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0:00
Hey,
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Prime members. You can listen to this
0:02
job as history early and ad free
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on Amazon Music. Download the
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app today.
0:16
Back
0:17
in the winter of nineteen eighty
0:19
nine, a brave college
0:21
sophomore stepped into a spotlight to
0:24
do a reading of his one man play.
0:26
The protagonist was an unrecycled carton
0:29
of milk yearning for a place to call
0:31
home. And that Parnell of milk
0:34
was me. The response
0:36
was mixed,
0:39
By the second act, the entire audience had
0:41
walked out to the bar across the street where
0:43
my own parents treated everyone two
0:45
shots. Sure. It's done
0:47
a little. But the point is art
0:49
can bring people together, whether to
0:51
celebrate my theatrical debut or
0:54
for shots. Today's guess
0:56
knows all about the power of art, the
0:58
spoken word and building community. So
1:00
gather around folks, we're going to learn about
1:03
factory Lector. Alright.
1:06
I think that sounded pretty good.
1:08
Hey, Chris. You okay?
1:10
That story was pretty brutal.
1:12
I'm good. Can't
1:15
win everyone over. Our our guest will get it.
1:17
He's a performer
1:17
too. But that sounded really personal.
1:20
I mean, the stuff with your parents.
1:22
God. It's fine. It's fine. So what
1:24
if they thought my theater degree was
1:26
impractical and at my aspirations, like
1:28
purpose? I'm I'm at peace with it.
1:31
If you say so?
1:32
Anyway, ready for a great show?
1:34
Yeah. It's gonna be great.
1:35
Thanks, mom. I mean, Linda.
1:38
Thanks, Linda.
1:41
From I'm Chris Parnell, and
1:43
this is This job is history.
1:45
Where each week I interview actual
1:47
people from the actual past who
1:50
worked some of the strangest, most unexpected
1:52
jobs throughout time. From law
1:55
driver to ice cutter, we
1:57
bring the past to life literally.
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On this week's episode, Read
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Hello, and welcome to this job
3:34
is history. Today, we're joined by Carlos
3:36
Falcone, who's coming to us all the way from
3:38
Tampa in the year twenty
3:40
five to talk about his job as a factory
3:43
lecturer. Carlos, welcome.
3:45
And let me say you have a very
3:47
good handshake. Wow. Thank
3:49
you. My grandmother taught me that the
3:51
handshake is the most important part
3:53
of a first impression. Oh, well, I hope
3:55
mine met your grandmother's standards.
3:58
It was a little swipe the bottom very
3:59
other question. You flatter me Carlos?
4:02
And may I say, you really know how
4:04
to pull off a white linen suit? So
4:07
to kick things off, could you tell us in your own
4:09
words? What exactly is a factory
4:11
Lector? Yes, of course. In
4:13
a Spanish, the word Lecture means
4:16
reader. Lector job is to
4:18
read books, new articles, sometimes
4:20
poems, to cigar makers while
4:22
they work. However, smoked a Cuban
4:24
cigar, I'm afraid not.
4:26
I have a condition my doctor calls
4:29
baby lung. It might sound embarrassing,
4:31
but I'm told it's associated with strong
4:33
jaw lines.
4:33
Chris, that doesn't
4:36
sound like a thing. Did you hear that from
4:38
a doctor or did you find
4:40
it online? I hear
4:41
mail, who's soothing and speaking voice,
4:43
so clear, so authoritative. Oh,
4:46
that's my producer, Linda. Linda,
4:48
wonderful name. Did you
4:50
know it means lovely English,
4:52
I do. I was named after my own
4:54
Ooyala. Oh,
4:55
San Yurita. Have you ever smoked
4:57
a cuban cigar?
4:58
No. But my Ooyala did. She said
5:01
they cleared the air of bad spirits. Personally,
5:03
I prefer for breeze. Yes,
5:05
cigars are very versatile, but
5:07
more than that, Cuba cigars are at the
5:09
root of my job. You see, factory
5:12
electronics started back in Cuba
5:14
in eighteen sixty 5. A political
5:16
reformist named Nicolas Ascaráte
5:18
proposed bringing people into Rio to the cigar
5:21
makers. It not only provided relief
5:23
from board on what they worked, it also
5:25
had educational value, the practice
5:27
became so popular that they migrated
5:29
to Florida with the Cuban community.
5:32
Carlos, you're quite the story teller.
5:34
Thank you. Yes. You see,
5:36
my role as is to
5:38
entertain the workers with whatever material
5:40
I read aloud. What what do you
5:42
like to read? What's the what's the shift
5:44
special? My
5:46
favorites are great works of literature from
5:48
the likes of Dostoevsky and Cervantes
5:51
or the Poondos Parnell Neruda,
5:53
and the great Jose Martí. Personally,
5:55
I really love the twilight book series.
