4 stars out of 5
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By the time Clay Pigeon arrived at WFMU circa 2007 or so, I was already a longtime listener to the station. I started to notice his name on the schedule (“Huh, that’s a funny name”), but as a Manhattan working stiff, I never really got a chance to listen to his “Dusty Show.” (He currently hosts the “Wake n Bake” morning show from 6–9 a.m. eastern Monday to Friday.) When I went freelance, I began volunteering at the station during their fundraising marathons, and it was then that I finally met Clay and heard him in action. He had an unbridled, unrelenting cheeriness and goofiness. A charming innocence with a wink that said he really knew what was going on. I quickly became a fan.
When I learned there was a documentary with Clay doing his trademark man-on-the-street interviews, I was excited to see it. But One October is so much more: It’s a love letter to New York City and a time capsule of what has turned out to be a more innocent age — the month of October, 2008.
Director Rachel Shuman and her cinematographer husband David Sampliner have shot the film beautifully, and indeed Manhattan is a much a character here as Clay Pigeon himself. They capture the city’s warmth and weirdness and non-stop energy, the vibrant mix of cultures and generations. This is America fulfilling its potential.
Shuman chose to chronicle a moment in our history that blended hope, fear, and change. The lead-up to the 2008 presidential election is the through-line here, with the palpable injection of optimism from the candidacy of Barack Obama. (A chilling moment shows an Obama sign painted on the side of a building, emblazoned with the words “Make America Great Again.”) Simultaneously, though, a shadow hangs over the city from the very recent and ongoing financial collapse. And with change as the only constant, we see neighborhoods morph while residents are squeezed out by gentrification and its attendant shimmering, clashing architectural monstrosities.
And then there’s Clay. With portable recorder in hand, he holds a stethoscope to the city’s heartbeat, its people. He listens, he probes, he empathizes. An instant bond is formed; they open up to Clay and share their stories.
It’ll be interesting to watch this film again in another 10 years, and 10 years after that. Viewing it right now, though, One October reminds us what hope looks like, and that it’s only an election away.
Jack Silbert, curator