For just 15 minutes on a glorious spring day in Washington, D.C. — the town that birthed "emocore" three decades ago — National Public Radio became National Puppet Radio. Rarely has a news organization had this much fun.
It was the real-life breakup of band leader Brently Heilborn that led to the formation of the woefully woven band Fragile Rock. But these aren't just any puppets — no. They are emo puppets, armed with drums and guitars and glum tales to tell, with songs like "Wake Up to the Breakup" and "I Am Sad (And So Am I)" that which draw from the spastic boogie of The B-52s and the laments of The Smiths. At one point, you'll see Fragile Rock empty a bag of "bloodied" socks, tossing them into the crowd, before breaking into the song "Socks Are Murder," a playful take on The Smiths' thoughtful "Meat Is Murder."
And in the spirit of the day Fragile Rock managed to crowd surf a puppet bringing giggles to a crowd of reporters, editors and friends, while puppets depicting NPR hosts Susan Stamberg, Michel Martin and Robert Siegel (the latter actually received a playful kiss from none other than Nina Totenberg) — all created by NPR's own puppet master Barry Gordemer — objectively observed.
Fragile Rock's album Wake Up To The Breakup is available now. (iTunes)
Setlist
Musicians
Milo S. (lead vocals, handled by Brently Heilbron); Nic Hole (bass, handled by Megan Thornton); Kyle Danko (guitar, handled by Chadwick Smith); CoCo Bangs (drums; handled by Taylor Love and Luke Wallens); The Cocteau Triplets (back up vocals; handled by Emily Cawood, Kim Stacy, and Bryan Curry); Cindy Ward (bass); Ryan Hill (guitar); Jayme Ramsay (drums)
Credits
Producers: Bob Boilen, Niki Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Assistant Engineer: James Willetts; Videographers: Niki Walker, Tsering Bista, Nick Michael, Morgan Noelle Smith; Animator (Credits): Nicholas Garbaty; PA: Jenna Li; Photo: Liam James Doyle/NPR.
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