Wednesday, February 22, 2012

TAL

I have a deep and abiding love for This American Life. a weekly program that starts with a theme and tells stories from across America on that theme. Some are funny, some sad, some educational. I've almost always been fascinated.


Since my accident, the radio has provided a much lower stress form of entertainment for my brain, and the radio podcast allows me to pause and go back when I (often) miss something important.

But I'm convinced that Ira Glass can be appealing to everyone - not just the concussed. In fact, after suggesting that very concept to my dear husband, well, he didn't bite. THEN he was assigned certain episodes for his economics classes - and hizzah! He was a convert.

Now we listen to them weekly and discuss them in depth. We even store up new ones for car trips so we can play them while we drive (then discuss them in depth). So the point of my story is - even if you don't think listening to radio stories are for you - they probably are.
The Lesson: Don't wait for a masters level Econ professor to make you fall in love with Ira.

Not that you asked,
Here are some of my favorite episodes:
The Super
Tough Room
Mr Daisey and the Apple Factory
What I learned from Television
Heretics
Fear of Sleep
Act V
Superpowers
Recordings for Someone
The Right to Remain Silent

Not that you said you need more but clearly I have them for you:
Running with Antelopes, Telephone, American in Paris, Very Tough Love, My Experimental Phase, Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, (Giant Pool of Money & Continental Break-Up will make you feel so much less stupid about our world's economic situations), What I did for Love, and #1 Party School

I'm sorry, and did I mention that it's all FREE - every backlogged episode, ever! oh Public Radio, you shouldn't have!

Do you have a favorite TAL that I didn't mention?  Or a part of one of these that's just stayed with you (don't some of them do that in the most wonderful way)? Do you have another favorite radio show that I should know about?

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