Approval Matrix rating: Solidly brilliant and lowbrow.

Public Radio tattoos.

This is getting printed out and going up in the cubicle.

Check out Tig Notaro’s story for This American Life about repeatedly running into Taylor Dayne, who for those who don’t know or may not remember, was a pop star in the late 80s and early 90s.

Have fun with @thisamerlife until Tuesday, Internet! They’ll be running this Tumblr here for the next few days.

CubeDude Ira Glass (by MacLane)

Exciting news! I am taking off Thursday and Friday to move and on Monday to watch my little brother Steven graduate from Jefferson Medical School. (Yay Steven!)

But the Tumblr is not going dark!! For the next few days, the squad from This American Life will be guest-Tumblring! I have no idea what they are going to post! But how awesome is that?!

Seems like our Tumblr audience would want to know about this: This American Life is hosting a live show on Thursday night which will be beamed live via satellite to more than 500 movie theaters around the US and Canada. (So you don’t have to be in NYC to go.)

Act 1: Get your theater tickets here

Act 2: Drive to theater

Act 3: Ira Glass, David Sedaris and pals entertain you with radio, film, music, stories and dance.

This American Life 339: Break-Up

Every time I’ve gone through a major relationship upheaval in my life this archival episode of This American Life has made me cry and laugh. Enjoy!

Ira Glass Interviews His Cousin, Composer Philip Glass

Tomorrow, we celebrate Philip Glass’ 75th birthday. Tomorrow, we celebrate Philip Glass’ 75th birthday. Tomorrow, we celebrate Philip Glass’ 75th birthday. Tomorrow, we celebrate Philip Glass’ 75th birthday. With an interview conducted by his cousin Ira Glass. With an interview conducted by his cousin Ira Glass. With an interview conducted by his cousin Ira Glass. With an interview conducted by his cousin Ira Glass. You know, the guy from This American Life. You know, the guy from This American Life. You know, the guy from This American Life. You know, the guy from This American Life. They’re cousins. They’re cousins. They’re cousins. They’re cousins.

#445: Ten Years In

aviamon:

This American Life

In this show, we return to people who’ve been on This American Life in the last ten years, whose lives were drastically altered by 9/11, including Hyder Akbar, an Afghan-American teen who moved to Afghanistan after his father was tapped to become governor of Kunar province there.

This American Life’s Sept 11 show.

iamcharlotteaddams:

In honor of National Radio Day: the list of my top 10 Public Radio Programs that was in my short-lived (read: two issue) high school zine. Still pretty accurate. (Note: ranking is basically random past #3)

1. Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me (DUH)
2. This American Life (close second)
3. A Prairie Home Companion (Garrison Keillor, you complete me)
4. Says You!
5. [American] Radio Works
6. Studio 360
7. Selected Shorts
8. Fresh Air
9. Anything Jay Allison does (kind of a cop out, but the man is a public radio producin’ genius and hotwired into my soul)
10. City Arts and Lectures

Also Radiolab (don’t know how that got left off the original list. Oops), and let’s just go ahead and say every single program on KQED’s schedule.

Public radio is the business, y’all.

I totally forgot about National Radio Day. (It was Saturday.) We are honored to be #8 on your list. (Very nice penmanship.) 

Ira. Prom. 1977. (via @thisamerlife)

(Source: bit.ly)

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

— Ira Glass (via nefffy)

Uh-Oh. 

This week on This American Life: A drug court program that we believe is run differently from every other drug court in the country, doing some things that are contrary to the very philosophy of drug court. The result? People with offenses that would get minimal or no sentences elsewhere sometimes end up in the system five to ten years. [full episode description here]

marissawahl:

In March of my freshman year, my roommate Skye and I attended a lecture given by Ira Glass as part of the World View lecture series as the Wharton Center. Tickets were free. Skye and I went because I remembered my friend Katherine, who is into cool stuff was in a Facebook group called “Ira Glass I want to have your babies.” I had never listened to This American Life before.

That night I fell in love with all things public radio.

Nice stencil.