Blake Pfeil

​Blake Pfeil is an award-winning multidisciplinary audiomaker, musician, writer, & performance artist. He cofounded folk-fusion band Macabre Americana and hosts "The Pfeil File" on Radio Kingston/WKNY (107.9 FM/1490 AM in the Hudson Valley, NY). ​In his “day job,” he steps into the role of Operations & Programs Manager at Hudson Valley-based nonprofit storytelling organization TMI Project. Outside of that beautiful space, Blake's work appears on stages, concert halls, or clubs; through your headphones, speakers, radio, Diskman, or TV screens; or in magazines, books, or journals. Blake holds an ​MA in Arts Entrepreneurship from Purchase College, a BFA in Musical Theatre from Emerson College, and is an alumni of the Audio Podcast Fellowship at Stony Brook University.

Describe your show in 10 words or less.
I explore abandoned spaces and fantastically reimagine/retell those experiences.

Where did your fascination with abandoned spaces begin?
There was an abandoned dairy farm down the hill from my childhood home in Colorado. When I was 6 or so, I figured out a way to break in and realized that everything was still inside: clothes in the closet, dishes on the table, furniture, a whole life, just sitting there preserved. Very quickly, I became obsessed and spent basically every weekend there until it burned down.

What can we learn from abandoned spaces?
Oh, goodness. So much. So, so much. For one thing, these spaces tell an alternative version of American history that we’ve been told. The underbelly of this country. When I explore ruins, I am constantly asking myself questions about American culture, economics, the environment, politics, housing and food insecurity, the income gap. I could go on and on. Personally, they’ve also taught me about the value of solitude, how spending time with oneself can be extremely healing and inspiring, and that exploring outside of one’s comfort zone can only help a person grow creatively and spiritually.

How do you find the places you want to explore?
That’s a secret, but never doubt the powers of Reddit.

What’s a place you’re dying to visit?
There’s an abandoned retirement community in Turkey that I’ve been obsessing over ever since I read this article.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened in these abandoned places?
I can tell you the dumbest thing I’ve ever done - in fact, I just finished recording VO for the episode about that particular experience. I was exploring an abandoned roadside country store/amusement park in Oregon, and a guy approached me for a ride back to his house. For some reason, I gave it to him, and to this day, I’m counting my blessings that that very dumb decision didn’t turn my podcast into a true crime podcast.

How do you feel when you’re alone in an abandoned place?
It totally depends, but the most overwhelming feeling I experience is magic. The word “anemoia” describes it best, nostalgia for a time and place one has never known. I feel creative and connected to something bigger than myself. Sometimes I feel a little sad, depending on the ruin and the story it might tell, but usually, I feel, ironically, safe, secure, and deeply comfortable.

How long does it take you to make an episode? What goes into it?
50-60 hours, soup to nuts. The scriptwriting is the most important part because every episode is adapted from the original blog. I’m finishing up production on season 2 right now, and this season took a leap from the first by introducing a ton of new voices, so hiring actors (or the real people themselves) to play the parts, binaural tape collection, sourcing music that doesn’t sound hokey, making sure the story has a really compelling beginning, middle, end, triple-checking that every story leaves me having learned something new. And you know how the rest goes: editing, mixing, mastering, sharing with friends for feedback before finishing up final touches and scheduling the thing.

Do all abandoned places sound the same?
Not at all, but I would imagine that if you don’t have an imagination, they could, but… that’s impossible. That’s actually been a huge part of what makes producing this show so fun. Because so much of it is recreation of sounds in a studio, I have gotten to experiment with depth of sonic field, really exploring foley while mixing in real sounds I’ve captured on location.

What has making the show taught you about the world?
That it’s really, really big, and we’ll never get to see all of it-- and how wonderful that is.

What has making the show taught you about yourself?
The entire All-American Ruins multiverse has been a lesson in reclaiming the artist in me. It really became the catalyst for accepting all the things I used to dislike about myself. Spending so much time alone while wandering the ruins of America can do that to you!

What do all of the places have in common?
Every single space is a vault that contains an uncountable number of stories. They all had lives lived in them, and they all represent humanity at its best and its worst.

