Rumble Strip

This is a show about a game my son used to love that I never understood. It's called Magic: The Gathering, and it’s a card game that's sort of a cross between Dungeons and Dragons and chess. It involves spells and enchantments and creatures and math and strategy. The game was born in 1993, and millions of people play it around the world, and even though I don't understand the game, I appreciate that it happens between real people, in person.
I used to take my son Henry to Friday night games in Montpelier, Vermont. One night I took my recorder and talked with some of the players.

Happy birthday Henry.

Rob Mermin and Bill Morancy lived in neighboring apartments in Montpelier, Vermont. They were best friends. And when Bill was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he asked his best friend to help him die. In 2013, Vermont passed the The Patient Choice and Control at End of Life Act, or Act 39…our version of Death with Dignity. The legislation allows eligible Vermonters with terminal diseases the option to be prescribed medication that will hasten the end of their life. In 2015, Bill elected to use Act 39 to end his life, and he asked Rob to help him.
This is a story primarily about their friendship--and the months, days and moments leading up to Bill's death.

To learn more about Rob Mermin and his illustrious career as a mime and the founder of Circus Smirkus, visit HERE.
The music for this show was made by Vermont musicians Brian Clark and Mike Donofrio. And you heard from the original film soundtracks of South Pacific and Carousel, both by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The piano licks in this show were made by Charlie Lander and Vermont pianist Marie Helene Belanger

This is the third episode in a periodic series called Life of Kaye, which is about the life of Kaye, but also about what life mostly sounds like and feels like, day after day after day. This episode is called Summertime and dead batteries.
Credits
This show is recorded by Kaye Phipps, and edited by me, Erica Heilman. Thanks very much to Chelsea Edgar and Amelia Meath for their enormous support on this show.

Credits: 

"Places Go" was produced by Chris Attaway and Cristal Duhaime. The story editor was Mira Burt-Wintonick. The piece originally aired on CBC's Love Me. 

More episodes of Love Me are available everywhere you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/LMxRS

A few days ago we lost a power ballad hero. Bonnie Tyler is gone. She wrote my favorite song, Total Eclipse of the Heart. Years ago I forced people to listen to me sing this song and then I made a show about it and forced MORE people to listen to me sing it, and talk about turning fifty. So I'm playing it again in honor of Bonnie Tyler.