Audiofiles – Audiofiles

Belt buckle

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 15:37:12 +0000

The case: A young boy finds an enchanting object in the street.

The two stories we tell

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:40:41 +0000

In this episode, the Sugars explore the two stories we tell — the story of how we want to be seen, and the story of who we really are inside. They field questions from a feminist struggling to reconcile her stories after an emotionally abusive relationship, and from a twenty-something virgin who has spent her life letting her family write her story.

The secret history of thoughts

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:34:32 +0000

The question: “Are my thoughts related to my inner wishes? Do they reveal who I really am?” The answer can have profound consequences – as in these two stories, of one man gripped by violent thoughts and another trapped inside his head for 13 years.

Boom-Boom waits for nobody

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 16:39:00 +0000

A woman wakes up after a drunken night with no idea where she is – and must piece together how she came to be reunited with a high-school crush.

The silver dollar

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 02:57:14 +0000

Music is Daryl Davis’ profession, but extreme racism is his obsession.

Ellen Burstyn’s lessons on survival

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 18:59:54 +0000

When Ellen Burstyn was 18, she got on a Greyhound bus going from Detroit to Dallas. She had 50 cents in her pocket and a hunch that she could find work as a model.

Louis CK and Marc Maron

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 18:50:32 +0000

After months of false starts, Marc finally tracks down his old friend Louis CK. They have a lot to sort through together, and they do, over the course of a couple hours. Originally published as a two-part episode in October 2010, this conversation was chosen by Slate as the #1 podcast episode of all time.

The alibi

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 23:21:18 +0000

It’s Baltimore, 1999. Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior, disappears after school. Six weeks later, detectives arrest her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. He says he’s innocent, though he can’t exactly remember what he was doing that afternoon. Episode 1 of a season-long investigation into the murder.

Juicervose

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 23:11:09 +0000

The Suskind family found an unlikely way to access their silent son’s world — through Disney movies. Radiolab sets off to figure out what their story can tell us about autism, a disorder with a wide spectrum of symptoms and severity.

A reporter on death row

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:46:35 +0000

For a decade, the California Department of Corrections had denied press access to all death rows in the state. But for one day in 2012, the reporter was given exclusive press access to those cell blocks and the prisoners inside, serving death sentences.

Dan Savage says cheating happens

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 15:28:01 +0000

Occasional infidelity adds excitement to Dan Savage’s marriage. He’s not afraid of talking about that. What he doesn’t like discussing is money.

The Longform interview: Leslie Jamison

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 02:30:07 +0000

“I sort of love imagining a small army of 22-year-old men who are just like, ‘Fuck that book, I wish it was never published,'” the writer says of her own work.

The Forrest through the trees

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 02:24:01 +0000

The Education of Little Tree, by Forrest Carter, is marketed as a simple homespun autobiography of a Cherokee orphan. But the book is not at all what it seems. Its author shared a deep secret with the segregationist speechwriter Asa Carter. A non-narrated version of this story was originally produced for Radio Diaries.

Why marry (Part 1)?

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 02:05:45 +0000

Does marriage make you happier? Is divorce as common as we think? How is the institution perceived these days, and has it outlived its original purpose? Listen to Part 2.

Hospice

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 18:59:20 +0000

After watching a loved one get sick and die, the producer takes some personal questions about death and dying to a place where they’re happening all the time.

The memory of music

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 12 May 2014 16:06:12 +0000

It’s happened to you. A song comes over the radio, and, in just a few notes, you’ve been transported to some personal history, awash in memory and all its image and emotion.

A senator saved my love life

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 12 May 2014 15:22:46 +0000

The reporter and her boyfriend were in love, but she was working in New York and he studied wildlife out west. She didn’t think it could work. He did. And he thought that if a U.S. senator intervened, the relationship could turn around.

‘I don’t know’

Lisa Tobin — Sun, 11 May 2014 02:10:21 +0000

They’re the three hardest words in the English language, and our inability to say them more often can have huge consequences.

Thundershirt

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 09 May 2014 21:12:10 +0000

A conversation between Lena Dunham and Judy Blume.

The Longform interview: George Saunders

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 09 May 2014 21:04:54 +0000

“Put me anywhere,” the writer says. “I’ll find human beings, I’ll find human interest, I’ll find literature…the weirder, or maybe the less explored the place, the better.”

