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From WBEZ In Chicago And Showtime, Win An Ira Glass Poster

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Tonight's episode of This American Life is "What I Learned from TV," compiled from live performances on their tour of the same name. Pieces by David Rakoff, Sarah Vowell, and Dan Savage will be included.

Seattlest went on March 7, when the live show hit the Paramount, and we can confirm that the Rakoff and Savage stories are solid. (We're also happy that Alexa Junge's piece, about her experiences as a female TV scriptwriter, isn't included -- it was funny but banal, and there's a reason we refer to it as a "piece" and not a "story.")

If they include Savage's performance from Seattle, enjoy the knowledge that Dan was doing a gotta-pee dance by the end of the story, but that they made him come back on stage to do a pickup line before sweet relief was his.

whatilearnedfromtv.jpgThe best parts of the live show, unfortunately, don't really translate to radio -- Chris Ware's animation for the opening story, about kids who built fake TV cameras; and Glass' discussion with Chris Wilcha, who directed the TV version for Showtime.

If you weren't there, you missed a classic illustration of why Errol Morris doesn't appear in his own films -- nodding along with your interviewees looks ridiculous, as Glass found out. (See the photo at the top of this post, and imagine it nodding along while a nice rancher talks about the emotional turmoil of skinning his prized bull.)

Speaking of the TV version: want a poster for it, signed by Ira Glass himself? (It looks a lot like our current crop of ads.) To qualify, tell us in the comments to this post what your favorite This American Life story is, and why. 50 words or less, please. We'll pick a winner at random next Thursday, so get your entries in by Wednesday night. No more than one entry per person, please.

Photo by Flickr user jvoves, from the Chicago live performance.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@seattlest.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By James in on March 16, 2007 10:30 AM

Comments [rss]

  • Anna

    My favorite TAL program would have to be "Fiasco". It was the first I downloaded as a podcast, and it served to remind me just how much I love the show. I think I laughed through the entire hour- the "Peter Pan" production, battling Visigoths with warm oil, and Wisconsin Public Radio vs. Car Talk. Immediately after finishing it I burned a CD for my mom. We listened to it together, and of course it was just as funny the second time through.

  • Jessica

    My favorite TAL is a recent one from Halloween called, "And the call was coming from the basement"- one really scary story, a couple of pretty creepy ones, and one that makes you realize how crazy our health care system is. It's always amazing though...I saw the live show in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and wore my "I love Ira Glass" shirt...what a wonderful night!

  • Jana

    Oh, holy crap...one called "Cringe". The best part involved a guy forgetting his glasses, crab-walking down an office hallway and mistaking a little person for a the child of a coworker. I still cringe on his behalf to think of it. GAH.

  • Molly

    The best This American Life story, ever, has got to be "Squirrel Cop." Many a TAL story elicits a chuckle or even a chortle from moi, but just writing a comment about this story makes me want to hyperventilate. With each awful event you think you've reached the end of the story. But no, it keeps going. And going. And going.

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