If you were able to sit next to me right now you would notice one thing, just how big a grin I have on my face. I was just able to see one of my favorite broadcasts, This American Life, preformed live for a nationwide audience. After about a month and a half wait for this I want to say that Ira Glass ‘n crew did not disappoint; it was phenomenal!
I’ve been a keen fan of the show for many years now. I still remember tuning into my public radio station to stumble across the show for the first time. It was the famous episode titled “Act V” where they documented death row inmates that performed Shakespeare’s Hamlet one act at a time. Essentially it was what we can learn from a play about murder done by individuals that knew the subject firsthand. I was captivated instantly. I listened intently all the way home and sat in my car until the show had to stop for a quick station break. I literally rushed into my house screaming to my family, “You gotta listen to this! You gotta listen to this!” I turned on the radio and sat down and listened to the rest of the show.
At the time I had never heard anything like this and when I think about it, I still haven’t heard anything since that is quite like it. From that fateful night I became an avid listener, devouring show after show, looking forward to it week after week. I often told friends about it and I always described it as being an “audio documentary”. For those completely unfamiliar with This American Life it is a public radio broadcast hosted by Ira Glass. Each episode has a theme with stories supporting that theme. The stories, done in “acts” are provided by many contributing writers and range from the quirky, hilarious, disturbing, ironic, and touching. The episodes are colored with various types of music to fit the mood and have interviews of people from all walks of life; it is totally engrossing. With this understanding it’s fair to say that you know how much I was really looking forward to this show, it was literally the highlight of my month.
I must say what a top notch performance the This American Life crew has done to produce this. Every facet of the show was amazing. Those that arrived early were treated with the credits intermingled with witty word play games of hangman, fill in the blank and word mix up. The animation was creative as well as the word play itself. I may have to invent the award for “Best Opening Credit Sequence” just so I can award it to them.
The rest of the show went just as stellar. Fans were finally able to see how Ira Glass does the show. His large desk adorned with audio equipment, he dramatically cues in each sequence and, almost diabolically, dials in the levels while adding the scripted commentary. It was much more complicated than I had imagined and gave me the feeling more of a dance hall DJ than a quiet radio host.
The theme of tonight’s show was Return to the Scene of the Crime and it was in five acts. Act one was by Mike Birbiglia about marriage and a certain, very unfortunate car wreck. Act two was an extremely surrealistic animated short by Chris Ware with music by Andrew Bird. In Act three Starlee Kine told us her experiences at a therapeutic retreat center. Act four was provided by Dan Savage, a story about losing his religion as well as his mother. And in act five Joss Whedon wrapped us up with a piece from his musical “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.”
I found all the stories richly entertaining and they were even more intimate than on the radio. This is a give in knowing that you can actually see what’s going on this time. But because it was a live show it had that great unpredictability. Whether it was Ira’s unscripted banter or how some of the speakers stumbled over their words; it was all great. What made a deep impression on me was the story of his mother by Dan Savage. He became emotional several times as he told of her death, it was particularly moving.
It was hard for me to have the end come so soon. I could have had it last for hours on end; I’m that dedicated a fan. I say so soon like it was short but clocking in at around an hour and a half made for a hearty show. I don’t know what the industry has as far as awards go for things quite like this but I think this episode deserves one. By far this is one of their best and it is deserving of the credit.
Now after exhausting every adjective for the word “good” that I know of I will close this review by saying again how truly amazing this performance was. It was two thumbs up for sure.
P.S. If anyone reading this that is affiliated with This American Life or Chicago Public Radio in the very least, I want to let you know that my life may never be complete till you release a DVD of this night’s showing. Pass the word, thanks.
