Host: Jenifer Hixson
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Jenifer Hixson: [00:00:13] From PRX, this is The Moth Radio Hour. I'm Jenifer Hixson. In this hour, stories about what you wear on your feet.
How sad the world would be if all the shoes were sensible? Think about all the different kinds, Mary Janes, wingtips, clogs, cleats, Birkenstocks, loafers, stilettos. You can tell a lot about a person and where they've been, and even sometimes where they're going by what they're wearing on their feet.
Our first story takes us from the Bronx to Puerto Rico and then back again. Here's Edgar Ruiz Jr. live from a show in Detroit, Michigan, where we partner with the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts and Michigan Radio.
[cheers and applause]
Edgar Ruiz Jr.: [00:00:56] Back in the summer of 1993, I was 12 years old living with my mom in the Bronx, New York. She decided that she was going to send me back to Puerto Rico to live with my dad for the entire summer. You see, when wealthy kids act up, they probably get sent to boarding schools. When Nuyorican’s act up, [audience laughter] they sent us back to the island. [audience laughter]
I wasn't a delinquent or anything like that, but let's just say puberty was hitting me really hard, and my mama wasn't feeling me. [audience laughter] She divorced my dad when I was two, and we left Puerto Rico shortly after for New York, leaving him behind. As a child, I barely remember my pops. Like, the earliest memories I have of him are long distance phone calls for my birthday, and sometimes on Christmas.
Now, you can say that the summer of 1992 started off on the wrong foot, literally. The only pair of sneakers I took with me to Puerto Rico were stolen out my suitcase at the airport. So, I had to wear flip flops in the mountains for a few days [audience laughter] until my mom, who was in New York, forced my dad to get me some sneakers. Now, this is probably a good time to let you know that at the age of 12, I was already 6ft, 1 inch tall, 230 something pounds, and I wore a size 12 sneaker. [audience laughter] Not a lot of size 12 sneakers in the small town of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, where I'm from. [audience laughter]
So, after unsuccessfully walking out of three discount shoe stores in town without a sneaker, my dad was heated. He knew he was going to have to take me to the mall and actually spend some money on me. He was mad. Not me though. I was excited. I'm a true city kid. We love sneakers in the hood. On my block, what you wore on your feet represented where you were at in the food chain. You wore some busted looking kicks. The kids were going to eat you alive.
So, when we got to the mall, I went straight to the Nike section, picked out some Air Force ones, [audience laughter] brought them back to my pops. My dad had a serious face on. He looked at the sneakers, he looked at the price, then he looked at me, and in Spanish, he said, “No.” [audience laughter] Y'all speak Spanish? [audience laughter] He tell me to get something cheaper. So, my next logical step was to get some Reeboks for like $29.99.
But before I could even get to him, he was shaking his head emphatically. By then, I could see the frustration on his face. I barely knew this guy, so it was kind of intimidating. I gave up rather quickly and I allowed him to pick out whatever sneaker he wanted. [sighs]
Now, I don't really remember the name brand of sneaker he chose, because I think I repressed it. [audience laughter] But I'll never forget how ugly these sneakers were. They were like a taupe-ish, tannish, grayish, brownish. [audience laughter] And they were complete knockoffs of the Reebok Pumps. Y'all remember the Pumps? They had a little ball on the tongue. Your sneak would fill up with air. [audience laughter] Those sneakers were so dope. These Topi knockoffs would not. They cost him $13.99. [audience laughter] And I was so disappointed he didn't buy me those Nikes.
I was 12 years old, so him not getting me those sneakers obviously meant to me he had no love for me. I was gossiping with my mom on the phone that night and I was telling her, “My dad is so cheap. Mom, I promise you, when I have my own kids, I'm going to buy them the most expensive sneakers that I could afford to show them that I love them.” Those are lies now. [audience laughter] Mm-hmm. Yo, my two- and five-year-old wants some sneakers. Yo, they better get a job. [audience laughter]
Even though my dad didn't have love for me, I definitely had love for my father.
