Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to UnFictional

    UnFictional

    The Man in the Road

    The story of a chance meeting in the Nevada desert that lead to a series of court battles that lasted for over 30 years.

    • rss
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Nick Van der Kolk • Apr 13, 2013 • 28m Listen

    In this story from the Love + Radio podcast, a chance meeting in the Nevada desert that leads to a series of court battles that lasted for over 30 years.

    Love + Radio comes from producer Nick Van der Kolk. He and his collaborators make strange and intense sound stories while aggressively bending and breaking almost every rule of conventional radio. Plus their topics are bloodier, stranger and dirtier than anything you'll ever find on your car radio.

    The Man in the Road is the story of a man named Melvin Dummar, told mostly in his own words. In 1967 he picked up a man lying in the Nevada desert and gave him a ride. It was a chance meeting that turned Dummar into a 1970's media celebrity.

    It was produced by Ben Bombard and Nick van der Kolk. Edited by Nick van der Kolk and Rehman Tungekar, with special help from John Barth, Brendan Baker, Melba Lara and Robin Amer.

    You can hear more stories at loveandradio.org.

    Note:

    This program originally aired on July 6, 2012.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Nick Van der Kolk

      Independent Producer

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Ben Bombard

      Independent Producer

      CultureArts
    Back to UnFictional