For our 400th show, we try something harder than anything we've ever tried in the previous 399. We take the random ideas that members of our own families have told us at weddings and family gatherings would be "perfect for the show"...and we actually try to make those ideas into stories.
Seth Lind
We Have a Winner!
Thank you to the 13,000 listeners who voted for their favorite stories.
Prologue
Host Ira Glass talks to his dad and stepmom about a story his dad thought might be good for the radio, concerning a mishap with a lost suit on a train. Ira then gathers the This American Life producers in their conference room, and announces a contest: Whoever makes the best story out of their parents' pitches wins. At the end of the show we announce the staff favorite. But what do we know? (7 minutes.)
Nancy's Dad's Story
The Erie Canal. (6 minutes.)
Alex's Dad's Story
Corporate Personhood. (6 minutes)
In the broadcast, we interrupt Alex's story in the middle. Listen to the whole thing.
Alissa's Mom And Sarah's Mom
Two short ideas that didn't work out so well as full stories. (3 minutes.)
All the songs in this episode prompted Senior Producer Julie Snyder to sing the unofficial This American Life jingle.
Related
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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 Three: Voyager
Alix Spiegel tells the story of her friend Jayna, who made a Faustian bargain at 11 years old.
Act Three: The News That's Fit to Print
To get a sense of what really is true of Apple's working conditions in China, Ira talks to New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg.
Staff Recommendations
Lower 9 + 10
We go to the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans to talk to residents about what matters most to them ten years after the hurricane.
The Night in Question
Conspiracy theories about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin continue to shape Israel's politics and future.