This American Life

[Deric W. Haircare]

The Radiolab episodes about memory and sleep have, like, changed my life. Hearting the show more with every episode.

[scotttsss]

I want to like David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell, I really do, but it's not smart enough to be smart or funny enough to be funny...

---Exactly, and I agree, and well said, and I second that, sir. 

I just wanna go into the woods with my Stanley Elkin book for three days.

I haven't read Stanley Elkin yet but he's now on my list.  I have however listened to many of Don Swaim's interviews from the 80's, and as it turns out he's interviewed Elkin a number of times, as well as tons of other authors over the years..all archived for posterity.  check it out.  http://wiredforbooks.org/stanleyelkin/

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

I want to like David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell, I really do, but it's not smart enough to be smart or funny enough to be funny...

---Exactly, and I agree, and well said, and I second that, sir. 

I just wanna go into the woods with my Stanley Elkin book for three days.

I haven't read Stanley Elkin yet but he's now on my list.  I have however listened to many of Don Swaim's interviews from the 80's, and as it turns out he's interviewed Elkin a number of times, as well as tons of other authors over the years..all archived for posterity.  check it out.  http://wiredforbooks.org/stanleyelkin/

Cool, thanks Mickey "Scraps."

[noise.light]

I am definitely a fan of TAL.  But that didn't stop me from enjoying the Onion parody.

This American Life Completes Documentation Of Liberal, Upper-Middle-Class Existence

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/this_american_life_completes

[Richard_From_CHI]

Boy did they nail that one. TAL has its moments but there are regularly times where I am filled with the desire to kick Ira Glass in the butt. He always sounds like he is poking fun of his subjects, drives me batty.

[Dan B]

I just started listening to that Radiolab today.  It's great.  It seems to me like a cross between TAL and The Ed Shepp Experiment, but i like it better than both.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

I broke down and resubscribed to TAL.  I kinda liked it.  I think the trick is to listen to the segments about ordinary folk and skip the cloying guest author bits.

I tried listening to Radiolab and it just didn't take.  I had a similar response to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, which people seem to adore.  Then again, it took a while for me to get into TBSOWFMU too.

[John Junk]

I like Wait Wait Don't Tell Me a LOT and I don't even know why.  It's not like the people are really all that funny , but they can occasionally be pretty clever.  I think it's some kind of nerdy vaudeville-meets-daily-show thing that I like, and I don't have cable, so there you go. 

[jed]

The laughs to funny ratio is WAY out of proportion for the guests and hosts on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

[Dorvid Barnas]

The laughs to funny ratio is WAY out of proportion for the guests and hosts on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

That's a dunk, my friend.

[Tim K in DC]

The laughs to funny ratio is WAY out of proportion for the guests and hosts on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

I think I agree, if what you're trying to say is the show isn't funny at all except to the people who are on it and embarrassingly, gigglingly aware of how funny (and smart) they think they are.

[jed]

The laughs to funny ratio is WAY out of proportion for the guests and hosts on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

I think I agree, if what you're trying to say is the show isn't funny at all except to the people who are on it and embarrassingly, gigglingly aware of how funny (and smart) they think they are.

Then we agree.

[yesno]

As far as TAL goes, the weightlifting snowman story was really funny. And the Captain Morgan man's story.  But I've found myself deleting the podcasts.  TAL is good if I'm driving, but if I have an iPod, I have lots more interesting stuff to listen to.

I find Radio Lab really annoying.  They have some kind of interesting story going on and then they interrupt it with silly sound effects and inane banter.  And I don't like the deliberately naive jive.

BBC's In Our Time, however, is consistently the second-most interesting radio show around.  Plus, there are some podcasts of old-timey mystery and science fiction shows that are fun.