Rumble Strip is a Vermont focused Society and Culture podcast, created by Erica Heilman, featuring uncommon conversations with everyday people. The show covers true life portraits of "road-crew workers, defense attorneys, farmers, Vermont’s mental-health-care system, taxidermists" and numerous rural subjects.[1]

Rumble Strip
Presentation
Hosted by
  • Erica Heilman
Genre
  • Society
  • Culture
UpdatesMonthly
Length30–110 minutes
Production
Audio formatMP3
No. of episodes244
Publication
Original releaseMay 1, 2013

Production

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Growing up in Charlotte, Vermont, Heilman would observe her father chatting thoughtfully with his neighbor, and she felt inspired to want to speak with people the way her father did. After her time as a freelance television producer in New York City, Heilman found herself working as a private investigator which led to her interviewing people about their lives.[2]

Heilman started out creating the episodes in her spare time, between working as a single mother with a part time job, releasing episodes weekly. Within the first two years of creating the show, Rumble Strip gained notoriety for lacking a clear narrative arc and defying easy categorization, as Heilman was primarily focused on creating a show about "the ephemera of trying to survive". The show garnered a loyal following as Heilman interviewed a variety of subjects, from prisoners to librarians, to salon owners recounting their days in the Vietnam War. She credits word of mouth as the main driver of the show's success.[3]

In 2022, 99% Invisible featured Rumble Strip as a show about life in Vermont, but also about "life in general".[4]

Reception

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In 2021, the episode "Finn and the Bell" won a Peabody Award, "for its tender treatment of a community in grief, and for embodying the power of local storytelling".[5][6][7]

The NYTimes included Rumble Strip in their "Best Podcasts of 2022", calling it a "majestic, long-running and hard-to-classify series".[8][9]

The show has received acclaim for its thorough and sensitive approach toward commonly difficult or controversial subject matter, such as gun control, death with dignity laws, and suicide.[10][11]

