Storytelling with Ira Glass

By Heather Holliday | February 22, 2005

Ira Glass gives an insider's look to his popular radio show.

The Price Center Ballroom went dark on Saturday evening, Feb. 12, only to be filled with the voice of Ira Glass, radio producer and host of National Public Radio's This American Life. "There's an advantage to not seeing," he said. "There's an intimacy of just hearing someone's voice." As the lights came up, he sat on stage, looked out at the audience and said, "You all look nothing like I expected."

Speaking to hundreds of fans, Glass gave an insider's look to his popular radio show, which tells compelling stories of ordinary people. His monologue was dotted with radio anecdotes and made-up rumors about other National Public Radio personalities ("That's really what you're here for, isn't it?" he asked). Accompanying Glass's visit, part of ArtPower's performing arts season, was a CD player and some technical equipment. "That's all you need [to be on the radio]," he said. "No education. Nothing [else]."

As he meandered through the night, Glass led the audience through a series of stories, demonstrating that stories are interesting if they lead a person to a climax and include some context and perspective - the exact model both of his show and the night's presentation. And, judging from the enthusiastic response from the audience, he may be onto something. A break from the usual journalistic method of presenting first one side of the story and then the other (with good venues actually throwing in some context once in awhile), he charged that news and humor don't always need to be separated. "My problem with radio and TV is that it makes life less interesting than it is."