Another planet

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 09 May 2014 20:51:27 +0000

The true story of Clyde Casey, a street performer who used surrealism and abstract art to fight crime in Los Angeles’ Skid Row in the 1980s.

Rodney versus death

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 09 May 2014 20:42:53 +0000

What do you do in the face of a monstrous disease with a 100 percent fatality rate? A Milwaukee doctor tries to knock death incarnate off its throne.

Angelic symphony

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 09 May 2014 18:35:19 +0000

What happens when one song changes the course of your life?

1984 (the year, not the book)

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 18:58:36 +0000

In 1984, Benjamen Walker was 12 years old and like George Orwell’s protagonist Winston Smith, he kept a diary, for the citizens of the future. Travel back in time and find out what totalitarianism really sounds like.

Route talk

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:32:49 +0000

Chris Garcia and his dad were driving home, listening to oldies, sharing a bag of chips. They’d driven this route probably hundreds of times, but something odd was happening in the car, so Chris started recording their conversation on his phone.

No-armed bandit

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 20:23:50 +0000

“The zone” is a sort of trance state that gamblers experience while they’re playing. One’s sense of time, space, body, and sense of self can disappear. So there’s an imperative to design against interruption.

23 weeks, 6 days

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:45:09 +0000

When Kelley Benham and her husband finally got pregnant, after many attempts and a good deal of technological help, everything was perfect. Until it wasn’t. Their story raises questions that, until recently, no parent had to face.

Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 21:31:36 +0000

Dr. Benjamin Gilmer gets a job at a rural clinic. He’s replaced the last doctor — also named Dr. Gilmer — who went to prison for murder. But the more Dr. Gilmer talks to his new patients, the more confused he becomes. Everyone loved the old Dr. Gilmer.

Greenberg’s war

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 20:35:16 +0000

Lewis Greenberg is fighting to preserve a giant installation in his yard, Holocaust Revisited. He calls the neighbors who object Nazis, but it’s not nearly so black and white.

Infinite jest

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 20:07:00 +0000

David Foster Wallace first made his mark on the literary scene with his 1,079-page, three-pound-three-ounce novel, Infinite Jest. He discussed the book in 1996.

The blessing bee

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 19:56:37 +0000

In third grade, Shalom Auslander saw a chance to make his mom proud and push his drunk father out of the picture. The plan called for a lot of blessing, and a lot of sinning.

Ashes

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 19:39:45 +0000

David Sedaris reflects on his mother’s lung cancer.

Good news gone bad

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 18:51:42 +0000

A daughter learns the truth about her mother’s pregnancy.

The distance of the moon

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 14:46:46 +0000

What if the moon were just a jump away? A beautiful answer to that question comes in Italo Calvino’s story, read live by Liev Schreiber.

One man is an island

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:18:08 +0000

The reporter was working on a radio story and needed to interview the rapper Busta Rhymes. When he did a Google search, up came a map, centering on a tiny speck of land in a suburb of Boston — labeled Busta Rhymes Island.

Rocked by doubt

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 02:47:51 +0000

Jeff Viniard’s engagement to the woman he loves is threatened by a crisis of faith.

NASCAR dreaming

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:43:30 +0000

Three-year-old Mason on his new car.

Harper High

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:46:34 +0000

In the last school year alone, 29 current and recent students of Harper High School in Chicago were shot. 29. This American Life spent five months at the school to get a sense of what it means to live in the midst of all that violence. Listen to Part 2.

The human voice

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:34:23 +0000

Studs Terkel, the late oral historian, questions what has happened to “vox humana.”

A special son

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:25:56 +0000

There’s a restaurant in Albuquerque called Tim’s Place. It’s named after Tim Harris, a young man with Down syndrome who started the business with help from his dad.

Internet sleuths

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:29:15 +0000

An investigation into internet sleuths — like Todd Matthews of Doe Network — amateur detectives who use the web to solve cold cases and identify missing persons.

Analyze this

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:13:53 +0000

After a bit role with DeNiro, ex-con-actor Richie Castellano moves to a small town and gets dozens of people to invest in a movie that never premieres. Why did they buy it?

Ai Weiwei

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:42:08 +0000

China’s most famous living artist and most creative political dissident – no stranger to police beatings and imprisonment – makes a rare appearance in American media.

Just south of the unicorns

Lisa Tobin — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 00:48:49 +0000

A 15-year-old boy travels more than a thousand miles, alone, to seek out his hero.

