195: To remember summer

a close up photo of grass and clover

Episode 195, To remember summer. Not the first summer on a calendar, but the first summer in feeling. The one that seemed to stretch on forever. The one that felt full of joy, play, and discovery. Maybe it was real. Maybe it’s just a mix of memories, TV shows, and time.

The clatter and rush of a roller coaster, the soft conversation of the crowd, the sounds and thrill of being a kid again. The guitar drifts in and out, soft and slow, sometimes bright, sometimes hazy. The comfort of sunglasses. Glowing.

No ending, no big moment. Just the warmth of the sun.

The episode features a binaural field recording of Santa Monica Pier, recorded in 2018, and processed guitar.

194: From

It starts with just a few notes, a hum of a choir—soft, hesitant—and moves gently, the wind blowing in the distance, low, dark waves of sound roll through, like deep ocean currents under the surface. The calm is broken, light tapping, distant and unclear. Ocean waves roll in and out, soft and steady in the background, mixing with the low hum of a worn-out machine. Voices! The crowd erupts with joy! Neon buzzes faintly in the dark, footsteps, around the corner. stopGOstop is proud to present episode 194 of the podcast, From.

192: Motion, moving and no one owns it

It starts with a spark.

A small thing, barely there. Just a flicker of heat, of energy, but it’s enough. Enough to ignite the mix of air and fuel waiting in the chamber. Enough to turn that tiny explosion into movement. Moving, moving, always moving, progress has a price.

stopGOstop presents The Ones That Pay, a monologue series delving into labor, industry, and history. A mechanic contemplates machines (Ep. 192), a bank teller follows the journey of money (Ep. 191), a bartender observes the night unfold (Ep. 190), a waitress moves through her routine (Ep. 189), and a driver drifts along endless highways (Ep. 188)—each navigating the rhythms of work, motion, and time.

191: The quarter still spins

The work moves through my hands, at the end of the day they are empty. Who leaves here feeling insecure, the push and pull of deposits and debts, paycheck by paycheck, the machine hums, a life behind glass, counting, always counting.

stopGOstop present The Ones That Pay, a series of monologues exploring labor, industry, and history. A mechanic reflects on machines (ep. 192), a bank teller traces the life of money(ep. 191), a bartender watches the night unfold (ep 190), a waitress moves through routine(ep 189), and a driver drifts through highways (ep. 188)—each navigating the rhythms of work, motion, and time.

190: Sitting with someone

When your past is too painful, you do what you can to carry it without letting it drown you. A life behind the counter, a life full of listening to others.

stopGOstop present The Ones That Pay, a series of monologues exploring labor, industry, and history. A mechanic reflects on machines (ep. 192), a bank teller traces the life of money(ep. 191), a bartender watches the night unfold (ep 190), a waitress moves through routine(ep 189), and a driver drifts through highways (ep. 188)—each navigating the rhythms of work, motion, and time.

189: I used to walk faster

You pour a cup of coffee, you hand it to them and then its there’s. The neon hums, the coffee drips, a women turns a sugar packet in her hands. On a piece of paper in a court house somewhere the world shifts. You can’t just ignore things forever, but isn’t that what we do.

stopGOstop present The Ones That Pay, a series of monologues exploring labor, industry, and history. A mechanic reflects on machines (ep. 192), a bank teller traces the life of money(ep. 191), a bartender watches the night unfold (ep 190), a waitress moves through routine(ep 189), and a driver drifts through highways (ep. 188)—each navigating the rhythms of work, motion, and time.

188: I remember the line.

A voice in the dark, a man on a drive, the static of the radio… a diner at the edge of a highway, a cup of coffee. Driving, driving, always driving. When the moment becomes just another memory. The road hums.

stopGOstop present The Ones That Pay, a series of monologues exploring labor, industry, and history. A mechanic reflects on machines (ep. 192), a bank teller traces the life of money(ep. 191), a bartender watches the night unfold (ep 190), a waitress moves through routine(ep 189), and a driver drifts through highways (ep. 188)—each navigating the rhythms of work, motion, and time.