[applause]
So much so that I actually fell in love with those ugly sneakers, just because he bought them for me. And when I got back to New York, I literally wore those things till they ripped apart. People made fun of me for wearing them things. I didn't care. My dad gave me those sneakers, and my dad never really gave me anything. Those ugly things hugging my feet were the closest I was going to get to a hug from my dad. And I held onto them as long as I could.
After that trip, I went once or twice as a kid, but then I took a long hiatus from Puerto Rico. I didn't go back till I was 19 years old. By then, I was a high school graduate, college sophomore, actually, I was working, so I had a little bit of money in my pocket, so I went back to Puerto Rico wearing name brand everything. [audience laughter] It was the early 2000s, so I was rocking them shiny Sean John shirts, [audience laughter] super baggy Pelle Pelle jeans. [audience laughter] But most importantly, I was rocking Jordans. Not just any Jordans either. We talk about the shiny patent leather Air Jordan 11s.
If you don't know anything about sneakers, just know that the Air Jordan 11s are on top of the food chain. I was showing off. I was trying to show my dad the man that I was becoming without his help. But I realized a few things on that trip. I realized that I was completely wrong about my father. My dad wasn't cheap. He was just struggling. He lived most of his life living paycheck to paycheck. I looked it up. Minimum wage back in 1992 was like $5.25 cents, if he was lucky to be making that in the factory. So, those $13.99 that he spent on him ugly sneakers must have been like half a day's work for the dude. And I was embarrassed and I was humbled.
But it was at that trip, at 19, that I finally laid the foundation for a relationship that I always wanted with my dad. And the more I got to know about him, the more I got to know about myself. Ironically, several weeks prior to that trip, I wrote this psychology paper on nature versus nurture. When I wrote that paper, I was on the side of nurture, because I thought I was a product of my mama, a product of the streets of New York. But then I got to know my dad, and I realized I had a lot more of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico coursing through my veins. And it was scary.
I wasn't raised with this guy, but there we were, liking the same types of music and movies, personal philosophies that we shared, little things, from the way we signed our names the same, to even the type of girls we liked. All of them. [audience laughter] We liked them all. [audience laughter] It was scary. It was like looking into a mirror for the first time and seeing your reflection. I love my dad.
Last summer, I finally allowed him to be my father. Now I want to tell you things have gotten better for the guy, but we've probably seen some of the news coming out of Puerto Rico, political unrest, earthquakes, Hurricane Maria. And that was before the pandemic. But my dad is a survivor. He does what he has to do to make ends meet. I try to do as much as I can for him, but he's one of these prideful Puerto Ricans that rather live in a house with half a roof and no power than to take a hand out. But I do what I can. I have to. He's a part of me.
Not too long ago, we were hanging out. I was on vacation, and I noticed that his sneakers was looking run down, like I seen better sneakers hanging off power lines in the hood. [audience laughter] So, I tricked him. Took him to the mall, the same exact mall he took me to when I was 12. And I told him pick out whatever sneaker he wanted. And after a 20-minute argument, because he's hard headed just like me, he finally picked out a $20 pair of no name brand sneakers. And I turned to him and in Spanish I said “No.” [audience laughter] That day, my dad walked out with a fresh pair of Nikes. And I know he loved them, but not as much as I love those old Topi knock offs. Thank you.
[cheers and applause]
Jenifer Hixson: [00:11:28] That was Edgar Ruiz Jr. Edgar's a proud Nuyorican, born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, and raised in the Bronx. These days, he lives in Westchester County, New York with his wife and kids. He's restoring their old house that he says might be haunted.
Edgar also does standup comedy and has an impressive sneaker collection. His favorites are Nike Air Trainer SC, aka the Bo Jackson. His feet are now a size 15, so he hasn't been able to get them in every single color yet, but that won't stop him from trying. To see a picture of Edgar with his father that first summer and a picture of them together now, visit themoth.org.
Our next story is from Isabelle Raphael, who told it at a StorySLAM in New York City, where WNYC is a media partner of The Moth. Here's Isabelle.
[cheers and applause]
Isabelle: [00:12:27] Thanks. So, I just moved to New York 2011, summer. I didn't have a job, I didn't have any friends, I didn't know what I was doing. But I had a lot of laundry. [audience laughter] So, I spent the days going up and down the elevator to the laundry department downstairs.
