I am a big fan of podcasts. They have come a long way. I gobble them up each day. I love the sweet sounds of knowledge that buzz through my ears. I listen to anything under the sky. I have Spotify and Apple Podcasts to pick from. There are many other platforms to consume podcasts.
One recent podcast that caught my attention is The Apology Line. This six-part episode is hosted by Marissa Bridge as presented by Wondery the makers of Dr. Death and The Shrink Next Door. The Apology Line will not fail to entertain, strap in and get ready to be entertained, you will not be sorry.
Allan Bridge was a conceptual artist best known for his creation in 1980 of the confessional phone system known as the Apology Line. He went by the pseudonym Mr. Apology (a label which has since been adopted by an advice columnist) and used the new technology of the time, an answering machine, to record confessions from anonymous callers.
If you could call a number and say you’re sorry, and no one would know…what would you apologize for? For fifteen years, you could call a number in Manhattan and do just that. This is the story of the line and the man at the other end who became consumed by his own creation. He was known as “Mr. Apology.” As thousands of callers flooded the line, confessing to everything from shoplifting to infidelity, drug dealing with murder, Mr. Apology realized he couldn’t just listen. He had to do something, even if it meant risking everything. From Wondery the makers of Dr. Death and The Shrink Next Door comes a story about empathy, deception and obsession. Marissa Bridge, who knew Mr. Apology better than anyone, hosts this six-episode series.
Call 212-255-2748! (Wonder if that number still works.)
Listen to The Apology Line.