Unfinished - a 10,000 Maniacs Podcast
Sep 23, 2026 · 29 min · 9 segments
*This week's episode of Unfinished: A 10,000 Maniacs Podcast features Part 1 of a four-part audio documentary that originally aired on WRFA 107.9 in Jamestown, NY.* \-------------------- ***Can’t…
We had a general idea.
It was a small town in our eyes, 26,000 people.
So, of course, the cultural world of Jamestown revolved around the fact that, hey, Lucille Ball is from this place.
Having spent many winters both in college in upstate New York and living for seven years in Albany, New York, and knowing what the winter does to you in towns like Albany and towns like Jamestown, that it takes a very strong person, a person that can revel in Russian literature, for example, to get through those cold months.
The coldest I've ever been in my life has been in upstate New York, walking a dog when the air temperature, not the wind chill, was 15 below zero.
And for the band that came together, 10,000 Maniacs, you have to understand how important a distraction like music can be when you feel like you're living in Siberia.
You know, all the best music comes from a quirky local situation, whether whatever it is, whether it's a neighborhood in the Bronx or it's, you know, a small town in New York or, you know, I think the intensity, the eccentricity of a local culture is fundamental to any sort of individuality in music.
In Jamestown, a small forgotten factory town in the western part of New York State, long winters and gray skies gave way to the nuanced sound of 10,000 Maniacs.
The band's global success arrived with their first major label record deal in 1984.
But the story begins with the local scene that built their creative voice six years prior.
The late 70s gave rise to new and energized music scenes in many small cities across the country, and Jamestown, New York was no exception.
We had a general idea.
It was a small town in our eyes, 26,000 people.
So, of course, the cultural world of Jamestown revolved around the fact that, hey, Lucille Ball is from this place.
Having spent many winters both in college in upstate New York and living for seven years in Albany, New York, and knowing what the winter does to you in towns like Albany and towns like Jamestown, that it takes a very strong person, a person that can revel in Russian literature, for example, to get through those cold months.
The coldest I've ever been in my life has been in upstate New York, walking a dog when the air temperature, not the wind chill, was 15 below zero.
And for the band that came together, 10,000 Maniacs, you have to understand how important a distraction like music can be when you feel like you're living in Siberia.
You know, all the best music comes from a quirky local situation, whether whatever it is, whether it's a neighborhood in the Bronx or it's, you know, a small town in New York or, you know, I think the intensity, the eccentricity of a local culture is fundamental to any sort of individuality in music.
In Jamestown, a small forgotten factory town in the western part of New York State, long winters and gray skies gave way to the nuanced sound of 10,000 Maniacs.
The band's global success arrived with their first major label record deal in 1984.
But the story begins with the local scene that built their creative voice six years prior.
The late 70s gave rise to new and energized music scenes in many small cities across the country, and Jamestown, New York was no exception.
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