And one of these days, I was going back up in the elevator, swinging my keys around my fingers. And the keys, as if my magic, dropped down the shaft between the doors and the elevators. So, I heard them kind of clank, clank, clank, clank, clank down the shaft [audience laughter] to the bottom. I just stood there, I was like, “My God.” I have no wallet, no phone, no keys, I don't know anyone. I did not know my neighbors. I had no bra wrong, [audience laughter] and I had no shoes, and I was so hungry. [audience laughter] I basically was dead in New York. I had no idea what to do. [audience laughter]
So, as I sat there just thinking about my death, [audience laughter] I remembered that my sister building had a doorman. If I knew anything about doorman, that they had keys to every single apartment. So, I was like, “Okay, all I have to do is walk 13 blocks without shoes.” I can totally do this. It's summer, I'm Australian, I love no shoes. [audience laughter] So, I started the walk. And the minute I started the walk, I thought I was like, “A, 13 blocks is actually a really long way. B, people in New York love to yell out feedback on the street.” [audience laughter]
[cheers]
A total of four cars, I think, yelled out, “You don't have any shoes on.” [audience laughter] I know. I was twirling my keys around me. They fell down the elevator. [audience laughter] And at one point, a homeless man shuffled along next to me and whispered in my ear, “You're going to regret this.” [audience laughter] “Oh, God.”
[cheers and applause]
So, eventually, I get to the door, and the guy shrieked about lack of shoes. I was like, “Yeah, swinging around.” [audience laughter] And he's like, “Well, actually, I do have the keys, so I can take you back. But I need to piggyback you, because I don't think you can walk without shoes.” I'm like, “Oh, my God. I'm not like a get on your shoulders at the band kind of girl. [audience laughter] I don't jump over fences.” So, it's like, how do you get on someone's back? So, I started really far away and ran [audience laughter] and slopped myself onto his back to his [unintelligible [00:16:05], [audience laughter] I'm not sure. [audience laughter]
So, we started the long way back. I don't like to piggyback in awkward silence. [audience laughter] So, I was chatting away about how not very good about getting on people's backs. [audience laughter] I was really lonely in the city, and I just moved here all the way. I'm slipping lower and lower [audience laughter] on his back until my feet were just dragging [audience laughter] along the ground.
So, eventually, I got back to the house and he let me in. And then, a few days later, I come home and there's a little bag on my door with my keys, which he fished out, and a pair of pink bespangled child slippers, I guess he totally got my style, and a little note that said, “For next time.” [audience awws]
[cheers and applause]
Jenifer Hixson: [00:17:19] That was Isabelle Raphael. Isabelle is a creative director. She says, she wishes she could say that she only got locked out of that apartment without shoes the one time, but no. Eventually, she started hiding a key elsewhere in the building laundry room anyone, so she never had to walk that far. Isabelle now lives in Austin, Texas where she can enjoy barefoot walks in her backyard as much as she likes.
When we return, a woman needs some great shoes for a job interview, and a recent immigrant gets shoe style advice from an American friend. That's when The Moth Radio Hour continues.
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Jay: [00:18:09] The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. And presented by PRX.
Jenifer Hixson: [00:18:19] This is The Moth Radio Hour from PRX. I'm Jenifer Hixson, a director at The Moth. This hour, stories where shoes make an appearance. Satori Shakoor told this story in Austin, Texas, where we partnered with the Austin Theater alliance, aka Paramount Theatre. Here's Satori.
[cheers and applause]
Satori: [00:18:44] Last year, May 2011, I'm sitting on my couch clutching the remote, stressed out and co-dependent with Congress over whether they're going to vote to extend my unemployment benefits. Now, I'm surrounded by boxes, because in two weeks, I'm moving out of my loft of nine years into a bedroom in my sister's house. I'm trying to figure out how to pay for the U-Haul and the storage unit.
On top of that, I'm menopausal. I'm having hot flashes and mood swings every five minutes. So, when I hear myself screaming at the Congress, “Lazy my ass, vote you constipated bitches.” [audience laughter] I vow that I will never let Congress or anybody else decide my destiny in life. I sacrificed for years to develop myself, to become who I am, so I could do what I love to do.