5:58
It really reignited my love of reading.
6:00
For me, it's also
6:02
really a joy. Helping people get through
6:04
a long day, sharing my love of
6:06
reading, and captivating an audience.
6:08
Yes. You're there to entertain. Yeah. That's
6:10
what I love to do too. Except no
6:12
one really gets my work. I mean,
6:14
what's so crazy about dreaming big and
6:16
wanting to make people laugh or cry? Especially
6:18
while playing an unrecycled milk garden.
6:20
Chris, Lector not go into that
6:22
now. Focus on your guests. No.
6:24
No. No. It's okay. I
6:25
understand what Chris O'Reilly is coming from.
6:27
A
6:28
wise man once said,
6:30
to
6:30
surrender dreams?
6:32
This may be madness. And
6:34
matters of all, to see life
6:36
as it is and not as
6:38
it should be.
6:39
Carlos, yes, I see a world
6:41
where Imagine if solo character
6:43
work of one hundred twenty plus minutes knowing
6:45
her mission doesn't just have a place. It
6:48
can change people's hearts and lives.
6:49
I'm not
6:50
gonna surrender that dream. It's
6:54
like you've looked directly into my
6:56
soul. Well, not me
6:58
exactly. That's
7:00
a line from Don Quixote, one of
7:02
the greatest works of literature publishing
7:04
sixteen oh five. Some
7:06
say their first not whatever. Oh, right.
7:08
Madalamancha just adored
7:10
that musical. Then you know
7:12
that it's about a whimsical man, who refused
7:14
his to give up his ideas of the world.
7:17
And a Star Wars companion who
7:19
keeps him grounded in reality.
7:21
I love reading a book to my colleagues
7:23
in the factory. He got a lot of laughs.
7:25
Oh, I bet. Fun
7:27
fact, I played one of the windmills in my high
7:29
school production. Carlos,
7:32
did you always wanna be a lecturer? What
7:34
was this the impossible dream you
7:36
dreamed?
7:37
Not exactly, but I always knew I was
7:39
destined to
7:39
do something great. You see my dear
7:41
Josepsion, she has a special
7:43
gift. She can foretell people's destinies.
7:46
And she told me, she saw great things
7:48
in my future. I didn't just like
7:50
that. She always told me, it's okay. There's a
7:52
place for people like you somewhere.
7:54
Yes, exactly. The burning of
7:56
social vision can be overwhelming. She
7:58
left me
7:59
what would be my calling? How
8:02
could I live up to her vision?
8:03
My first thought was Become
8:06
a doctor. Oh, no. That's what my parents
8:08
call a real job. It is a very
8:10
noble profession. But I passed
8:12
out after seeing my colleague
8:13
Nick himself cutting an old, young,
8:15
So clearly not my destiny. We're
8:18
so alike. I am not good with blood
8:20
either. So what happened after that
8:22
didn't work out? I was worried I never
8:24
found a way to live up to the echo septon's vision.
8:26
Then one day, I was walking
8:28
along the Malek home, around the Havana Harbor,
8:30
feeling sorry for myself. And I stopped by
8:32
for a drinking at Tara near the water.
8:35
I made
8:35
a sea captain drinking, three
8:37
drinks seeing he offered me a job on his
8:39
boat, And I thought, this is
8:41
it. This is my greatness to travel the
8:43
world. And within three weeks, I was the first
8:45
mate heading to Miami aboard the
8:47
SS of Angelin. Carlos, he
8:49
became a first mate in
8:51
three weeks, doesn't that usually take
8:53
years? I'm a quick study. I
8:55
can be very charming. So
9:00
There I was taking people
9:02
to one from Havana. I got a
9:04
little seasick, but I figured I'd get over
9:06
it. It was an easy passage. You know, it's
9:08
only ninety miles of the United States.
9:10
No. Wow. That sounds almost
9:12
swimmable. Some Pablo had offered to
9:14
let me take over us captain. He
9:16
was nearly retired, but a captain's
9:18
life was not for me. I I couldn't get over
9:20
the sea sickness. So I
9:22
asked him to drop me off instead. To
9:24
seek my destiny in the exotic foreign
9:26
land of Tampa, Florida. Yes.
9:29
Florida is exotic. You know, I once
9:31
came across this man, at a in
9:33
Jacksonville wearing bedazzled jorts
9:35
and swinging a four foot
9:37
alligator. That is something
9:39
you do not see while vacationing
9:41
and getting me. Yes. III
9:43
know of this Florida man.
9:46
He once came into a provisions to
9:48
try frequent, also with an alligator,
9:50
Wearing trousers. Hey,
9:52
guys. Can we get back
9:54
on topic? Of
9:55
course, Saint Yurida. The thing that surprised
9:57
me the most about Danpart was how
9:59
much it felt like havana.
