Appearing on ‘This American Life’ This Week Or Maybe Next, It Depends On A Lot of Factors
So, it’s as official as it gets. I just heard from the producers today who confirmed it as a “go,” with the caveat “anything can happen, but we’re looking good.” I’m going to have a story on this week’s episode of “This American Life,” and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.
It’s a new version of a story I performed at The Moth’s GrandSlam a few months ago. I pitched it to This American Life with that video, and they brought me into the studio for an interview a few weeks ago.
And here’s the REAL dirt on Ira Glass:
There is none.
He’s super-friendly, very comfortable to be around, and pretty much one of the most professional people you’ll ever going to meet. He’s the storytelling equivalent of Chesley Sullenberger. He interviewed me in a tiny booth for an hour and a half, at least, to generate the kind of tape it takes to make a five-minute story. He found stuff in that story, stuff deep inside me that I didn’t know I had and kicked it right out. It was amazing, terrifying, exhausting and exhilarating all over the place, all at once.
I can’t wait to hear how the piece comes out. I worked for at least a month on the Moth version, and consequently burned the lines into my synapses. This is different. I think it went deeper, more off-script and into the deep weeds, which is where all the best stories hang out.
To hear the show on the radio, do this:
- Click here.
- On the right-hand side, there’s a little pull-down for the program you’re looking for. Select “This American Life,” and your home state.
- You’ll get a page showing you what time and station the show is on.
To hear the show online, try this:
- You can subscribe to the podcast.
- Or you can stream full episodes for free. The show will be here, once it comes out
It goes out live into the world on Friday at 8pm. Then affiliate stations pick it up and run it whenever they like after that. If you happen to be in Norfolk, VA, for example, the show is on Fridays at 1 PM. Which means that you’ll have to hear it on the air on July 17th at 1 PM.
Sorry this is all complicated. But that’s how it works out. I’ll grab a copy of the piece my own self and store it on my server for relentless self-promotion if you want to hear it online sometime later, too.
I’m just tickled to death.
Hope you guys can hear it — and hope you all enjoy it, too.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:57 am
This is really cool! Congrats on this, man. I listen to the podcast regularly, so I will be hearing it soon.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:28 am
awesome, congrats. can’t wait to hear it.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
congrats! That is awesome news. I’ll definitely listen in.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Congrats! I’ll be sure to check my podcast subscription.
July 8th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Buddy.
I am psyched. I’ll be tuning in.
Congrats!
July 9th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Tinkled pink or to death?
July 9th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
OMG. Congratulations!!!
July 10th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I just heard this in the radio. This how I found your blog. It was everything you described. I felt all your feelings it was really honest. Congratulations.
July 11th, 2009 at 4:21 am
Congrats!
July 11th, 2009 at 9:54 am
I just heard it – it was a great story. The kiss was brilliant!
July 11th, 2009 at 10:04 am
I just heard it on the radio too, thus coming here. That is awesome! Perfect story/interview. My favorite radio show in the entire world. To relate to cool things happening, I’ve recently and unexpectedly been the lead lady in a wine commercial, made out with a guy in a famous band – while people cheered for us in the streets – and now I’m photographing other famous bands and made friends with a screenwriter who wrote for the show Married with Children for years – and yesterday was asked to model for a book cover. AND all of these things are unrelated and totally out of the range of my previous life experience. I’m just an artsy girl from Arkansas living in North Carolina – how do these things begin to happen? I guess it starts with the determination to expressing yourself, go out on a limb, and having stuff not so bad to put out there – then other people think it’s as fascinating, or more fascinating, than you do. Well, being on This American Life? That’s about as good as it can get. For me, the candy of life is that show.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:50 am
I just heard your piece on NPR.
I really enjoyed the story. Congrats!
July 11th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I echo the rest of the comments: so good! Congrats!
July 11th, 2009 at 10:56 am
I just heard your story; it was wonderfully written and superbly enacted. Now I’m off to read the rest of your blog.
(Ira’s a god, no doubt!)
July 11th, 2009 at 10:57 am
The interview and the recount of the experience was great. You’re a funny guy.
I was an Art Teacher for 5 years. It’s actually harder than most people think. And as a teacher we were required to break up fights. It always raised my aggression for the day when I had to pull the foes apart. I wanted to “pull the foes apart”.
July 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Just heard you in texas…so funny! I look forward to future blogs and probably even more Ira for you.
July 11th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Very funny and clever. I heard it twice and liked it both times. Got this address from the program as I am one of Ira’s regular listener’s.
July 11th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
it was great, just played in charlotte nc !
July 11th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Just heard the program and it led me to the blog– well done on both counts!
July 11th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I came to your site after listening to the NPR broadcast, very funny, very poignant, very real. Thanks!
July 11th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Just heard you in Texas. I’m not sure who you are, but it was an interesting story!
Pretty good publicity, huh?