I'm an artist, an actor, a storyteller. I tempt in offices from Brooklyn Penitentiary to Hostess CupCakes Factory in Detroit. I cleaned toilets in LA, and catered in Toronto to keep my schedule open for auditions and other opportunities. And it paid off. I was fairly successful. My investment portfolio looked healthy. My 401(k) was growing. I was bouncing back and forth between two hit shows, traveling, performing, winning awards.
Life was good until 2005 when it all fell apart when I lost my mother to ovarian cancer. And then nine months later, my husband calls and asks, “Was I sitting down?” And he told me that our son had died an hour before from a massive seizure, that it was quick and that he felt no pain. Well, I didn't hear anything else because I died. I died right there.
And after crawling for six years on my hands and knees through a place of grief so dark God couldn't even reach, finally, I was ready to live again, to connect with my life. And I'm running out of money. There's not a theater job in sight. I got to move in two weeks. I need a job, but I don't want a job. I want to do what I love to do for the rest of my life.
So, I'm sitting there immobilized with fear and indecision, scared because there's no jobs, scared that I'm not looking for a job and scared that if I look hard enough, I might find one. It's not that I don't want to work. I just don't want to work for anybody that would hire me. [audience laughter] Well, fear will test anybody's faith. And I was so scared, I started applying for jobs everywhere. Nonunion acting jobs, Walmart, US truck driving school, script supervisor on a CC Dynamite porno film. [audience laughter]
Craigslist was the only thing giving me hope. Nobody called me back for an interview, except Macy's. Now, Macy's want to do a background check. They want to do a drug test, fine. But Macy's just needed to know two things. I'm menopausal and don't put me in customer service. [audience laughter] [chuckles] Well, my gym is right next door. So, after my workout, I realize I forgot my makeup and the shoes that go with my outfit. So, I said, okay, well, I'll buy a pair of shoes and Macy's, then take them back after the interview, [audience laughter] because I can't afford $59 for some cheap shoes. I'm plotting to take the rug route, so the bottoms don't get dirty because I don't want no mess when I go to get my money back.
Well, a guy brings me the shoes I can't even get my toe in. That's when I have a mood swing and snap on the guy. I said, “Look, these corporations going to ship the shoe jobs overseas, they need to ship them to a country that knows something about big feet.” And I stormed out of the shoe department. And that's when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I'm looking militant. I'm looking like a cross between Cornel West and Lil Wayne. [audience laughter] Nobody's going to hire me looking like this. So, I got 10 minutes and I rush to the makeup counter to put on some lipstick to fix it. Now the lighting is bad, so I got to take the makeup girl's word for it. She's like, “Mm, you look good in that color.”
So, I'm going up the escalator, nothing but pure light and mirrors. I look like a cross between Cornel West and Lil Wayne with black lipstick. [audience laughter] I mean, she lied to me with her purple hair. Now, I'm walking through the door as personnel, looking like something out of predator too. [audience laughter] The little guy that's interviewing me look like he's almost 13. I apologize for my gym shoes and we sit down and start the interview process. Now, he asked me, “Is it ever okay to steal from your employer?” I'm thinking, is this part of the drug test? [audience laughter] I mean, because who in their right mind going to say yeah? [audience laughter] And then, he proceeds to ask me more questions just as stupid as that.
So, finally I said, well, I'm a grandmother. I can do anything. How much does this job pay? So, he said, “Well, it's an on-call job and it pays $7.40 an hour.” I'm thinking, $7.40 an hour? You mean to tell me Macy's can't kick in another dime, so I can get almost 2 gallons of gas to get to work? Then he asked me, “Do I have any conflicts?” I'm thinking, I'm conflicted, I'm even here. I'm conflicted, I would have to work eight whole hours to pay for them cheap shoes downstairs and I'm a conflict away from walking out of here. But I don't say that, because I'm broke. I just smile and say, “No, no, I don't have any conflicts,” and I shake his hand and I leave, pretty certain I'm going to get this job. Matter of fact, before I get to the parking lot, I'm already paying my bills with the piddly check.