10:02
You
10:02
see, many of my competitors
10:04
left Cuba for Florida seeking
10:06
economics. A reality, a better future.
10:08
So when I arrived in Tampa, I
10:10
heard the same music from my homeland
10:12
on
10:12
the streets.
10:14
Rumbaros playing wonderful
10:16
Cuban melodies from my youth.
10:18
Sweet mongo and guava in the
10:21
marketplace.
10:21
The smells of coffee
10:23
collection. Oh, I can smell
10:25
it. I really can.
10:26
That's your coffee, Chris. Europe
10:28
smelling your own
10:29
coffee. Oh,
10:30
right. I could go dazing
10:33
Tampa without speaking a word of English. So
10:35
did you take classes or something?
10:37
Oh, no. I had to practice it
10:39
by repeating back what I heard on the
10:41
radio. Like, it's a whole
10:43
run and let's play some
10:45
baseball or all ultra baby
10:47
brews inject sheet testicles extract
10:49
to improve swing. Things of
10:51
that nature.
10:52
Before you ask Chris, the babe
10:54
roofing, it's True. I
10:56
just googled it.
10:57
There really are so many ways
11:00
to learn a language, especially
11:02
with so many American sports scandals
11:04
on the radio. Okay.
11:06
So there you are in Tampa. How'd
11:08
you wind up in a cigar factory reading to
11:10
the workers? Well, I needed
11:12
to find a job fast. Looking
11:15
for me, it was easy to find work in a
11:17
cigar factory. This year,
11:19
nineteen twenty five, Tampa
11:21
produced one hundred million cigars
11:23
We say cigars are to Tampa as steel is to
11:25
Pittsburgh. Let me guess. It's because there's
11:27
a lot of steel in Pittsburgh.
11:29
Yes, Greece,
11:32
very astute.
11:33
So I was hired by Corazon Kowano
11:35
cigars to be a door set owner. That's a
11:37
cigar maker. It is a very precise craft
11:39
and requires enormous training. You
11:41
must learn how to expertly gather the
11:44
tobacco leaves, then tightly shape and
11:46
bind them. It is all by hand and
11:48
and there is an art to it.
11:50
Right. Like when I was studying mine, it
11:52
took me five years to get out of the
11:54
box. Then you Wondery.
11:55
Well, one day, I
11:58
overslept. If you're late, you'll
11:59
be scolded or worse,
12:02
fired. I
12:02
run to work and race to the door
12:04
I knew I needed anything excuse. There was
12:07
no time to sink, so I blurted
12:09
out. I'm sorry I'm late and
12:11
all warming fell into the sea. Oh,
12:14
no. Yes. Everyone around
12:16
me also dressed like a teenage girl.
12:18
They stopped working and gathered around,
12:20
I said, I had to savor
12:22
so I ripped off my clothes and I dove
12:24
straight into the water without fear
12:26
for my own life. More
12:28
gasps and now the crowd grew
12:30
bigger. They were hanging on my everywhere. So
12:32
I went on. I
12:33
pulled the boar booming from the ocean
12:36
depths. Then dove to
12:38
retrieve her handbag and then down
12:40
again to retrieve her locket with
12:42
her dead husband's smiling
12:44
face. By the time I was done and
12:46
out of breath, everyone was
12:48
cheering and clapping.
12:49
Some were wiping tears from their eyes.
12:52
My
12:52
god, I cannot believe that happened
12:55
to you.
12:55
What? No.
12:56
It it wasn't real. It
12:58
was just a story I made up, so so
13:00
I get fired. Oh. Well, you certainly
13:03
had Linda and me fooled. Yep.
13:04
Definitely not fooled. I
13:07
knew Carlos made it up. Many
13:08
of my fellow workers came up to
13:11
congratulate me. Cylinder, they
13:13
believed them? No. Not at
13:15
all. Like I said, it was a ridiculous
13:17
story. My superheroes at Lector factory
13:19
are very intelligent, like your producer,
13:22
Linda. No. They applauded
13:24
me because they were entertained. So
13:26
after that, Sofia, the
13:28
president of the reading committee, appointed
13:30
me the new
13:31
Lector. Oh, just like that.
13:33
Were you the first one in the factory?
13:35
No. At that time, Raul Mendoza
13:37
was Lector though many of the
13:39
compagneros were not found. You see, for
13:41
which Raul refused to read anything
13:43
except the draft of his own novel.
13:46
Wanted the Doris, that's what we call
13:48
the cigar makers to give him notes.
13:50
And we tried to give him constructive
13:52
feedback, but he will get
13:53
defensive. Said we didn't get
13:55
it. Then we
13:56
said, Raul, do you want feedback or
13:58
do you want to be told it's perfect?
13:59
Okay. Well, you know, Carlos is
14:02
where I'm gonna agree to disagree with you.