The rise and fall of the Santa Claus Association

Lisa Tobin — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:42:44 +0000

A hundred years ago, when a child wrote a note to Santa Claus, it wound up in the “dead letters” room at the post office, never to be delivered. That changed in 1913, because of an enterprising New Yorker named John Gluck.

Little war on the prairie

Lisa Tobin — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:32:51 +0000

Growing up in Mankato, Minnesota, nobody talked about the most important historical event ever to happen there: in 1862, it was the site of the largest mass execution in U.S. history. Thirty-eight Dakota Indians were hanged by white settlers.

Muhammad Ali goes to Mars

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:29:38 +0000

It was the summer of 1966 when a persistent 17-year-old with a high school radio show near Chicago got the interview of a lifetime. But only a handful of people ever got to hear the conversation, in which Ali epically riffs about fighting on Mars.

Game changer

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 20:14:50 +0000

That moment, in basketball, when time is running out, the team is down by one, a player arcs the ball from downtown just as the buzzer sounds, and sinks it. It’s exhilarating. It’s heart breaking. And most of all, it’s good design.

Love is a battlefield

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 20:12:28 +0000

Heidi and Rick Solomon adopt a son who was raised in terrible circumstances in a Romanian orphanage. He is unable to feel attachments to anyone.

Lonely nights

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 14:51:09 +0000

Completing an accurate map of all the stars in the night sky is the lifelong goal of astonomer and self-confessed nocturnal hermit Brian Skiff. Diane Hope documents a night in the life of one of this dwindling number of professional stargazers.

Remembering Rakoff

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:57:52 +0000

Writer and humorist David Rakoff, who died at the age of 47, wrote with a perfect balance of wit and gravity about the cancer that would ultimately take his life.

The illustrated woman

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 19:54:41 +0000

“How do we actually know that these sentences coming out of our mouths are real stories, are real sentences?” Author and illustrator Maira Kalman on her life and work.

Some other sign

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 14:04:01 +0000

One night, drunk and stumbling around the Hudson River with a friend, Sean Cole discovered a monument to two of his poetry heroes, Walt Whitman and Frank O’Hara. And weirdly, he had been reciting from O’Hara’s Lunch Poems just minutes before. Thus began his quest to talk to the people whose idea it was.

Heather

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:33:26 +0000

As a teenager, Jessica Riddle and her friends would pick up the phone and dial the letters “H-E-A-T-H-E-R.” An old man would pick up the phone and talk to them. At first they were prank calling. But it turned out to be much more.

Dreamers

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:25:12 +0000

A contemplation of time and mortality, including stories about a family’s tragic visit to Palestine and a man who attends a dinner party after learning he might be dying.

Double blasted

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:05:26 +0000

In early August of 1945, Tsutomu Yamaguchi had a run of the worst luck imaginable. A double blast of radiation left his future, and the future of his descendants, in doubt.

Kindness of a stranger

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:09:31 +0000

When she was a young girl, Rebecca Johnson and her mother took a trip to a department store in Boston, where Rebecca found a book that she begged her mother to buy. What happened next stays with her to this day, 38 years later.

Rare documents

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:46:05 +0000

Document expert John Reznikoff comes into possession of papers that, if authentic, would change history. Think: proof of JFK and Marilyn. Then things get complicated.

The secret

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 22:09:59 +0000

Jarrod Livingstone was once officially dead for three minutes. His sister wants to know what the experience was like, but he refuses to talk about it.

Marion Cunningham

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:33:36 +0000

Alice Waters and the Kitchen Sisters pay tribute to an American cooking legend. Marion Cunningham drove a fast Jag and swam daily into her 80s. She was funny and wise and everyone in the food world sought her advice and opinion.

Roller girls

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:16:58 +0000

A profile of the extraordinary rise of the British roller derby — a dynamic new expression of female identity and feminine aggression in Britain.

Falcon Lake

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:30:30 +0000

Falcon Lake, right on the Texas-Mexico border, is ranked the best lake in America for bass fishing. But Mexico’s Zeta cartel also likes to use the lake — to smuggle drugs.

Sounds of Brooklyn

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:42:14 +0000

Reggie Watts, the comedian and musician, goes on a sonic tour of Brooklyn.

What gave you that idea?

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:12:06 +0000

In 2003, Noel was working at an ad agency in Virginia. Everyone wanted to work on flashy spots like Apple or Nike. Which is why when an insurance company called Geico became a client, everyone hoped the campaign wouldn’t end up on their desk.

