inkdick: april 23 2009 this american life live
So it’s no secret, I am obsessed with This American Life. It’s the highlight of my week when my iTunes downloads the latest episode. This obsession is almost unhealthy. But hey, it’s a healthier obsession than say collecting Star Wars action figures or eating junk food (two obsessions I also have).
So I was ecstatic when I got a text while at work earlier today. It was Amy telling me that she got two tickets for the This American Life Live satellite feed that was playing at one of the movie theaters tonight. Part of me was in shock that a town like Savannah would host such a thing (outside of the college community, this place tends to be a cultural wasteland), but it was a welcome shock.
On the way to the theater we pre-gamed it by playing some old TAL episodes on my iPod in the car. Yes, I PRE-GAMED the This American Life Live show.
At the theater I ran into the type of people in Savannah I would expect to see at a TAL show. Kevin, JKnee, Melanie, Matt, and some others. There are just some people in the world who are Public Radio-type people and from that group of people only a small percentage of them would actually pay twenty bucks to watch a live feed of something they could get for free on the radio two weeks later. I count myself among that group and I love it. Some people blast their 50 Cent or Ludicrous when they are rolling around town. Me? I prefer to blast me some Terry Gross or Garrison Keillor. I tend to get funny looks from people at stop lights…
Anyways, twenty bucks well spent. If you missed it, you’ll be able to check out the audio version of the show when they post it up on their site or on the radio or through the podcast. You’ll enjoy it. I am man enough to say that I choked up like a baby at the end of Mike Birbiglia’s story.
There is just something about This American Life, I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it is that the show can take everyday life, the daily mundane existence that we all go through every single day, and pull from it the most fascinating stories. I think that is in part what I’m trying to accomplish with this journal comic of mine. Take the everyday and find the beauty in it. I think This American Life does a far better job that I ever could, but I keep trying anyways.
Or maybe it is just Ira Glass’ pure awesomeness that makes me love it so much. I admit, I have a bit of a man crush on him.
NOTE: I’m pretty sure I misquoted Ira in panel two. I think he starts out with show with It’s ‘This American Life’, not This is ‘This American Life’. What kind of fan am I? Geez!
May 21st, 2009 at 8:52 pm
This American Life isn’t my favorite show, but it has it’s moments. (sometimes the stories are boring, or too depressing to listen to). But It always reminds me that everyone has a voice, and everyone has a story, and that I need to do what I can to make my voice heard and have my story told.
May 21st, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Dude, Mike Birbiglia is awesome. I’m addicted to “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” though. And “A Prairie Home Companion” was a staple of my childhood. It’s good to know there are other NPR buffs out there in Savannah-land…
May 21st, 2009 at 10:05 pm
it was indeed a great show. i did my comic for that day about it too, but in a less specific, more everyday life kinda way. http://scribbles.aaronbrassea.com/2009/04/23/this-american-life-live/
May 21st, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Last summer I had the good fortune to work @ Killer Films, which is the company behind the TAL tv show. I got to see Ira do a live feed just like you saw, only if I’d thrown a tomato it would have hit Ira himself, not a screen. :P
His show really is great, and its definitely his soothing, chamomile tea voice that makes it all go down smooth. In NYC, I see a lot of women with “I (heart symbol) Ira Glass” totebags.
But yes, your strip is all about capturing the quotidian details of life in an entertaining light. Keep up the good work, sir!
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:27 am
I join in your love for the show! And Mike Birbigs is awesome!
May 22nd, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Aren’t you glad we got you hooked on NPR at an early age :)
May 25th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Ira Glass is much taller in person than he sounds on radio. :) No, really, he’s well over six feet.