14:04
I'm not sure. An artist must
14:06
be willing to take feedback, but not
14:07
if it's hurtful. Well, Chris,
14:10
sometimes critical feedback is necessary.
14:12
So you don't, you know, for example,
14:15
humiliate yourself in front of a Broadway
14:17
producer at a party. Howard Bauchner:
14:18
Okay. Well, then maybe some people
14:20
don't appreciate shape that death of a salesman
14:22
would make a perfect big budget
14:24
musical.
14:25
Truthfully, I don't think I would even care about
14:27
being Lector He was determined
14:29
to be Tampa's number one self published
14:31
author. Now, I don't mean
14:33
to brag, but I've had a
14:35
captive audience on the factory floor
14:37
ever since. Well, that's not
14:39
surprising at all, Carlos. Your voice is
14:41
really something else. As a
14:43
matter of fact, do you think you might be
14:45
able to demonstrate a reading for
14:47
us? Nothing would please me more. Do
14:49
you happen to have a classic novel on
14:51
you a Hemingway or Saramantes or
14:54
anything by Tolstoy? So
14:56
we don't really keep novels in the studio
14:58
and I must have forgotten all mine at home. I
15:00
I usually have something lying around, but
15:02
oh, I do have this parking
15:05
ticket. Lector me see that, Chris.
15:07
Yes. Okay. This
15:10
vehicle is illegally
15:12
Parnell.
15:13
It is parked in two
15:15
spaces. Your license
15:17
number has been recorded. Additional
15:20
violations may result in the
15:22
towing of the vehicle. License
15:24
number. 6E7
15:27
Tell me how you can't get that part. Oh
15:30
my god. That was unbelievable. I
15:33
was totally transported. I really
15:35
felt like I had to pay that parking ticket.
15:37
You do have to pay that parking ticket,
15:39
Chris? Yeah. Right.
15:40
Well, that was still a lot of
15:43
fun. So and this is a completely
15:45
separate question. Hypothetically speaking,
15:47
of course, what do you do when
15:49
people are less supportive of the
15:51
work you're doing? How do you mean?
15:53
When you know, like, the the people ever say
15:55
things, like, we wish you weren't doing
15:57
this or get a real job.
15:59
Is
16:00
this about your milk carton
16:02
performance again? Maybe
16:04
a little. When, like, your fair play,
16:07
the
16:07
dosadores don't always like my reading.
16:09
Once I read them a popular novel
16:12
and wasn't much better than a penny
16:14
dreadful, and I had no character
16:16
development whatsoever. And we could
16:18
see the ending coming a mile away. I I
16:20
hardly make it to the second chapter
16:22
before I heard the bang of Chavez. These
16:24
are the knives they used to make the cigars.
16:26
Queen. When they
16:27
don't like a reading, they threaten you with knives.
16:29
Linda, just so you know, I'm
16:31
not okay with knives.
16:33
This isn't website story,
16:35
Chris? No. No. They don't
16:37
threaten me with their Shavetas. They throw them
16:39
on the ground to express their displeasure.
16:41
It's no threat, except to
16:43
my pride. But in
16:45
general, they really support my work.
16:47
I learned that without a doubt only
16:49
last week. I'm sensing a
16:51
story here. There are
16:53
stories everywhere, Chris. Now
16:55
this one just recently happened.
16:58
It was a hot summer day.
17:00
An ocean breeze Wondery defactory
17:03
floor. Oh, wait.
17:03
I'm really sorry to cut you off Carlos,
17:05
but we need to pause for an ad.
17:07
hey,
17:07
Linda. I got an idea. Can
17:10
Carlos toss us to the break? Oh,
17:13
sure.
17:13
Why not? Carlos, are you okay with that?
17:16
At
17:16
your service. Okay.
17:18
Great. Yeah. Just read those bottom
17:20
two lines on Chris' script and feel free
17:22
to make a euro.
17:24
Domas
17:26
and Carreyros will be back
17:28
after the break. Don't go
17:31
away. The voice is
17:33
just magic.
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unpack that movie and discuss. Karammar and
18:59
Chuck cover cult classics on pop
19:01
paranormal, like Candy Man.
19:03
They obviously talk about how the remake compares to
19:05
the original, but also about the show's
19:07
deep themes of inter generational trauma
19:09
and how they filmed that iconic b
19:12
scene. On another episode, they cover
19:15
Halloween, AKA, the franchise that can't
19:17
be killed, along with the host of Hollywood
19:19
paranormal, Tammy Merhab Chavez.
19:21
Tammy also happens to live next to the
19:23
Halloween house itself, which is an old town South
19:26
Pasadena. And then they also cover more
19:28
recent shows that have entered the cannon. Like
19:30
Stranger Things, where the show got
19:32
all its references from, and the
19:34
actual CIA experiment that inspired
19:36
the TV show. Listen to popular normal
19:38
on Apple podcasts, Spotify,
19:40
or wherever you get your podcasts.
