Interview
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On February 1, 2017, Aaron Henkin and Wendel Patrick spoke with David Yezzi of The Hopkins Review, in the studios of WYPR, Baltimore. Henkin and Patrick talked about Out of the Blocks, their hour-long radio program and podcast, which focuses on the people and neighborhoods of Baltimore. James Joyce claimed that one could, by reading Ulysses, reconstruct the city of Dublin. Listening to Out of the Blocks, one feels that Henkin's and Patrick's audio portrait of Baltimore is becoming similarly comprehensive with each new installment.
How did you both get interested in Baltimore?
Well, we both came here from elsewhere. Neither of us is a native Baltimorean. I came from the Midwest about 15 years ago.
Actually, I came from the Midwest, too, though I was there for less time than Aaron. I'm from Chicago.
So we have the interesting status of being born outsiders but living here long enough to have a pretty good idea of what's what in the city.
How long have you each been here?
This is my twentieth year. And I've lived here far longer than anywhere I've ever lived. More than double.
Sixteen years, for me. [End Page 511]
What gave you the idea that Baltimore might be your subject?
It's interesting to come to a city as an outsider. It's maybe more interesting to you, than to the people who were born and raised here. That certainly was the case for me. When I showed up, I fell in love in with this town. I sort of fell into public radio, first as a volunteer here at WYPR, and I eventually started making original programming for the station. I always liked the idea of trying to find stories that I didn't know existed.
First, you developed a show called The Signal, is that right?
So The Signal was a weekly arts and culture program, magazine format, lots of different segments during the hour. The premise was, essentially, that we would talk with artists, musicians, poets, and so on. We'd have them come into the studio, or we would take our recorders to them. As things went along, I got most interested in talking to characters whom I never would have known existed if it wasn't, frankly, for the Yellow Pages. The Yellow Pages were essentially my first Rolodex of story ideas in Baltimore City. When you open the Yellow Pages, everyone's listed in there by occupation, alphabetically, and so you run across things like "Artificial Limbs," "Auctioneers," "Automobile Wreckers." You think to yourself, "There's great potential here." I found a guy who builds and restores pipe organs!
So Out of the Blocks grew out of what was previously a focus on the arts into something broader?
Yeah, it really became a fascination with everyday people like you and me.
Wendel, at what point did you become involved as a partner and collaborator?
We were actually talking about my first solo album on The Signal. [End Page 512] I was a fan of the show, and I would hear it pretty often. I reached out to Aaron and asked if he would be interested in having me on to talk about my work.
Aaron, your background, as I understand it, is as a broadcast journalist, is that right? How would you characterize what you do?
Well, that's a generous description of my background! A BA in English Literature is the extent of my training, that and a long career waiting tables and playing in bands. As I said, I started here as a volunteer and have learned everything by trial and error.
But, you know, I've done a lot of different jobs here at the radio station: I've produced the daily public affairs talk program, I helped start the local news department, I helped create original shows like The Signal. I've been at this radio story-making thing for a while.
And Wendel, you are...
