Well, they'll probably put you in a hospital for observation for 72 hours. And then... I'm on my own again. And you can handle it? I think so. Thank you, Lisa Chadwick. You should thank that star you were wishing on. I am. You really did it yourself, you know? Yes, I did. But I needed you. I guess needing someone is part of knowing who you are and what you're worth. If I really were Casey Matthews, I'd be able to tie all this up in a lot neater package. But since I'm not on a say, I needed you too. Thank you, Marilyn Dowd. Bringing those good times all look the same. You've got to have good feelings. You've got to trust the name. You know our reputation. Remember what... The waist on these jeans fit fine, but the hips are too tight. My hips look sleek in these jeans, but I'm swimming in the waist. We need jeans that fit at the waist and hips. We need jeans that fit from Sears. For every size waist in jeans that fit, there are three hip sizes to choose from and two lengths. Tapered, contoured, fitting as if they were tailor made. Whether a little skinny, a bit hippie, or in between, it's jeans that fit from the fashion place at most larger Sears retail stores. Join millions of Americans and shop the easy way with a Sears credit card. All you do to apply is call toll-free 805-260444. It's your entry to shopping convenience and quality merchandise. Your card will be accepted at over 3,600 Sears stores across the nation. And you can choose from over 100,000 Sears products and services. Even use it for your catalog orders. In the store or over the phone, just say charge it. Call 805-260444. New Jersey residents call<PHONE_NUMBER> for your Sears credit card. It has been brought to you by Sears Robuck & Company, where our policy is satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Sears, where America shops for value. First Star Tonight was written by Pamela Russell. Produced and directed by Fletcher Martin. Your hostess was Cicely Tyson. Our stars were Ann Burr and Ann Gibbon. Also heard were Jack Carroll, Dawes Butler, Vic Perron, and Shepard Menken. The music for Sears Radio Theater was composed and conducted by Nelson Riddle. Art Gilmore speaking. The Elliott Lewis production of Sears Radio Theater is a presentation of CDI. I'm giving it up. Giving up what? Smoking. Congratulations. I'm doing it for you and the kids. For me and the kids, but we don't smoke. You're wrong. I saw this Lung Association message. You know what?  Whatever are you talking about? I'm talking about secondhand smoking. The Lung Association says I'm doing myself in, as if I didn't know, but my smoke is trouble for everybody in my neighborhood. Do you realize every puff I smoke, I'm puffing out a smoke screen of carbon monoxide, nicotine, benzopyrine, to say nothing of hydrocarbons. You sound positively poisonous. I feel poisonous. I'm quitting. For me, darling. Yes, and for me, darling, I want to be loved. The Lung Association says the smoker who quits, quits for more than one person. He's clearing the air for everybody. You might say it's a matter of love and breath. New York Yankees. I'm proud to be a member of a great team and I'm equally proud of my family, storming my wife and our two children. They're both healthy, normal kids, but you know there are some children in this world, in your neighborhood, who are not so lucky. They were born with handicaps, injured in accidents or disabled by illness.  The Easter Seals Society is preparing both children and adults for tomorrow. Rehabilitating them, giving them a chance to become self-respecting citizens. That's why I support the work of Easter Seals, as a member of the National Easter Seals Sports Council. We hope you support your local Easter Seals program. It's a great way to help handicapped people. Richard Whitmark as your host. Let's listen. Where are those breezes coming from? Here. Feel the opening in the basket side, like a screen window. Hey! The other balloons are traveling that way. We're too high. How can we be off course so fast? Chad, we're heading for the mountains. So be sure and tune in tomorrow to the Sears Radio Theater.


My name is CJ Piper, and I'm from Tri-Cities, Washington. And before coming to Good News Church, I had no previous religious views or any such that. Like that, I never went to church. I never had any urge to go to church. My life was surrounded by music and baseball, and that's pretty much how I live my life 24-7. And since then, I have come to the Good News Church and definitely changed my lifestyle, how I live life. And I was invited to Hungry Generation by Alexandra. And since then, the first night, it totally changed my whole mind about religion, and it changed the way that I look at life. And then the second time or the second night that I came to Hungry Generation, I was touched and I gave my life that night. And ever since then, I knew that I needed to get baptized, and ever since then, I have changed my life for living for Christ. And by getting baptized, I wanna publicly declare that I am getting rid of the old and bringing in the new, and I wanna live my life for Christ. As a follower of Christ, my goals are to live in his word and study his word and just totally surround my life with Christ and live for him. And I plan to live my life by bringing people to this church and bringing people to Christ as I was brought to Christ and being able to help as many people as I possibly can in that way. We are going to just commission him, and we usually have baptisms a little bit later, but he really wanted to. He's like, before I go to school, I wanna get baptized and stuff. And so we're just like, hey, why not and stuff? And so we're also, his mom is here, Michelle. And so we'll give her a round of applause. We welcome her. Thank you. And some of his friends and so everybody who's watching. And this is just a public declaration of our inner decision to follow Jesus. Amen. And so it's not a church membership. It's adjoining yourself to the body of Jesus to the believers. And so we usually have just few questions before we baptize our wonderful people. And so, CJ, could you tell us, do you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? I do. And CJ, do you promise to follow him all the days of your life? I do. Based on that confession, we will baptize you in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Spirit.