19:42
No
19:47
Carlos,
19:49
You
19:51
said you had a story about your work in the cigar factory
19:54
and the support of your colleagues?
19:56
Yes. Allow me to
19:57
transport you to the Corazone
19:59
Kuanozigar five three in
20:02
Tampa. It was another
20:04
humid July morning. The air
20:06
was a thick with smoke all
20:08
the way to the high ceilings.
20:11
The cigar factory bus thing with activity,
20:14
Dolceadores were sitting at their
20:16
workstations, bent over Tabakolives,
20:18
smoking cigars as they rolled new
20:21
ones. Oh, oh,
20:23
my baby longs kicking up, just thinking
20:25
about it. And the
20:27
air was heavy with a smoke.
20:29
I walked to the front of the
20:31
room. Fernando, how's your wife feeling
20:34
today? Well, though she likes to know what
20:36
will become a vena corinna, You
20:38
will have to tell her once we read the
20:40
next chapter today. I
20:45
took my seat at the front of
20:47
the room, up on my riveruna. This
20:49
is a smallest stage where I read
20:51
to the workers. Alright, Camparieros.
20:54
Let's get a start. Everyone tapped
20:57
their Savitas with great
20:59
enthusiasm. Oh, wait wait wait, isn't that what they do with
21:01
their knives when they're mad? No. No. No. Dapping is
21:03
cold. It's when the rabbit
21:04
has dropped to the ground that you're in trouble.
21:06
And you know that sound when you hear it.
21:08
Oh, okay. Got it. So I grab
21:10
a copy of the Tampa Morning preview. Oh,
21:12
wait. Wait. What you're gonna read Anna Korrenna? The
21:14
mornings
21:14
are for newspapers, the afternoons
21:17
for novels. Yeah. Well, that's when I prefer my
21:19
novels too. Isn't that one I always say,
21:21
Linda?
21:21
I've never heard you say that, but
21:23
you do love scrolling through cat memes on
21:25
your phone in
21:26
the morning. Anyway, continue,
21:30
Carlos. I scanned the paper. The reading committee
21:32
asked me to begin with baseball. There's a
21:33
local team named after our industry.
21:36
Item number one. Baseball.
21:39
Yesterday, the Tampa smokers dominated
21:41
the field and in their game with a six
21:43
run victory over their
21:45
rivals. But then,
21:47
suddenly,
21:48
the
21:50
unmistakable sound of a charveta hitting
21:54
the floor Well, that's a bad one. That
21:56
did sound aggressive. I looked up.
21:58
Who would
21:58
be angry at just a few lines
21:59
about sports? And then I saw
22:02
a familiar face glaring
22:04
at me. It
22:05
was loud. What's he doing
22:07
here? I wonder the same thing. He
22:09
rolls off from his seat and approached my dragon
22:11
with a scar.
22:13
Welcome back,
22:15
Raul. Save the pleasantries,
22:18
Carlos. I
22:18
see you've been busy while I've been
22:21
honeymooning with though Nicholas'
22:23
daughter caramela. Their workers
22:25
shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
22:27
They consents the tension between
22:29
us. Denis Colas is
22:30
the owner of the factory. He
22:33
runs his business with an iron fist.
22:36
Felicidais, what an honor to
22:38
be part of the Nicolas family. I
22:41
hope you had time to do edits on your
22:43
novel while you relaxed. Yes.
22:45
I did. The ending is
22:48
much tighter. And now that I am part
22:50
of the Patrond's family, I
22:52
demand to be the new Lector. The
22:54
room broke out in angry murmurs.
22:56
Sophia, the president of the committee,
22:58
stool up. I
22:59
don't care who your
23:02
father-in-law is Raul. Our
23:04
Lecture is Carlos. We
23:05
chose him. We pay him out of
23:07
our own pocket. And I think I speak for
23:09
all of us when I say I still
23:11
don't understand why the villain in your book hated
23:13
carnival
23:13
so much. It came out of
23:16
nowhere. Everyone
23:20
on the factory floor was upset, but
23:22
I held on my hands to quiet them.
23:25
Everyone, please. It's every worker's right
23:27
to be considered for the role. If
23:29
Raul wants his job back then we must
23:32
have. A read off. Carlos
23:35
is right. It's in
23:36
a boy loss.
23:38
The Cometi president went to a pile of
23:40
reading materials stacked in the corner and
23:42
pulled out a large leather bound book.
23:44
Our
23:45
texts for the read off
23:47
will be.
23:48
the cia in el pais the last
23:51
matter of yes
23:53
Alice, in
23:53
Wonderland by
23:54
Lewis Carol. You know,
23:57
I've always identified with Alice and how
23:59
confusing things
23:59
can be. Anyway, great
24:02
book. Yes. It's a lovely
24:03
children's book. The byline
24:05
rule state
24:05
we must hold the book together and
24:07
take turns reading side by side.
