At a time when our leaders seem unable to provide any guidance - spiritual, tactical, or otherwise - we turn to others for guruship... from a tow truck operator to a legendary blues musician. Plus a new round of sounds, for this month's Five Sounds in Search of an Author contest.

Madame Diotima
Host Dean Olsher is worried, and he wants answers. Will there be another terrorist attack? Does the FBI know what it's doing? Is this the kind of life we pay taxes for? Lucky for him, help is here. It's Socrates' partner-in-dialogue, Diotima, and she's taking customers. The voice of Diotima is provided by Ronnie Farer; her words, by playwright David Ives.

Ready? Set? Sand!
It's a commonly known fact among carpenters that if you put an electric belt sander on the floor while it's in operation, it will quickly get away from you. Thus, apparently, came into being the sport of belt sander racing. Is this a dream? A report filed by Sean Cole, from WBUR in Boston.

Did Someone Say "Change Your mind"?
Improv actress Mary Purdy is considering attending this year's "Change Your Mind Day" gathering. But how to decide?

Tow Me
Fighting with husband. Flat tire. It's a miserable day. And then comes a vision: it's a tow truck operator, with a little gold Buddha around his neck. Produced by audio artist Natalie Kestecher of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for Radio Eye.

Five Sounds in Search of an Author
Listen carefully! In between these sounds is a story and it's up to you to write it. Once again, The Next Big Thing is inviting your ideas on ways to weave a plot out of seemingly unrelated sounds. Author and Next Big Thing contributor Jesse Green will choose a winner to read his or her story on our show. You'll hear the results next week. E-mail your stories by end of day on Monday, June 4, 2002. Please include a daytime phone number. And remember, the time it takes to read them should come close to the time it takes to hear the sounds (about 30 seconds). Good luck!

Muddy Made Me
Tina Weymouth, of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club fame, was being courted by two men, two lifestyles, one tried and true, the other new and unpredictable. In a period of indecision, she went to see Muddy Waters perform live. The rest is history. Produced by contributor Trey Kay.

Black Tornado
Singer songwriter Dan Bern has several names and is from many places. He brings it all home with his Woodie Guthrie-inflected songs, performed live in our studio. Bern's latest album is "New American Language." To learn more about Dan Bern, go to www.danbern.com

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