The Highwaymen

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:59:20 +0000

If you traveled Florida’s Route 1 in the 1960s, you might have encountered a young, African-American artist, selling a lushly painted oil landscape from his car. They weren’t allowed in galleries — but motels, office buildings and tourists would buy their works.

Switcheroo

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:13:18 +0000

Ira Glass and his friend Etgar Keret were at the Cindy Sherman show at MoMA when a woman came up to them claiming to be Cindy Sherman. Then she said she wasn’t. Later, against Etgar’s wishes, Ira calls Cindy to clear things up.

With great power

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 15:32:02 +0000

On an August day in 1979, Carla Dimkoff learned something which shaped the rest of her life and the life of a complete stranger. And it took 26 years for her to realize that.

The last quiet place

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:19:11 +0000

Gordon Hempton says that silence is an endangered species. He defines real quiet as presence — an absence of noise. The Earth, as he knows it, is a “solar-powered jukebox.”

The couple in 303

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:03:52 +0000

The discovery of Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger and his girlfriend Catherine Greig turned the block in Santa Monica where they’d been hiding for 15 years into a media circus. Writer Gideon Brower, who lived across the street, talks to residents of the apartment building about their neighbors — “The Gaskos.”

Mother of many

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:54:02 +0000

Motherhood in war-torn South Africa brings heartache and healing to one family.

Render unto Caesar’s Palace what is due

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:34:49 +0000

The story of a Christian card counting team, and why they saw no contradiction in being devout Christians who spent their days in casinos.

Tribute to Ray Bradbury

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:30:46 +0000

Brooke Gladstone tells how her love of science fiction began with the sci-fi author.

And justice for all?

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:13:42 +0000

A booker for court TV shows opens up about the world of daytime justice.

Grandmother

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:58:36 +0000

Jake Warga chronicles the life and decline of his paternal grandmother. As she grew older, she mistook Warga for his father, who had already died.

Car wars

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 17:12:32 +0000

Wisconsin Public Radio wanted to do something simple: start running Car Talk. But to do this, they had to move their local show, About Cars, to the afternoon. The host was so upset that he not only refused to move, he rallied the public against Car Talk.

Jeffrey Tambor

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:53:26 +0000

Tambor joined Marc Maron for a live WTF taping at SXSW. The two talk about Hank Kingsley, Al Pacino, George C. Scott, fatherhood, lisping, sobriety, and spiritual seeking.

Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:15:55 +0000

An idealistic and serious man, a progressive politician, and the most popular mayor in Cincinnati history — that all describes the former life of talk show host Jerry Springer.

The best beer in the world

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:16:26 +0000

The main concept behind the Trappist lifestyle is that the abbey should be self sufficient. The monks should make something and sell it to the public. Some make cheese. Some make spirits. But none of the Trappist products are as famous as the beer.

Crispy with the rock

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:09:23 +0000

Luis Da Silva has been called the best ball handler in the world. But he didn’t even start for his high school basketball team. It wasn’t until he showed up for a Nike commercial shoot in New York that anyone had a clue what he could do.

Welcome home, dad

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:58:49 +0000

Frankie Lewchuk lives in a small town in the southern Appalachian mountains in Alabama. His dad was on the run from the law for 16 years, and Frankie had no idea.

Know when to walk away

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:48:38 +0000

Ira Glass travels to Vegas for the World Series of Poker, gets hooked, and explores what it would mean if he ditched his job in radio to become a professional card player.

What happened at Dos Erres

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:46:19 +0000

In 1982, the Guatemalan military massacred the villagers of Dos Erres, killing more than 200 people. Decades later, a Guatemalan in the US got a call from a woman who told him that two boys had been abducted during the massacre — and he was one of them.

‘Whitey’ the kid

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:38:45 +0000

It has been known since the 1990s that James “Whitey” Bulger was a secret FBI informant going back a couple decades. But newly obtained government documents now show that Bulger started snitching on fellow criminals when he was in his twenties.

Fix

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:12:28 +0000

A crusader for truth — or, as Karl Rove called him, “a nut with internet access” — Jason Leopold wanted to be a part of something. That quest brought him through a labyrinthine world of decadent glam metal, dangerous mafioso, love, and investigative journalism that challenges the heights of government and corporate power.