24:10
I licked my
24:10
page turning finger and then on
24:12
the president's
24:13
signal, we began.
24:15
Carlos, Raul,
24:18
Begin. Alice asked
24:21
the treasure cat who was sitting in a
24:23
tree, oh, what road do I
24:25
take? I don't
24:25
know. Alice answered. Then
24:28
said the cat.
24:29
It really doesn't matter.
24:31
Does it? We went back and forth each
24:33
of us trying to prove our dominance who
24:35
could bring the story to life? We traded off par
24:37
golf by paragraph. Thanks sentence by
24:39
sentence. Why you're surrounded like a writing
24:41
desk? Whoa. With their heads?
24:44
Then word by word. Well,
24:46
thought Alice told her
24:48
after that.
24:49
Oh, that's this. Oh,
24:51
to some leader, fuck with our
24:54
floor open.
24:56
And out
24:58
came, Tom Nicolas,
25:00
our pat drone, the
25:02
owner of the factory. What is
25:04
this
25:04
nonsense? Why is no
25:07
one working? Your nephew wants
25:09
to be like So
25:11
we had to have a read off. You
25:13
see, as far enough.
25:15
This is not a reading factory. It
25:17
is a cigar factory. These
25:19
foolishness Caesar or Raul, you are
25:22
the new lecturer.
25:23
My heart sunk like
25:25
a stone. That
25:27
I was a
25:28
And then, each
25:31
of it hit the ground, and
25:33
I saw Sophia
25:35
standing on her work table.
25:37
Oh, Lecture. My Lecture. And then
25:39
another shall either.
25:40
And another. My
25:42
fellow cigar makers begun
25:44
climbing on the tables. Oh, laptop.
25:46
My laptop. Oh, laptop.
25:48
My laptop. Oh,
25:49
laptop. My laptop. I
25:53
realize refusing to accept
25:55
this injustice. It's like the dead
25:57
power society with with a young Ethan Hawk.
26:00
No. You are mistaken. It's a reference
26:03
to a poem by what Whitman or Captain
26:05
Mike Captain. I read it to them a
26:07
week before. Does anyone stand on a desk
26:09
in the poem? No. I'm think
26:11
sofia, I ain't promised that. Chris, let's
26:12
just let him continue. The president
26:14
of the
26:15
reading committee stood bravely before
26:18
Don Nicolas. The
26:19
paid for and chosen
26:21
by us. The Whoikas, and
26:23
we
26:23
choose Carlos. This is my
26:26
factory. And
26:26
in your factory, three Carlos is
26:29
Lector, or you can roll these
26:32
cigars yourself.
26:32
That'll
26:36
go fine. I don't care.
26:39
Carlos, go back to your tree view now
26:41
and Raul? Go
26:42
fix that to turn in your novel.
26:45
Okay? It's very
26:47
flabby. Okay. Goodbye.
26:49
I took my
26:50
place at the three UNA and straighten
26:53
out my newspaper. I
26:55
continue to read the story of the unlikely
26:57
victim of the Tampa Smokers
26:59
Baseball team. And my
27:01
companeros went back to Rolling Larcigars.
27:03
And that afternoon, I finished reading
27:06
Anna Karalinin. And it was the first
27:08
time I got a standing away
27:10
show.
27:17
Well, they they really were there
27:19
for you. Yes. You know,
27:22
when I became a Lector, I
27:24
was a little proud focused on my performances.
27:27
By that
27:28
day, I was reminded how
27:31
every month
27:32
and woman in that
27:35
factory is important to
27:36
me. It sounds like you have wonderful
27:39
coworkers. I feel the same way
27:41
about Linda. Wow,
27:41
Chris. That's
27:44
so nice for you to say. Thank you. Oh, I
27:45
was talking about Linda, the the
27:48
barista downstairs, but Definitely you
27:50
too. You're my favorite favorite.
27:51
Okay, Chris.
27:53
Thanks. So Carlos, do you
27:55
plan to
27:56
be a lecturer forever? Have you have you found
27:59
a greatness your great ant
27:59
predicted. I do love being elected, but
28:02
after being surrounded by these books and
28:04
ideas, what I really yearn to
28:07
do, Is to be
28:07
a teacher? A teacher? Yes.
28:10
I've realized
28:10
that teaching is my true
28:13
calling. Sharing
28:13
literature, a love of reading,
28:16
and community, That brings me true
28:18
joy and purpose. And I don't
28:20
know if it will make me great,
28:22
but I don't know
28:23
that I need to be. Now I
28:25
see that purpose not greatness.
28:27
Was they
28:27
envision my vehicle Siobhanha for
28:30
me?
