People stuck in a loop, trying to find their way out. Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to B.A. Parker about her birthday tradition. (6 minutes) Act One: Producer Aviva DeKornfeld speaks with a father and daughter who have been playing the same game for 25 years. (9 minutes) Act Two: Talia Augustidis asks a single question over and over. (5 minutes) Act Three: Editor David Kestenbaum speaks with Jeff Permar, who is trapped in a Groundhog Day situation — with an actual groundhog! (9 minutes) Act Four: Parking in a big city can be a real pain. Producer Valerie Kipnis speaks with a man who has taken it upon himself to try to mitigate the weekly hassle. (14 minutes) Act Five: Short fiction from Bess Kalb about a groundhog named Susan, who has her own opinions about the holiday named after her species. (7 minutes)
Hey there, it's Ira here with a quick message.
The other day,
two colleagues and I went into the studio and we listened to the very first pilot episode from this American Life.
This is a reel to reel tape.
Oh, my God.
I hadn't heard it actually since 1995.
We had no idea what to expect, so let's just jump in.
And it kind of blew our minds just how weird it was.
There were found tapes.
I don't want to see you cut your thumbnails.
For God's sake.
Shut up, little man.
And performance art.
It was an animal until I learned a calendar.
So now I am a human being.
And just some very bizarre pacing.
But, like, how many minutes are we into this story?
We're 16 and a quarter minutes into this.
Unbelievable.
I was really surprised what this pilot was like.