I love your voice

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:27:45 +0000

Tig Notaro was out at a party when she ran into Taylor Dayne, a late 80s pop star. Then she ran into her again. And again. They established something of a one-sided rapport.

Resurrection

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:18:13 +0000

One of the best-known stories from the Bible reenacted with an armadillo. Sort of.

Porn whales

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:36:10 +0000

Playing around with audio samples taken from pornography films, producer Ed Prosser was struck by how much the moans and groans came to resemble the calls of whales.

Hubble repairman

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:41:39 +0000

The man who helped bring the Hubble Space Telescope into focus.

Map of the sea

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:41:12 +0000

For centuries, the Newfoundland fishery was hailed as the greatest in the world. Then, in 1992, the cod disappeared and island culture was poised to go the way of the cod.

Scene of the crime

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:39:16 +0000

Private investigator Paul Bieber heads to Colombia for answers to a question victims of paramilitary violence are rarely — if ever — asked: What does justice look like to them?

Bully as a young man

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:38:17 +0000

The effects of bullying, discussed by an often ignored expert: a young bully himself.

Lights out

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:37:38 +0000

Aspiring young DJs without much money, post-blackout looting, and abundant hi-fi stores. Delaney Hall explores how the New York riots of 1977 sparked hip-hop music.

Saints and Indians

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:31:11 +0000

For over 40 years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints sponsored a program that placed Native American children in Mormon homes. The program aimed to help bring a “cursed race” back to the Kingdom of God.

The search for Edna

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:26:01 +0000

In 1942, Edna Lavilla Haynes died from a backyard abortion. After her death Edna was never mentioned again. More than 60 years later, Edna’s granddaughter looks for clues.

Fetal consequences

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:39:21 +0000

Legions of fetal cells hang out inside a mother for decades after she gives birth — and might even help heal her when she’s sick or hurt.

Embracing regret

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:24:27 +0000

We’re taught to avoid doing things we’ll regret for the rest of our lives, but why? Author Kathryn Schulz makes the case for cherishing our worst choices — like her tattoo.

Our last memory

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:14:20 +0000

A neuroscientist looks to her own research to understand her father.

The most natural thing

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:47:15 +0000

Mark Sam Rosenthal’s father teaches him about the birds and the bees, but leaves out the one lesson he never learned himself.

To build a fire

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:51:12 +0000

As a teenager, Hallie Haglund had a complicated relationship with her English teacher — one that became even more complicated when they ventured into the wild.

The insult comic

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:23:10 +0000

The self-proclaimed Queen of Mean listens to and discusses her live performance about her ex-boyfriend, Big Frank, and what makes for good stand-up comedy.

Remembering Kent State

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:10:07 +0000

When Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on students during a war demonstration in May, 1970, four young lives were ended. Through archival tape and interviews, we learn about the events leading up to the shooting that stunned a nation.

The arsenal of exclusion

Wed, 02 May 2012 21:10:33 +0000

Urban planner Daniel D’Oca on architectural weapons — design elements in the urban landscape used to wage the ongoing war between integration and segregation.

A familiar voice

Wed, 02 May 2012 21:04:55 +0000

You may not know his face, but you definitely know his voice. Tom Kane: the man behind thousands of video games, commercials, and those ridiculous movie trailers.

Million dollar idea

Wed, 02 May 2012 19:40:50 +0000

Back in the 1980s, Michael Larson made the most money ever on the game show Press Your Luck. It was no luck, but was his winning plan a scam or an honest venture?

Tracking

Wed, 02 May 2012 18:46:44 +0000

Jaimita Haskell got bumped up into a more advanced high school program, where all the books were brand new and the students listened politely to each other. So she wasn’t pleased when she got dropped back into the chaos of mainstream classes.

Grandma makes a statement

Wed, 02 May 2012 18:45:58 +0000

The indie rock star Thao Nguyen tells a true story about her sweet, lovely grandma — who you definitely do not want to mess with.

Psychological cartography

Wed, 02 May 2012 15:17:08 +0000

In 1941, two warships from Australia and Germany clashed off the coast of western Australia. Both sank. Despite extensive search efforts, the ships weren’t found until 2008, when psychologists analyzed statements given by surviving crew members.

Cat and mouse

Wed, 02 May 2012 15:11:47 +0000

A story about what happens when natural enemies meet — in an Alcoholics Anonymous program in prison. From David Sedaris’ collection of animal fables.