Three days later, I get an email from Macy's, “Dear Ms. Shakoor, we regret to inform you we cannot hire you at this time... Your skills are strong. We'll keep your application on file.” I don't know, this feeling of relief just came over me. It was like a message from the universe saying, “You better do what you love to do for the rest of your life, because nobody's going to hire the incredible menopausal Hulk.” [audience laughter] And then, I panicked. I'm terrified, because what am I going to do?
Well, the next morning, I'm driving home from the gym, which is my healthcare plan, and I get a phone call. It's from a Dr. Jim Boggs. He says he has a company called EffectiveArts and he trains businesses in high stakes interactions. And he's coming to Michigan to an eye bank to train the people who ask for cornea donations, and that his company hires actors to help facilitate with the training, and that he was very impressed with my resume. I was suspicious because Macy's had just turned me down. [audience laughter] Plus, I had sent my application to millions of people. He could be a Craigslist crazy.
But then, I remembered the audition notice because the online site that posted it warned the actors, “We're not familiar with this company, so submit at your own risk.” So, I pulled my car over to the side to google him. Turns out he's legit. So, I perked up my ears. He said, “Well, do you know anything about cornea donation?” Well, I'm thinking, well, it had occurred to me that things got really bad, I could donate my blood for money. [audience laughter] But I tell him, “No, no. No, not really.”
So, he says, “It's a very delicate operation. A cornea has to be recovered within 23 hours of the death, or it's not going to be able to be used. So, most of these deaths occur unexpectedly, tragically as accidents, so you can imagine the shock and devastation of the family. So, when the requester calls for the donation, they're going into a high stakes interaction, a crisis situation that's time critical. So, our company helps to improve the communication to reduce the risk and mistakes of getting to the donation. And at the highest level, the communication is human. And it's able to move that family member from devastation to seeing the possibility that even in death, their loved one can give the gift of sight.” I was blown away. I was like, “That is awesome.”
He engaged me in a conversation and then he tells me, “You know, we don't usually hire actors over the phone. We like to see them in person. But I have a feeling you'll be perfect for this job and I'd like to hire you.” Tears were rolling down my cheek. I was so thankful. And so, he tells me, it's a nine-day job and he offered to pay me 200 times what Macy's had offered. [audience laughter] All I can say was, the most amazing nine days of my life. And if I had known about cornea donation before my son died, I would have said yes. I realized that not only could I do what I love to do to pay the bills, I could use it to help make a difference.
Well, for the next year and a half, just little miracles started popping up like that, little job miracles. And two months ago, I moved out of my sister's bedroom into my own beautiful 1921 two-bedroom apartment in Detroit in a neighborhood that was once elegant, and that has seen the worst and is on the rise with a new beginning and a new life, just like me. So, here I am, ladies and gentlemen, doing what I love to do for the rest of my life. Thank you.
[cheers and applause]
Jenifer Hixson: [00:29:28] That was Satori Shakoor live in Austin, Texas. Satori is an artist, storyteller and social entrepreneur. Among her many accomplishments, she recorded with George Clinton, Parliament-Funkadelic, which means she is officially one of the brides of Funkenstein. I wish we had a picture of whatever shoes she wore for that gig.
Satori never regrets sticking to her guns and making the choice to do what she loves. She's the founder of the secret society of Twisted Storytellers in Detroit. To see a picture of Satori posing in some fabulous leopard print pumps, visit themoth.org, where you can also download this story or any of the others you heard in this hour.
Our next story is from Sufian Zhemukhov, who is a professor at George Washington University. He told this at our StorySLAM in Washington, D.C., where we partner with public radio station WANU. Here's Sufian.
[cheers and applause]
Sufian Zhemukhov: [00:30:33] Hi, everybody.
Audience: [00:30:35]: Hi.