July 11th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
I just came from dinner with Stacey Schwartz, who said she thought this was the week you’d be on. We can’t wait to hear the podcast!
July 12th, 2009 at 12:36 am
I heard it today and it directed me here. It was good. Now let me see if I can say the same for your blog
July 12th, 2009 at 9:53 am
You’re story ruled! I promise you I am hard to please. Nice work.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Also…”your”.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:55 am
just found your website from hearing the episode. great story
July 12th, 2009 at 11:04 am
‘just heard it in Houston. I cannot wait to listen again! ‘really funny.
July 12th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Heard the great story. Perfect reaction. I was a teacher for 32 years. The best workshop I ever took was “Disrupting the Disruptor”. The idea was to do something unexpected, not harmful but something that let the disruptor know that you were a bit “dangerous”, not going to do the usual. Really solved lots of discipline situations and of course I got a good giggle out of the action and that relieved my stress as well.
July 12th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I just heard the story on NPR in Portland, OR. I enjoyed it so much that I pulled over to write down your web address, and checked it out when I got home. Thanks for sharing with us all!
July 12th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Decided to take a look at your site after hearing your story this morning in Houston. Great site and story – wish I could have seen the look on his face!
Congrats!
July 12th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
nice job today! heard you on the radio at our coffee shop…very surreal!
see you at cupid,
Juliet
July 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I heard your story Sun Jul 12 at 4:30. I came to your site to read more. Great story
July 12th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Just heard it. Brilliant! Simply brilliant. Well done.
July 12th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Loved the story on This American Life and now I have yet another blog I’ll need to read regularly.
Keep it up – you’re inspirational!
July 12th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Just heard you now. Good radio!
I’ve gone off listening to CBC (public broadcaster up here in Canada; it’s more and more chirpy and absent of ideas).
Luckily, I live near enough to the border to catch NPR, and glad that I caught your story, and your personal twist on family values. As for the bacon vodka… !
July 12th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Strong work, sir. I’ll try to get lots of other people to listen to it.
July 12th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
I loved your story so much. That kiss–so unexpected and weird. I’m so jealous you got to talk to Ira Glass in a small booth for an hour and a half.
July 13th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I heard the podcast today; your segment was great. It reminded me of what I call the “Bugs Bunny Kiss of Distraction.” Did you watch a lot of Looney Tunes?
July 13th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Great story on American Life. The ‘reaction’ was so freaking strange yet it made sense given the anger and helplessness of dealing with the abuse of a loved one. It would be better if everyone handled rage in such a way but it’s not easy being a big brother. Great job bringing us into the moment.
July 13th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I have to tell you, I’m so glad I heard you the other morning and so glad I found your website. I also have to tell you how impressed I was that you wrote back on my email. Thank you. I don’t know many people that share my sense of humor, but you seem to. I read more of your stories(and laughed ,aloud) but didn’t know about your battle, as it were. I’m glad you have Maggie with you also. I didn’t mean to take up this much space, but all of my “cool” friends are gonna know about this site. I think you should make money off it!
July 13th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I enjoyed your story and like site as well. I saw your posts regarding having cancer and I wanted to give you my best wishes for health and calm. I am 26 and had melanoma this spring. It sounds like it was about the same stage as your cancer. I had some surgery, the blood tests and lymph node checks, but didn’t need chemo. I have to watch myself carefully because it might come back worse. So I really do get it… I hope things are going well for you. Cancer sucks!
July 14th, 2009 at 12:05 am
You sir have a very intelligent way of telling painfull stories. I hope to hear more of your comedy or monologues in the future.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
hey, just heard the show. Loved your story!
July 14th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Heard the podcast today! Totally awestruck. The story got me all emotional and laughing again. And the interview was awesome. Completely killed it.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
HILARIOUS STORY! I too teach high school, but have never thought that kissing a student would be so effective in getting that dickwad to leave your sister alone. great job!
July 15th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Jeff! I just heard this on the TAL podcast BY ACCIDENT! Nicely done!!
July 15th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
So was there a part of the Ira Glass interview where this story does not seem obviously completely made up? Or did he just edit in the parts where you’re fumbling for things to say, about drive-bys, etc. Come on, man – of course you’re lying!
July 15th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Ah, Jaques, I should never get my hopes up. Here I was, enjoying all the nice stuff, and thinking “gosh, there’s sure been a shortage of trolls on this thread.” Then you came along and restored a little balance to the universe.
July 15th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I loved the TAL episode so much I had to look up your blog. Beautiful story, beautiful storytelling. Thank you!
July 15th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Drivebys in our city was an impressively thrifty encapsulation of what there was to be afraid of from little weasle mustachioed kids in huge bubble jackets that hung out with Jeff’s little sister in 1994/95. I myself lived in perpetual terror of these and the 18 other species of troll (http://www.amazon.com/Favorite-Monsters-Trolls-Random-Pictureback/dp/0394834771) that lived in our high school.
