In his novel The Unnamable, Samuel Beckett's characters hear many intriguing sounds in the bleak landscape: "the sound of pierced air," and "a little cry like a wounded wistiti," to name just two. Occasionally he even describes the placement of sounds in space. Composed of acoustic and synthesized sounds etched into a background ambiance, The things one has to listen to... is a tribute to Beckett's vision in a world too busy to listen. Commissioned by New American Radio.