Episodes

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No. Title Subject(s) Duration[12] Release date
1 Colin McCaffrey Talks Shop 0:58:47 May 9, 2013
2 Miriam Bernardo 1:01:00 May 23, 2013
3 Road Scholars 0:49:42 June 7, 2013
4 Prisoners of War 0:56:01 July 19, 2013
5 Prisoner of Zion 0:45:46 August 3, 2013
6 That Song 0:30:40 August 14, 2013
7 Geof Hewitt 0:49:37 September 12, 2013
8 Deer Hunting March 17, 2014
9 Thunder Road 0:11:57 July 19, 2014
10 Vermont Health Disconnect 0:7:07 August 17, 2014
11 Strange Days 0:22:27 August 25, 2014
12 The Taxidermists 0:22:53 September 12, 2014
13 My Son Teaches Me a Game 0:4:35 September 15, 2014
14 Town 0:22:03 October 10, 2014
15 Jamie Cope in Black and White 0:36:49 October 24, 2014
16 Peace, Love and Occupation? 0:05:21 November 6, 2014
17 Raw Tape 0:18:32 November 7, 2014
18 Rock Lottery 0:03:25 November 11, 2014
19 Magic: The Gathering 0:11:08 December 3, 2014
20 Gold, Frankenstein and Myrrh 0:05:05 December 7, 2014
21 The Eyes of Sibiu 0:17:30 December 7, 2014
22 A Vermonter's Lament 0:05:00 December 12, 2014
23 Buy Nothing Day 0:06:31 December 18, 2014
24 Poopy Old Man 0:06:00 December 24, 2014
25 Truck 0:07:47 December 26, 2014
26 Big Job 0:59:37 December 26, 2014
27 Piano Practice 0:04:55 Jan 21, 2015
28 Leland 0:09:34 Jan 27, 2015
29 Police Log 0:02:37 Feb 2, 2015
30 Object of My Affection 0:15:21 Feb 15, 2015
31 More Poopy Old People 0:07:49 Feb 23, 2015
32 Police Log, March 2015 0:03:09 Mar 1, 2015
33 Here's a Song For You 0:04:23 Mar 2, 2015
34 Ed Epstein, A Life in Art 0:49:11 Mar 2, 2015
35 The Oligarchy of Participation 0:04:24 Mar 4, 2015
36 Eyes on the Sky 0:03:30 Mar 19, 2015
37 Shannon 0:09:33 Mar 24, 2015
38 Why Cooking Sucks 0:10:14 April 2, 2015
39 After the Forgetting 0:58:47 April 2, 2015
40 Michael Chorney, Music Inventor 0:50:50 April 2, 2015
41 A Night on Mount Shasta 0:25:24 April 9, 2015
42 Three Things I Learned at School 0:04:22 April 13, 2015
43 Private Investigator 0:12:12 May 6, 2015
44 Police Log, May 2015 0:03:35 May 22, 2015
45 Another Day Older 0:16:03 June 3, 2015
46 Cats on Boats 0:07:24 June 11, 2015
47 Three Weeks 0:31:28 June 24, 2015
48 Soccer Mom 0:24:14 July 5, 2015
49 Drag Out 0:13:53 July 11, 2015
50 Kendall Wild, A Toast 0:25:45 July 11, 2015
51 Homeless 0:27:09 July 18, 2015
52 Vermont Private Eye 0:12:11 July 26, 2015
53 A Long Day on the Road 0:15:38 July 31, 2015
54 Bison Selfies 0:10:24 Aug 7, 2015
55 Fred Webster 0:39:07 Aug 15, 2015
56 Love Life 0:23:31 Aug 24, 2015
57 Police Log Summer 2015 0:02:40 Sep 3, 2015
58 The Defense Sept 10, 2015
59 Farewell Mark Johnson 0:31:12 Sept 11, 2015
60 Jessamyn West. Technology Lady. 0:39:57 Sept 25, 2015
61 Press 4 0:05:31 Oct 1, 2015
62 Pretend You're the Grownup 0:29:52 Oct 9, 2015
63 Schwag 0:08:20 Oct 15, 2015
64 The Green River Stories 0:25:43 Oct 22, 2015
65 The Schwag Raffle Draw! 0:06:15 Nov 6, 2015
66 In Case of Emergency 0:05:40 Nov 13, 2015
67 Our School 0:22:55 Nov 19, 2015
68 Hot Bird 0:03:49 Nov 25, 2015
69 A Conversation with M.T. Anderson 0:31:28 Dec 9, 2015
70 Seasonal Update 0:07:57 Dec 16, 2015
71 Day Before Christmas Police Log 0:03:23 Dec 24, 2015
72 Inside DCF 0:44:35 Jan 24, 2016
73 The Test 0:15:28 Feb 7, 2016
74 Berned in Reno 0:11:30 Feb 29, 2016
75 A Beer with Ben Hewitt 0:35:58 Mar 2, 2016
76 Muskrat Trapper 0:13:52 Mar 25, 2016
77 Jesse 0:23:40 April 8, 2016
78 Police Log, Stolen Pie Edition 0:03:12 April 21, 2016
79 Leland, the Almost Middle School Edition 0:11:49 April 26, 2016
80 Aunties 0:05:09 May 9, 2016
81 Six Parents. Six DCF Stories 0:38:22 May 20, 2016
82 Last Chapter 0:23:09 June 9, 2016
83 The Neighborhood 0:09:40 July 2, 2016
84 Peter Schumann, Advisor General 0:33:49 July 30, 2016
85 Police Log, Bunk Bed Dispute Edition 0:03:48 Aug 10, 2016
86 Driving around with Susan 0:32:43 Aug 22, 2016
87 Jubal. Tail End of the Old School. 0:15:27 Sept 9, 2016