28:30
Yes. I mean, you share knowledge with your
28:32
fellow workers every day? You'd be you'd be
28:34
great in a classroom. Were you a
28:36
big
28:36
dreamer in college, Chris? Oh, I can
28:38
answer that. Yes. He has a very
28:41
vivid imagination don't ask him about the
28:43
inner lives of dairy products. Regular
28:45
don't
28:45
kill healthy. So Linda, does
28:47
that make you his son to answer? Bringing
28:49
your path wrong back to reality?
28:52
She really is. I remember
28:54
that from men of La Mancha.
28:56
Tell me,
28:56
Chris, if you were Don Quixote, what
28:59
win meals were you fighting at
29:01
university? Oh, I don't I'm
29:03
not sure I wanna go into it. And milk
29:05
was
29:05
a one man play about a carton
29:07
of milk.
29:08
Chris? There's
29:10
nothing wrong with expressing
29:11
yourself in unique ways and
29:13
not being quite understood.
29:15
You know,
29:15
for some of whimail is just a
29:17
whimail. But for others, like you are me,
29:19
a windmill, or a guarding of
29:21
milk is the door that
29:23
leaves you to truth,
29:26
purpose.
29:26
this Not
29:27
greatness, Grisobald. It's the
29:29
best
29:30
review I've ever gotten. Thanks
29:33
Carlos.
29:36
What
29:37
makes a
29:40
person a murderer? Are
29:42
they
29:42
born to kill? Or
29:44
are they made to kill? I'm
29:46
Candice
29:46
DeLong. And on my new podcast,
29:49
killer Psyche Daily, I share a
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weekday on the motivations and behaviors
29:55
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29:58
psychopaths, and cold blooded killers you
29:59
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30:02
have decades of experience as
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30:14
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30:20
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30:30
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app today.
30:45
Carlos,
30:47
you've
30:49
been teaching us all about
30:51
being a factory lecturer in nineteen twenty
30:53
5. And now, It's time for me to teach
30:56
you something. So are you
30:58
ready to learn what happened to your
31:00
job? Absolutely. We must always be
31:02
both learning and teaching. So
31:04
we'll put So
31:06
factory lecturers are now. I know me
31:08
to guess.
31:09
They are everywhere across
31:12
all industries in
31:14
factories not just for cigars, but for paint,
31:16
steel, and much more.
31:18
Well,
31:18
not quite. In
31:21
nineteen thirty one, the role of
31:23
the factory lecturer in Tampa was banned.
31:25
The job is
31:26
gone. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. It
31:28
was growing tension between factory owners
31:30
and the employees, the owners begin to feel
31:33
threatened by theuctories work. Why should
31:35
a factory owner fear the work
31:37
of auctor? We empower workers
31:39
with education, motivating
31:41
them to want better conditions.
31:43
As José Martí said, The only way
31:45
to be totally free is through
31:48
education. Right. So that's kind of part
31:50
of the problem. Not all
31:52
owners want that.
31:53
My goodness. This is so
31:56
terribly sad. I'd only plan
31:58
to be a Lector a few more years before
31:59
I return to school,
32:01
but to think of the role as
32:04
completely gone. This is
32:05
a terrible loss. Well, for what it's
32:07
worth, there are still a few factory
32:10
lecturers left in Cuba. There
32:12
are? Yes. They still read to workers in
32:14
Cuban Lector, and lecturers are
32:16
considered an important part of Cuban
32:18
traditions. It's just they don't play as
32:20
big a role in educating the workers as
32:22
they use too. And there aren't
32:24
many left. But if there are so
32:26
few like Torres, how will workers be able to
32:28
access stories, to inspiring, educate
32:30
Oh, there are even more ways to hear stories now than
32:32
ever before. There
32:33
are? Sure. There's movies. Yes.
32:37
I'm familiar. Not very entertaining. If
32:39
you ask me, no one speaks. Oh,
32:41
they will. There's also
32:43
TV, which is like
32:45
movies in your house. I don't have nearly enough
32:47
space for such a larger screen. And
32:49
podcast, which is like TV
32:50
for your ears. You mean
32:53
radio. Oh, yeah. It's basically
32:55
that. I understand. Well, as another
32:57
wise man said, the only
32:59
constant is changed. Aha, more
33:02
Cervantes. Heraculitis, ancient Greek
33:04
philosopher. Well, before we wrap
33:06
up,
33:06
I just have to ask, how do you
33:08
make your voice so intoxicating? By
33:11
inhabiting the words of the great writers,
33:13
of course, No. No. But
33:15
there's also something else you're doing, and I'd
33:17
love to get in on that. Could you show
33:19
me? Yes. You mean the usage of
33:21
your instrument. Yes. My
33:23
instrument. Linda, you should do this too.
33:25
Oh, sure.
33:25
Sounds fun. Yes, please.
33:27
I join Sanyurita.
33:30
Well, first, you lift your
33:32
chest and throw back your shoulders.
