doodledee

Libby and I went and saw Ira Glass down at the recently remodeled and reopened Pantages Theater. Ira is the host of This American Life, a truly great radio program. He was in town to give a talk about why some stories - particularly the ones featured on his show - work so well at hooking a listener and getting them to empathize with the characters.

His theories revolved around something like seven talking points. They included things like 'pleasant surprise' and 'narrative structure'. He talked through each one, highlighting them as he went with audio clips and anecdotes from his show and from his life.

What a snore-fest, right?

Hardly. I was totally frickin' mesmerized. It was 2+ hours and it absolutely flew by.

As a bonus, as would be expected at most any MPR event, the crowd was full of hilariously self-righteous doofs. These are the people who can't wait to clap when someone makes fun of television or suggests that Bush 'stole the election'. The groupthink makes for some fun people watching and, in some cases, some fun eavesdropping.

Witness:

Ira: See, radio is the most visual of all mediums. Lady behind us [whispered]: That's so true Ira: No it's not. But if you say it the right way, people will believe it. Dave [whispered]: Coppertone!

On one level I suppose it's sad, but for now, I'm just gonna keep laughing.