88 When the Food Runs Out 0:31:15 Sept 24, 2016
89 Jim Rooney 0:25:49 Oct 18, 2016
90 The Special Olympics Are Awesome 0:17:59 Oct 25, 2016
91 Charlie Hunter Paints Outside 0:20:30 Nov 10, 2016
92 Hot Bird. Again. 0:03:27 Nov 24, 2016
93 Lentils Suck 0:11:29 Nov 30, 2016
94 Nicholas is Waiting 0:08:23 Dec 16, 2016
95 Seasonal Update from the Keens! 0:09:45 Dec 20, 2016
96 Benedict Arnold's Leg 0:29:15 Jan 3, 2017
97 Dunkin’ Donuts 0:16:49 Jan 31, 2017
98 Deep Stealth Mode 0:20:22 Feb 14, 2017
99 Your Neighbor 0:16:49 Feb 24, 2017
100 Judge Cashman 0:21:17 Mar 8, 2017
101 The Wildlife 0:21:55 Mar 22, 2017
102 Hunger is Boring 0:18:30 April 3, 2017
103 Robert Ford Last Ambassador 0:34:23 April 13, 2017
104 We Are Sending You Light 0:18:09 April 28, 2017
105 Leland is Almost Done Seventh Grade 0:12:15 May 11, 2017
106 An American Life May 25, 2017
107 Crime and Punishment Under Trump 0:19:24 June 7, 2017
108 Police Log, Burning Lawn Chairs Edition 0:03:05 June 19, 2017
109 Sylvan Esso is a Good Band 0:31:00 June 29, 2017
110 Plain Life 0:17:44 July 8, 2017
111 Mind Windows 0:11:44 July 28, 2017
112 Waitress 0:46:49 Sept 1, 2017
113 Hill Farm 0:19:26 Sept 24, 2017
114 Catastrophe and Grace 0:22:30 Oct 16, 2017
115 The Museum of Everyday Life 0:16:13 Oct 28, 2017
116 Rowell 0:09:39 Nov 14, 2017
117 Scott's Nature 0:10:25 Dec 5, 2017
118 A Good Death 0:14:39 Dec 14, 2017
119 Seasons Greetings From Liz and Jerry! 0:10:43 Dec 21, 2017
120 Hitchhiker 0:34:35 Jan 10, 2018
121 Emergency 0:26:55 Jan 16, 2018
122 Learning the Trade 0:21:22 Feb 9, 2018
123 Son Lux 0:22:18 March 3, 2018
124 Problems, Episode 1: Grout and the Contra Dance 0:10:49 March 21, 2018
125 Driving Around With Susan. Again! 0:12:27 March 29, 2018
126 A Tribute to Greg Sharrow 0:10:10 April 4, 2018
127 Carl. A Different Breed of Cat 0:16:41 April 24, 2018
128 Shaggs’ Own Thing: The Story of the Wiggin Sisters 0:30:42 May 10, 2018
129 Police Log, Gancy's Cows Edition 0:03:27 May 24, 2018
130 Problems, Episode 2: Open Mic 0:08:16 June 7, 2018
131 Leland. It's a Porcupine! 0:11:20 June 28, 2018
132 Thomas Talks About Coming Out. Twice. 0:14:26 July 20, 2018
133 Amelia Drives Around 0:24:56 Aug 10, 2018
134 One of Those Teachers 0:19:39 Aug 23, 2018
135 Let's Pull the Damn Woman Card 0:22:33 Sept 11, 2018
136 Graffiti Photographer 0:11:37 Sept 28, 2018

References

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  1. ^ "Rumble Strip, a Limitless Podcast About Life in Vermont". The New Yorker. October 20, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  2. ^ "Listeners Who Veer From Tired Stories Hit 'Rumble Strip Vermont'". Seven Days VT. May 27, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  3. ^ "Listeners Who Veer From Tired Stories Hit 'Rumble Strip Vermont'". Seven Days VT. May 27, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  4. ^ "Rumble Strip". 99% Invisible. April 12, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  5. ^ "Finn and the Bell". Peabody Awards. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  6. ^ "Rumble Strip: Finn and the Bell". Radio Diaries. July 14, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Final Podcast Peabody Winner: Indie-Produced Rumble Strip". Inside Radio. June 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  8. ^ "Best Podcasts of 2022". The New York Times. December 8, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  9. ^ "Vermont podcast named among the best in the country". Burlington Free Press. December 12, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "5 Vermonters talk about guns". Vermont Public. May 11, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "Rumble Strip Vermont: Life's last chapter". VTDigger. July 31, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  12. ^ "Rumble Strip". Rumble Strip. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
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