Kiss and the dying

Wed, 02 May 2012 15:09:43 +0000

Three years ago, Ceil Muller’s husband died unexpectedly. In a sound essay, she offers some tips for those who find themselves in such a situation.

Bob Zmuda

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:26:23 +0000

Andy Kaufman lives in this epic WTF with Kaufman’s former comedy partner and Comic Relief co-founder Bob Zmuda, who goes back to his first meetings with Kaufman and the many mind-bending productions they put on through the years.

Forbidden love

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:31:19 +0000

The phenomenon known as genetic sexual attraction occurs when family members who have never met until adulthood find themselves attracted to one another. And for those who experience it, GSA is often shrouded in secrecy, shame, and fear.

The power of pronouns

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:25:38 +0000

The. This. Though. I. And. An. There. That. Psychologist James Pennebaker explains how the words we think about the least can reveal the most about our relationships.

Von trapped

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:37:31 +0000

A dark tale about a woman obsessed with The Sound of Music and the Von Trapp Family as well as other things Austrian. That is, until she realizes Austria’s recent history is not just about apple strudel, singing nuns, and happy blond children.

How babies are made

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:05:21 +0000

Blaise Allysen Kearsley ponders the question: How do you learn about sexuality when no one tells you anything useful and everyone else seems to know what they’re doing?

A tale of murder and injustice

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:09:05 +0000

Twenty five years ago, Michael Morton was convicted of killing his wife and sentenced to life in prison. DNA evidence finally set him free, but it took a quarter-century to force Texas officials to reveal the evidence that exonerated him.

The two lives of Asa Carter

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:18:08 +0000

Asa Carter was a speechwriter for Alabama Governor George Wallace. He penned one of the most infamous speeches of the era, Wallace’s “Segregation Now, Segregation Forever.” Forrest Carter was a Cherokee writer. But the two men shared a secret.

Our buggy brain

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:04:02 +0000

Our brain performs all kinds of weird actions that seem counter-intuitive. What tricks do our minds play when we think it’s okay to lie, cheat, or steal? How in control are we of our decisions? And why do our brains systematically misjudge what will make us happy?

Coming out straight

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:52:55 +0000

When Josh Healey enters into a new relationship, he’s got explaining to do at home.

Fatso

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:35:17 +0000

A woman reveals to her boyfriend that she’s not always what she seems.

The wrap

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:02:40 +0000

L. Abdul Kenyatta courts the love of his life and explains the roots of hip-hop to his son.

Strangers on the Internet

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:59:19 +0000

Matt Danzico took on a massive project to show that strangers on the Internet can be trusted — and found himself in the middle of nowhere with a stranger and his gun.

What they saw

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:33:28 +0000

For the veterans of the Civil War, memories and remembrances were different than for veterans of later wars. Without images or sounds, shared experience was the only evidence that what the veterans remember actually took place.

Dick Clark

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:59:15 +0000

It’s fitting that Dick Clark seemed to defy the ravages of time since he hosted the long-running “American Bandstand,” which helped bring rock’n’roll into the mainstream.

Why are we happy?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:50:03 +0000

Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert says our beliefs about what makes us happy are often wrong and challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. Our “psychological immune system” lets us feel happy even when things don’t go as planned.

Crybaby

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:00:16 +0000

A story about being a crybaby, from David Sedaris’ book of animal fables.

A father’s story

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:28:22 +0000

In July 2011, Matthew Rochelle stood trial for murder. His father, Stephen Rochelle, describes what it felt like when his own son became a stranger.

Galloping Gertie

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:03:09 +0000

Even during construction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the deck would go up and down by several feet with the breeze. In the months the bridge was open, people came just to ride the waves as they crossed above Puget Sound. The thrill ride didn’t last long.

Why good people do bad things

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:55:52 +0000

When we think about bad behavior, we think about character. But psychologists have found that doesn’t explain everything. Take for example a man who started out as an upstanding businessman and went on to commit fraud involving millions of dollars.

The hard way

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:48:21 +0000

Snap Judgment’s first ever live show. With no notes, no do-overs, and no safety net, storytellers and poets tell stories of how they came to do what they do — the hard way.

Levon Helm sings again

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:18:21 +0000

The drummer backed Bob Dylan and sang with Van Morrison. Three decades after The Band split and ten years after a diagnosis of throat cancer, he put out a solo album.

