Obsessive listening of TAL - do you think its common and/or healthy?
I'm in Australia. I started listening in my first year of university in 2012 to tune out my anxious thoughts before sleep. Suddenly now it's twelve years later and I've listened to at least one episode every single day (from the archive), at a minimum to fall asleep to. I've listened to the entire archive start-to-finish at least two, maybe three times. Have you heard of this as being common amongst fans? (Yes, I do attend regular therapy - don't worry!)
What makes an interesting story a good story to tell on the show?
Sometimes when I try to tell my wife a story I heard on the show (she does not share my interests in podcasts) she often doesn't have the same response as I had when I was listening to the show. I realize, that I am often failing to retell the story as I either try to hit the same narrative and emotional beats and lose her and or I am going straight for the "lesson" which leaves so much out that it's just not as impactful. With the latter, I've come to understand some stories are rather "mundane" but elevated through your way of telling them (i.e. a kid's first ride on the schoolbus). So, how do you know if a story, as interesting as it might be on itself, has what it takes to make a good on the show? When can you tell if it has what you need? Also, are you after all these years able to listen to a story or read a book without thinking about turning into a piece? P. S. Long-time first time. TAL means more to me than I can describe here!
How Does the Team Create TAL?
Each episode has a coherent theme, which you would think would limit your reporters to going out and finding very specific stories to report on. But I find the idea of that process hard to believe. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd love to know: how does the team report on such unique stories that still keep a throughline?
What was your favorite story that didn't make the cut?
We all have plans that don't go the way we hoped or anticipated, and I'm sure the same goes for TAL. Do you have a favorite story that was under development for broadcast that didn't work out as planned and was never aired? What was it and why did you decide to pull the plug? Looking back, would you have done anything differently if you were to attempt it today?
Do you ever change an episode after the fact? Like change part of a story or make another cut after it has aired?
I have heard that Sarah Koenig sometimes edited Serial after the fact (not sure if this is just a rumor or true). Do you guys ever do that? What kind of things do/would you change?
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of your work day?
Obviously, there’s a lot that goes into making this wonderful show. What part of your work day do you look forward to the most? Is it hearing new stories for the first time, conducting interviews, recording? And what grinds your gears? Editing? Lengthy staff meetings? Answering our questions? (Jk… unless?)
Changing of the guards
Sometimes when I can't sleep I listen to old episodes of TAL, especially episodes from the pre 9/11 era. There's something soothing in the fact that the format, and your voice, is mostly the same as it is today, while it is speaking to me from a world that I imagine felt less troubled. How do you see that the world has changed over the 30 years you've been doing the show, and what impact has it had on they stories you tell and how you tell them? What is a story that you could tell back then, that wouldn't work now? And vice versa?
Vinyl album of 'This American Life' songs? (Fiona Apple, TMBG, Nikki Lane, Starlee Kine, etc.)
Have y'all ever discussed pressing up a vinyl album (maybe for a pledge drive to coincide with Record Store Day) of some of the ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE songs that have been written or recorded for the show? I'm thinking especially of Fiona Apple's cover of "Here We Have Idaho" (episode #800), Sarah Vowell and Marah doing "Christmas at Valley Forge" (#305), Sara Bareilles and Leslie Odom, Jr. doing "Seriously" (#599), Nikki Lane's cover of Iris Dement's "When My Morning Comes Around" (#774), They Might Be Giants doing "I'm Sick (of This American Life)" (#90), and especially Starlee Kine's back-to-back bangers: "The Three of Us" (#339) and her one-day-band cover of "Rocket Man" (223). P.S. - please also include a song or two from Alix Spiegel's college band Succubus because the clip we heard in Episode #799 is pure perfection. Thank you for considering this idea (and please let me write a liner note essay for it!) Will Hodge Music Journalist & creator/host of the "Unplugged Revisited" podcast
Writing vs speaking
Do you come across skilled writers with voices that just don’t work for radio? Maybe they sound annoying or can’t read their own writing in an authentic way. Who has your favorite and least favorite speaking voices of the contributors to the show? I like many (most?) people, do not like the sound of my own voice when recorded and played back to me.
Writing vs speaking
Do you come across skilled writers with voices that just don’t work for radio? Maybe they sound annoying or can’t read their own writing in an authentic way. Who has your favorite and least favorite speaking voices of the contributors to the show? I like many (most?) people, do not like the sound of my own voice when recorded and played back to me.
What happened in Seattle?
Hi, Ira! I saw you live in Seattle in May of 2023 when there was a disruption in the middle of the show from a man in the front row protesting. You very impressively handled the situation so calmly and diplomatically that I thought he was a plant and part of the show until security finally came and removed him. It unnerved many in the audience (a few people left), but you seemed totally unrattled by the situation. What did you think was happening in that moment, and in retrospect would you have handled it differently?
Director’s Cut / Commentary on TAL Episode 1
Long time listener here but I haven’t heard any episodes older than 2011 - I was curious about the first ever episode and found it almost jarring how different it flowed from “modern” TAL episodes. I found myself wondering what you (Ira) think of the craft of the first few episodes now - what’s different in the approach and the editing? Your voice and cadence seem to be almost the same - did you work on that or is it just how it naturally came out to be? Very curious.
How many questions is too many questions?
After mulling questions to ask you it became apparent that I have far too many. Maybe my first question should be how many questions can I ask without sending you screaming for the hills. Take a deep breath, here are a few: Would you ever consider writing an autobiography? Would an autobiography of TAL be feasible? Would you share some of your favorites (books, albums, meals, cities, songs, jokes, etc) with us? Who came up with the idea of using show clips to roast Torey at the end of each show? It is an incredibly clever way to keep people listening through the credits. Do you have a phonetic cheat sheet to use when pronouncing all the people's names who work on and appear on the show? Do you know that you are a National Treasure? Because, you are. Thank you for sharing your insights, opening our minds, exploring human nature, using humor to educate and for shining a light on the human condition...in so many conditions. America and the world are better places for having you in them, Ira.