This is a special episode commissioned by Aspen Ideas: Health and originally performed at the 2026 festival in Aspen, Colorado.

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

Music

• The Barr Brothers play Static Orphans

This episode was originally released in 2016 in the days after the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. It is re-released every year on the anniversary of the incident.

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

Music

• The Barr Brothers play Static Orphans
• Resavoir plays Facets
• We hear Le mort de l'enfant from Hikaru Hayashi's score to The Naked Island.
• South Seas by David Pike
• Trust in Me from Sould Flutes
• Flowering Jasmine from Gidon Kremer
• Tesko Mi Je Zabrovit Tebe from Branko Mataja.

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

Music

• Two (Duvet and Correspondences) from Laurie Torres' gorgeous album, Après coup.

Notes

• I implore you to get lost in the interactive map at livingnewdeal.org. And then go out in the woods.

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

Music

• The Skydiver from the great Lalo Schiffrin's score to the quite poor, The Mask of Sheba.
• Charlie Megira plays The Girl Who was Frightened of Ashtrays
• Ellen's Image from the great Lalo Schiffrin's score to the quite excellent, The Fox.
• What if... from Keegan Dewitt's score to the quite charming, Heart Beats Loud.

Notes

• There was a very good article in Cabinet Magazine by Christopher Turner about the Switzer Brothers that includes excerpts from an unpublished autobiography from Bob.
• I also really enjoyed this one from Liz Stinson about the science and art of Day Glo.

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

You can hear Rollercoaster and more of Hrishi's music at Hrishikesh.co. Pre-order his new album wherever you do that sort of thing!

Music

• Halcyon and Photosynteses and Embryo by H. Takehashi
• Intro by Library Tapes
• The Florist Wears Knee Breeches by M. Sage

Notes

• I found Andrew Isenberg's book, The Destruction of the Bison, An Environmental History, completely fascinating.
• If you want to do a deep dive on Madison Grant, I'd recommend Defending the Master Race: Conservation, Eugenics, and the Legacy of Madison Grant by John Peter Spiro.
• If you want to do a deep dive on the Catalina Buffalo, this site is a fun place to start.

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

Music

• Drywall from Johann Johannson's score to Sicario.
• Castle Song by Green-House
• Tea by Resevoir
• La Valse du Progres by Delphine Dora
• Arrival by Domenique Dumont
• Sarah in Bath from Kryzystof Komeda's score to Fearless Vampire Killers
• Thread of Light by Golden Retriever
• In Some Spirit World by Geotic

Notes

• This one was pulled together with tiny threads of information, much provided by the NCRA's website itself.
• You can find links to three fascinating (really!) studies on the brains of transcribers here, here, & here.

Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.

The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.

This episode originally dropped in 2018.

• We start with Facing the Obstacles, from Robert Simonson's score to The Final Member.
• Nice Breeze Isn't It? by Simon Rackham
• The Things Left Unsaid, by Caleb Burhans.
• View from a Balcony by Isorinne.
• 1979 by Deru.
• The Julianna Barwick remix of This Will Destroy You's The Puritan.