Last night I listened to some of those hours of cassette tape audio I recorded, grabbing this mildly interesting statement from someone who said he had prison and law enforcement experience. He just wanted to say that someone calling earlier who said they were a killer was obviously no killer. I don’t remember the caller he was referring to but Apology was rife with actors calling in fake crimes, and some of the lies were pretty obvious. He just knew, this police-type dude, that this one individual was no killer.
It was interesting how he extended his comments for so long, as if this was a valuable testimony or personality outlay entering into the record of an arbitrary place that has no record. It reminded me of the reactions from others when I played Apology tapes for them. Most people could not understand why anyone would do this, and they most commonly dismissed the callers with the “get a life” award. But that type of reaction is what greeted the tapes of people calling to confess crimes. This guy was just filling air time with a tale that seemed self-serving but also self-conscious, leading me to question why he was doing this and who he thought he was reaching.
I’ve overheard conversations between free phone counseling services and the troubled people who are encouraged to call them. You can do this now that LinkNYC makes it possible to hear both sides of outdoor public telephone conversations. The voices I hear sounded something like this police dude, riding on a plain of self satisfaction and the prolonged attempt to maintain their dignity.
Apology Cassette
