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587
May 27, 2016

The Perils of Intimacy

Mysteries that exist in relationships we thought couldn't possibly surprise us.

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flickr/Gem Atkinson

Prologue

Prologue

Ira talks to Rachel Rosenthal, who spent years trying to figure out who had stolen her identity. She was closing bank account after bank account, getting more and more paranoid, until she realized she knew exactly who the thief was. (5 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Act One

Rachel’s Getting Harried

Ira’s conversation with Rachel Rosenthal continues. She tells the story of why it took her so long to break up with her boyfriend, even after she figured out that he had stolen from her. We heard about Rachel's story via the podcast Risk! (9 minutes)

By

Ira Glass

Song:

“I Should Know Better” by Kyle Duke and the Brown Bags
Act Two

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

Producer Neil Drumming conducts an experiment to find out: can two adults, both new in town, become friends, with the right help? (16 minutes)

By

Neil Drumming
Act Three

Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow

Comedian Kyle Mizono, in a live performance, tells about the time she met her hero, spent a week working with him every day, and it went really well. And then, she emailed him. (10 minutes)

By

Kyle Mizono

Song:

“Anti-Love Song” by Betty Davis
Act Four

Break It Down

A short story by Lydia Davis about trying to calculate the cost of a love affair. The story is read by actor Matt Malloy. (12 minutes)

Lydia’s new book of collected essays is called Essays One.

Song:

“Lady, You Shot Me” by Har Mar Superstar

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Act Three: Fly Girl

Jon Ronson has been working on a podcast for over a year that traces how one man changed the porn business, when he applied modern internet technology — keywords, search-term optimization — to porn.

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One car dealership tries to make its monthly quota: 129 cars. It is way more chaotic than we expected.

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The U.S. government spent two years on a sting operation trapping an Indian man suspected of being an illegal arms dealer.

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