Joe Frank
| Joe Frank | |
|---|---|
Frank at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2010
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|
| Birth name | Joseph Langermann |
| Born |
August 19, 1938 Strasbourg, France |
| Show | "Work In Progress," "In the Dark," "Somewhere out There," "The Other Side" |
| Station(s) | KPFA, WNYC, KCRW, NPR |
| Country | US |
Joe Frank (born August 19, 1938) is an American radio artist known best for his often philosophical, humorous, surrealist, and sometimes absurd monologues and radio dramas.
Joe Frank was born Joseph Langermann in Strasbourg, France, near the border of Germany to father Meier Langermann (then age 51) and mother Friederike (then age 27), while in transit from Germany, where they were living, although they were Polish citizens. Being Jewish, his family was fleeing Nazi Germany and moving to New York City, where they arrived on April 12, 1939. Legislation to allow the family and others into the country was passed by the US Congress twice, the first having been vetoed by President Roosevelt. Joe's father died when he was five years old. The next year his mother married Freddy Frank and changed Joe's last name.
In his twenties, Frank studied at Hofstra University in New York and later at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He taught English literature at the Dalton School in Manhattan and, at the time, became interested in the power of radio.
In 1977, Frank started volunteering at Pacifica Network station WBAI in New York, performing experimental radio involving monologues, improvisational actors, and live music during late-night, free-form hours. In 1978, he moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as a co-anchor for the weekend edition of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," his first paying radio job.
During this period he wrote, performed in, and produced 18 dramas for the "NPR Playhouse," which won several awards. His 1982 monologue "Lies" was used as the inspiration for the Martin Scorsese movie After Hours, without permission. (He later settled out of court for a "handsome" settlement.)
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