The next item of business is a statement by Shona Robison on tackling child poverty delivery plan 2022-26. The cabinet secretary's statement will be followed by a debate, and so there should be no interventions or interruptions during the statement. I call on Shona Robison up to 15 minutes, cabinet secretary. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. The best start and a bright future is what this Government wants for all children. We want them to thrive, to realise their potential and for Scotland to be the best place for them to grow up. For that to happen, we need to tackle the inequality and poverty that can too often blunt that potential. There is no silver bullet to tackle child poverty if there was, and we would not be faced with the reality of one in four children living in poverty in Scotland today. It is also something that no one actor can solve on their own. A national mission to tackle child poverty is just that—a national collective effort across society to deliver a bright future for our future generations. The second tackling child poverty delivery plan is a plan to drive that effort and enable it to happen. Its actions recognise the contribution that all parts of society must make for all of Scotland. It is a road map towards delivering the ambitious statutory targets to significantly reduce child poverty by 2030, as laid out in the 2017 child poverty act unanimously passed by this Parliament. When we published our first delivery plan in 2018, no one could have predicted the intervening four years, a global pandemic, a cost of living crisis, the uncertainty and instability of Brexit, and now the illegal invasion of Ukraine, which has brought horror to a nation and a humanitarian crisis to the world. We have also seen the UK Government's removal of the £20 uplift to universal credit, taking £1,000 a year out of the pockets of low-income households and the on-going impact of welfare cuts, including the benefit cap and two-child limit. There remains a very significant risk to the delivery of our ambitions given in this context, particularly within a fixed budget and devolved powers, and the scale of those challenges have only increased. Analysis that has been done by a number of organisations following the Chancellor's spring statement shows that, as the First Minister said earlier, there is no doubt that it was a missed opportunity to give families the immediate support that they need in the face of a cost of living crisis. The Resolution Foundation predicts that, across the UK, a further 1.3 million people are set to fall into absolute poverty in the next year, including 500,000 children, and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation that the Chancellor's lack of action means that he has cut the incomes of the poorest by £446. There is no doubt that the Chancellor could and should have done so much more to support those who have been hit the hardest. However, since 2018, we in this Government have made a real difference to families and laid strong foundations to deliver in the future. That includes through our new social security system, our massive expansion of funded early years learning and childcare, and through our devolved employability services. Across the first three years 2018-21 of every child, every chance, our first tackling child poverty delivery plan, we invested almost £5.9 billion in support for low-income households, of which almost £2.18 billion is estimated to have directly benefited children. Despite that investment, we know more is needed. To tackle the cost of living crisis, we have already announced an additional package of measures, including the £150 payable to households. That is in addition to our continued investment of over £120 million for our Scottish welfare fund and discretionary housing payments. We are urgently considering how best to allocate the consequentials flowing from the announced increase to the household support fund. We only found out about this funding yesterday and, of course, we will need to know the details before making decisions. Subject to Parliament approval, we will also increase the value of eight Scottish social security benefits, including our best start grants by 6 per cent from April. That rise will ensure that those payments keep their real terms of value for families in the year ahead. In that plan, our Government will go further in its support in order to provide the support that families need now and to drive progress towards the interim targets set. We will double the game-changing Scottish child payment to £20 in just over a week and extend the payment to children under £16 by the end of this year. However, I am pleased to announce that we will go further still and we will increase its value again to £25 per week per child by the end of 2022. That is five times higher than the £5 payment that we were being asked to introduce less than five years ago. Over 400,000 children will be eligible, with the payment expected to lift 50,000 children out of poverty in 2023-24. That is backed by investment of £225 million in 2022-23, rising to £445 million in 2023-24. As a result of that increase, by the end of 2022, our package of five family benefits for low-income families will be worth over £10,000 by the time a family's first child turns six and £9,700 for second and subsequent children. That compares to under £1,800 for an eligible family's first child in England and Wales and under £1,300 for second and subsequent children. That is a difference of more than £8,200 for every eligible child born in Scotland, highlighting the unparalleled support offered by this Government to support children across the early years. I can also announce that we will take immediate steps to mitigate the UK Government's benefit cap as fully as we can within the scope of devolved powers, backed up by £10 million each year. That will help to support thousands of the lowest-income families, including lone-parent families, who are disproportionately impacted by the cap. The delivery plan has been enhanced and supported by working in partnership with the Scottish Green Group. That particular action is a clear example of that and highlights the commitment in the Bute House agreement to work together to tackle inequality and poverty. The Poverty and Inequality Commission advised that further investment through social security is needed to meet the interim targets. I have already set out the measures that we will take. The commission has also been clear of the need