The Best Of The Best

"I like to think of it as the only show on public radio other than Car Talk that both Daniel Schorr [NPR news analyst] and Kurt Cobain [lead singer/guitarist of Nirvana] could listen to." - Ira Glass

This American Life. Wow. The best show on Radio, and better than anything on TV too. I've loved this show for years, it's always been able to draw amazingness out of everyday people and events.

If you've never heard TAL, I guess you can be forgiven for reading this and saying "WTF?". Allow me to introduce you:

TAL is a one hour weekly radio show produced by Chicago Public Radio and hosted by Ira Glass (photo above). The show is played on NPR around the country and you can also download the podcasts for free from iTunes.

The episodes of TAL all have a theme, for instance the one I listened to today on my way in to work is called "Contents Unknown". And throughout the show this theme is illustrated in several acts, each being completely different but related by that central theme. The acts are composed of regular Americans, doing what they do in the course of their lives.

The real genius of the show is how the whole thing is brought together. "Contents Unknown" for instance, ties together a secret letter that all British nuclear subs have to carry on board, an auction for unclaimed self-storage items, a 1,400 year-old shipwreck, and a guy with amnesia. They've all got a mystery inside them ("Contents Unknown") and as such they are related in a strange tangential way.

It really gets you thinking about the common patterns of life, and how these threads run through everyone's lives. By showing us the little stories, they allow us to see the big picture.

If you are unfamiliar with This American Life, please take my advice and check it out.