This American Life

M, R, and I recently went to a live version of the radio show This American Life. We are big NPR fans, and this show is a quirky, entertaining, strange glimpse into the lives of ordinary and not so ordinary people. The strength of the show is partly in the odd stories they manage to find, but it's also in the way the stories themselves are told. The timing is always perfect, and the music is carefully chosen to evoke emotion. This is the kind of radio show where you sit in your car after getting to your destination because you want to hear the end.

However, the reason for the live broadcast was a new and different twist on the old idea. This American Life is going to television. I think I can safely say that NPR fans are more than a little nervous about this idea. How would it translate? Will its quirky charm be ruined? Can pictures really do justice to these stories? Do we prefer to provide our own mental pictures of these story-telling whackos? We are a deeply skeptical people.

The live show began with the great man himself, Ira Glass. As the hos, Ira is usually just the glue between the stories. However, his personality somehow permeates the show to the point where you can't imagine it working without him. He introduces, he narrates, and sometimes he interviews. He is very good at his job. However, it turns out he really does have the face for radio. To put it bluntly, he's goofy looking.

We get to see some clips from the TV episodes. The bits with Ira interviewing are, um, not so good. He is really funny-looking, and his presence takes away from the stories the people are trying to tell. However, when they switch to him introducing the stories from a desk in a weird place, you think "A ha! This is the show I know and love!" The animated sequence is very good, the interview with the teen who doesn't believe in love is an absolute howler, and even the cow story turns out well. I have great hopes for the TV version of our beloved piece of NPR.