to increase incomes from work and earnings and to reduce household costs, and that is what we will do. Therefore, I am also pleased to say that we will significantly strengthen our employment services to support parents to enter, sustain and progress in work. Our ambition is to support up to 12,000 parents to enter and sustain employment as a result of action taken over the life of the plan. That will be backed by up to £81 million in 2022-23 alone and will include additional investment for our no-one-left-behind approach with local government, which is one of our key partners of delivery of the plan. That will focus on providing holistic key workers' support to our six priority families, access to training and skills and will enable local employability partnerships to create supported labour market opportunities. We will also deliver a new challenge fund, backed up by £2 million in 2022-23, to test innovative approaches to support parents from priority families into work. We will deliver a brand new £15 million parental transition fund with our local government partners to tackle the financial barriers that parents face in entering the labour market. Families will be further supported by enhancement of our childcare offers and even greater action to tackle the digital divide in Scotland. To support the economic transformation needed, we will develop a shared vision for tackling child poverty in partnership with business and employers and will continue to drive progress on our commitment to be a fair work nation. That plan also sets out steps to ensure that families are able to access an holistic package of support and entitlements when they need it. That includes investing £50 million of the whole family wellbeing fund in 2022-23, improving access to mental health services by investing £36 million over two years and investing £10 million to increase access to holistic advice services in the current parliamentary term. Of course, we will also place the prioritisation of tackling child poverty at the heart of the affordable housing supply programme, continuing to invest in order to deliver 110,000 more affordable energy-efficient homes by 2032, and we will continue our work to tackle homelessness. We will also tackle fuel poverty for families by doubling our investment for Home Energy Scotland loans and grants scheme up to £42 million in 2022-23. To enable us to break the cycle of poverty once and for all, we will also take actions to support the next generation to thrive. That includes through the continued investment in the Scottish attainment challenge, a young person's guarantee, and enhancing the total student support package over the next three years. That gives a flavour of the significant and transformational actions that the Government will take forward through our delivery plan to give every child the best start and a bright future in Scotland. Our ambition, our intention and our policies will help us to achieve our ambitions for Scotland's children and families, but we have to work differently to improve the outcomes from our investment and make the impact needed. That will not happen overnight. It is about delivering whole system change that is focused on providing integrated services and opportunities for families, helping them to flourish. It is the national mission that we talk about. It is for all of society to take that forward. Our partners have expressed their commitment to this ambitious work, and we will seek to identify a small number of early adopters in the first year of the plan, supporting this phased approach with up to £5 million from our tackling child poverty fund, which will enable robust evaluation and learning to support this approach to scale over the life of the plan. We will also scale up our investment in innovative approaches, building on the learning of our social innovation partnership in order to test and accelerate approaches that bring together the support that families need to thrive. Presiding Officer, in terms of reaching the interim targets, economic modelling cannot precisely account for what may happen, particularly in the context of the cost of living crisis, inflation rises and increasing international instability. However, current modelling, which we have published in full, projects that, by 2023, the actions that we have taken to date, together with those set out in this plan, could help to deliver the lowest levels of child poverty in Scotland in the last 30 years and keep around 90,000 children out of poverty. Using current projections, we anticipate that, in 2023, over 60,000 fewer children will live in relative poverty compared to when the act was passed in 2017, with 17 per cent of children projected to live in relative poverty. We also anticipate that over 50,000 fewer children will live in absolute poverty compared to 2017, with 16 per cent of children projected to live in absolute poverty in 2023. I will be clear that we will not know for certain until data is available in 2025 whether we have met the targets. However, the Government will continue to consider further actions that are required over the lifetime of the plan to achieve the targets, the support families and to break the cycle of poverty. That is why we have prioritised the additional investment of more than £100 million in 2023-24 to provide immediate support to families and to drive forward the wider changes that are needed to address all three drivers of poverty reduction. In conclusion, we want to ensure that everyone in Scotland has enough money to live with dignity. That is why we have committed to begin work to deliver a minimum income guarantee for Scotland over the longer term. We cannot accept the future where families have to choose between heating and eating and where children are unable to access the essentials that they need to thrive. As a Parliament, we unanimously rejected this future in 2017 when we set our child poverty targets in statute, and we must reject it now. We have already made such a difference together, and we must continue to do that. That is a plan for Scotland, and we must all work together to deliver on the national mission to end child poverty. The actions that I have set out today paved the way to 2030, putting the target set within our grasp. Our delivery plan establishes the action needed to deliver the best start and a bright future for families and children across Scotland, and I commend the plan to Parliament. Thank you.


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