The Best Laid Plans

In both of the stories in today's episode, our storytellers think they know the plan of action, only to come face to face with someone else with a conflicting agenda.

Award-winning journalist

Margy Rochlin, who's interviewed hundreds of people over the last 30 years, tells the story of one interview she's never forgotten. In 1980 as a young reporter, she went to the Tropicana Motel with her tape recorder to interview the British female punk band The Slits. In this episode, Margy plays snippets from the recording and tells the story of the interview. Beginning with the moment she walked in and was pelted with balled up paper, to the unexpected request the band had for her as she was leaving.

Writer and poet Luke Davies has a painfully intimate story about something that happened in the years after a spiral of drug addiction. He seeks out an old girlfriend, who he had badly mistreated, to ask for her forgiveness. He also wants to return the $40 he had borrowed from her when he was at his lowest point. He has a plan and his intentions are good, but his meeting with the woman heads in some strange and darkly funny directions.

Luke Davies is a writer of poetry, novels, and essays. He also has a children's book called

Magpie, coming out this year. Back in the 90's he wrote a book called

Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction

, which he adapted into a film starring Heath Ledger.

(This program was aired on January 4, 2011.)