Why are you the perfect creator of this show?
When I first started poking around the urbex community, I quickly realized it was filled with all sorts of incredible artists: graffitists, photographers, filmmakers, dancers. People doing really remarkable work documenting these spaces in unique ways. I knew immediately that I could offer the storyteller in me because that’s what I do in my full-time work. Not only that, but I’m a major champion of the power of the human imagination in all its complexities and abilities, and I think that’s what made me the right person to produce this particular show.

Do you have any good listener interactions you want to share with us?
After my collab with History Colorado went live, I got an Instagram message from someone who also grew up in the neighborhood I grew up in (who I’d never met and didn’t know), and she reminisced all about her own experience growing up near that abandoned dairy farm. People reach out constantly and share their own stories about exploring abandoned spaces, and it’s so fun to hear other people who, like me, have had very powerful experiences through the ruins of America.

Pretend you were going to make another podcast…your budget is $1M, and you don’t have to worry about whether or not anyone would like it or any of the logistics. What would it be?
Haha, I just pitched this idea to Canadaland and very quickly got a rejection email. 😂 I wrote a six-episode, single season fiction podcast called The Disappearance and Subsequent Discovery of Millennial Pop-Punk Goddess Avril Lavigne that I think would be a smash. It’s about a high school sophomore named Dennie who becomes obsessed with the Avril Lavigne replacement conspiracy theory and goes in search of the truth behind it. I’m honestly shocked Canadaland rejected it, but… maybe next year!

What’s a podcast you love that everyone else already loves?
My Favorite Murder is my ride or die. I love those women so much.

What’s a podcast you love that not enough people know about?
The Pleasure Palate. It’s a show about women reclaiming pleasure in the kitchen, produced by my dearest buddy Rebecca Katz. I can’t stress enough how brilliant of a writer and storyteller Rebecca is. An absolute masterpiece.

What’s the most surprising podcast in your listening library?
OMG. Sebu’s Halloween Podcast. My friend Eeva (who I just spent time exploring abandoned spaces with in Finland!) has a five year-old named Sebastian (I call him Sebu), and he wanted to make a podcast, so we produced a one-minute, one-episode show called Sebu’s Halloween Podcast, and it’s my favorite thing in the world.

Are there too many podcasts?
Yes and no. The only reason I want to say “yes” is because, like exploring the planet, it’s impossible that I’ll ever get to listen to all of them, and there are so many good ones!

Anything I didn’t ask you about that you want to share?
Only that I have a really super fun season 2 launch party coming up in partnership with Dylan Thuras, co-founder of Atlas Obscura. We’re producing a multimedia event at a formerly abandoned monastery (now the Hudson House & Distillery) overlooking the Hudson River in West Park, NY, alongside HUDSY, the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project, and my folk band Macabre Americana. We’ll be screening the second episode of HUDSY-TV’s adaptation of All-American Ruins alongside some other short films from Atlas Obscura, as well as doing a listening circle for the first episode of the second season (which is based on this story), plus live music from the band, food, drinks, and a helluva good time. Everyone is very, very welcome, and the best part is that it’s a benefit for HUDSY. It’s a quick 90-minute train ride from NYC (plus like a $10 cab) to get to the venue, so join us if you’re in the NY-Metro area!

Hot tip: Again, Reddit knows no bounds…

Self-care ritual: To be honest, and not to sound cliche, but… exploring abandoned spaces.

Event info

On Saturday, Sept. 23, join All-American Ruins at the Hudson House & Distillery in West Park, NY for All-American Ruins: Live. This unique multimedia event will celebrate the launch of season two of abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast, which guides listeners through immersive audio fantasies, recreating multidisciplinary artist Blake Pfeil’s experiences exploring abandoned spaces across the United States.

A benefit for local content platform and production company HUDSY, the event will feature a listening circle for the season 2 pilot episode, short film screenings of HUDSY-TV’s All-American Ruins and two Atlas Obscura Shorts, as well as a performance from folk band Macabre Americana and panel discussion moderated by Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras about the power of the imagination and the cultural significance of abandoned spaces, featuring Marisa Scheinfeld from the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project, Charles Ferri from Hudson House & Distillery, and Angel Gates from HUDSY.

For tickets, click here.

Thanks, Blake!