33:34
Like this? They can't go any
33:36
broader, like like this? I I think
33:38
this is as broad as they
33:40
get. That's unfortunate. Okay.
33:43
Next, the mind. We find
33:45
our real voice
33:47
by first speaking something we believe
33:49
with deep conviction. Anything?
33:51
Yes. Anything. Linda, Chris, take
33:54
turns. Okay. Berg
33:56
should sing quieter in the mornings.
33:59
All sheets should be moisture wicking.
34:01
It's okay to cry at
34:03
parades. It should
34:03
be illegal to take your shoes off on an airplane. Yes,
34:05
sir. Very good. I can tell
34:07
that these are things you believe most
34:10
deeply. Now
34:12
for the physical mouth exercises. To
34:14
keep the voice limber, repeat after me.
34:22
A
34:25
very good linda.
34:28
I can get it. Right
34:31
with the corollary. Of course. Only you don't want like
34:33
a real. I got it. Close enough. Carlos, it's
34:36
time
34:36
for a final segment. Already? Yes.
34:40
At the end, I asked my guess
34:42
five final questions. Alright? First, what is
34:45
the biggest misconception about your
34:48
job? That it's the
34:49
quiet work of a
34:52
librarian. Not at all. There's always
34:54
lively discussion. I mean, so fair
34:56
didn't you think
34:58
Anna Karina should be with Rolvsky. We are beautiful weeks.
35:00
Can you imagine? That's totally
35:02
outrageous. Okay. What would you
35:04
tell a novice factory lecturer?
35:06
Bring a
35:08
pillow. There's a lot of sitting like a
35:10
lot. I can see that. Right? Next, what
35:12
are the perks of your job? Well, you
35:14
build very strong lungs, which comes in handy
35:16
with all these cigars What traits make
35:19
for a good factory vector?
35:21
Imagination, flair for the dramatic
35:23
and a strong lungs, is
35:26
very unhealthy. My earlops
35:28
have petrified. Oh, no. And
35:30
finally,
35:31
if someone were to write you
35:33
a letter of recommendation, What
35:35
might they say about you? Well, I
35:37
will hope they say something
35:39
like Carlos scares deeply about
35:41
the words he reads. To
35:43
him, every mind is dreaming
35:45
with potential and creativity.
35:47
Except ours,
35:49
he's a hack. Carlos,
35:50
thank you so much for joining us. You guys, my pleasure.
35:53
I take a deep bow
35:55
and bid you,
35:57
Asankyo. As Carlos made his
36:00
way back to nineteen
36:00
twenty five, I realized he hadn't
36:02
just taught me about factory Lector,
36:07
He also showed me that art can serve all
36:09
sorts of purposes. They can educate, they
36:11
can entertain, and they can teach us
36:13
about ourselves and what we
36:15
love. is why decided that I'm going to
36:18
finally stage the sequel to my college
36:20
show that I've been writing for years.
36:22
It's called Carton of
36:24
Tier two. Percent.
36:26
Wait. I'm sorry.
36:27
That's how you pronounce the
36:30
title. Carton of tears
36:32
two colon
36:34
pause percent. her said
36:35
Yes. The two is because it's a sequel to the first
36:37
Garden of Deers. Okay. But what about
36:39
the percent part? Oh, it's a milk bun,
36:41
you know, like two
36:43
percent. Carton of tears, two percent.
36:46
Oh, wait. No. Maybe it's more light. No.
36:48
Current of tears, two percent. With the pause,
36:50
hi it doesn't. Next.
36:52
See if it works? Yes.
36:54
Okay. You know what? Chris, that sounds really
36:56
good. Really, really
36:58
great.
37:01
Hey, Prime members.
37:02
You can listen to this job as history
37:04
early and ad free on Amazon
37:06
Music. Download the Amazon Music
37:09
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37:11
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37:13
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37:15
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com slash survey.
37:19
From
37:21
Wondery, this is This
37:23
job is history. I'm your
37:25
host, Chris Parnell. This episode was written by Marina
37:27
Timplesman and stars Elise Morales as producer and
37:30
Oscar Nunez as the
37:32
factory lecturer. Additional
37:34
roles played by Joe Nunez. Sound
37:36
Design is by Andre Plous, our
37:38
audio engineer is Austin Lim. Additional
37:41
audio assistance by Andrew Law and
37:44
Adrienne Topia. Our senior
37:46
story editor is Makayla Bli. Our
37:48
story editor is
37:50
Steven Christiansen. Matthew Wise is our senior producer, M. O.
37:52
Reynolds is our associate producer. Our
37:54
managing producer is Ryan
37:56
lure. Chenue Yoboto is our
37:58
coordinating
37:59
producer. I executive producers are Sochi Dorsey, Stephanie
38:02
Gens, and
38:02
Marsha Louie for wondering.
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