Sufian: [00:30:36] You probably can guess by my weird accent that I spent some time of my life outside of the United States. [audience laughter] When I moved here in my 40s, my intention was to fit in whatever it costs. And I was asking my friends, do I need to develop different communication skills or maybe I need to develop a different dream? And one of my friends said, “You need different shoes. [audience laughter] Nobody's wearing pointed toe shoes in town.” [audience laughter] And I went to DSW shoe store, [audience laughter] and I found myself nice rounded toe, American shoes. [audience laughter]
While I was trying my shoes, I saw this man. He was a little bit older, looking over his shoulders. We made an eye contact. He approached me and he said, “I have a message.” [audience laughter] I said, “Okay. [audience laughter] What is it?” [audience laughter] He said, “Jesus is coming.” [audience laughter] I said, “That's good news.” [audience laughter] I said, “But how do you know?” He said, “He told me Himself.” [audience laughter] I said, “Thank you very much for letting me know. I'll be looking forward to it.” [audience laughter] And he went away.
So, I'm a Muslim from Russia. [audience laughter] And where I'm from, I never met people who communicated with Jesus directly. [audience laughter] And those people always fascinated me. Here I met another man earlier, a homeless guy, who was with a portable stereo and listening to a song, “Are you ready for Jesus? Are you ready for the day of your Lord?” And I asked him, “What's the music?” But instead of telling me about the music right away, he told me the story of his life. He said, “Several years ago, I was so depressed that I wanted to kill people. And then, I prayed to Jesus and He spoke to me and He told me, ‘Instead of killing people, go and collect all Bob Dylan's songs.’” [audience laughter] So, this is a Bob Dylan song. [audience laughter]
I thought that's a great advice actually. [audience laughter] So, while I was thinking about it, this man came back. I'm still at DSW. [audience laughter] We kind of knew each other already, so he approached me again and he said, “I didn't deliver the whole message.” I said, “Okay, what's the rest of it?” He said, “Since Jesus is coming, you want to get rid of everything named after devil and hell.” I said, “Actually, I have this vacuum cleaner called Dirt Devil.” [audience laughter] He said, “I was sent to you on purpose.” [audience laughter]
I liked him and I decided to confess, and I said, “Actually, I'm a Muslim.” I never could understand why Americans name things after devil or hell, like hell burgers or hell of a cheese or devil's eggs. [audience laughter] I said, “Muslims would never do that.” And that's when he amazed me. He said, “That's because Muslims are better believers.” And he left me speechless and he walked away. I thought how this can even be this man who thinks he speaks to Jesus, he's so tolerant that he could say that just to make me feel good.
While I was leaving DSW with my new rounded toe American shoes, [audience laughter] I knew two things, for sure. One, I knew that I was going to fit in here among these wonderful and tolerant people. And two, I was going to get rid of my vacuum cleaner. [audience laughter]
[cheers and applause]
Jenifer Hixson: [00:36:04] That was Sufian Zhemukhov. Fun Follow up, exactly 90 days after telling this story, Sufian was at a social event where he was recognized by a woman named Margarita. She remembered his round toed shoe story from the DC Moth StorySLAM and introduced herself. A romance was born. Sufian has since written a show about their relationship called Flirting like an American. Look it up, it may be coming to a theater near Houston. To see a picture of Sufian and Margarita performing together on stage, visit themoth.org.
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In a moment, new shoes for a little girl and the world of shoe design, when The Moth Radio Hour continues.
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Jay: [00:37:08] The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. And presented by the Public Radio Exchange, prx.org.
Jenifer Hixson: [00:37:21] You're listening to The Moth Radio Hour from PRX. I'm Jenifer Hixson, and we're hearing stories about foot wear. Stacey Miller told this story at a New York StorySLAM, where public radio station WNYC is a media partner of The Moth. Here's Stacey.
[cheers and applause]
Stacey: [00:37:39] So, I adopted my daughter out of New York City foster care when she was 10 years old. When you adopt out of foster care, they don't just give you the kid in an emergency the way they do if you're in an emergency foster care parent, you have a getting to know each other once every weekend. So, it was my first day I was going to spend with her alone. I was nervous. It was one of those days in March when there was a snowstorm. And the snow was like up to here, you couldn't walk. They had just like single aisles on the corners. It was really wet. It was really cold.