Countdown

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:58:06 +0000

At the countdown to the New Year, Joe Frank is feeling the weight of time.

Mom becomes a man

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:41:19 +0000

Les and Scott GrantSmith’s marriage was on the rocks. They had been together 10 years and had two children, but Les was hiding the fact that she felt trapped in her body.

Deported

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:59:30 +0000

A 26-year-old from Los Angeles gets deported to his parents’ home country of El Salvador, which he has not seen since he was five years old. He has no memories of the country, no immediate family, and little ability to speak Spanish.

Crossroads

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:13:40 +0000

Jad Abumrad goes looking for the devil, in search of the truth behind the legend of one of the most haunting, shadowy figures in music — American blues singer Robert Johnson.

Nneka’s heavy soul

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:43:09 +0000

Nneka’s music is a mixture of Afrobeat, hip-hop, R&B, and folk. As a teenager, she moved from Nigeria to Germany, her mother’s home country. “I was a foreigner, and I was treated like a foreigner. Despite the fact that I had both passports.”

Society of the spectacle

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:28:56 +0000

Published in 1967, Guy Debord’s “La Société du Spectacle” is a radical attack on modern society, in which, in Debord’s words, “being” had declined into a state of “having” and “having” merely meant “appearing”. But what exactly was the spectacle?

Tape delay

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:54:27 +0000

A young man is bewildered when his phone conversation with a date sounds entirely different on her end of the line than it does on his.

The icebreakers, part 2

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:45:06 +0000

“Q: Did you hear about the new corduroy pillows? A: They’re making headlines!” An all-icebreaker episode of the Dinner Party Download. Very short, very stupid jokes from Patton Oswalt, Miranda July, Spike Jonze, Shepard Fairey, and many more. Part 1.

Honor God

Lisa Tobin — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:57:23 +0000

As a boy in religious school, Shalom Auslander is informed that his name is one of the names of God, so he must be very careful not to take his own name in vain.

Holes in the net

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:15:34 +0000

After a terrible loss, science writer Carl Zimmer goes to report from the South Sudan, surrounded by the world’s deadliest parasites.

Holey cow

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:55:20 +0000

In 1822, an accidental shooting left Alexis St. Martin with a hole in his gut that wouldn’t heal, but didn’t kill him either. Instead, the strange relationship that developed between the patient and his doctor opened up a one-of-a-kind window into the human body.

Cringe love

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:21:20 +0000

A look back at that relationship you can’t believe actually happened. You stayed too long, put up with too much, said such nasty things. The bylaws and byways of cringe love.

Kristen Wiig

Lisa Tobin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:10:40 +0000

“One of the greatest gifts I’ve gotten from SNL is getting out of my comfort zone,” Wiig says. “The first handful of years that I was there, most of my characters were ladies in their 40s with short hair and weird sweaters that no one wanted at their dinner party.”

The hamster wheel

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:46:11 +0000

A tour through the world of money and politics, revealing just how much time members of Congress spend raising money and which committee assignments yield the biggest campaign donations. Plus, what exactly is all this money actually buying?

A musical innovator

Lisa Tobin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:06:03 +0000

Tod Machover is recognized as one of the most innovative composers of his generation. He has astounded the world with his avant-garde musical explorations, including an opera staged with robots. He’s also an inventor, changing the way people make music.

The man who tried to save a city

Lisa Tobin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:20:50 +0000

David Unkovic is a thoughtful, mild-mannered guy who was appointed to save Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The city had gone broke and it was Unkovic’s job to figure out how to fix things. Then he quit. And since resigning, Unkovic has gone missing.

Leadbelly and Lomax

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:47:33 +0000

Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Leadbelly, the renowned folksinger and bluesman, performed with pioneering folklorist Alan Lomax on WNYC in 1944.

Murrow reporting from the Battle of Britain

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:45:30 +0000

Edward R. Murrow reporting from London for American audiences in 1940.

The hiker and the cowman

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 04:04:31 +0000

The story of how the environmentalist that ranchers hated the most, whom they tried to run out of town and hanged in effigy, came to take the ranchers’ side of things.

Night

Lisa Tobin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:53:57 +0000

“Night in London is a brief period of infinite possibility,” wrote the journalist HV Morton in the 1920s. Nowhere is this truer than in Hackney, which becomes an asphalt jungle for revellers, criminals, artists, lovers, all night eateries, and taxi drivers.