S-Town Review

Ever heard of Bibb County, Alabama? If you’re not from there, and if you’ve never listened to the podcast S-Town, written by Brian Reed, chances are you have not. Bibb County is a small, rural town with not much going on except for its racism, corruption in police force, and the production of lumber. At least that’s the way the John B. Macklemore, a former resident of Bibb County and the focus of S-Town, sees it. One day, Brian received a letter from John, asking him to consider looking into a possible murder in the town. Eventually, after months of talking via phone and email, Brian finally took a trip down to S-Town.

Graphic from the podcast’s beautifully designed website.

This seven-episode podcast was the first I listened to of its kind, that of the murder-investigation type genre. But, as any listener of S-Town figures out, it so happens that the story amounts to much more than just a possible murder in a rural Alabamian town. In fact, one may not even categorize this podcast within that genre of murder-investigation, but rather the story holds the kind of meridional erriness and intrigue that might only be reserved for that genre known as southern-gothic. Brian Reed paints a brilliantly vibrant picture of a truly unique story with his amazing recordings, thoughtful writing, and a true, dominate curiosity that pulls the storyline along beautifully.

While the story might start out being about a murder, this concern only lasts for a few episodes; and as the truth comes out, indicating that there was no murder to begin with, you’d think the podcast might be over at its mere beginning. But its not. It just gets better… and better… and better... until you find yourself listening to a complicated and heart-wrenching tale about a genius with a troubled mind and the sad truth about grand inaction for those problems which haunt our societies. Because what’s so different about John B. Macklemore is that he’s from this small, rural, grossly problematic town, which has poor public education and no secondary school, yet he’s this kind of extremely smart person, almost by chance. A clock worker, to be exact, specializing in the restoration of antique clocks. And beyond this… despite his upbringing in this small, widely uneducated town, he is deeply bothered by the cruelties of our world, which he has observed through the endless abyss of information accessible to anyone who owns a computer and knows how to read.

Creator Brian Reed captured in a recording studio.

One of the qualities of the podcast that makes S-Town so enthralling and distinctive are its recordings. The kind of genuinity held within them and the unique characters of those speaking them come together to form a truly raw display of feeling. You almost feel as though you have been granted real access into this distant world. At some points, I understood the characters as so charismatic and rich, and the story so bountiful and strange, that I found it hard to believe I was listening to real life. I felt as though I could have been on my bed, reading a book, my mind so captivated by the turning pages that I mistake what is written for actual voices, the characters of the text to be real-life people. But it is real, down to the very last second of the very last recording, a phenomena which causes me to feel this podcast is truly a gem in a consistently growing sea of media. You are not reading a southern-gothic; you are listening to it, experiencing it, feeling the emotions of this unusual, dark, and captivating story all for your own.

So I won’t spoil much more... but let me just say that you are in for a surprise, and also a treasure hunt. But I wouldn’t listen without some tissues nearby, as while the element of  authenticity may create an extremely important layer of the podcast, the price of this is that you truly cannot help but feel the array of emotions… whether this be happiness or pain. I believe I will remember this podcast for the rest of my life, returning to it from time to time like curling up with an old favorite book after years have passed.

By Emmaline Elsbree