She arrived in white cotton sneakers. And I was like, “Don't you have any other shoes?” And she was like, “No, I don't.” So, I was like, “I'm going to take her shopping.” I didn't even know, because I wasn't ready to do that yet where to go, so I was like, “Where do you get shoes?” And she told me, “Payless.” I was like, “We're going to go there.” So, we went up to Payless, and I got her galoshes and we were trying on shoes. We got two pairs of sneakers. She put one pair of shoes and she said, “Oh, they look too small.” And she said, “That's okay, I can curl my toes under.” It was just so terrible, the awareness of that. And I said, “You're never going to have to do that again. We're just going to get you shoes that fit.”
So, I got her all the practical shoes. We got like four pairs. And then, I felt like we needed something else. I saw these magenta glitter ballet shoes and I was, “We're going to get those.” She put on these shoes, and it was just this wonderful, wonderful thing. A month later, she moved in and I started feeding her. And in a year and a half, she grew a foot, and her feet went from a child's two and a half to a women's 8. [audience laughter]
So, we were in Payless like every four weeks [audience laughter] buying shoes. But every month, we got a pair of those glitter shoes. And Payless, we couldn't find the pink one, so we get whatever color we could get. I started scouring the Payless’ around the city. Like whenever I walked past one, I'd go in and see if they had them and get a pair of shoes. And the last pair we got was a women’s size 8, and they were multicolored glitter shoes and they were ballet shoes. They were just wonderful. They were these wonderful, wonderful shoes.
I thought about it when I did the money thing. And I thought, we don't have a photograph of those shoes. But the way they look is just in my heart forever, those shoes. We didn't keep any because we're not hoarders. [audience laughter] We don't have pictures of them. [audience laughter] This so clearly etched into my memory, into my heart. And now, of course, my daughter buys fry boots. [audience laughter] So, that's what happens. But thank you very much.
[cheers and applause]
Jenifer Hixson: [00:41:05] That was Stacey Miller. Stacey was a jewelry designer for many years, but recently made the switch to fine art and is making beautiful paintings. Her daughter, Bella, attended two iconic New York City institutes of higher learning, LaGuardia High School and then the School of Visual Arts, where she majored in film. To see a picture of Stacey and Bella with matching Tiaras, visit themoth.org.
Our final story is from Munjen Ng. It's another one from our New York StorySLAM. And the theme, coincidentally, was Shoes. He was right on topic with this one. Here's Mun.
[cheers and applause]
Mun: [00:41:44] Growing up in Chinatown, New York, my parents gave me career advice very early and very often. [audience laughter] They said, “Mun, whatever you don't study art. [audience laughter] You'll never find a job. You'll never make any money. You'll probably starve to death.” It sounds much worse when you say it in Chinese. [audience laughter]
So, in 1996, I decided art school sounds like fun. [audience laughter] I enrolled in a place called Pratt up in Brooklyn. Yeah. [audience applause]
I studied something called product design. That's where I met my friend, Evan. Evan was also from Chinatown, and he's Chinese. And the first time I met him, he wore a white sweatband bandana on his head, but it was tilted sideways. It had the Air Jordan logo on it, Nike basketball shorts and Air Jordan sneakers. When he wasn't drawing in class, he was playing basketball.
We'd work late into the night, all the time at the studios. And then one night, he told me, “Mun, I think I know what I want to do with my life. All I want to do is design basketball shoes and work for Nike.” So, for a senior project, he designed a super futuristic basketball shoe. He took a block of foam and then he carved out the shape of the sole. Then he spent weeks cutting out the tread designs. He took some fabric and he sewed it all up and he glued it on top. The result was, it looks like something you would buy at a store. If any Chinese person could get a job in art and design, it would be Evan. But we graduated in 2000, right after the dotcom crash, and nobody was getting a job.
For seven months, all my friends sent out resumes and samples of their portfolios, and they didn't hear anything back. I sat in my bedroom and I drew the shades down. I remember thinking, oh man, I made a huge mistake. Maybe my parents were right. Maybe you can't have a career in art and design. Sometimes we attach our self-worth to our career. And if we don't ever have a career, then we think we're worthless. That's a bad thought to have when you're just 22. Bad thought any age.