By “troll” I don’t mean that they were fantastic creatures of the imagination, I mean that they were not human and I was afraid of them.
Moreover, I knew at least one girl that Spring — peripherally — who did in fact get shot near her temple in a drive by. Fortunately for her, she was rolling deep.
July 16th, 2009 at 4:09 am
I know! It’s weird that I’m the first! I concede that I was a little dickish – I’ll chalk it up to the late hour. I actually really enjoyed the story, loved certain details (“weak and predatory” is classic) but color me skeptical about the kiss. Wouldn’t he or his crew have beaten your ass? Wouldn’t the kiss have gotten you in deeper trouble than having simply punched the kid in the eye?
Either way…I want to believe.
Also – I discovered, poking around your site, that you’re the Murky Coffee “Punch you in the dick” customer! You should pitch that one to TAL!
July 16th, 2009 at 4:35 am
What a shock to hear your story on the podcast on the train home last night. Congratulations and thanks for the excellent entertainment.
Claire and I – for reals – were just saying last week that your story would be great on TAM. And boom, there you are.
July 16th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I, too, discovered you and your website by hearing your story on This American Life. I thought it was amazingly cool and it made me cry (just a little bit, I’m super tough) because it made me think about my little sister who lives in Australia far away from me and how cool and hip and loyal she has been when men have ripped my little heart open. Much love to all the little sisters. Word.
July 16th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Much like others above, heard you on This American Life.
Wonderful story, well told, thank-you for it.
July 16th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Your story on TAM was fantastic. When you described your message to the punk kid as, “You have just opened the lid on forces that NOBODY knows how to deal with. Close the box and step away.”, I literally stopped what I was doing at work to write down your exact words. Those words struck the very core of me. I felt that exact emotion when defending my little brother once. I wish I could have articulated my emotions as eloquently as you did, but I was 10, and at the time the right words seemed to be, “I am going to destroy you!!!”.
Bravo and congrats on your TAM piece.
July 16th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Heard the story on TAL, but was looking for some sort of resolution. Like, what happened after? He didn’t report the kiss? Wouldn’t kissing a student get you in as much trouble as hitting one? If not more? The admin. was deaf & dumb? If your sister heard about it, clearly others did too. No one said anything? Sister went back to the douchebag? Or moved on to another, but probably equally abusive guy? Or what?
The real story seeemed to be in the fallout, which was never addressed.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:06 am
I listened to TAL at home, near Paris, France. Thank you. I’m a big TAL overseas fan, an expat Brit, who loves storytelling. Your story is excellent, and delivered with perfect ease and timing. Through the podscast I have discovered Moth and your blog too. So you can now say you have an international following!
July 17th, 2009 at 3:16 am
Heard your story on TAL and absolutely loved it … and just had to click over here and tell you. I work with what the world likes to call ‘out of school youth’ (you know, HS dropouts), and your story resonated on so many levels. Not sure I’ll ever resort to the kiss tactic (as a woman, that would surely be a hugely bad idea in every possible way), but I thought your move was priceless.
July 17th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Liza’s comment up near the top actually made my ears ring. Could be the most irritating thing ever written on the internet ever. It’s like the Sistine Chapel of banal. And I mean that in the best possible way.
July 17th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Listen to the podcast and came to your site. I was laughing, laughing with my earphones on and annoyed my wife as she tried to read.
July 18th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Excellent piece on TAL… thanks for it! Love the sis!
July 18th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
marry me.
okay, don’t.
July 19th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I wonder…what does it take to pull things out of you that you didn’t know you had?
How is it done?
July 19th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Heard your story on the podcast–I’m a bit taken aback by everybody’s responses on here. Isn’t a teacher kissing a minor against his will a low-level sex offense?
July 20th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Just heard the story on the podcast. Loved it. Cool blog too. Thanks!
July 20th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
About the kiss; brilliant and primal, and – yes, we’ve seen it – when Michael Corleone condemns Fredo with a kiss in The Godfather Part II.
July 21st, 2009 at 6:49 pm
You sounded great, Jeff! Loved it.
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:25 am
Like many here, I just heard our story on TAL. You have an excellent blog, and I’m looking forward to following it!
July 25th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I heard you on the This American Life podcast. I also subscribe to The Moth podcast and all I could think as I listened to you was: this is one of my favorite TAL segments AND the best Moth story I’ve ever heard! Congratulations.
July 29th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Found you like so many of these others via This American Life. This is a wit I can bookmark and come back to daily.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I loved your episode on TAL – that was great! It’s so nice to hear that Ira is how I imagined him (nice and professional). I was worried you might spill some dirt and I’d have to give up my favorite show.
July 30th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I Just heard you on the tal-podcast. Awesome story! Had to find your blog. Love the content here this far.
July 31st, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Love the way you tell this story, and Ira extracts terrific, thoughtful comments afterward. All the congratulations are well-deserved!