George Barcos
Public radio host Ira Glass
This American Life is one of the most popular radio programs in the world, beloved for its poignant, slightly off-center stories about the human experience. But, in the past week or so, it's been in the news for all the wrong reasons. It devoted its most recent episode to retracting a story by monologuist Mike Daisey, in which he made up many facts about harsh working conditions at a Chinese factory that produces Apple products. (Listen to it HERE.)
As it happens, TAL host Ira Glass will be in town this weekend on the heels of that show, but don't expect much discussion of the touchy topic. Show spokesperson Emily Condon wrote in response to our email to tell us: "He’ll likely address the situation very briefly, but won’t be discussing it at length or taking questions about it. We feel that the radio show and what we’ve posted online speaks for itself, and that delving into it at length would be a distraction from the event."
Instead, Ira will talk about his program and how it's put together: what makes a compelling story, where he and his staff find the amazing stories for their show, how they are trying to push broadcast journalism to do things it doesn't usually do. As part of this, Glass mixes stories from the show live onstage, combining his narration with pre-taped quotes and music, recreating the sound of the show as the audience watches at DPAC on Saturday at 8pm.
Regular tickets are $32+, with a special student price of $15 when you use the password "Glass" when ordering your ticket. For more information, call 680-2787 or click here. 123 Vivian St.