One day, sitting in my bedroom, I get a phone call. A design company I had sent my work to says, “Hey, Mun. We like your stuff. We don't have the budget for a full-time designer now. How about an internship?” I thought, an internship? I'm a graduate. [audience laughter] But honestly, after sitting in the dark for so long, I'd be happy just to get out of the house. I managed to ask them a question that my parents would be so proud of, “Does it pay?” [audience laughter] And they said, “Yeah, it pays $10.” “I'll take it.” [audience laughter]
You should have seen me the next morning. My dad's like, “Where are you going?” I was like, “I'm going to work.” [audience laughter] I work pretty hard and I guess I make an impression. One of the designers comes up to me, says, “Mun, I don't know what's going to happen after this internship, but my friend works at a company and they're looking for a fulltime designer. Are you interested?” I'm like, “Yeah, of course. What is it?” He said, “The company is called AND1. They design basketball sneakers.”
At that time, I would have loved a job just to prove my parents wrong. But I knew somebody that would have loved that job more than me. So, I called Evan and he freaked out. AND1 at that time was the hottest street basketball shoe company ever. He took all the designs he took and he sent them in. They loved it. They hired him on the spot. They loved him so much, they promoted him after a year and then they doubled his salary. He was now making more than my parents combined.
Eventually, I got my own job. But now, I keep in contact with Evan. We talk about life, we talk about art and we talk about what it's like being a professional designer. [audience cheers and applause]
One day, I get laid off. Evan hears about this and he calls me up. He says, “Mun, I know you don't know anything about footwear, but if you're willing to learn, I promise you we'll have so much fun.” I sent my stuff into AND1 and they hire me. Oh, my God, let me tell you about this job. [audience laughter]
Evan and I traveled all around the world. We ate at the best restaurants. We played video games all afternoon. [audience laughter] When the mixtape players came in, Evan would challenge them to basketball. And in the middle of all that, I learned how to design footwear. 2014, Evan calls me up, he says, “Mun, you're never going to believe what just happened.” Evan works for Nike in the Jordan division. [audience laughter]
[cheers and applause]
He says, “Mun, [audience laughter] I just got out of a meeting with Michael Jordan, and he's telling me how much he loves the shoes I've designed for him. Thank you. If it wasn't for you 14 years ago, I would have never gotten that job.” I'm sitting in my design area and I just finished designing footwear for the US Navy SEALs. If it wasn't for Evan giving me the opportunity, I would have never been there. Evan and I are just two kids from Chinatown. We wanted a career in art and design. And because we helped each other out, here we are.
[cheers and applause]
Jenifer Hixson: [00:48:43] That was Munjen Ng. He and Evan are still friends and they still love sneakers. Mun went out to visit Evan in Portland and was so blown away by his closet full of sneakers, he made a little video. To see that and to see pictures of the guys and some of the projects they've worked on, visit themoth.org.
Mun was invited to speak to a graduating class at Jefferson University. He ended the speech talking about his friendship with Evan. He closed it by saying this, “I know all of you have dreams of things you want to do and where you want to work. But remember, the person sitting next to you also has dreams. If you're willing to help each other out, I promise you they can all come true.” Mun says, he still believes that to this day. And it all started with a pair of sneakers.
Whether you're comfortable in cha-cha heels or work boots, we hope you enjoyed this hour. Thanks to all the tellers who shared their stories. That's it for this episode of The Moth Radio Hour. We hope you'll join us next time.
[overture music]
Jay: [00:49:52] This episode of The Moth Radio Hour was produced by me, Jay Allison, Catherine Burns and Jenifer Hixson, who also hosted. Jenifer directed the stories in the show along with Maggie Cino. Coproducer is Viki Merrick. Associate producer, Emily Couch.
The rest of The Moth's leadership team includes Sarah Haberman, Sarah Austin Jenness, Meg Bowles, Kate Tellers, Jennifer Birmingham, Marina Klutse, Suzanne Rust, Brandon Grant, Inga Glodowski, Sarah Jane Johnson and Aldi Kaza. Moth stories are true, as remembered and affirmed by the storytellers.
Our theme music is by the Drift. Other music in this hour from Tommy Guerrero, Andrew Bird, the Transatlantic, Bob Dylan and Blue Dot Sessions. We receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. And presented by PRX. For more about our podcast, for information on pitching us your own story and everything else, go to our website, themoth.org.