As consumer technology improves, basic household appliances, like the washing machine, keep sprouting new, high-tech functions. Not surprisingly, they’re also increasingly difficult to repair. So our journalistic gumshoe ventured to find out: Who put us in this jam? And why?

“The Great Washing Machine Scam,” originally appeared in Craftsmanship, a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — free of charge and free of ads.

You can find more written stories like this one on our website,Craftsmanship.net.   That’s also where you can make a donation to support Craftsmanship’s journalism. We’re funded by grants and individual donations, and every bit of financial support goes a long way.

Written by AARON BRITT 

Introduction by PAULINE BARTOLONE

Narrated by MITCH GREENBERG

Produced by PAULINE BARTOLONE

Music by BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Read the original story: https://craftsmanship.net/the-great-washing-machine-scam/

Though he calls himself simply a “songster and storyteller,” Andy Hedges is compiling a rich, unique audio archive of cowboy music and poetry—and bringing the legends of the genre together on CD and stage.

"The Cowboy Folklorist" originally appeared in Craftsmanship, a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — free of charge and free of ads.

You can see more fantastic photos of cowboy poets by Meredith Lawrence on the Craftsmanship website.   That’s also where you can make a donation to support our independent  journalism. We’re funded by grants and individual donations, and every bit of financial support goes a long way.

Written and photographed by MEREDITH LAWRENCE

Introduction by PAULINE BARTOLONE

Narrated by GÖRAN NORQUIST

Produced by PAULINE BARTOLONE

Music by ANDY HEDGES, DOM FLEMONS, RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOT, JACK THORP, BRENN HILL, MAGGIE ROSE HEDGES, BLUE DOT SESSIONS. 

Ever open a brand new package of clothing and get a strong whiff of chemicals? Journalist Alden Wicker took a deep dive into the chemicals in our clothes in her new book, “To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion is Making Us Sick and How We Can Fight Back.” 

Craftsmanship Magazine interviewed Wicker about the prevalence of chemicals in clothing, and about the regulatory efforts and personal choices that can keep fashion safe. 

Written by CRAFTSMANSHIP EDITORS

Introduction by PAULINE BARTOLONE

Narrated by PAULINE BARTOLONE & ALDEN WICKER

Produced by PAULINE BARTOLONE

Music by BLUE DOT SESSIONS

You can find out more about Alden Wicker’s work on ecocult.com, including how to get her new book, “ To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion is Making Us Sick—and How We Can Fight Back.” 

If you liked this episode, subscribe to Craftsmanship on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Craftsmanship Magazine is funded by grants and donations from readers and listeners like you. If you like our journalism, please consider making a donation at craftsmanship.net. Every bit of financial support goes a long way.

You can also support us by sharing our work with others. Thanks for listening. Until next time!

Our hands are deep in a new audio project - a series of interviews with master artisans and craftspeople. We’ll be talking to makers of culturally distinct crafts from around the world - about their passion, and secrets to their mastery.

We’ll hear from a horsehair hitcher in Montana, a compost king in Oregon, and about Greece’s secret to honey making.  And there will be many more stories.

Look out for the series starting in January 2024, on our website - craftsmanship.net. 

In the meantime, consider making a donation to craftsmanship, so we can continue to bring you these stories.  None of our journalism would be possible without your financial support. 

A good conductor can lead an orchestra with almost anything — even a chopstick. Leonard Bernstein was known to conduct a full symphony with just his eyebrows. Why, then, in this age of cheap manufacturing, are handmade, customized batons still in demand?

Written by JEFF GREENWALD
Introduction by PAULINE BARTOLONE
Narrated by JEFF GREENWALD
Produced by PAULINE BARTOLONE
Music by
Town Market by Blue Dot Sessions
Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions
Beethoven’s Sixth (Pastorale) Symphony
Jean-Baptiste Lully: "Armide" 
Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade" by Sinfonia de Galicia
Music of the Ancient World: Sumerian Music I 

When a promising rock musician tired of the road and the pressure, he gave up music and got a job at a hardware store. Then one day, he had a revelation.

"The Cigar Box Guitar Maker" originally appeared in Craftsmanship, a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — free of charge and free of ads.

Written by NANCY LEBRUN
Introduction by PAULINE BARTOLONE
Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN
Produced by PAULINE BARTOLONE
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN, CODA TUITION, JEROME GRAILLE

When Hohner, the world’s largest harmonica manufacturer, changed its flagship model (and in the process, its signature sound), a few musicians and harp customizers waged a quiet rebellion—and won.

"The Return of the Harmonica" originally appeared in Craftsmanship, a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — free of charge and free of ads.

Written by BEN MARKS
Introduction by KATHERINE MONAHAN
Narrated by GORAN NORQUIST
Produced by KATHERINE MONAHAN
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

Oboists can spend more time making reeds for their instrument than playing their music. One such musician, the comic monologist Josh Kornbluth, has a lot to say about reed making's painfully exacting process.

"The Agony and the Ecstasy of an Oboe Reed Maker" originally appeared in Craftsmanship, a digital magazine about master artisans and innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — free of charge and free of ads.

Written by JEFF GREENWALD

Introduction by KATHERINE MONAHAN

Narrated by JEFF GREENWALD

Produced by KATHERINE MONAHAN

Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

The late Butch Morris, a figure from the outer edges of jazz, reimagined conducting as a form of composition, coining his own word for the combination of the two.

"The Conductionist" originally appeared in Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by FRANCIS DAVIS
Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA
Narrated by MITCH GREENBERG
Produced by CHRIS EGUSA
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS

In the inner city neighborhoods of Providence, Rhode Island, Janice O'Donnell set up playgrounds where kids could build anything they want, and break anything they want. She has been stunned by what everyone has learned in the process.

"The Play Gap" originally appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of Craftsmanship Quarterly, a multimedia, online magazine about artisans, innovators, and the architecture of excellence. You'll find many more stories, videos, audio recordings, and other resources on our site — all free of charge and free of advertising.

Written by TODD OPPENHEIMER
Introduction by CHRIS EGUSA
Narrated by AVANTHIKA SRINIVASAN
Produced by CHRIS EGUSA
Music by MIKE SNOWDEN / BLUE DOT SESSIONS