Three stories about people who decide to try out a new life—the kind of life their parents never wanted for them.
Prologue
How does a person who's not gay convince herself that she is for two years? Host Ira Glass talks to one of the show's contributing editors, Nancy Updike, about her two-year stint believing she was a lesbian, even though she was not attracted to women. (7 minutes)
That's Funny, You Don't Look Jewish
Chaim and Billy both lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, just blocks away from each other, in worlds that almost never collided. Chaim was a Hasidic Jew—he'd never heard pop music or watched MTV. Billy Campion, known as the rocker Vic Thrill, was the star of an underground band. Billy put Chaim, who took on the name Curly Oxide, into the band, and in just one year, he leapt from the 19th century into the 21st. David Segal, rock critic for the Washington Post, reports. (39 minutes)
Song:
Miami Vices
A nice Florida girl changes high schools and takes the opportunity to try on a new personality...the slutty kind. Sascha Rothchild reads from her own teenage diary. Her story was first recorded for Mortified, a stage show in Los Angeles produced by David Nadelberg. Its website: getmortified.com. (8 minutes)
Related
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these
Act One: Texas Girl
Jo Carol Pierce released a CD, Bad Girls Upset by the Truth, which documents in part her teenage years.
Act One: The Youth In Asia
When a pet dies, to what degree can it be replaced by another? And to what degree can pets replace people in our lives? David Sedaris tells this story of cats and dogs and other animals.
Act Four
Glen Fitzgerald, a Chicago missionary who works with gang members, talks about his concept of forgiveness, and how important it is to being Christian.
Staff Recommendations
The Giant Pool of Money
The surprisingly entertaining story of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis.
Will They Know Me Back Home?
Stories of people who've grown so accustomed to wartime that the lives they've left behind no longer make sense.