This American Life: The Fat Blue Line
September 6th, 2008 by Steve BowbrickThis won’t go in the podcast because I just feel bad about uploading This American Life while they’re making such an earnest effort to make a living from this stuff over there. So you’ll just have to get over to the web site where you can listen to the show for nothing in your browser (or pay for a download). The second item in this episode (which starts at about 8:10) is a really gorgeous little story, told by crime writer (Clockers and Lush Life), TV script writer (The Wire) and screenwriter (The Color of Money) Richard Price.
It’s a snapshot from the time he’s spent shadowing NYC cops while researching his writing and it was actually recorded at a ’storytelling club’ in New York that I’d now really like to visit called The Moth (and they have their own excellent podcast). His language is so disarming, so light of touch (and so American) you’ll find yourself laughing with pleasure at the dialogue and the picture painted (or your money back).
September 9th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
This American Life has a long, *long* list of fascinating-sounding program titles. I’ve just finished to the “The Giant Pool of Money” — a very entertaining and incredibly lucid explanation of how subprime mortgages came to be and later, to cause the global credit crunch. Strongly recommended!
October 28th, 2008 at 5:30 am
I’m listening to this now. The prologue is great, too.